The Kingdom of Bahrain achieved a ranking of 11th place in the Telecommunications sub-index of the2016 edition of the e-Government Development Index (EGDI), published by the United Nations, which represents an increase of 15 ranks over its previous position in the index in 2014.
The Kingdom’s achievement, which was announced in the United Nations latest e-Government Survey Report published last month, represents the latest in a series of international achievements for the Kingdom of Bahrain which comes as a result of the Government’s strategic leadership in developing the Kingdom, as well as the unceasing efforts of all relevant governmental entities and sector stakeholders.
The United Nations EGDI is composed of three sub-indices, which includes the Telecommunications Infrastructure Index, the Human Capital Index and the Online Services Index. The Telecommunications Infrastructure Index measures the growth of telecommunications subscriptions and services in each country.
On this occasion, His Excellency Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications said, "This global achievement is a result of the strategic leadership of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the information and communications sector and the efforts of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in implementing an effective regulatory framework for the sector. The Kingdom of Bahrain aspires, through the objectives set out in the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan, to be ranked among the top twenty countries globally by 2018 and to achieve continuous growth and development in order for the Kingdom to reap even greater socio-economic benefits. "
The global achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain have not been limited to the results of this indicator alone. The Kingdom has also made progress in the Network Readiness Index (NRI), being ranked 28th globally, according to the 2016 Global Information Technology report issued by the World Economic Forum last month, advancing two places since the 2015 edition of the Index.
The NRI measures countries propensity and readiness to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communications technology. The countries that topped the index are characterised by having a supportive and enabling environment, effective organisation and infrastructure and diverse skilled human capital which enables swift and effective leveraging of the latest technologies to the fullest extent.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has also been ranked high in the sub indices of the NRI, including being ranked first globally in percentage of coverage of mobile communications networks, as well as fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the number of broadband subscribers and the number of mobile communications subscribers. The Kingdom has also been ranked tenth globally in the percentage of individual Internet usage and the efficiency and impact of services provided by the Kingdom through information and communications technology.
The Kingdom of Bahrain also achieved in late 2015 a high ranking in the ICT Development Index (IDI) published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), where the Kingdom was ranked first in the Arab region and twenty-seventh globally. This consistent improvement and high ranking was recognised by the ITU which awarded the Kingdom of Bahrain an award for achieving the highest amount of development and growth in ICTs globally since 2010.
It is also worth mentioning that the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan issued earlier this year aims through its policy objectives to raise the ranking of the Kingdom to the ranks of the most developed countries in all international telecommunications indicators. The implementation of the plan has begun with the implementation of the National Broadband Network providing high-speed fiber-optic services which will enable the sector to be able to effectively adapt and respond to the rapid pace of technological developments. The Plan also aims to make Bahrain a regional center for information and communications technology through the presence of able and skilled human capital and attract investment and support for entrepreneurs in the field of information and communications technology. The Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain also pays particular attention to the promotion and development of local content, applications and hosting to enable the Kingdom to become a regional hub for exporting local digital content.
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Quelle/Source: Bahrain News Agency, 06.08.2016
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