Joy Agwunobi
Telecommunications regulators from across the world have endorsed a new set of guidelines aimed at shaping the future of digital ecosystems for critical national services such as healthcare, education, and finance.
The endorsement came at the close of the Global Symposium for Regulators 2025 (GSR-25), a three-day gathering hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which brought together more than 1,200 participants, including ministers, heads of regulatory authorities, and industry leaders.
The newly issued GSR-25 Best Practice Guidelines provide a framework for regulatory innovation, capacity building, and stronger cooperation among regulators. According to organisers, the guidelines are designed to help countries establish sustainable information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystems that ensure digital societies and economies create prosperity for all.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), described the guidelines as part of a long journey toward a more inclusive digital world.
“GSR has spent 25 years lighting the path from dial-up to digital society,” she said. “With 2.6 billion people remaining unconnected, regulators are the bridge to a future where everyone, everywhere, can thrive online.”
The event also served as a platform for dialogue on pressing regulatory challenges shaping the digital landscape. Delegates exchanged views on artificial intelligence (AI) governance, the fast-emerging space economy, and approaches to ensure digital transformation remains both inclusive and sustainable.
Haitham AlOhaly, Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia and Chair of GSR-25, stressed the importance of regulatory adaptation in the face of rapid technological shifts.
“The Best Practice Guidelines represent a collective commitment to reimagine regulation for the digital era,” AlOhaly said. “By fostering collaboration and leveraging innovations in emerging technologies such as AI and big data, we can strengthen our economies, empower our societies, and ensure that digital transformation delivers for all.”
The GSR series, established by ITU in 2000, has become a key forum for global regulators, offering what ITU describes as a “regulatory compass” for telecommunications in the digital age. Over the past 25 years, it has provided guidance to countries on harmonized and forward-looking regulation amid successive waves of technological change.
Reflecting on its legacy, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said the guidelines chronicle the evolution of global digital development.
“For a quarter of a century, GSR has served as a cornerstone of global digital development amid waves of technological change,” Zavazava said. “The Best Practice Guidelines are a chronicle of our digital age and of the central role GSR has played in supporting regulators throughout the years. I would like to thank the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting GSR-25 as we celebrate 25 years of the Symposium.”
With the endorsement of the new guidelines, GSR-25 reaffirmed its role as a global convening point for regulators committed to building inclusive, future-ready digital ecosystems capable of supporting essential services and driving economic and social development worldwide.
