MUSCAT, JULY 16
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has initiated a public consultation on its goal to develop a regulatory policy framework to support the growth of Smart Cities in the Sultanate of Oman.
A consultation paper issued by the telecom regulator last week seeks, among other things, public validation of its role in regulating key aspects of Smart City development and governance, given the critical importance of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) in the operation of these smart urban hubs.
“The authority is working on creating a regulatory framework for smart cities with the aim of covering all aspects and dimensions related to the application of modern and emerging technologies to enable smart cities and the integration of all facilities and services to operate the city efficiently, reliably and flexibly,” the TRA stated in its consultation paper.
The development of Smart Cities has been championed by the Omani government as part a strategic national initiative to help drive economic growth, employment generation and economic diversification. A roadmap for their implementation is set out in the Oman National Spatial Strategy (ONSS) designed to help achieve the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
“The Smart City system is about integration of all the utilities, infrastructure, and citizen services on a single platform and a unified dashboard for efficient, reliable, and resilient operation of the city. There is a need to create and suggest frameworks to achieve the interoperability among all the devices and layers at every interface in the networks, be it a smart home network, a smart building network, a smart city/community network, or the smart grid network,” the Authority explained.
“Development of Smart Cities’ infrastructure and services is reliant on strong Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and governance framework where the roles and responsibilities of all entities that contribute to ICT governance are set out clearly and transparently,” it further noted.
In formulating a robust regulatory framework for Smart Cities, the TRA says it aims to, among other things, support market competition and create a level playing field for all ICT service providers operating in Smart Cities.
Besides safeguarding the interests of users, the proposed framework will also enable the growth of commercial data centres, cloud hosting services, Internet of Things (IoT)/Machine to Machine (M2M) devices and services, and the usage of emerging technologies including regulatory sandboxes. Cybersecurity regulations and interoperability standards are also proposed to be enforced.
A regulatory framework, the Authority has pointed out, is also key to ensuring that ICT infrastructure is suitably embedded into city systems and the civil infrastructure of Smart Cities. “By leveraging the power of technology, cities can improve the quality of life for their citizens, reduce waste, and promote sustainable development,” it stressed.
To this end, regulation will help ensure the incorporation of the following digital components in the planning and development of smart cities: Digital infrastructure to support the Smart and IoT elements for providing smart city services; Shared digital infrastructure and high-speed internet connectivity for all smart cities; Digital skills enhancement to meet future industry needs; Open data and open government practices; Cybersecurity, and Digital Government Services, it added.
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