UAE, July 12, 2015 - Dubai Smart Government (DSG), in co-ordination with Dubai government entities, is currently conducting a feasibility study to link all Dubai government entities with a shared modern fibre-optic network. The move is aimed at raising the efficiency of the technological structure of these entities and ensuring continuity of work through providing the best technologies for ensuring that the public get government services most seamlessly and urgently everywhere round the clock, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of Dubai as a smart city.

To this effect, DSG invited the government entities to attend the introductory workshop held at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University to highlight the project and the methodology of the study. The workshop, which was supervised by dedicated teams and saw the participation of 60 employees from 30 Dubai government entities, is aimed at combining efforts, getting to know the current capabilities of government entities, collecting their current data related to linkage lines and evaluating their future needs. The workshop is also aimed at laying the designs and criteria necessary for setting up Dubai Government's fibre-optic network as per best practices and the actual requirements of government entities.

The study, which will take around 6 months covers two phases. The first phase has now started and is aimed at collecting the current and future requirements of government entities through electronic surveys and workshops with government partners, while the second phase, which is expected to be completed by the end of December, will come out with practical recommendations on the specifications of Dubai Government's fibre-optic network, the shared network's infrastructure and the return on investment.

H.E. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, DSG Director General, said: 'This step comes in implementation of the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for shifting to smart government, and in response to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, to expedite transition to the government of the future. The nature of the upcoming period necessitates us to support government entities in their bid to provide their services to the public through modern and innovative channels, means of communication and network with the aim of bringing happiness to all users.'

Bin Humaidan added: 'Dubai Smart Government's Strategy 2014-2017 entails comprehensive change in the way services are provided to customers and internal processes are carried out through the use of smart and advanced technology and infrastructure that meets the needs of our customers most speedily and conveniently. We are certain that the feasibility study, which we are currently preparing with respect to a modern shared fibre-optic network at the government level, will help raise the operational efficiency and ensure the continuity of work and that customers get government services most speedily and easily.'

Bin Humaidan stated that this network is also important as it takes into consideration the accelerating developments that have paved the way for Dubai to be a smart community and as it responds to the smart government's requirements to provide a shared and secure infrastructure that will minimize and rationalize government spending and enhance the optimal use of government resources, thereby supporting the wise leadership's vision for the UAE to become one of the best countries of the world by 2021.