UAE at top of Arab ICT Index

Dubai: The UAE topped the 2007 Arab Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Use Index with a score of 2.19 and became the only country in the Arab World to break through the index's 2.00 barrier, according to a survey conducted by Madar Research Group and Orient Planet.

Abdul Kader Kamli, president and research director of Madar Research Group, said, "The ICT adoption index shows that almost all countries in the region have achieved steady progress in the adoption of information and communications technology. It is also clear that mobile phone subscriptions have remained the strongest driving force behind the widespread use of ICT tools across the Arab World."

Mobile phone subscriptions in the region registered a 40.51 per cent growth in 2007, helping sustain the significant progress in ICT adoption in the Arab economies, whose ICT Use Index increased to 0.83 in 2007, rising 30.21 per cent from the previous year.

The UAE achieved a 42.61 per cent growth in mobile phone subscriptions in 2007 while mobile phone penetration rate rose to 131.64 per cent, the highest in the Arab World in 2007, up from 124.52 per cent in 2006 at a compounded annual growth rate of 27.57 per cent between 2003 to 2007 period.

Gulf countries meanwhile registered 43.93 million mobile subscriptions in 2007, up 40.04 per cent over the previous year.

He said the effects of the global financial crisis and changes in population statistics notwithstanding, the ICT study emphasised that mobile phone subscription will remain the main driver of the region's steady progress in overall ICT adoption.

In terms of computer penetration, the UAE has maintained the No 1 position, recording 26.44 per cent rate with 1.58 million installed computers. Qatar followed with 26.32 per cent and 352,000 installations.

Led by the UAE, the top five rankings for PC penetration were dominated by the Gulf countries with Oman lagging a little further behind at seventh, according to the report.

Internet usage was the second fastest growing sector in the Arab World, with users rising 32.55 per cent from 29.74 million to 39.41 million in 2007.

The UAE also remained the leader in Internet penetration with a 37.79 per cent rate, followed by Bahrain with 31.52 per cent and Qatar with 31.41 per cent.

Internet users in the Gulf countries rose by 31.88 per cent to 10.83 million users.

"[A] factor that is poised to strengthen the region's ICT sector ... is the creation of independent regulatory authorities, which ... decide on ... aspects of telecommunications policy in markets that are ... competitive or are being prepared for liberalisation," the report said.