Abdelkader Al Batayneh

Director Policies & Strategies
Jordan, Amman Working but looking for new opportunities
Abdelkader Al Batayneh

Summary

Senior ICT regulatory and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience with integrated telecom companies operating in competitive markets and with regulatory agencies in Jordan, UAE and Oman.

High level of expertise in strategic as well as operational issues in mobile, fixed-line, data and broadband services provided to individual consumers as well as corporate and government customers. Particular skills in technical, economic and legal aspects of regulatory work.

A commercially oriented professional with high level of skills with top levels of Government officials and executive management of operating companies. A successful manager who can motivate and lead teams of experts to achieve regulatory and commercial successes.

Led strategic & operational teams dealing with ICT regulatory & policy aspects including interconnection & carrier services, fixed & mobile broadband access, carrier selection, local loop unbundling, mobile number portability, Mobile Virtual Network Operator issues (MVNOs), co-location, site-sharing, access deficit, arbitration and legal issues, universal service, Quality of Service regulations, accounting separation, pricing and tariffs, competition framework, ICT sector policy, trends & liberalization, information society development, e-governance strategic policy making, management & innovation in public sector, personal data privacy, Open Data Policy, Rights of Way, digital policies (e.g. 3-D printing, Big data, Internet of Things IoT, resilient Cities).

Previously served as General Manager – Regulatory Affairs and Advisor - Regulatory Affairs at Omantel. Prior to that served as a Regulatory Expert – Tariffs & Compliance at Oman Mobile, responsible for all regulatory compliance obligations in the company. Past regulatory experience includes nearly 5 years of regulatory and management experience with two leading regulatory authorities in the region, namely TRC Jordan and TRA UAE with responsibilities in all regulatory policy and market liberalization areas.

Proficient Arabic-to-English / English-to-Arabic translation capabilities converting written documents, consultations, decisions, letters, presentations, press releases & articles to target language while ensuring that the final converted documents relay the intended message as clearly as possible.

Ongoing professional development through continuous learning and participation at a variety of training and business events such as conferences, workshops, management & professional development courses, including interconnection courses, broadcasting, researching & writing regulatory policies, business writing…etc.

Personal Information

Birth Date: 16 February 1967 (59 Years old)
Experience: 1 Years
Minimum Salary: (Confidential)
Gender: Male
Nationality: -
Profile Visibility: Public. Anyone can see my profile.

Education

A-Levels | Applied Maths, Pure Maths, Physics, English language

Davis's College

Grade: V Good

1988
BEng Electronics Telecommunications | Telecommunications

Liverpool University - UK

Grade: Good

1989-1991 B.Eng. in Electronic Engineering
School of Electronic Engineering
University of Liverpool
Liverpool
United Kingdom
1991
Secondary Education | High School

High School - Jordan

Grade: Excellent

1984-1985 General Secondary Certificate
Scientific Stream
Jordan
1985

Experience

Director Polices & Strategies

Ministry of Communications & Information Technology | Jordan - Amman

 Reporting to the Secretary General with four direct reports namely Head Economic Studies, Head ICT Policies & Strategies, Head E-Government Strategies and Head Postal Services Policies.
 Current assignments include developing ICT sector policies and regulations, E-governance strategies and roadmaps, conducting multi-component telecom research, ICT surveys and studies, coordinating project teams, recruiting staff, assigning tasks, and collaborating with other stakeholders in the sector.
 Advise Minister and Secretary General on a wide range of strategic telecommunications, information technology, regulatory and postal issues.
 Monitor the developments in the ICT sector, assess telecom & regulatory environment, conduct regional & global benchmark w.r.t sectors performance in Jordan, examine the legal and economic developments implications and make the necessary recommendations.
 Lead, contribute and provide guidance in the review, drafting, validation, interpretation and update of national laws and policies. Examples include Personal Data Protection Law, Electronic Crimes Law, Electronic Transactions Law, Rights of Way Law, ICT Statement of Government Policy, Postal services Law, Electronic Authentication Bylaw, Open Data Policy, Information Technology Sector Strategy (REACH 2025), and Digital Policies including Big Data, IoT, 3-D Printing and paperless government framework.
 Produce regulatory, economic, technical reports on information technology and communications including international reports such as Global IT Report (GITR), Global Innovation Index (GII), and Measuring Information Society Report (MIS).

May 2016 - Present
Advisor Regulatory Affairs

Omantel | Muscat - Oman

 Reporting to Vice President Corporate Strategy. Provide support, guidance and advice to management on wide range of strategic and operational regulatory issues and plans related to fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors.
 Collaborate with internal staff to develop strategic regulatory direction for the organization.
 Lead negotiations with regulator and concerned agencies on various regulatory development issues.
 Provide training on various regulatory issues to develop and improve internal capabilities. Assist in performing analysis of current situations, identify regulatory risks, and recommend priorities and goals for future needs.
 Review regulations, consultation documents, policies and procedures to ensure compliance, provide advice on how to respond promptly to external and internal concerns; and recommend corrective actions as appropriate.

Oct 2013 - Jun 2015
General Manager Regulatory Affairs

Omantel | Muscat - Oman

 Reporting to Vice President – Corporate Strategy with 2 direct reports, Senior Manager Regulatory Strategies & Operations, Regulatory Affairs Expert and 20 regulatory staffs.
 Develop and implement regulatory strategies, lobbying strategies targets and initiatives.
 Provide regulatory guidance and contribute in the review and validation of the company’s responses on the TRA’s public consultation documents on regulatory matters including policy & liberalization plans, competition, Broadband strategy, universal service, spectrum, accounting separation, local loop unbundling, carrier selection/carrier pre-selection, Submarine Cable landing stations…etc.
 Drive negotiations / discussions with the TRA relating to various regulatory issues such as liberalization, license review, competition and compliance issues.
 Ensure implementation of proper systems and processes in the company to enable compliance to all regulatory matters.
 Manage compliance to regulation and fulfill reporting requirements to TRA.
 Manage services and tariff filings with business units within the company and with the TRA and secure timely approvals.
 Review and validate new product / service offering by Wholesale, Corporate and Consumer business units, packaged solutions, value-added service offerings and promotional offers to regulatory compliance.
 Handle all cases of violations of regulatory norms by the business partners and internal departments and undertake steps to rectify compliance breaches.
 Ensure effective knowledge management for all regulatory matters in the organization by performing benchmarking, economic, and technical and market analysis from a regulatory point of view.

Sep 2008 - Oct 2013
Expert Regulatory & Compliance

Oman Mobile

 Performed ongoing management of regulatory strategy, tariffs approvals, new service offerings, frequency spectrum registration and type approvals.
 Ensured compliance with the Oman Mobile license terms & conditions and other TRA Regulations on issues such as tariff filings, application of interconnection rates decisions, quality of service, reporting requirements, payment of royalty and license fees…etc.
 Developed and implemented regulatory strategy and prepared the corresponding tariff applications to be submitted to the TRA for new and existing Oman Mobile voice and data service offerings and promotions;
 Provided regulatory input and prepare responses on the TRA’s public consultation documents as well as draft letters to the TRA on various operational issues such as accounting separation, universal service, local loop unbundling, carrier selection/carrier pre-selection…etc.
 Provided input and regulatory advice to the Marketing & Sales Division on the regulatory compliance and competitive aspects of new Oman Mobile voice, data and promotional offers as well proposed tariff changes;
 Prepared the necessary applications for frequency allocations, number allocations, short codes allocations, signaling point codes SPCs …etc. in conjunction with the concerned departments and with Omantel and ensured timely payment to secure approvals/renewals.
 Prepare the necessary applications for radio equipment type approvals and arrange payments as appropriate
 Ensured timely payment of annual license fees, royalty, frequency spectrum fees, numbering fees...etc. to the TRA

Jun 2007 - Sep 2008

Languages

English
Fluent
Arabic
Fluent

Skills

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