Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) president Mohamed Ali al-Mannai said Qatar has one of the best IT infrastructures in the world as well as the latest technologies used in the sector, such as the 5G network with 99% optical fibre penetration.
In remarks to journalists on the sidelines of the Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (Qitcom 2019), currently in session in Doha, the CRA president said Qatar now focuses more on how to leverage this huge potential in the IT infrastructure to stimulate innovation, including Smart City services that are also part of the IT infrastructure, the official QNA reported on Wednesday.
He added that the work now focuses on developing a framework for the Smart Cities for both government agencies and the private sector. Active players in the Smart City system work under the umbrella of this framework, which will guide them to the best practices needed by the state. Al-Mannai revealed a new strategy to be launched by the CRA for the years 2020 to 2024, focusing on all sectors and including the tasks of the authority, namely communications, information technology, post and digital media.
The strategy will be presented to the Council of Ministers before the end of this year, QNA adds. He explained that the strategy will cover the four areas within the competence of the CRA, and focus primarily on information technology in terms of achieving more growth in this sector to contribute to the national income, noting that the communications sector has reached a steady stage of growth.