ICANN, GSMA sign MoU on raising awareness about Internet governance issues

GSMA and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims at enhancing collaboration and raising awareness about Internet governance issues that are of common interest to both organizations and their communities.

The agreement was signed by GSMA Director General Mats Granryd and ICANN President and CEO Göran Marby.

Over the years, mobile networks have evolved to become a critical infrastructure for Internet services, especially in developing countries.

The goal of the MoU is to advance the organizations’ shared objective of fostering the continuous expansion of interoperable networks and the deployment of information and communication technology.

The document highlights cooperation on capacity building and policy exchanges. Joint activities include workshops, regional events, and ad hoc interactions on technical subject matter areas that will further intersect the GSMA and ICANN’s respective missions.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors.

On the hand, ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you have to type an address into your computer – a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other.

ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world.