Tadra invites companies to test new products to approve them in the markets

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the Digital Government (TDRA) announced yesterday the launch of the executive phase of the legislative environment system for communications and information technology (ICT), to ensure the appropriate legislative response to new products and services introduced to the market by institutions and companies operating in the sector, calling on companies that have new products or services within the scope of the communications and information sector to apply to benefit from this legislative environment, and test their products and services to obtain a license for production or distribution in the local market.

The Authority said in a statement that the importance of this initiative comes from the fact that it provides an experimental environment that allows testing new services and products included in emerging technologies in the communications and information sector for a specific period of time, so that these products and services operate as if they were approved, with the aim of discovering all the dimensions resulting from permitting these products and services from the legislative, environmental, social, procedural, technological and other aspects. After the product or service passes the testing stage in the new environment, it obtains a license for production or distribution in the local market.

The Authority’s Director General, Eng. Majed Sultan Al-Masmar, stressed the importance of this step, pointing out that the current era is characterised by the rapid succession of emerging technologies and the resulting products, services and work methods, which requires the continuous development of legal frameworks, which makes the “Legislative Environment System” initiative an innovative and practical solution, due to its impact in shedding light on the hidden and unexpected aspects of these products before allowing them to enter the market.

He added that the legislative environment plays an important role in consolidating the UAE’s investment attractiveness and encouraging entrepreneurship, which enhances market dynamism and contributes to building the most pioneering and superior system, as stipulated in the “We the Emirates 2031” vision.

He said: “Starting now, we invite all companies that have new products or services within the scope of the communications and information sector to apply to benefit from this legislative environment managed by the Authority, which is supervised by a group of the best experts and specialists in many related fields.”

In turn, the Deputy Director General of the Telecommunications Sector, Eng. Mohammed Al Ramsi, said that the first step to benefit from the legislative environment begins with submitting an application through the Authority’s official website, which includes filling in the data related to the new product that the institution wishes to license and launch in the market.

He added that the application is then initially evaluated according to a set of basic criteria, and then it is evaluated in detail by the legislative environment team, where the legislative and technical dimensions and potential impacts on the market as a result of the entry of the product or service are considered.

He explained that in the next step, these products are subjected to further actual tests of the market environment, and are placed under close and multi-faceted monitoring. In the final stage, experts and specialists are working on analyzing the results, in preparation for issuing the final judgment regarding the new product.

Al Ramsi pointed out that if there are any comments from experts and specialists, the company that owns the product will receive a report showing the required improvement aspects of the product before allowing it to be re-entered into the legislative environment, explaining that communication channels remain open between the Authority and the applicant, to enable him to address the loopholes and meet the requirements in preparation for returning to the legislative environment.

Beneficiaries

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Digital Government stated that the list of products and services subject to testing in the legislative environment expands to include virtual, augmented and mixed reality products, cloud computing, smart applications, Internet of Things applications, digital twins, and blockchain products.

The main beneficiaries of this service are: small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs with start-up companies, and companies operating in the communications and information technology sector.