The broadband plan will accelerate the deployment and adoption of broadband and hence encourage innovation in services within the UAE.

“TRA recognises the importance of broadband to encourage investment in innovation, which is also recognised worldwide as per the International Telecommunication Union, which has stated that broadband is the way of promoting innovation, economic development, social benefits; for telecommunication companies as well as the ability to reach a worldwide audience,” said Saif Bin Ghelaita, director technologies and standards, technology development affairs department at TRA.

He was speaking at the Huawei Broader Way Forum, where top telecom leaders, analysts and consultants gathered and discussed how national broadband can drive socio-economic development and transform the region’s socio-economic landscape in the years ahead.

A recent study conducted by ITU noted that in low- and middle-income economies, a 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration yielded an additional 1.38 per cent in GDP growth.

“The emergence of national broadband networks has been embraced by governments around the world, including several initial projects in the Middle East, as a tool for driving economic competitiveness by providing universal high-speed communication services to the public,” said Charles Ding, senior vice-president at Huawei.

“In advancing the UAE’s telecommunication and information technology industries, we recognise that expanding broadband access through a uniform, coherent national broadband strategy is of great importance,” said Mohammad Nasser Al Ganim, Director General of TRA.

He said the UAE has witnessed a 30 per cent growth in broadband subscriptions between January 2011 and November 2013, and has 1.05 million Internet subscribers.

UAE broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants is at 12.6.

According to Shiyaohong, President of Huawei Middle East, governments across the globe are going all-out to build their next-generation information superhighways, with national broadband networks representing a significant yet vital investment in both economic competitiveness and social well-being.

“Like any major infrastructure project, understanding technology trends, consumer behaviour, and the demands of local businesses are all crucial to delivering e-services most efficiently,” he said.

By Naushad K Cherrayil Staff Reporter

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