Etisalat celebrates UAE leadership in 'Networked Readiness'

The UAE ranked 29th in the league table above a number of European Union nations. Etisalat is celebrating this achievement on World's Telecommunication Day with representatives of the World Economic Forum in Jordan and by announcing a new benchmark of one million 3G customers.

The UAE records over 2 million Internet users and a mobile penetration of over 135%. It has also consistently launched new business-enabling data services before any other nation in the region, including Internet and mobile telephony. This has helped catapult the UAE to a position as one of the most attractive destinations for international trade and investment.

"We celebrate the ongoing development and leadership of the UAE in the region and beyond," said Mohamed Al Qamzi, Chief Executive Officer at Etisalat. "We acknowledge that this achievement would not have been accomplished without the state-of-the-art regulatory environment that makes investment in communication and information technology much easier. We also congratulate the UAE government and our rulers for their foresight and vision in encouraging the development of an information economy."

How the UAE Became Networked Ready
•Fixed line services launched in 1976
•The first to launch a cellular network in the Region in 1982
•The first to launch Public Frame Relay / ATM services in the Region (1991 / 1993)
•The first to launch full country coverage GSM service in the Region (September 1994)
•Launched prepaid mobile services system (1997)
•The first in the Region to launch commercial internet (1995)
•The first in the Region to launch Internet Network Access Point (NAP) - EMIX (August 1998)
•The first in the Region to launch MMS (July 2003)
•The first in the Region to launch commercial 3G services (December 2003)
•The first in the Region to launch HSDPA (December 2005)
•First in the Gulf to launch Blackberry (May 2006)
•UAE First in region to launch Mobile Television (February)

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) to measure the degree of preparation of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments. The NRI is composed of three component indexes, which assess: the environment for ICT offered by a country or community; the readiness of the community's key stakeholders (individuals, business and governments); and usage of ICT among these stakeholders. It also establishes a broad international framework mapping out the enabling factors of such capacity.

With record coverage of 122 economies worldwide and published for the sixth consecutive year, The Global Information Technology Report (GITR) has become the world's most respected assessment of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.