The Meeting of the SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services

16 09 2025 - 08:30 AM

The Meeting of the SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services, 

23^rd to 25^th September 2025, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC) Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services was held from 23rd to 25th September 2025 at the Hilton Colombo Residences, Colombo with the participation of high-level representatives from regulatory authorities of South Asian countries, Affiliate members of the APT and other key stakeholders. The event was organized by the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and hosted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL). Convened under the SATRC Action Plan Phase IX, the meeting was conducted as a hybrid event, enabling both physical and remote participation. 

The SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services (WG PRS) addresses common policy, regulatory, and service related issues among member countries and develops reports and guidelines on emerging challenges in the field of telecommunication.  

Working Procedures:
SATRC WG PRS maintains the following working procedure:

• Working Group is chaired by nominee from one of the regulators
• There should be at least one expert from each member regulator in each Working Group
• Regulators may nominate and encourage experts on relevant work from the industry sector of their country
• Working Group works on a number of work items relevant to the need of the SATRC region 
• Work items are proposed by the regulators, working group experts and SATRC consultant considering the needs of the regulators and the industry 
• Working Group organizes one physical meeting in a year. Beside physical meetings Working Group are conducted online activities through email reflector. 
• For attending the Working Group meeting one fellowship per SATRC Member is granted 
• Working Group decides the scopes of work of each working items 
• The output of each work items SATRC Report or Guideline or Opinion as decided by the Working Group. All the outputs of the Working Group must have to be approved by the next immediate meeting of the SATRC.

Leadership:

• Chair: Mr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
• Vice-Chairs: Dr. Shamsuzzoha, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and Ms. Roja Kiran Basukala, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)
• WG Experts: Click Here to download the complete list of the Experts of the WG PRS.

Assigned Work Items:
The Work Items of WG PRS during the implementation of SATRC Action Plan Phase IX (2024-2025) are as follows:

• Work Item 1: Study of the regulatory challenges concerning new technologies and smart solutions for Fixed and Mobile Broadband
• Work Item 2: Enhancing the Utilization of Universal Service Obligation Fund for Digital Inclusion
• Work Item 3: Enhancing ICT E-Waste Management Regulations for Sustainable Development
• Work Item 4: Study on challenges and addressal of online scams and digital financial frauds taking into account the consumer information protection and rights
• Work Item 5: Analyzing the impact of convergence and emerging services on the tariff policies in SATRC countries
• Work Item 6: Smart Cities and Societies: Experience and Case Studies in SATRC countries in deploying IoT, Big Data and similar technologies

The South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC), established in 1997 as a joint initiative of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, serves as a platform for discussion and coordination on key issues in telecommunications and ICT regulation of mutual interest to South Asian regulators. The Council also fosters regional collaboration and facilitates knowledge sharing through seminars, meetings, training programmes, and workshops. SATRC activities involve the active participation of high-level representatives from regulatory authorities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Council meets regularly to address shared concerns and matters of regional importance.

Further details about the event are available at: https://apt.int/apt/SATRC-WGPRS