CRA Marks World Consumer Rights Day With Promise of Stronger Protection Initiatives & Regulatory Instruments

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) is marking the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), an annual occasion commemorating March 15, 1962, when the first definition of Consumer Rights was outlined. On this day, organizations come together across the globe to promote the basic rights of all consumers, and for demanding that those rights are respected and protected.

CRA is hosting a booth at City Center mall from Saturday, March 12 to Tuesday, March 15, 10am to 9pm, to help members of the public better understand their consumer rights and find out more how CRA can help address any concerns about their service provider.

CRA encourages all to visit the booth, where fun activities will be available for the whole family such as a children’s corner, an interactive information wall and a complaint wall featuring the different methods consumers can lodge a complaint.

“In all its activities, CRA seeks to ensure the provision of advanced, innovative and reliable ICT and postal services across Qatar. And above all, CRA ensures that benefits are passed on to the consumers of communication services,” said Mrs. Amel Salam Al-Hanawi, Consumer Affairs Department Manager.

“I would like to invite you all to come and join us to celebrate this day. We, at CRA, are here to help and have a commitment to give you, the consumers in Qatar, the power of choice. Already, we have a strong Consumer Protection Policy, and Advertising Code, and now we are finalizing two Codes on Spam and Premium Rate Service,” Al-Hanawi added.

The CRA team will also be conducting several awareness sessions and providing useful consumer tips at the CRA booth, with the objective of visitors leaving knowing that they have rights, and feeling confident to protect those rights.

Consumers, who have an unresolved complaint or concerns about their communication service provider, can easily contact CRA’s Consumer Affairs Department through a variety of channels. A dedicated Consumer Telecom Hotline – 103 – has increasingly become the most used channel of contacting CRA besides its official Twitter account @CRAqatar.

CRA staff will also be available at City Center to provide information about CRA’s other public services related to electromagnetic spectrum and numbering, such as:

• Customs Clearance Certificate for clearance of telecommunications or radio communication equipment from the Customs Authority;
• Import Authorization Licenses for importing and dealing in radio and telecommunication terminals;
• Type Approvals for new models of radio communications equipment or telecom terminal equipment for commercial or individual use; and
• Domain Name Registration for Qatar-specific domains names for commercial or personal use. Qatar is among the few countries in the world to offer domain names in Arabic ( قطر.)

This is the fourth year CRA is celebrating the World Consumer Rights Day and this year, the awareness campaign underscores the importance of CRA’s complaints resolution process as a key tool protect consumer rights and to ensure service providers fulfil their obligations.

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) is the communications regulator in the state of Qatar established by virtue of Emiri Decree (42) in 2014. CRA regulates the communications & information technology sector, postal services, and access to digital media. CRA uses its regulatory powers mandated by the Emiri decree to protect consumer rights, ensure competition, manage the resolution of disputes, and manage the electromagnetic spectrum. In all its activities, the CRA seeks to ensure the provision of advanced, innovative and reliable ICT and postal services across the state of Qatar.