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.
