TRA PULSE

Consumer Protection: A Top Priority

Dynamic Human Resources

TRA Wins Employer of the Year in MENA

TRA PULSE Issue: 08 | July 2016

CONTENTS TRA PULSE P.O. Box 10353 Manama. Kingdom of Bahrain Tel: +973 17 520000 Fax: +973 17 532125 Consumer Line: 81188 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tra.bh

Issue: 08 | July 2016

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Newsfeed: TRA Issues Decisions on Retail Markets’ Reviews

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Events & Exhibition: Internet Safety Workshop held for various stakeholders

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Interview: Dynamic Human Resources

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04 Cover story: TRA Wins Employer of the Year in MENA Awards & Recognition: Ahlia University Internship Program

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MESSAGE We are delighted to announce our success in winning the MENA HR Excellence Award of “Employer of the Year –Public Sector”, displaying the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority’s commitment to supporting employees at all levels. TRA’s HR Director, Faisal Al Jalahma, Director of Finance, Information Technology and Human Resources further elaborates on the revamped HR strategy that led to this success. TRA hopes to continue creating a sustainable business culture and enforce practices that are recognized regionally and internationally. We’re also happy to share that TRA’s consumer support helpline has continued to improve from the same time last year, with results outperforming in almost every facet. TRA has been working very hard on initiatives that enhance the services and operations of communication with consumers. TRA continues to raise awareness on the subject of internet safety, most recently by sharing results from the National Internet Safety Review with stakeholders. Many thanks to all those who’ve contributed in the 8th issue of the TRA Newsletter, we wish all our staff the very best.

Mohamed Hamad Bubashait General Director 03 TRA Newsletter July 2016

NEWSFEED CONSUMER PROTECTION: A TOP PRIORITY A Public Consultation Paper on Consumer Protection Regulation was issued by the TRA recently to further enhance coverage of consumer rights. The scope of the regulation will address misleading advertising, unfair contract terms, comparative advertising, billing, service quality levels, standard contract terms, and several other aspects. “The regulation is a proactive approach to increasing obligations to safeguard rights which the consumer will benefit from and should be aware of”, Ms. Taiba Albinali, TRA’s Acting Director of Consumer Affairs and Media said. “We believe that this will lead to a significantly improved consumer experience in the industry, and that people will have more peace of mind in using their telecom services.”

SECOND BOARD MEETING The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s (TRA) Board of Directors held their second meeting this year, at TRA’s headquarters in the Seef District. During the meeting, Board members discussed key issues related to the telecommunications sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain; expressing support and appreciation for the completion of the 4th National Telecommunications Plan and the Government’s approval of the plan praising TRA’s continuous cooperation with and support to the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in developing the plan for the benefit of the sector in Bahrain.

NUMBER PORTABILITY REACHES RECORD SUCCESS In the 1st quarter of 2016, the Number Portability Platform recorded 16,644 successful Mobile lines porting requests, compared to 12,843 in 2015. Meanwhile, the successful porting requests for Fixed line numbers reached 542 compared to 429 in 2015. In total, 113,902 numbers in the telecom market were ported between telecom operators until the first quarter of 2016 with an average time taken to port of 28 minutes for Mobile lines and 6 hours and 24 minutes for fixed lines. The TRA has continuously supported and improved number portability in the Kingdom of Bahrain since the introduction of the Numbering portability Regulation in July 2011. Since then, residents and businesses in the Kingdom have been enjoying the flexibility of transferring their mobile and fixed lines seamlessly between telecoms service providers.

04 TRA Newsletter July 2016

BROADBAND QUALITY OF SERVICE PUBLISHED

TRA ISSUES DECISIONS ON RETAIL MARKETS’ REVIEWS

The TRA has published the quarterly Broadband Quality of Service (QoS) Report for the 1ST quarter of 2016 revealing that the average download speed to access websites and web browsing has reached 6.9 Mbps for ADSL packages and 7.0 Mbps for Fixed wireless packages; this translates the time it takes for websites to load when browsing.

TRA’s reviews concluded that the retail market for international outgoing calls from Bahrain, and the retail market for mass-market access to call services including domestic calls from a fixed location are competitive. Therefore, TRA has decided to remove regulatory obligations that applied to Batelco in relation to these two markets. However, Batelco will continue to be regulated in the retail market for premium access to call services including domestic calls from a fixed location, as this market was not found to be effectively competitive and Batelco was found to have Significant Market Power.

86% percent of broadband speeds are performing as advertised, according to the Authority. The report was performed based on 8Mbps, the average package subscribed to by consumers for fixed broadband. The maximum speed offered by ISP’s was also tested to measure fixed wireless broadband. “We perform this analysis report to give consumers much needed insight which lets them decide which broadband service to choose,” Eng. Mohammed Al Noaimi, TRA Director of Technical Operations said, “We perform this report quarterly to monitor the latest changes and ensure the consumer has the right information available to them at all times.”

“It is important for TRA to review telecommunications markets on a regular basis, and to only retain some form of regulation in those markets which lack competition. The purpose of these market reviews is to assess whether effective competition has emerged, and where needed, to apply regulatory measures that will stimulate a more dynamic and efficient sector that continues to deliver benefits to consumers and businesses,” TRA’s General Director, Mr. Mohamed Bubashait commented.

NEWSFEED TRA SHARES EXPERTISE WITH GCCGS TRA recently welcomed Ms. Hanof Al Essa, Acting Director of the Department of Statistics for the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and presented their expertise in the area of preparing telecoms sector data and indicators as well as industry best practices. The visit followed recommendations from the GCC Regulatory and Legislative Committee with regards to the Kingdom’s practice in conducting special reports on the telecoms sector in the interest of learning from these practices. Ms. Al Essa’s recognized and appreciated TRA’s efforts in conducting these reports, lauding their professionalism and expressing that TRA differentiates itself in the Kingdom of Bahrain and internationally

RESIDENTIAL SURVEYS RELEASED

TRA has released the results of two residential surveys that were conducted last year. The “Telecommunications Markets Survey” examined the usage of and access to different telecommunications services including fixed lines, mobile phones and internet services by users as well as measuring the extent to which users are satisfied with their telecommunications services. While the “Consumer Experience Survey” studied the consumers’ satisfaction levels with the main service providers across multiple levels such as telecommunications services, call center, shops, complaints handlings, bill and contracts. “The consumer experience survey results also provide us with an interesting picture of consumers’ opinions and their experience when dealing with the service providers. This survey touches upon multiple levels of consumer touch points and measures the full journey of consumer experience. The results have identified some areas of concerns to consumers that need to be addressed collectively by TRA and service providers to ensure that residential consumers in the Kingdom are enjoying better experience,” TRA’s Acting Director of Consumer Affairs and Media, Ms. Taiba Albinali commented.

MORE CONSUMERS SEEKING SUPPORT

According to statistics released by TRA’s consumer support helpline (81188), the success rate of responses to the calls received by the contact center helpline reached 98% during the first quarter in 2016 where it was 96% in the same period in 2015; following the TRA’s initiatives to enhance the services and operations of communication with consumers. “The rising number of complaints we’re receiving is a positive indicator for us,” Say TRA Manager of Consumer Affairs, Mr. Amjad Al Nayel. “This can be directly correlated with campaigns we’ve recently launched, bringing attention to the helpline and the services we offer to the public.” The contact center has successfully answered a total of 1376 calls of 1397 during this quarter, with an addition of 488 calls from the total answered calls compared to the same period last year; 1322 (95%) of the calls this quarter were answered within the 20 second SLA (Service Level Agreement) topping out at an average of 5 seconds to answer each call. Abandoned call rates also improved this year lowering to 1.6% compared to 3% last year in the same period.


EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS INTERNET SAFETY WORKSHOP HELD FOR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS

A number of “Internet Safety” workshops were organized by TRA in March wherein results from the “National Internet Safety Review” (NISR) were also shared. The workshops were attended by representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, Internet Service Providers (Zain, Viva and Mena Telecom), NGO’s (Befree) and various school faculty members. Attendees were given a presentation by Professors Julia Davidson and Elena Martellozzo – criminologist on the findings of the National Internet Safety Review (NISR) study, after which discussions took place on possible collaboration going forward.

TRA AT ITU MEETING Adel M. Darwish, TRA’s Head of International Relations, attended the recent ITU meeting held in Geneva, wherein policy and economic aspects related to the telecommunication space were discussed. Participants also debated a new global recommendation to reduce roaming prices worldwide.

INFORMATION SECURITY WORKSHOP TRA held a workshop in March Bahrain’s telecommunications operators on the subject of Information Security based on ISO 27001 and CAS(T) Standards. ISO 27001 encompasses best international practice recommendations on information security management, risks and controls. CAS(T) is a standard for information in Telecommunications Service Providers which was developed in the United Kingdom.

Following the workshops, TRA and the consulting Professors are due to finalize the recommendations in the NISR report which will be then shared with the public.

STAFF GATHERING

TRA Holds first staff gathering of the year to strengthen bonds among employees and to discuss internal initiatives.


The workshop encompassed various issues related to Information security, including the major sources of cyber threats faced by telecoms operators. “Cyber security is globally a top priority today, particularly in the telecoms industry, and it’s in the interest of TRA and operators in Bahrain to observe the knowledge and expertise of the international community,” Dr. Khalid Al Khalifa, TRA’s Director of Cyber Security commented.

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS (CON.) ARGNET ANNUAL MEETING A delegation from TRA attended the 14th annual meeting of the “Arab Regulators Network for Telecommunications” in April. Bahrain is currently leading the Arab Price Benchmarking Study and briefed ARGNET members on the latest developments. A workshop on the Internet of Things was held prior to the meeting.

ONLINE SAFETY WORKSHOPS CAREER DAY AT AOU TRA recently participated in the Arab Open University’s career day where TRA highlighted employment opportunities in the telecommunications sector.

Workshops were also conducted at schools for students to learn about the safe use of technology and raise awareness on the subject of online safety.

RAMADAN GHABGA TRA held its Annual Ghabga during Ramadan at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain Bay. The Ghabga was attended by members of TRA staff including the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Ahmed Al Amer and the General Director Mr. Mohamed Bubashait. Attendees took part in the festivities and enjoyed a number of friendly games in the spirit of kindness and strengthening relationships among colleagues.


INTERVIEW Dynamic Human Resources One-on-one with TRA’s HR Director, Faisal Al Jalahma, Director of Finance, Information Technology and Human Resources on the success of winning MENA HR Excellence Award as “Employer of the Year –Public Sector” for the first time.


INTERVIEW (CON.) WHAT INSPIRED THE NEED TO REVAMP TRA’S HR STRATEGY? In 2012, it became clear in reviewing our HR strategy that the state of our human capital required re-evaluating. You see, 35% of our core leadership roles presented opportunities for Bahraini talent to fill. We took it upon ourselves to make the necessary steps towards developing driven Bahrainis into capable leaders who would take over these core roles. Our strategy bore fruit in 2015; something we brought to reality by designing multiple training programs such as scholarships for post-graduates, soft & technical skill development, and we paid particular attention to our leadership programs in collaboration with internationally accredited universities whom we have worked closely with to achieve. By the same token, our selection process when it came to recruitment of Bahrainis ensured the highest caliber of people were taken on board to fill positions where leadership was expected.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL HR STRATEGY? A sustainable business culture within the TRA stood as the main aim in tandem with enforcing practices that are recognized regionally and internationally. For this, we introduced five strategic objectives to improve the organization’s HR practices. First and foremost is continually retaining and attracting the best caliber of employees by creating a dynamic organizational culture, followed by

establishing an effective HR administration wherein we apply state of the art processes and help our employees streamline their work. The third objective was to fill the leadership roles we needed locally, as part of our nationalization strategy. The fourth step of the strategy was to increase productivity and maximizing healthy competition

of revamping and aligning our HR Strategy that best suited the needs of our staff and the organization. We’ve also conducted an organizational diagnosis assessment in the 1st quarter of 2016 on which we ranked 5.45 on a scale of 7 and we scored 86% in another survey called “myTRA”. Most notably an indicator of our progress is the “Regulator of

"We would need to create new innovative ideas and be more dynamic in the way of retaining and attracting the best caliber available in the job market." by implementing a new performance management system that motivates innovation and creativity and has a quota which is controlled by a leveling committee to ensure fairness among all members of staff. The fifth and final objective was to implement and develop culture of excellence in operations based on best international practices.

HOW HAVE EMPLOYEES RESPONDED TO THE HR INITIATIVES? WHAT IS THEIR COMMON FEEDBACK? TRA Staff have responded with dedication and support as they value teamwork. We’re fortunate to have passionate team members that are eager to embrace change which will benefit the organization as a whole. Through a staff survey we determined that our organizational health scored 81%; a result

the year award” in the Middle East and North Africa region which we have been winning for five years.

people and culture is evident. I believe this is possible because we have a high rate of passionate and well-educated staff who possess solid traits.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR TRA’S HR DEPARTMENT? We would need to create new innovative ideas and be more dynamic in the way of retaining and attracting the best caliber available in the job market. HR departments across industries needs to move forward from operating at a traditional level to a more tailor made program targeting their organizational needs and gaps. This takes careful consideration in terms of introducing the best culture suitable for the operating environment and the best tools to attract and retain these talents whether they are monetary and/or non-monetary rewards.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE A GOOD EMPLOYER, BUT ALSO TO BE A GOOD EMPLOYEE… WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS YOU LOOK FOR IN A CANDIDATE? Employees need to be transparent and govern within the TRA’s values. Great efforts are currently being made and will continue to be delivered by the Culture Transformation Team.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN TRA’S HR DEPARTMENT? TRA is dynamic and embraces change; all the HR initiatives introduced are immediately reflected and its effect on the organization’s


TRA Wins Employer of the Year in MENA Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was recently announced the winner of the MENA HR Excellence Award for the 1st place category of “Employer of the Year –Public Sector”.


“We pride ourselves as an organization that stands behind its people and embraces a dynamic culture which is necessary in a rapidly changing environment.”

COVER STORY (CON.) The Employer of the Year in the Public Sector Award recognizes government entities for its commitment to supporting employees at all levels through talent retention, employer branding, learning and development, CSR activities, health and safety, and diversity and inclusion. In addition the awards are judged by an independent panel of experts. TRA’s selection according to the independent judges’ panel was largely due to a strong focus on employee engagement and retention and, with 3.2%, TRA has the lowest attrition rate of the group. In addition a strong corporate culture, and customized training and development programs held in partnership with Bond University, Australia, which focused on preparing the organization’s future leaders. Mr. Faisal Al Jalahama, TRA Director of Finance, Information Technology & Human Resources, hailed TRA and mentioned it’s a great honor for the Authority’s efforts to be recognized among many regional institutions and organizations from the public sector. “TRA winning this prestigious award was no accident as this is a fulfillment of our mission statement to continue to build as an exemplar regulator within the region through thought leadership and to be the employer of choice,” he commented. “We pride ourselves as an organization that stands behind its people and embraces a dynamic culture which is necessary in a rapidly changing environment.” Mr. Al Jalahama reiterated that firms needs to be innovative in how to retain and attract the best available talent within the market, saying it takes careful consideration in terms of introducing and governing the best

culture suitable for the operating environment and the best tools to attract and retain these talents. He mentioned that revamping TRA’s HR strategy was a tipping point that led to 83% organizational health which considers different factors such as, satisfaction rate, engagement, leadership, culture and productivity rate among employees. “We entrust the important work we do to a strong team of Bahrainis, who comprise of 90% of our work force and whose skills and capabilities are refined through specialized training. We’ve conducted a number of initiatives focusing on organizational excellence based on best international practices. As an organization that has for numerous times received recognition on the regional and international stage, we believe that Employer of the Year is a title well deserved. TRA will continue to challenge itself and set itself apart as an employer of choice and a place where its people lead from the front.” Mrs. Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Naseba praised TRA for setting an example for other organizations that are looking to embrace a more inclusive future through HR practices. ““We are pleased to recognize TRA as ‘Employer of the Year – Public sector’ for its strong focus on employee engagement and retention, and its unique corporate culture,” she said. “TRA is an organization that cares deeply about developing its people and their development, as highlighted by its customized training and development programs. In addition, it fully embraces development and inclusion principles, with a workforce made up of over 40% women.”


AWARDS & RECOGNITION at the 11th Human Capital Forum MENA, Dubai, UAE in May and was organized by Naseba, an international expert on business leadership and professional training. The Employer of the Year in the Public Sector Award recognizes government entities for its commitment to supporting employees at all levels through talent retention, employer branding, learning and development, CSR activities, health and safety, and diversity and inclusion. In addition the awards are judged by an independent panel of experts.

AHLIA UNIVERSITY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TRA was recognised for supporting Ahlia University students’ Internship Programme.

TRA RECEIVES EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD MENA Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was announced the winner of the MENA HR Excellence Award for the 1st place category of “Employer of the Year –Public Sector”, ahead of Etihad Airways and Securities & Commodities Authority-UAE in the 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The ceremony took place
