The UAE has made several amendments to the Federal Law No. 3 (2003), which regulates the country’s telecoms sector, including provisions to set up a new committee to oversee the industry, and new responsibilities for the Ministry of Communications to represent the government’s shares in incumbent Etisalat Corp. President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the decree which alters and amends Articles 2, 26 and a part of Article 80 of the 2003 Federal Law. According to the Emirates News Agency, the new wording for Article 2 reads: ‘A committee overseeing the telecommunications, to be called the ’higher committee for supervision of telecommunications sector’, shall be set up from four members, including its Chairman, representing the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Court of the Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai and the Council of Ministers. The members shall be appointed by a federal decree and shall receive remunerations for their task. However, the committee shall be empowered to carry out its functions as prescribed hereof.’
A new eleven-member board will also be appointed under the revised law to run Etisalat, seven of whom, including its chairman, will represent the government and the remainder will be elected by shareholders to serve three-year terms.