Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have pledged to strengthen their collaboration in the field of telecommunications and ICT. At the ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Telecommunications and Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates (TRA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote closer co-operation and knowledge exchange in various aspects of international and regional ICT, in both the public and private sectors.

The MOU was signed by His Excellency Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of TRA, and Mr Leong Keng Thai, Director General (Telecoms & Post) of IDA. It was witnessed by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore, and TRA UAE Board member, His Excellency Abdul Kader Al Kahyat.

“The ICT sector in the UAE has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years and is widely recognised for its innovative contribution to the global technology arena. With their unwavering support, the UAE leadership has identified all efforts to advance ICT capacity as a national priority and strengthening ties with international stakeholders at this point as part of this is essential,” said His Excellency Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim.

“Working alongside IDA Singapore will prove invaluable as both the UAE and Singapore look to develop their knowledge economies, cement their competitive position and align their ICT infrastructure to keep pace with the demands of the modern era.”

Key areas of co-operation include the proactive exchange of information relevant to e-government and ICT, co-guidance and co-consultation on ICT initiatives, as well as joint research and analysis on new and existing technologies and the development of systems and tools. The partnership will also help promote ICT-related trade, investments, as well as business and technology ventures between UAE and Singapore.

Mr Leong said Singapore sees ICT as a strategic enabler for national competitiveness and the country’s vision is to create a smart nation, powered by ICT. “We look forward to exchanging knowledge and experience with our UAE counterparts in the field of ICT and e-government. This partnership of sharing good practices will further accelerate our respective country’s development of a knowledge-based economy through ICT.”