TRA mulling plans to clear path for competition

The UAE’s regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), is considering plans to liberalise the telecoms industry, according to Mohammed Hassan Omran, chief executive of incumbent operator Etisalat. The CEO says that under the proposed deregulation of the sector a second operator could be licensed to provide fixed and mobile telephony services in competition with the incumbent. The move towards liberalisation forms part of the country’s plan to achieve entry into the WTO.