Ministry plans regulatory body for ICT sector

The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is in the process of establishing an Independent Telecommunications Regulatory Authority that will encourage and support an open and competitive ICT sector.This was announced yesterday by HE the Minister Dr Hessa sultan al-Jaber at the launch event of the Qatar National Broadband Plan.“We will ensure the efficient management of resources in order to guarantee that fixed and mobile infrastructures are deployed in the most effective, rapid manner,” she explained. The ministry will expand the benefits of broadband by providing for and investing in extensive and high quality supply of broadband content and services that will drive adoption.“We will address digital literacy, affordability, quality of service, awareness and safety barriers. We are explicitly targeting 100% coverage with speeds of at least 8mbps in areas where transient workers live, reflecting Qatar’s ongoing commitment to diversity and workers’ rights,” the minister said.The ministry’s work in all of these areas will build upon the many achievements of the last decade and will continue to be guided by the National ICT Plan 2015, Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and Qatar’s booming ICT market.Referring to a number of initiatives that the ministry is working on right now, HE Dr al-Jaber said there will be a focus on accelerating the e-government initiative. “In this regard, the Prime Minster has established a steering committee, headed by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, focused on the National E-Gov Plan 2020. “The e-GOV 2020 programmes will be:l Next wave Services-Increasing availability of services online on all relevant channels, improving customer experience and driving the customer uptake;l Open Government- Providing transparency and value by providing public data and engaging with citizens online;l Advanced Central Platforms- enabling advanced eservices and creating efficiencies through widely adopted central platforms and infrastructure.“We plan to see new e-service offerings such as building permits, e-court management systems, and public registration of property, to name just a few. “In addition to e-services, each government entity will be automating its internal processes, and adding more ministries to the government network — a single ICT backbone that connects all government entities to each other through a secure communications platform. “We are also in the process of establishing a centralised Government Data Centre that will house critical computer systems and associated components for all government entities,” she added.