BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. The expansion of the digital ecosystem, adoption of new technologies and growing geopolitical risks are increasing responsibility for compliance, cybersecurity and risk management in the telecommunications sector, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
Shirin Aliyeva, Chief Legal and Data Strategy Officer at Azercell Telecom LLC, made the remarks on Tuesday at the Sustainable Business, Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Conference in Baku.
She said the digital ecosystem includes cloud services, financial technologies (FinTech), broadband internet and other digital solutions. Its development creates new opportunities at both the global and local levels while placing greater responsibility on its participants.
According to Aliyeva, various concepts and strategic documents, including digital economy and artificial intelligence strategies, have been approved in several countries over the past two years. These developments further underscore the importance of digital transformation for governments and businesses.
She noted that the growing threat of cyberattacks is one of the main reasons for the increased responsibility for compliance in the telecommunications sector.
"Given Azerbaijan's geopolitical position and our activities in the digital sphere, cyberattacks are among the key risks that require constant attention. Cybersecurity becomes particularly important during major international events such as COP29," she said.
Aliyeva emphasized that monitoring centers operate around the clock to identify and prevent such risks promptly. She added that employees' adherence to ethical standards, prevention of conflicts of interest and integration of compliance requirements into daily operations are also essential.
She noted that the telecommunications and banking sectors are part of critical infrastructure. Therefore, ensuring uninterrupted communication services during emergencies and crises is particularly important.
"Regardless of what happens, communication services must remain accessible. People must be able to stay in touch with one another under any crisis conditions," she said.
According to the executive, this requires a properly structured risk management system, approval of a risk matrix, oversight of its implementation and effective internal control mechanisms. Maintaining network resilience also requires regular testing of compliance and cybersecurity measures.
Aliyeva said personal data protection is another key priority for telecommunications companies. Since telecom operators handle users' private correspondence, internet usage patterns and other sensitive information, they bear greater responsibility in this area. The expansion of digital solutions also increases the risks and requirements associated with data protection.
She also highlighted efforts to expand Azerbaijan's digital infrastructure, noting that 98% of the country's population has been covered by broadband internet under the Online Azerbaijan project implemented by Aztelekom.
Aliyeva said expanding internet services to remote regions creates additional economic opportunities. In particular, women running small and medium-sized businesses can use digital tools to reach wider markets with their products and services.
She also noted that geopolitical tensions are affecting supply chains in the telecommunications sector. Tensions in the Middle East have created challenges for the supply of graphics processing units (GPUs) and other technological equipment.
According to Aliyeva, sanctions risks must also be carefully assessed amid the activities of major international telecommunications equipment manufacturers such as Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei.
"Under these circumstances, ensuring supply chain continuity while complying with compliance requirements is one of the sector's key challenges," she said.