ICT
From The Report: Dubai 2018
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Like the UAE as a whole, Dubai has one of the most advanced telecoms and IT markets in the Middle East, boasting high levels of smartphone and internet penetration, fast mobile internet speeds and a rapidly growing start-up scene. While prices in the sector – and the fixed-line market in particular – are relatively high, both the fixed-line and mobile segments are expected to see increasing competition in the coming years. A 2015 infrastructure-sharing agreement, as well as technological advances, should allow more customers to switch between the two main operators for fixed-line services.

This chapter contains an interview with Aisha bin Bishr, Director-General, Smart Dubai Office.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Data-driven growth: Developments in blockchain, artificial intelligence and 5G mobile networks underpin expansion of smart services
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Like the UAE as a whole, Dubai has one of the most advanced telecoms and IT markets in the Middle East, boasting high levels of smartphone and internet penetration, fast mobile internet speeds and a rapidly growing start-up scene. While prices in the sector – and the fixed-line market in particular – are relatively high, both the fixed-line and mobile segments are expected to see increasing competition in the coming years. A 2015 infrastructure-sharing agreement, as well as technological…

Interview

City of the future: Aisha bin Bishr, Director-General, Smart Dubai Office, on improving public services through digital solutions
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Interview:Aisha bin Bishr What are the main objectives behind the transformation of Dubai into a smart city? AISHA BIN BISHR: One of the goals of the smart city project is to attract investors, especially to the ICT sector and emerging technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). But we want to do more than just encourage companies to bring new technologies to the market; we want to provide a platform where they can utilise tools to create solutions for the challenges…

Analysis

Efficiency push: A largely consolidated market pushes for greater competitiveness amid high penetration rates
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The main backers of the UAE’s two telecoms operators are public entities, with the federal government being the main public shareholder of the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) and owning a large stake in its rival operator, the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du), alongside the emirate-level governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai (see overview). This, plus an historical tendency for the two companies’ fixed-line divisions to operate in distinct parts of the…

Analysis

Capital ventures: Recent moves help shore up the emirate’s position as a regional centre for start-ups
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A leading centre for entrepreneurship in the MENA region, the UAE counted 940 start-ups as of late August 2017, according to Magnitt, a Middle Eastern start-up support service provider and directory. The largest subsegment of this was e-commerce, with 135 listed start-ups. This figure is by far the highest of any country in the Middle East and represents roughly one-quarter of the regional total. While a breakdown of start-ups by emirate is not available, the majority are located in Abu Dhabi…

Analysis

A new generation: Development of 5G mobile services is ahead of schedule
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With 4G connections now well established throughout much of the world, international telecoms players are now working towards the launch of 5G, the next generation of mobile data networks. Notable progress towards this was made in March 2017, when the Third Generation Partnership Project – a group of seven telecoms development organisations that sets standards for mobile telecommunications technologies – announced it would release finalised 5G guidelines by year’s end. The move will…