KUWAIT ISTHE FOURTH BEST GULF COUNTRY IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR 2022

  • 27/06/2022

Kuwait City: Kuwait ranked fourth in the Gulf and regionally on MEED magazine’s index of digital transformation for the year 2022, with a total of 3.7 points, and although it is considered the most effective telecommunications service provider in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in terms of the cost of network services, it lags behind in the field of regulation and digital legislation, and the problem stems from parliamentary opposition, which often represents a major obstacle to capacity building, reform, and regulation. MEED magazine reported that Kuwait and Qatar rank lower than many countries in the region with weaker infrastructure and fewer resources, and Qatar, like Kuwait, is poorly ranked in terms of digital regulation, but it is supported by a strong infrastructure, unlike the Sultanate of Oman, which has weaker infrastructure, but has regulations more powerful.


In the details, the magazine said that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are striving to achieve achievements in terms of digital supremacy, and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead the countries in the region and stand on an equal footing in the index with 4.3 points each, followed by Bahrain in third place with 3.9 points , then Kuwait in fourth place, then Qatar and Bahrain with 3.6 points and 3.5 points in fifth and sixth places, respectively.

It should be noted that the physical and organizational infrastructure is still an important factor in determining the digital capabilities of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

MEED's latest digital transformation index reveals a wide gap between GCC and non-GCC member states in terms of overall network capacity and speeds, connectivity, stability of electrical networks that support digital infrastructure, network assessments and digital readiness, and regulatory efficiency.

Collectively, she added, these metrics represent a leading indicator of readiness at the country level to provide the technologies of the digital future, including the capabilities of the fifth generation network needed to deal with the rapid proliferation of connected devices, which is expected to grow with the emergence of the Internet of Things and the use of basic synthetic technologies and automation supported by intelligence.

Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates featured in the July Index, boosted by positive “digital rise” ratings from the European Center for Digital Competitiveness, as well as strong overall performance across almost all digital metrics. While the two countries excel in the region in terms of network readiness and cybersecurity, they face a marginal obstacle represented in the high cost of digital networks, broadband services and mobile data according to regional and global standards.

This also applies equally to Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, where network tariffs in these five Gulf states are similar to those in the distant Pacific island states, which rely on submarine cables and deliver them to their isolated locations.

In the Gulf countries, the problem lies in the state's telecommunications monopolies, which apply non-competitive prices. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also have frameworks in place to advance the digital economy in both countries.

On a related level, the magazine said that Egypt is still the strongest competitor outside the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in terms of digital transformation, as it ranked seventh regionally and immediately after the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with 3.4 points, followed by Jordan with 3 points and Iran with 2.7 points.

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