Smart and dynamic growth through collaboration between government and private entities, academia and citizens are most essential with a reliable infrastructure as the backbone for major national transformation programmes stimulating economic growth and gearing smart cities towards a sustainable future, said Hatem Dowidar, CEO, Etisalat Group.

Etisalat has collaborated with Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA) along with Trend Micro Incorporated to launch Cyber Eye – an initiative designed to strengthen the Abu Dhabi Government entities’ cybersecurity capabilities.

The European Commission translates the EU’s digital ambitions for 2030 by proposing a Digital Compass. By and large, the EU aims to be digitally sovereign in an open and interconnected world.

As rapid urbanization gains ground across the world, smart city development has become absolutely essential to urban planning in the digital era.

The latest GCC E-Performance Index 2022 reveals that all countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region have performed exceptionally well, displaying significant progress in digital transformation.

As per the GCC E-Performance Index, the UAE achieved tangible growth with an average score of 66.22, followed by Saudi Arabia with an average rating of 59.26 and Qatar with 57.63. Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait scored average ratings of 54.02, 53.43 and 51.36, respectively. The report highlights the increased spending on the latest technological solutions to achieve digitally-inclusive economies.

In terms of ICT spending, by 2024, UAE is estimated to expense US$23 billion, Kuwait will shell out US$10 billion, while Qatar’s spending will be around US$9 billion.

The World Economic Forum highlighted the unique set of characteristics of the GCC countries that presents numerous opportunities for leveraging emerging technological solutions to create opportunities. The introduction of 5G and associated use cases, such as education, health, government and smart cities, can help mitigate some regional and local challenges, including natural resource management and economic diversification, with a view towards sustainable development and inclusive growth.

The GCC region’s ICT development has strengthened the digital economy, enhanced productivity and created efficient means for direct access to government e-services. In fact, governments across the GCC have prioritized digital transformation, keeping it at the core of their economic and social development plans and a key component of their respective Vision 2030 plans.

The GCC E-Performance Index aggregates each country’s performance in the top five global indices: the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2021 by INSEAD, the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2021 by Portulans Institute, the Government AI Readiness Index 2021 (GAR) by Oxford Insights, the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022 by the United Nations.

Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Batelco and Avaya, has transformed the ministry's communications and collaboration capabilities, with a strategic ICT implementation to connect all ministry employees around the world. The ministry worked closely with Avaya to transform its citizen services by integrating and digitalizing its communications and collaboration capabilities through a two-phased project.

A German delegation is travelling to the headquarters of telecommunications vendor Huawei in Shenzhen, China - in an effort to become a fully-fledged smart city.

E-Agriculture is an up and coming area in the digital age which could affect farmers, businesses, economies, regulators and operators. This is an exciting time for traditional industries like agriculture, to leverage the benefits posed by emerging tech.

Singapore, one of the world’s greenest cities, is aiming for an ambitious project to bring every home within just 10 minutes of the nearest nature park by 2030.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi Smart Solutions and Services Authority (ADSSSA), to accelerate the Abu Dhabi government's digital transformation efforts.

The leading global ICT solution provider Huawei is hosting its second annual Innovation Day, with the theme "Exploration, Lights the Way Forward". Scheduled to take place on the first day of GITEX 2017 at Sheikh Maktoum Hall, DWTC, "Huawei ME Innovation Day" will explore the role of ICT innovations in driving digital transformation and building sustainable knowledge-based economies in the Middle East.

Huawei and Barcelona City Council have signed a Letter of Intention (LoI) at Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) to collaborate on new projects within the city relating to technology, smart city applications, digital transformation and 5G.

Huawei held their Global FSI Summit 2019 with its partners I Shanghai, China on Thursday where industry key players discussed the latest developments in FinTech.

A press release by IT research company Gartner revealed that Huawei servers were ranked third globally by revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018 with a 45.9% year-on-year growth rate, the highest for servers in the world.

Chinese telecommunications vendor Huawei has announced a series of new partnerships with leading ICT players in the Middle East region in a bid to make 'smart cities' safer. Huawei revealed that it will deliver tailored public safety solutions necessary in order to meet the demands presented by increased urbanization in the fact of smart city transformation.

Abu Dhabi Municipality has chosen to partner with Huawei to help guide its digital transformation journey.

Huawei's global partners Microsoft, Thales, and SAP have discussed the importance of building a collaborative ICT ecosystem for business driven innovation that is relevant to the UAE.

Leading global ICT solutions provider Huawei hosted its annual Middle East Partner Summit in Dubai on 7 May. Taking place under the theme 'Leading New ICT, the Road to Win-win Ecosystem', the summit hosted participants from 12 countries across the Middle East who gathered to form a collaborative platform in order to explore the current requirements for a successful digital transformation and ushering in the Artificial Intelligence era, exchange ideas, share success stories and best practices, targeted at empowering Huawei's channel partners in order to increase their ability to cater to the region's increasingly demanding technology innovation needs, and to establish an open and collaborative ecosystem.

Under the theme "Leading New ICT, The Road to Collaborative Public Safety", Huawei Global Safe City Summit 2017 will be held in Dubai, UAE from April 26-27. The event will bring together leading enterprises, industry experts, and partners from across the world to explore the trends and challenges of digital transformation within the public safety industry, as well as share innovative technology application practices.

The first passengers travelling from Dubai to Barcelona on Emirates Airlines flight number EK185 got to the try the 'digital passport' to verify and share their pre-travel Covid-19 test status with airlines.