June 16, 2009

Dr. Kamal Shehadi, Chairman of the TRA, stated during today's workshop that the Authority drafted the "Code of Practice for Value Added Services" in consultation and coordination with the Owners Supervisory Board (OSB) at the Ministry of Telecommunications in line with Telecommunications Law 431 and international best practices. He confirmed that the TRA Board will approve the Code after the closing of the public consultation and will send the final document to the State Council for approval. This Code, after its publication in the Official Gazette, will stand as a binding document and will replace the Deontology Code adopted by the Ministry of Telecommunications.
He pointed out that the issuance of the Code of Practice guarantees transparency and prevents the misleading of consumers about content offers and prices accuracy.

Mrs. Mahassen Ajam, Board Member and Head of Information and Consumer Affairs Unit at the TRA stressed in her speech on the importance of the Code of Practice in the field of consumers protection, while Mrs. Corine Feghali, Consumer Affairs and Public Consultation Senior Expert at the TRA explained the details and challenges of the Code to the audience.

Today’s workshop was moderated by Mr. Patrick Eid, Board Member and Head of Market and Competition Unit at the TRA who also directed the Q&A session. This conference was held in the presence of representatives of the two mobile operators "MTC Touch" and "Alfa", representatives of VAS providers, TRA Board, various stakeholders from public and private sectors and the media.

To view the official TRA press release click here
To view Dr. Kamal Shehadi’s speech click here
To view Mrs. Mahassen Ajam speech click here
To view Mrs. Corine Feghali’s presentation click here
To view the Code of Practice consultation click here
To listen to an interview with Dr. Kamal Shehadi aired on Radio Orient on Wednesday, June 18th , 2009, click here