Innovative digital hub
MANAMA: Bahrain is successfully pursuing an ambitious strategy to become an innovation hub by adopting digital technologies, says a new report.
It is creating the right cloud computing and telecommunications policies at good prices to suit businesses and utilities.
The strategy is being led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince Prime Minister.
The report, Sovereign Data: The Development and Marketing of Bahrain’s Digital Domain, by the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, outlines the kingdom’s achievements in digital technology as part of efforts to diversify sources of revenues and develop non-oil sectors.
The cloud first policy has resonated with multinational firms offering cloud-based technology solutions, it said.
Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, migrated its cloud services to new Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres that had been set up in the country.
Several other government organisations have followed, with the University of Bahrain in the process of moving its IT infrastructure to the AWS cloud.
The report revealed that government spending on IT-related services dropped by 90 per cent last year, owing to the increasing utilisation of cloud technologies.
Total investments in the sector exceed $2 billion between 2009 and 2019. In October, Bahrain’s leading telecommunications operator announced that 5G coverage was available to 95pc of the country’s population.
The report underscored the role of the financial and banking sector in developing non-oil sectors and diversifying sources of income. Financial technology (Fintech) also plays a considerable role in developing banking sector services in Bahrain.
According to the report, Bahrain has high Internet and mobile penetration rates.
AWS vice president of the worldwide public sector Teresa Carlson, who has met the Crown Prince Prime Minister, praised his IT strategy.
AWS has made the kingdom a regional operations hub for its cloud computing services in the Middle East.
Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/912503/-Innovative-digital-hub
