Emirates, among the leading countries in the telecommunications sector

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) concluded 2020 by achieving global leadership in the quality and evolution of the telecommunications sector, where the country maintained first place among Arab countries, and occupied second place worldwide only behind South Korea, according to the Global Competitiveness Report presented by the World Economic Forum.

The report reflects the efforts made by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) in implementing directives to improve the telecommunications sector, where 5G technology has played a key role, with the UAE ranking fourth worldwide in network launch and usage. Cooperation with mobile operators has been decisive in this field.

"We conclude this year by emphasising the importance of the ICT sector... The sector paves the way for excellence and leadership in all vital sectors, which means enabling digital transformation and facilitating the conditions for providing services and solutions based on artificial intelligence, and big data. We are on the path of development, prosperity and digital knowledge, and today we are moving at a faster pace, relying on a highly advanced digital infrastructure," said Hamad Obaid al-Mansori, CEO of TDRA, as reported by WAM.

He added: "During this year, government and private entities and even individuals worked in a team spirit to come up with the best creative ideas to chart the country's future over the next 50 years. Most of these ideas were based on ICT, confirming the importance of what we have achieved in the sector, and pushing us further to achieve more".

The report also looked at how countries performed during the pandemic and how social disengagement was the most immediate response to the COVID-19. As a result, the telecommunications and digital services sector played, and continues to play, an important role in countries' ability to remotely manage their economic sectors and ensure that business can be conducted efficiently. One of the conclusions of the World Economic Forum report is that economies with advanced communications infrastructure have been less affected than others.

Regulatory frameworks are also a determining factor in mitigating the effects of the pandemic, with correlations between countries with strong regulatory frameworks and greater success in managing the health crisis and its effects. The United Arab Emirates ranks fourth in this category.

The country is prepared for future changes and can easily adapt to different scenarios as it has the technology to ensure a natural pace of work and distance learning.

The sector's progress in this difficult year demonstrates the resilience, development and efficiency of telecommunications in the Arab country. The TDRA has developed plans and strategies that have strengthened the sector's infrastructure and is already looking forward to achieving the goals set out in the UAE's national agenda, Vision 2021.

Telecommunications service operators, for their part, have allocated USD 36 billion in infrastructure investment, making the Emirates one of the best in the world in terms of "fibre" service provision and overall coverage.

The UAE also leads other rankings, ranking first globally in 12 competitiveness indicators that measure the quality and development of the telecommunications sector, and was among the top five countries in 30 competitiveness indicators by the end of 2020.

The Gulf country's strategy in this sector is framed by a major long-term plan, Centennial Plan 2071, launched by Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktourn, vice president and prime minister. The plan will extend five decades beyond 2021 and establishes the roadmap that the government should follow to ensure that future generations have the skills and knowledge required to cope with rapid changes and make the United Arab Emirates one of the best countries in the world, as well as strengthen the country's reputation and soft power.

Quality education, especially in science and advanced technologies, space science, engineering and health sciences, is one of the pillars of the plan, which will also strive to make educational institutions international research centres. The second pillar is the knowledge economy, which will boost investment in scientific research and promising sectors such as telecommunications. Achieving a secure, tolerant, cohesive and ethical society is also among the objectives. The Government's own leadership completes the four pillars of the 2071 Centenary Plan.