The 25^th  Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC-25) was held at New Delhi, India from 11^th to 13^thNovember, 2024, gathering regulators, industry leaders, and experts from across South Asia. Hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), this year’s meeting brought together stakeholders to share insights, address regulatory challenges, and forge pathways toward a more inclusive digital ecosystem. Spanning three days, SATRC-25’s program features key discussions that emphasize the theme of “Accelerating Telecommunication and ICT Development for Growth and Inclusiveness,” promoting digital transformation for economic and social prosperity in the region.

The Meeting was inaugurated by the Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Hon’ble
Minister of Communications; & Minister of Development of North-Eastern Region on the 11^th November, 2024 in the presence of Dr.PemmasaniChandra Sekhar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development. Mr. Masanori Kondo, Secretary General, Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) was present on all three days.SATRC-25 elected Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India as the Chair of SATRC.

SATRC is an initiative under the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) that promotes regional cooperation and harmonized regulatory practices across South Asia’s telecommunications sector. With members including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, SATRC is dedicated to creating a digitally inclusive society by supporting regulatory innovation, policy alignment, and cooperative efforts to bridge digital divides in the region.

The SATRC-25 meeting featured a comprehensive agenda designed to address key issues in the telecommunications and ICT sectors. The meetingaddressed several key topics, which included Regulators Roundtable discussion and Regulatory-Industry Dialogue.

The Industry Session was organised to give an opportunity to telecommunication/ICT industry in South Asian region to raise the critical issues regarding regulatory environment and perspective of the industry on those issues. Sessionswere also organised to share policy and regulatory best practices and experiences on supporting the digital transformation of the economy and society.  The meeting reviewed the progress of implementation of SATRC Action Plan Phase IX Progress on the work on different work items which were reported by the Chairs of the SATRC Working Groups.  Meeting also reviewed the activitiesand the budget implementation of SATRC Action Plan Phase IX for the year 2025.

The meeting was well attended by both physically and on virtual mode.  The total participation numbering about 120, included delegates from more than 10 countries.  There were 9 Heads of Regulators/Heads of Delegation representing each of the SATRC Members.  The meeting also attracted good participation from the telecom industry, who actively participated in the deliberations.

The meeting concluded with a strong call to action for regulators of all SATRC countries toexchange best practices and  collaborate in tackling the challenges presented by emerging technologies and services.

For any clarification/information, Ms. Vandana Sethi, Advisor (Admn/IR) may be contacted on advadmn@trai.gov.in.

******

SB/DP/ARJ

(Release ID: 2072979) Visitor Counter : 1139