The General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA) announced that U.AE has hit a new record in its number of users, reaching nearly the 10 million mark during the period from January to October of this year, an 50.73% increase over 2019, where the number of users in the same period was 6.54 million.
During January-October 2020, U.AE saw an increase in its number of users from abroad by about 3 million users, compared to 2 million during the same period of 2019, a 22.37% increase in the current year over the previous one. India came first in number of users from abroad, followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United States, and finally the United Kingdom.
Such results reflect, in part, the tremendous efforts by the portal team in content and service development. They also reflect the change in user choices as a result of the status quo where online activities witness a significant increase such as working remotely, distance learning, browsing, searching for information on websites and accessing government services remotely through the official portal, which provides many prompt government services accessible around the clock.
U.AE serves citizens, residents, visitors and investors by providing all information on government developments, laws, policies, services and trends. It is characterized by being the world’s only portal with a domain name consisting of one letter “U”, which refers to self “You” and carries meanings of union and uniqueness that characterize the UAE.
Commenting on this remarkable progress in portal visits, H.E. Salem Al Housani, Acting Deputy Director General of the Information and mGovernment Sector, said: “U.AE serves as primary reference for people seeking information and government services in general.” The remarkable increase in visitor numbers demonstrates the relevance of U.AE and efficiency of its team in providing information of interest to all segments of the UAE community. U.AE has contributed to the continuity of business amid the current circumstance, by providing a significant number of e-services, and providing a broad range of information needed by UAE residents or visitors.
Through its four sections, U.AE covers key topics about the UAE, including information, services, e-participation and media. Section one covers UAE’s history, economy, political system, government, plans, strategies and initiatives. The ‘Information and Services’ section incorporates topics of employment, investment, tourism, infrastructure and visa systems, as well as a full list of all government services in the country. The E-participation section includes channels of communication with the UAE government, advisory platforms, live chat, etc.
Given the current exceptional circumstances the world is going through, a number of new topics were added to enrich the portal with information dealing with the pandemic, such as travel procedures, return of residents from abroad, visas provisions and entry permits in light of COVID-19, in addition to topics of supporting the labor market in the private sector during the COVID-19 outbreak. Plus, government services are accessible around the clock, with UAE PASS replacing SmartPass.
The official portal of the UAE Government (U.AE) was launched on 24 May 2011 by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to act as a single window for online information and services provided by federal and local UAE entities to individuals, visitors and business owners.