By: Kebba AF Touray
The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), is set to host the International Telecommunication Union’s Study Group 12’s Regional Group meeting for the Africa Region (SG12RG-AFR), at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center from 13th – 16th March, 2023.
The SG12RG focuses on quality of service and experience delivery (QoS and QoE respectively), and the regional workshop is being jointly organized with PURA on the theme: “sharing experience to enhance telecoms network quality for consumers.”
The regional meeting to be convened in Banjul intends to bring together regulators, operators, consumer advocates and policymakers in Africa, to discuss critical issues affecting QoS and QoE; share valuable country-specific case studies and offer practical models geared towards the enhancement of quality service delivery.
The Director of PURA Yusupha M. Jobe, said hosting the regional meeting demonstrates the degree of trust and confidence bestowed on PURA as a regulatory player in the realm of telecommunications in Africa. That this will be the first time that PURA is hosting the ITU-T Group 12 Regional Meeting, and noted that they are hopeful that the regional convergence will have a positive impact on the telecommunications industry not only in The Gambia, but for Africa as a whole.
“We greatly appreciate being accorded the hosting privilege, and this re-asserts our shared collective values, priorities and purpose of reaping the very essence of being part of international bodies like the ITU,” he said. That the Banjul Meeting will set the pace in fostering unified standards that would address QoS and QoE matters, and that the convergence is also aimed at encouraging African countries to proactively promote the development of ITU-T recommendations and increase their participation in the quality-of-service development.
Equally important he said, the meeting will dissect the eminent QoS challenges faced by operators, regulators and other players particularly on the African continent and will propose smart means of tackling the identified challenges. He said the Meeting will also feature a roundtable discussion on the status of Quality-of-Service and Quality of Experience challenges and future opportunities in the industry.
