UAE Tops Globally in 5G Speed Rankings

The UAE Digital Economy Council has reported a notable surge in the adoption rate of the sixth version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6), reaching an impressive 50.7% in January 2024. In addition, the mobile network coverage continues to maintain an exceptional 100%.

The UAE has established itself as a global leader in various digital domains. Notably, the nation ranks first in the Middle East for Internet exchange traffic and has secured the top position globally in fifth-generation network speeds, as per the council’s data from 2023. The second quarter of 2023 witnessed the UAE emerging as the fastest 5G market globally, with Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data indicating a median download speed of 557.63 Mbps. Etisalat by e& outpaced as the fastest 5G operator worldwide, boasting a median download speed of 680.73 Mbps.

Digital transformation in the UAE is further evident through the remarkable 216% increase in the adoption of digital signatures throughout 2023. Blockchain technology has also gained traction, involving nine banks, six exchange houses, and three insurance companies.

Omar Sultan Al Olama, the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, emphasized the UAE government’s proactive approach in shaping a pioneering digital economy. Al Olama highlighted the government’s dedication to accelerating the adoption of digital solutions, envisioning the digital future, and boosting global competitiveness across various sectors.

Speaking at the UAE Council for Digital Economy meeting held at the Securities and Commodities Authority in Dubai, Al Olama detailed the council’s focus on strategic initiatives. These initiatives encompass infrastructure development, digital transactions, e-commerce, financial technologies, investment stimulation in digital sectors, talent development, SME support, and comprehensive statistics gathering for the annual digital economy report, conducted in collaboration with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center.

The council delved into advancements in digital services within the federal network, introducing features such as voice-to-text and text-to-voice conversion, translation services, emotion analysis, key phrase extraction, language analysis, and access to high-performance computing resources for machine learning and deep learning applications.

Discussions at the meeting spanned a range of topics, including the government service level policy, data center distribution, cloud computing deployment in Gulf countries, cloud computing companies in the UAE, and the latest indicators on the Internet network, as well as the performance and coverage of the fifth-generation network within the country.