The change in the name of the network occurred on all three service providers – Etisalat, du and Virgin… 

If you’ve checked your phone this morning, you may have noticed a change in your network name to ‘UAENumber1’.

The change first seemed to have applied to Etisalat phone users only, but then du and Virgin users also noticed the change.

A tweet issued out by The Telecommunications Regulations Authority (TRA) official Twitter account explains why.

The tweet stated that the UAE achieved the number one ranking globally in the Internet and Telecommunications Sectors as per the Competitiveness Index. 

According to the Tweet’s infographic, we can see that the UAE ranked 104 in 2016, quite a jump to first place in just a time span of three years. That’s what you call progress!

The results come from the Knowledge Index Report which was published recently by The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.

Commenting on this global achievement, HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General, said: “The advanced level of competitiveness of the telecommunications sector in the UAE reflects the success of the one-team strategy used by government entities in national projects and initiatives management. This accomplishment has been achieved by all us, and we hope to continue in a team spirit to maintain the UAE’s leading position and to enhance our national vision, to make the UAE the first globally in various fields.”

Progress was also seen in the UAE’s ranking in the Sector Competitiveness Index for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with the UAE rising from 61st to the fifth rank.

The index measures the ICT price basket, Internet and telephony level of competition, and laws relating to ICTs.

This achievement adds on to the list of previous achievements the UAE already holds in the telecommunications sector.  It ranks number one globally in mobile-broadband subscriptions and holds the same rank when it comes to the population being covered by mobile-cellular networks.

Well done UAE to yet another great achievement!

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