155
NTRA holds Egypt’s first IoT Forum in presence of 75 participants
 27 November 2022

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA), in cooperation with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), held Egypt’s first forum for Internet of Things (IOT) services. The Forum was held with 75 participants taking part as representatives of 36 public, private, and business sectors, in addition to leading technology manufacturers as well as operators. It aims to foster and disseminate IoT services within Egypt’s market, particularly across the national projects carried out and the smart ecosystems applied in the state’s developmental sectors. This also comes in line with NTRA’s role to uphold the state’s strategies which aim at reinforcing digital transformation and disseminating modern technologies across the state’s different sectors, and attracting as well as increasing investments in digital services. 

Participants discussed the market’s recent updates with regard to IoT services, at the top of which was the IoT framework established by NTRA at the beginning of this year. They also gave their visions and recommendations, and discussed the challenges hindering IoT services from being used nationwide. Furthermore, industry-specific suggestions as well as plans to prepare technical IoT cadres were discussed; small and intermediate entrepreneurs were also encouraged to use modern technology with an aim to develop technical solutions in all fields.

The Forum’s work groups and mechanisms, including two main agendas, were also approved. The first agenda handles securing data, establishing regulatory as well as legislative frameworks, creating awareness and providing a suitable environment to prepare specialized human cadres. Meanwhile, the second agenda takes on widely using IoT services in public utilities such as, health, education, environment, transportation, tourism, energy, industry, agriculture, irrigation and smart cities sectors.  

NTRA had previously established the IoT regulatory framework to provide IoT services within the Arab Republic of Egypt, being a significant mainstay of Industry 4.0. In fact, IoT facilitates operating smart cities’ systems, smart meters and smart transportation schemes, in addition to providing digital services across the state’s multi-sectors. It’s worth noting that IoT encompasses all inter-connected devices via telecom networks to exchange data, in order to meet the citizens’ requirements in all life aspects. IoT apps are also diversified in accordance with the nature of each service including, end-user, trade and industrial, infrastructural and governmental activities.