IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The UAE ranked first in GCC in the online service index (OSI) issued by UN within the e-Government Development Index (EGDI), while Bahrain clinched the second spot. Saudi Arabia came third in the index followed by Kuwait and Oman in 4th and 5th place respectively.

The UAE topped the OSI for Western Asia region and ranked eighth globally in EGDI. The Gulf country has also been ranked 4th in Asia in this indicator.

Along with Singapore and Spain, it will receive an e-Government Special Award for making significant progress in improving its e-service delivery and strengthening citizen engagement through e-participation.

The e-Government Special Awards will recognise the success of each world region by distinguishing the top ranked countries from Africa (Tunisia), the Americas (US), Asia (Republic of Korea), Europe (the UK) and Oceania (Australia).

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang and incumbent UN General Assembly President Incumbent Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser co-patronised the ceremony. Over 500 representatives countries vying for the award, ministers and officials in charge of e-Government programmes attended.

The forum, held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, was attended by over 700 participants representing 97 states. It was the first such event taking place in the Middle East making Bahrain the fourth country in the world to host the forum outside the UN premises in New York.

The university’s registration for the new academic year continues till August 31.

The eGovernment Authority is encouraging students to benefit from the services of the national portal www.bahrain.bh, and has offered a full refund of course fees of 20 students paid via this service (up till August 21).

The event, under the patronage of Commerce and Industry Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro, saw 26 local websites in various categories being honoured.

"We created these websites as an effective medium to reach a large audience. This will be the first point of entry for anyone requiring any information on Bahrain," said EDB chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Kingdom’s first 5G streetlight deployment is in Bahrain Bay

Zain Bahrain and systems integrator LSS Technologies are collaborating on a 5G by streetlight (5GBS) system to connect Bahrain Bay, a first for the Kingdom, reports Trade Arabia. Zain said it will add comms to the infrastructure without affecting the delivery of electricity. In a statement it promised to install Zain 5G broadcasting units by blending seamlessly with the city’s electrical infrastructure. “We worked together to design these new compact enclosures, 5G sites in the smallest form factor,” said LSS Technologies general manager Sandeep Ahluwalia.

Soon Zainers can pay their bills and top-up their eeZee lines through the "CrediMax & eGovernment Kiosk'' with just a click, along with paying utility bills and other e-government services.

"We are aware of how technology-savvy the people in the Kingdom of Bahrain are today and are relying more on the internet or on other such facilities to get their work done," said Zain Bahrain's Commercial Support Director, Dr. Bassim Al Bahrana.

The Authority announced the first-of-its-kind cooperation with Zain through the eServices packages on the eGovernment portal (www.bahrain.bh).

Zain subscribers can benefit from a wide range of services such as viewing and/or paying their bills, or recharging their balance, a statement from an official said.