IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

It is ranked below UAE (24th) and Qatar (25th), but came above Saudi Arabia (33rd) and Oman (41st), according to the Global Information Technology Report released by the World Economic Forum.

It said that Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings, while Finland jumped to third place, with Switzerland and the US in fourth and fifth place respectively.

AI predicted to contribute $320bn to Middle East GDP by 2030, says KPMG

Guidelines developed by the World Economic Forum into how governments should procure artificial intelligence "present us an opportunity to learn and utilise how we should acquire and deploy" the technology, Ali Al Qaed, chief executive of Bahrain's Information and eGovernment Agency.

TRA's Chairman and Acting General Director Dr. Mohammed Al Amer praised the industry achievement and said "This United Nations recognition is a direct result of the vision of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa the Crown Prince, the guidance of HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Minster responsible for telecommunications sector and the dedicated work of TRA team in encouraging infrastructure investment that supports the delivery of wider range of telecommunications services. I would like to thank all licensed operators for their investment and for putting faith in us."

Bahrain has urged citizens and residents to embrace ePayment facilities that ease the process of paying fees.

An awareness campaign launched by the eGovernment Authority said that it seeks to help the public with online payment for government transactions through a mobile portal, a mobile version of the National eGovernment Portal and one of the main eService delivery channels that include the National eGovernment Portal (Bahrain.bh), eServices Centers, Self-service kiosks, as well the National Contact Centre.

The visit was within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations between Bahrain and Sri Lanka as well as boosting co-operation within the eGovernment and information and communications technology (ICT) fields between both nations.

This follows a meeting between eGA chief executive Mohammed Ali Al Qaed and Malaysian Ambassador Ahmed Shahzan Abdulsamad at the authority's premises in Muharraq.

During the meeting, Mr Al Qaed pointed to the efforts carried-out by the ambassador in enhancing the bilateral relations between Bahrain and Malaysia; as well as the country's witnessed development and progress under the reign of His Majesty King Hamad, praising the advanced Malaysian expertise within the ICT sector.

The e-Service named, View Advertisement Violations, has been launched by the Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry in co-ordination with the eGovernment Authority (eGA).

Alan Horne, the general director of the TRATRA, who was a guest speaker at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) monthly meet, said that two licenses have been granted to MTC-VBMTC-VB and Mena Telecom to offer WiMax services, a step towards establishing Bahrain as information and communications technology (ICT) hub in the region.

By the beginning of September, customers will be able to use their handsets to settle utilities accounts. Currently, residents are only able to use their mobiles to check the amount they owe.

The initiative, by Bahrain's eGovernment Authority (EGA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will see Arabic content in websites "increase significantly" from the present one percent, said Cabinet Affairs Minister Sheikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa.

Projects from 36 countries were short listed for the award, organised by the IT magazine I4D.

The project has been split into six key components: computer services, electronic network, data-base, security, applications and smart cards.

Companies in Bahrain are competing for the coveted the eContent awards being given in 10 categories: (eGovernment), (eEntertainment), (eHealth), (eLearning), (eScience), (eInclusion), (eBusiness), (eCulture), (eBanking), and (eMedia).

The organizing committee for the 'Bahrain eContent Award 2011' said the evaluation process began on Saturday and will continue for the next five days.

Several major brands are set to participate in the virtual service

Bahrain's Ministry of Industry has launched a virtual mall to enable shops to continue serving their customers during the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak.

Launched by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the mall.bh website, which officially opened on Thursday April 23, features a range of products from more than 100 companies operating in the kingdom including fashion, homeware and electronics.

He told the Tribune that Bahrain has taken various steps to embrace e-government. "A lot of things are happening, paving the way for digital economy or e-government. Since this requires legislation and tackling of other issues, it would be appropriate that Government officials announce the exact timeframe," he said.

It is part of the kingdom's firm commitment and participatory pivotal role with the international community in order to review the significant global results and challenges within the information and communications (ICT) sector.

The high-level event is being held at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) headquarters in Geneva until Friday.

The delegation also held meetings with other participating delegates focusing on co-operation in information and communications technology (ICT), reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Bahrain's pavilion included representatives from the eGovernment Authority (eGA) and a number of public and private sector institutions.

Head of Haj and Umra at the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Abdulnasser Abdullah, told the press on Monday that e-registration started last season on a trial basis, however, from the coming season it would be fully activated.

The registration would be available through the e-government portal, he said, adding that the system had been tested and modified to achieve objectives. Authorised caravans would be given passwords to access the system and register their pilgrims from their offices. “The good thing about the system is that it would automatically close down when a caravan exceeds its limit of number of pilgrims and after the end of the deadline for registration,” he explained.

Under the system, Bahrainis and expats can set up their own web profile to use hundreds of online services. At present, users are required login separately for each service, but under the new system only one login will be required to access the whole bunch of online services.

'Cloud computing' allows users to stay connected 'anywhere, anytime, anyhow', said global software giant Microsoft.