UAE leads Arab states in 'network readiness indicators': World Economic Forum

With the UAE advancing in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index in the Global Information Technology Report 2015 (GITR), the country must take full advantage of the potential offered by information and communications technologies (ICTs) to drive social and economic transformation.

Out of 143 countries, the UAE ranked 23rd, moving up one place and leading the Arab world. In response, senior Cisco executives are commending the country, and highlighting the considerable challenge facing the UAE as it seeks to develop the infrastructure, institutions, and skills needed to reap the full benefits of ICTs.

Only 39 per cent of the global population enjoys access to the Internet despite the fact that more than half now owns a mobile phone, according to the World Economic Forum.

In the UAE, despite having one of the highest mobile phone subscription rates (171.9 per cent), the lack of access to the Internet is depriving many UAE citizens of the opportunity to take full advantage of e-learning as well as online financial, data, and health services.

Crucial to achieving societal and economic transformation is the ability to embrace the Internet of Everything (IoE), the connections between people, process, data and things to create unprecedented opportunities for the UAE's citizens, and public and private sectors.

In order to embrace the IoE, the UAE's government and businesses must be fully digitised, supported by a highly robust and secure network. Becoming digital requires an agile IT model, and the ability to rethink core processes for the digital era. Embracing new security, cloud, mobile, social and analytics technologies required to fully digitize takes imagination, investment and expertise. This is why Networked Readiness is such a crucial indicator of a country's ability to implement and take full advantage of ICTs.

The GITR report suggests that investing in infrastructure and education; supporting the development of local content; and creating an enabling environment by promoting competition through sound regulation will correct the imbalance in the UAE. Cisco executives stressed that government can shape policies that will spur development of broadband access.