Strong digital system is helping the UAE during crisis
Wherever Covid-19 has spread, doctors and health workers have been the first line of defence. Their selfless service must be recognised first.
However, it is fair to say that many other sectors are also supporting the health sector in this fierce battle. The foremost among them is the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector. Telecom workers have been the unrecognised soldiers deployed in the field, who work behind the scenes. They work day and night to secure the communication infrastructure and the digital environment to ensure continuity of services and communication remotely.
Imagine a full or partial internet outage in a city for a long time during this pandemic! What would be the result?
We are confident that the UAE is unlikely to face such a scenario. However, it might not be the same in other countries, even in the advanced ones.
The “mLab” website specialised in measuring Internet quality in the world conducted a survey in this regard, and concluded that there is a hidden element that is helping the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, to kill thousands of people in the United States. This silent killer is the ‘digital divide’. While the government has called upon its citizens to stay home and communicate virtually, 62 per cent of the country’s provinces did not receive the minimum network quality.
In the UAE, we do not have a significant digital divide. Globally, we are second in the field with a high rate of mobile broadband penetration; first in mobile subscriptions, and fourth in the rate of Internet subscriptions via optical fibres.
These achievements are not coincidental; neither do they exist in reports alone.
Could a million students have continued their education smoothly in the crisis if we had not launched a smart learning programme in 2012?
Would the various co-operative societies and stores have been able to meet people’s daily needs without a strong digital infrastructure?
Would we have provided government services remotely if our wise leadership had not launched the Smart Government project in 2013, and e-government in 2001?
In fact, today’s technological blessings are the result of collective efforts in which the government sector and telecom service providers have worked as one team, in order to achieve the UAE’s leading position in the ICT sector.
We do not claim to be perfect, but we also do not want to underestimate our accomplishments. It is our duty to salute and praise the efforts of thousands of workers in this sector who have worked tirelessly to reach this high level of readiness, driven by the spirit of patriotism, and loyalty to our beloved country and its wise leadership.
Today’s technological blessings are the result of collective efforts in which the government sector and telecom service providers have worked as one team