UAE Ranks First On Arab, Regional Level In ICT Indicators

The United Arab Emirates maintained its Arab and regional leadership in a number of ICT related indicators, according to the Global Innovation Index Report 2020, which included results related to Global Competitiveness indicators for ICT sector.

According to the report, the UAE ranked first on the Arab and regional level in Information & communication technologies (ICTs) Pillar, ICT Access indicator, and ICT Use Indicator. These indicators measure the progress and development of the Telecommunications infrastructure globally as a main enabler for innovation and a major element in creating an innovative environment.

The UAE also ranked first in the Arab region in Generic top-level domains (gTLDs), and in Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) (.ae). These indicators measure the percentage of domain registration globally, and show the volume of movement and technological interaction in the countries, which enhance online creativity.

Commenting on these results, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General, said: "The UAE continues its global leadership in the ICT sector by achieving advanced positions in competitiveness indicators that measure the progress and development of the sector’s infrastructure. Recently, we have witnessed the results of many years of cumulative work to develop the sector and raise its readiness for the future, in cooperation with our strategic partners. The UAE experience in overcoming the current situation has been a clear evidence of its leadership and excellence represented by a smooth transition to virtual activities such as remote work, distance learning, e-commerce and digital government services, thus the continuation of the work of many vital sectors in the country."

Al Mansoori affirmed that TRA, under the guidance of the wise leadership, has worked to develop plans and strategies for the development of the ICT sector and to achieve leadership in this key sector.

He added: "Our wise leadership and its insightful vision realized the importance of ICTs, and therefore its directives were clear to develop and support this sector, so the UAE was a pioneer in all stages of work across successive generations from communications systems to 5G that are being deployed to be an entry point to the era of the smart city and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. TRA has been keen on extending Internet networks to all regions of the UAE, to ensure that everyone have access to communication services, Internet, and electronic and smart services."

These results are a continuation of a series of positive results achieved by the telecommunications sector in the UAE, confirming the UAE global leadership in the pursuit of digital transformation and entering the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence and the Internet of things.

The UAE ranked first in the Arab region and fourth globally in launching and using 5G networks, according to the Global Connectivity Index. TRA began implementing and using IMT2020 technology, known as 5G, at the end of 2017.

TRA conducts periodic surveys of the quality of services of telecom network operators in the developing regions of the country, with a focus on testing, measuring and analyzing the level of service quality in those areas as well as the new ones, in order to identify weaknesses and address them in coordination with the operators, as part of "Coverage" initiative, which was launched by TRA in 2015 with the aim of reaching customer satisfaction and happiness.

The UAE has also ranked first in the Middle East region in transitioning to IPv6, according to the statistics issued by Ripe NCC, Akamai Technologies, and Google. The transition to IPv6 supports Internet service providers in providing services, in addition to its significant positive impact on the implementation of 5G, and the digital transformation in the country. The importance of implementing IPv6 comes as a result of the great scarcity of Internet protocols, and the inability of IPv4 to meet the increasing demand in light of the rapid growth of the Internet.

To enable government entities in the field of smart transformation, the TRA is responsible for the UAE smart government under law no. 3 of 2011. Furthermore, the TRA is responsible for digital transformation in federal government entities through two goals: enhancing the smart lifestyle in the UAE and leadership in smart technology infrastructure in the UAE.