The World WLAN Application Alliance (WAA) and the SAMENA
Telecommunications Council signed a memorandum of understanding, officially
launching a comprehensive strategic partnership in the field of wireless local area
networks (WLAN). The collaboration aims to jointly promote international standard
setting and promotion, among other areas, to advance the global WLAN industry.
As a key platform for decision-makers in the information and communication
technology (ICT) industry, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council has been
committed to driving digital transformation in the South Asia-Middle East-North
Africa (SA-ME-NA) region, achieving remarkable results in policy formulation,
regulatory reform, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.
According to the MoU, the two parties will engage in in-depth collaboration across
several key areas, including focusing on the trends, challenges, and opportunities in
the WLAN field, collaborating with relevant stakeholders from regional and
international organizations to expand the scope and amplify the impact of their
initiatives and foster international cooperation in the WLAN industry. Meanwhile, the
two parties will establish a regular communication and coordination mechanism to
ensure the efficient progress of the cooperation.

Yang Tao, Secretary General of the WAA, stated: “The collaboration with SAMENA
holds significant meaning. By integrating resources and strengths from both sides, we
will jointly promote the establishment of international standards for the WLAN
industry, the promotion of industry norms, the application of technological
innovations, and market expansion, thereby contributing more substantially to the
prosperous development of the global WLAN industry.”
Bocar BA, CEO of the SAMENA Council and Board Member, stated: “This
collaboration agreement with the WAA is a part of the SAMENA Council’s broader
strategy to support digital transformation by enabling better connectivity, enhanced
end-user experience, and more inclusive broadband access across the SA-ME-NA
countries. The SAMENA Council is committed to supporting the private-sector as
well as growing digital economies as they strive to achieve new digital transformation
milestones. For this, quality broadband access is fundamental.”

As the world’s first international industry and standards organization focused on
WLAN application experience, WAA has brought together over 90 global industry
chain partners since its establishment in September 2022. It has built a mature WLAN
product performance testing and certification system, released multiple white papers
and application experience standards, and completed certifications for numerous
products, injecting strong momentum into the healthy development of the global
WLAN industry.