The UAE has moved up in the latest global rankings of information and communication technology competitiveness (ICT) by the World Economic Forum (WEF), strengthening its position as one of the most techno-savvy countries in the world.
The Global Information Technology Report (GITR), co-published by the World Economic Forum and INSEAD, showed that among the 148 economies, the UAE is the world’s 24th most “networked ready” nation, moving up from the 25th place a year ago.
The report measures the effectiveness of various markets in harnessing the power of information and communication technology to boost economic growth and well-being. The report also shows how far some countries have gone in bridging the digital divide.
The UAE is ranked second in the Middle East, next to Qatar, in the global “networked readiness index”, but it is ahead of other European countries, including Italy and France.
In recent years, the country has witnessed a number of ICT investments that have changed the way of life of its residents. The airports are now equipped with electronic gates, providing travellers ease and convenience at border control points, while paying for traffic fines and parking fees, and processing of visas can now be made online.
The report said the UAE’s improvements in its ICT infrastructure, ranked 30th globally, and ICT uptake of its residents, ranked 29th, have led to greater economic impact and pushed its overall global ranking higher.
Nearly 9 out of 10 people (85 per cent) in the UAE use the internet and have access to a personal computer at home. Many government services are available online and e-commerce is relatively well established.
The overall technological innovation capacity of the country remains low, ranked 49th in the world, but the report said the country “obtains fairly good economic impacts”, thanks to its pro-business environment.
Rabih Dabboussi, managing director of Cisco UAE, said the UAE government has been “relentless” in its pursuit of technological excellence. “[This is] clearly exemplified by bold commitments to smart city development and infrastructural innovations related to events like Expo 2020.” Cisco collaborated with WEF and INSEAD to produce the report.
Cherif Sleiman, Middle East regional director of Infoblox, said the ICT infrastructure in the UAE is better than most countries in the world, including the United States and Europe. “In fact, it surprises me that the UAE’s ranking in the global networked readiness index is only at the 24th place,” Sleiman told Gulf News.
In the past five years, he said, some “incredible” investments in the UAE’s ICT infrastructure have been made, changing the way people live and work. “There has been a huge focus on e-government, which has made life convenient and easy for residents and visitors. Getting a UAE visa some years ago used to take days, but with the latest IT systems in place, it now happens in less than a day,” he said.
