The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that the number of visitors to the official portal of the UAE government (U.AE) exceeded 2.9 million visitors during the first quarter of 2020, an increase of 56.63% from the first quarter of 2019. There were 4 million visits to the portal in the first quarter of this year, while the number of new users reached 2.58 million.
These results reflect, in part, the tremendous efforts by the portal team in content and service development. They also reflect the change in user behavior as a result of current circumstances 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.
Commenting on this milestone, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General, said: "These figures reflect UAE’s electronic presence in the era of digital transformation, as the portal represents the official address of the UAE in the world wide web, and is visited by all who are interested in accessing information, services, projects, policies and laws in the United Arab Emirates. Today, the portal is a reliable information source for all residents of the country. With the announcement of launching the m-Government by the wise leadership, the role of the portal has evolved to include e-participation, supporting the UN Online Service Index (OSI), which is one of the indicators of our country's national agenda. In light of UAE’s international standing, the portal has become a reference for those wishing to learn information about the UAE from all over the world.”
This increase in the number of portal visitors comes as a result of measures taken by the portal team in keeping with the precautionary government efforts to combat Coronavirus, where the portal has incorporated a special section on Coronavirus in line with the directives of the UAE government aimed at promoting awareness about this disease and working to curb its spread. The section includes information on Coronavirus, the government's efforts to contain the virus, anti-Coronavirus legislation, the national sterilization program, FAQ and many other pages providing visitors with sufficient and reliable information about this pandemic and ways to protect against it.
The portal’s role in limiting the spread of Coronavirus has also been strengthened by launching the services platform, through which all online services of UAE’s federal government entities can be accessed around the clock on a single platform be it through PC, mobile or any other smart device, where approximately 34 government entities provide their online services through the services platform: (Https://u.ae/services).https://u.ae/services). This platform allows customers to access services around the clock without the need to physically visit service centers or leave home, thereby serving government decisions to alleviate crowding and congestion while ensuring safety and health of the Emirati community.
This significant spike in the number of users of the Official UAE Portal came less than a year after the UAE government launched a new domain name for its official portal making it be the world's first single-letter government domain (U), with the aim of facilitating public access to information, services, projects, strategies and laws in the country.
The Official Portal of the UAE Government consists of four main sections, covering information and services, UAE, e-participation and media. The information and services section covers many topics such as employment, investment, tourism, infrastructure and visa systems, as well as a full list of all government services in the country. The second section covers the history of the UAE in its various eras, and covers UAE's plans and strategies for shaping the future and achieving overall development. This section also addresses UAE's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. In the e-participation section, there are many channels of communication with the UAE government, including advisory platforms, instant chat and others.
Source: Press Release