Prague, Czech Republic – On the occasion of its General Assembly meeting hosted by Telefonica O2, ETNO signed a memorandum of understanding with the SAMENA Telecommunications Council, which groups telecoms operators and vendors in the South Asia, Middle East and North African regions to foster cooperation and share information.

“In today’s world of global connectivity, international cooperation is essential. Our two organisations share the same objective of contributing to a global digital society and information infrastructure”, said Michael Bartholomew, ETNO Director.

“The SAMENA Telecommunications Council understands the nature of a changing landscape of which issues become global. It becomes essential that SAMENA partners with esteemed regional industry organisations such as ETNO to share similar experiences and industry information in order to foster a stronger knowledge-based foundation for member operators to make informed decisions”, said Thomas Wilson, SAMENA CEO and Executive Managing Director.

“The new cooperation between ETNO and SAMENA comes at a moment where ICT market players are facing more and more global challenges. The evolution of broadband infrastructures and of online services and applications, as well as the related policy developments, need to be looked at from a global perspective. This is why we believe that the collaboration with SAMENA, representing some of fastest growing ICT and telecom markets, will bring added value to ETNO”, said Antonio Robalo de Almeida, Portugal Telecom, ETNO Executive Board Chairman.

Through the memorandum of understanding, ETNO and SAMENA Telecommunications Council agreed on regular exchange of information on regulatory and policy issues and will hold meetings and events.

The SAMENA Telecommunications Council, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was established in 2006 with the aim to promote telecom innovation and facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing between operators, vendors, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, educators, R&D experts, and regulators. SAMENA counts over 80 members active in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Countries that are part of SAMENA's current network include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

For more information, please consult www.etno.eu or contact Thierry Dieu, ETNO Communications Manager (dieu@etno.be or 32 2 227 10 82);

ETNO has been the leading voice of European Telecommunications Network Operators since 1992. ETNO’s 41 member companies from 35 European countries represent a significant part of total ICT activity in Europe. They account for an aggregate annual turnover of more than ?250 billion, employ up to one million people across Europe and account for 70% of total sector investment.