Business behind the scenes enabling network connectivity for all
Every day, business plays a crucial role to ensure the network connectivity that so many people around the world take for granted when they click to send an email or logon to the Internet.
At a recent meeting of the ICC Commission on E-business, IT and Telecoms (EBITT), Mohamed Elnawawy, Vice-President for Corporate Strategy at Telecom Egypt outlined some of the measures and policy approaches that can be taken to keep networks up and running.
Mr Elnawawy was invited to address the ICC gathering following the success of a presentation he delivered on the same subject at an ICC Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) workshop, held in partnership with the government of Lithuania. The workshop took place during the UN-linked Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Egypt last year and highlighted how getting Internet policy right can boost economic growth and development.
An objective of the EBITT commission, Mr Elnawawy’s presence added to the regional diversity of business representation at the meeting, which comprised over 30 members and guests from countries including Brazil, Croatia, Thailand, Turkey and the US, as well as several EU countries.
Under the leadership of EBITT Commission Chair Herbert Heitmann, Chief Communications Officer at SAP, members discussed a range of pertinent issues that included information and communication technology considerations in the G20, cloud computing, the importance of the Internet Domain Name System for business from all sectors, and data protection and privacy.
During the meeting, ICC announced that it will host a webinar on the new EU contract clauses for data processors and what they mean for business. The webinar, which will take place on 4 May, will feature Christopher Kuner, Chair of the ICC Task Force on Privacy and Protection of Personal Data, and Bojana Bellamy, Head of Global Data Privacy Compliance, Accenture, London.
On 8 April members of BASIS – an ICC initiative to promote an inclusive and people-centred information society – met to discuss preparations for the IGF, which will take place in Lithuania later this year. BASIS members have actively participated in the IGF since 2006 when it was first set up to provide a unique opportunity for dialogue and exchange – of information, policy approaches and best practices – on Internet governance issues, which contribute to accelerating the availability and affordability of the Internet for more people around the world. BASIS strongly supports the continuation of the forum which is under threat when its original five-year mandate expires at the end of the year.
