at the IDA/ictQATAR luncheon The Diplomatic Club – Al Safeer Hall
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. I’m delighted
you are here to help us celebrate the ties between ictQATAR and IDA of Singapore.
I remember well a spring morning more than a year
ago, ictQATAR was only a handful of employees sitting around a table pondering which international bodies should guide us in the creation of a world class organization. Even then our goals were ambitious. We needed to learn from the best and boldest there was.
That is why we decided to explore Singapore’s
experience.
Singapore’s model is recognized throughout the world
as a hub of ICT development. The government’s recent initiative to turn the country into a seamless wireless region… is truly unprecedented.
That kind of innovative thinking is what will drive us at
ictQATAR as we connect people to the technologies that will enrich their lives and spur economic development. Singapore is a model for bridging the digital divide and embracing the digital economy. We share this vision and we are working smoothly towards it.
Today we celebrate the opening of an IDA office in
Doha – a moment for celebration. We started our collaborative journey a year ago when we signed a mutual agreement. That agreement fostered a series of innovative projects that will benefit our citizens in education, commerce and government services.
I take this opportunity to applaud every member of the
iDA team for the diligence, and expertise they have demonstrated through our work together.
And as we approach the end of 2006, I am proud to say
that the ictQATAR team has enjoyed an exciting and productive year.
In March we hosted the World Telecom Conference.
189 countries sent more than 1200 delegates to exchange ideas and discuss directions in the global telecommunications industry.
Our e-education team is connecting our school
community through Knowledge Net and global gateway. We recently piloted, for the first time in the Middle East, e-schoolbag – a creative project to help our kids enjoy learning and treasure knowledge.
Our i-Gov team is implementing Qatar’s “next
generation” e-Gov strategy that is designed to be customer focused government wide
Recently His Highness the Emir issued Qatar’s new
telecom law – sweeping legislation to open our telecom sector to competition. We are all excited to watch how new telecom providers will provide consumers with innovative ICT products at competitive prices.
At the beginning of next year, we look forward to
becoming a regional model when we provide the health care sector with a ground-breaking national e-health strategy.
We’re particularly excited about giving people who live
and work in Qatar free wireless internet access in three major public parks in Doha.
For the first time in the Gulf, Q-CERT – our
information security program – has been given authority to establish standards for all GCC countries. That means people throughout the Gulf who use the Internet for personal or professional reasons will be more secure. Our work, is only a small first step in a long and always surprising march towards progress, inspired by learning, discoveries, and young talented mind at ictQATAR.