National broadband network to provide speeds up to and beyond 1 Gbps to businesses, and 100 Mbps to homes

TRA's Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Al Amer, said: "The Government's vision for the telecommunications sector in this Plan emphasizes the importance of the telecommunications sector in enabling strong social and economic development in the Kingdom of Bahrain."

Dr. Al Amer went on to say: "The Government believes that in order to achieve this ambitious Plan infrastructure investments must be made, work to remove the remaining barriers that hinder competition in the telecommunications market should continue, and updates to the legal and regulatory environment should be made to face the challenges ahead."

With the aim to provide consumers with high-speed broadband communications, a national broadband network will be created using fibre-optic cables to provide physical connections that enable data transfer at speeds up to and beyond 1 Gbps to businesses, and 100 Mbps to residential premises. TRA will also license appropriate radio frequencies to enable the provisioning of high-speed broadband services over the mobile networks.

Efforts will also be made to improve international connectivity coming to Bahrain, competitive markets for the supply of international capacity will be established and all obstacles in the supply of international connectivity will be removed. TRA and other concerned bodies and authorities will work closely to ensure that all information transferred between users in Bahrain is exchanged in Bahrain, with the aim to improve the efficiency of the internet and reduce the unnecessary cost as a result of the local information being exchanged outside Bahrain.

TRA's General Director, Mr. Mohamed Bubashait, said: "The desired results of the implementation of the third National Telecommunications Plan are to create new opportunities for investment and employment, promote a new era of services for consumers, and extend services beyond communications and entertainment to include education and personal development, which all contribute to the enhancement of the Kingdom's economy and social welfare."

"Actions supported by a regulatory, institutional and legal framework that recognises current and foreseeable circumstances and developments within telecommunications and related sectors will be taken, which contribute to both the perceived competitiveness of Bahrain in the global economy and its attractiveness to investors," said Mr. Bubashait.

He also said: "As consumers increasingly use telecommunications services we need to make sure that their safety is protected. Huge investments are already made and will be made on the telecommunications highways which require protection from misuse."

To ensure the safe use of telecommunications services some measures will be introduced and a Critical National Infrastructure will be created by instating mechanisms that provide continuous security posture review, improve regional and global collaboration in digital security, and put in place the necessary early warning and outreach mechanisms of digital threats.

Mr. Bubashait highlighted that TRA is adding the final touches to its plan to achieve the objectives of the third National Telecommunications Plan in cooperation with the sector's stakeholders.