From Government Stability to Starlink: Alaa Jassim Opens the File of Communications, Internet and E-Commerce in the Eighth Baghdad Dialog

During his participation in the 8th Baghdad Dialog Conference, Alaa Jassim, CEO of Earthlink and Head of Fiber Optics in the Middle East and North Africa, addressed a number of files related to the telecommunications and Internet sector, talking about the impact of government stability in the sector, the expansion of optical cable and e-commerce, as well as infrastructure, parallel economy, competition in the Internet market, Starlink service, and the organization of the TikTok application.

Government Stability: Communication is the Nerve of Life

And Jassim said during the second session of the second day of the conference that "the relationship with the government is very important and its stability is very influential and there is no courtesy in dealing with the ministry," noting that the telecommunications sector "has become difficult for life and has a direct impact in various economic and service sectors." 

And he explained that "the company was previously facing great difficulties in obtaining approvals for the extension of the optical cable, before the current stage witnessed greater cooperation, with the arrival of claims from different regions to deliver the service." 

Light cable.. Wide coverage and delay in three governorates

And Jassim explained that "the light cable covered most of the provinces of Iraq, except for Mosul, Anbar and Wasit, where work was delayed due to the difficulty of obtaining approvals," pointing out that "the policy prevented the extension of the light cable in some of those areas," while confirming that "meetings with the ministry have become held periodically and a meeting every two weeks to follow up on files related to the sector."

E-commerce: An expanding economy

And on the economic side, Jassim said that "the quality of the Internet was bad before the spread of optical cable, while e-commerce today has become a huge volume," stressing that "Iraq is at the middle level and seeks to compete with developed countries in this area." 

And he added that "there is an economy parallel to the government economy," noting that "technology does not need large spending as much as it needs appropriate infrastructure, which makes the development of communications infrastructure a key factor in expanding services and digital economic activities." 

Illegal competitor

In the competition file, Jassim spoke about the presence of competitors from fixed internet partners, along with a competitor he described as "hideous" because it is illegal and provides poor internet services, in light of the increasing competition within the telecommunications and internet market.

Starlink... an opportunity for remote areas

And about the Starlink service, Jassim said that "its use can be appropriate in remote areas that are difficult to access ground Internet services, but the only harm from it is if they are used illegally, which requires regulating their use according to the approved frameworks." 

TikTok: Regulating Digital Profits

And regarding social media platforms, Jassim called for "regulating the TikTok application, as it generates profits and needs a clear regulatory framework, in light of the expansion of the digital economy and the increase in business activity associated with electronic platforms."

Jassim's participation came during the second session of the second day of the eighth Baghdad Dialog Conference, which was held in partnership with the Media and Communications Commission, and was entitled "Communications and New Generation Technology between Regional Transformations and the Digital Information Conflict", and was moderated by the media Mona Sami, with the participation of the President of the Media and Communications Commission, Mr. Baligh Abu Kalal, and the Minister of Communications, Mr. Mustafa Sanad.