His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar issued Law No. (17) of 2017 amending some provisions of the Telecommunications Law issued by the decree Law No. (34) of 2006.
These amendments are designed to strengthen the executive powers of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) established by the Amiri Decree No. (42) of 2014 to regulate ICT and Postal sectors and access to digital media. The CRA also manages and allocates scarce national resources such as spectrum, numbering and Internet domain names, protects consumers from misleading and unfair market practices, sets standards for quality of service and monitors compliance and manages the dispute resolution system.
Law No. (17) of 2017 contains a number of fundamental amendments, it cancels decree Law No. (36) of 2004 of establishing the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR). The Law transferred the powers of the Board of Directors’ of ictQATAR set in the Telecom Law No. (36) of 2004 to the Minister of Transport and Communications (MoTC). And, it transferred ictQATAR’s General Secretariat’s power to the CRA. Also, the Law stipulates that the Minister has the power to issue the executive regulations of the Telecommunications Law, while CRA has the power to issue technical regulations, decisions and orders, codes and instructions, and circulars required to implement the provisions of the Law.
“The new amendments under the aforementioned Law will enhance the executive powers of the CRA, which will contribute in regulating ICT sector and monitor the compliance in a more effective manner. It will also enhance the sector performance and thrive a sustainable competition in the Qatari telecom market, benefitting both consumers and service providers,” said H.E. Mohammed Ali Al-Mannai, President of CRA.