 Welcome to the World Radio Communication Conference 2023, WRC 23 here in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where I'm very pleased to be joined in the studio today by Tariq Alawadi, who is Executive Director of Spectrum Affairs for the Spectrum Management Affairs Department of the Telecommunications and Government Regulatory Authority, TDRA of the United Arab Emirates. Tariq, welcome to the studio. Welcome. Thank you very much, Max. It's my pleasure to be with you here and welcome you all here in UAE and Dubai for this WRC 23. Well, it's absolutely our pleasure to be here. Now, it's an understatement to say that you are no stranger to ITU or ITU events. You are, in fact, Chairman of this very conference in 2012. Tariq, can I ask you, how have things changed since then? Well, let me give you a brief little bit. My first WRC was 2000, WRC 2000 in Istanbul. So that was my first WRC and I was new for that area and I saw it very nice and trusting. So then later I said, this is important for me, so I will go forever. In 2003, as UAE with all Arab countries, we submitted around 40 contributions. And of course, after that, we all was coming. WRC, WRC is 2000, 2003, 2007. In 2012, I had the chance to chair that WRC in Geneva and it was very fantastic. It was good experience, I learned so many things. And of course, the things from that time till now, it changed a lot, technology changed, its evolution. You can see it all over the world. That time when it started at the beginning, it was 2G or 3G. Now we are talking about 5G in mobile if you are talking. In satellite, we are talking about GSO, non-GSO and now we have so many things and non-GSO covering the world. So there are a lot of challenges every time with new technology evolution. In terms of procedures, it's almost the same. The same people, the same that one. ITU, especially in ITUR sector, they have very excellent procedure for how to prepare for WRC. There is a cycle starting after the WRC, going to CPM, going to study groups, coming back to CPM and then the WRC. So things good change on the technologies, but the procedures looking after on the WRC, study groups, it's similar. It was a big responsibility, obviously being chairman here of the WRC. Do you think that the responsibilities or the challenges are the same now? Almost. See, what we are doing here, we are having different, different position, views, submitting contribution here, like we had here more than 200 contributions being submitted to this conference. So conference is always four weeks. So as today I was talking to the people, the first week let everybody talk. Let everybody express their views. Second week it will be more discussing, discussing either. Third week we will come with a compromising. We have to find a solution. And of course, last week it will be results. So people in the first week always like that. You will not see administration or regional groups, they will give up on their position. They will try to continue a little bit. This next second week, third week, it's really good and at the end of the conference, someone telling me what do you expect on 15 December? Excellent, good result. We will have successful conference. What impact will the decisions taken here have on the region once the conference is finished? If you are talking about all regions worldwide, of course, at this conference we have a number of important agenda items. One of the hottest agenda item which is 6 gigahertz and agenda item 1.2. And of course any decision will be taken that it will have immediately impact on the telecom sector and IC sector, either IMT or other services. So that will change a lot in the sector and the region. Everybody waiting to see the result of that one. Go anywhere right now and read articles and seminars. They will talk to you about 6 gigahertz, 6 gigahertz is important. Now that will change industry. That will change in economic. This will have big impact on the economic. It depends on which services that will go. So a result of WRC will have big impact in the ICT sector and the worldwide, and especially in the region here also. In IMT and satellite, we do have right now in this region, in Arab region, UAE and other countries, we have a lot of interest right now in space services, space science. We do have now a number of projects coming for satellite communication. And space science also, you may hear that UAE already had mission to Mars. We did have also mission to the moon, but it was not successful. So and still we are continuing to have more and more satellite business. If you talk about aeronautical and maritime, that will be also change on how to use that this devices or new regulatory assignment for aeronautical. So the result of WRC always have impact on the region and the ICT sector. And UAE has big important also to see. Once the WRC finished, everybody go back and to review their spectrum, national spectrum handbook or national spectrum agreement. We do have it here in the UAE, national spectrum plan. Immediately we start to do change and to see what effect and also for the mobile services. Looking ahead, how do you see the future of radio and telecommunications in the UAE? It is playing very big role. As I mentioned just now, we are having a lot of different new technologies. New innovation in artificial intelligence, in IoT. UAE one of the first country in the world, fourth country in the world who launch 5G commercial. And now we are in the process to see the 6G, our labs, our universities already working with the 6G research. About satellite, satellite, business space, science, we do have a lot of approaches going on and that were required. For smart cities required to have good innovation radio in order to have good smart cities. So these things already we are working now. Of course, this will have impact on other sector, on education, on health, on energy that they are using also for this kind of spectrum to provide their services. For sustainability, as you wear marks that by end of this month, on 30th of November, UAE are going to host also COP28. One of the things that they are going to also have something on the telecom sector where they will site about the sustainability. And spectrum, it's one of the part of how to help for sustainability, help for environment. The more spectrum that you can give for services, the less space station, the less coming emission out of it. Exactly. So not just digital but green digital as well? Exactly. Yes, you are absolutely right. Digital green that we are working to see it about. That's wonderful. And in terms of our audience, our listeners, our viewers on this, is there a message perhaps that you would like to deliver to them while you have the floor here? Thank you, Max. This WRC, UAE will become as one of the first country in the world to host all ITU major events. We've been hosting events since 2007, GSR. Then WRC, as you said, WRC now, UAE is the only country who chaired twice WRC in 2012, in Geneva and now. WTAC, WTDC, Wicket, which is having every 20 or 25 years, ITU telecom. So UAE is one of the leading country in the ITU and the ICT sectors. And this is good also for image of the UAE for the, as we call it, soft power on using to have enhancing the ICT sector. WRC, it's very important, important conference for all wireless and radio communication services because outcome of this one will have impact on the industry, impact on the vendors, impact on other sectors. So our message to the people that this is, you have to be proud of that UAE has hosted such conference, big conference, bring a lot of people here like that, working together as one team. If you see, I think, Max, you can see the people here are happy of having this kind of conversation together. And this is the traditional of UAE culture and people. Well, you're living the message, definitely. And thank you so much for hosting this event here. We're all very grateful and look forward to catching up with you again soon, whether it be in UAE or around the world. And thank you very much indeed for being with us in the studio today. Thank you very much, Max. I'm pleasure to be here with you. Thank you. Thank you. And if you've enjoyed this interview, then please check out our other interviews on the ITU YouTube channel or our podcast on SoundCloud or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And for further information, please visit our website at www.itu.int. Thanks for tuning in.