Page 118 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

same period of the previous year, exceeding 517 thousand km.” of TRABIS, consumers can only apply for and renew their domain
made statements. Karagözoğlu said, “The first legal regulation name through “Registration Agencies” authorized by the BTK,
regarding internet domain names in Turkey was enacted in except in obligatory cases. Currently, 19 companies are authorized
2008 with the Electronic Communications Law (EHK) numbered as Registrars. In addition, the ICTA, without prejudice to the right
5809 and the duty and responsibility of determining the policies of the complainants to apply to the court in order to mediate the
regarding internet domain names was given to the Ministry of disputes arising from the domain names, will be responsible for
Transport and Infrastructure. With the Internet Domain Names the conflict resolution mechanism to be applied in the resolution
Regulation, BTK has been authorized to carry out the works and of the disputes regarding the domain names with the ".tr" country
transactions related to the registration of domain names with the code extension, and TRABIS, through 2 institutions authorized as
".tr" extension, to establish and operate TRABIS, or to ensure the the Dispute Resolution Service Provider. Since then, more than 150
establishment and operation of TRABIS to a third party within the disputes have been resolved.” made statements.
framework of the procedures and principles determined by the (May 9, 2023) www.btk.gov.tr
Ministry. President Karagözoğlu said, “With the commissioning

United Arab Emirates

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory The report showed a steady increase in the number of visitors
Authority (TDRA) released ‘u.ae 2022... Figures and Facts’ Report, to the portal, as the number of visitors approached 19 million in
which sheds light on the great success story of the portal since its 2022, with more than 30 million visits. u.ae visitors came mainly
launch, as the interface of the UAE Government official presence, from the UAE. During the last five years, more than 35.6 million
and the main reference for government information and services. visitors from the UAE visited the portal, while India came second
The report includes milestones, figures, results and indicators with 4.67 million visitors in the same period, and the Kingdom
related to the portal's performance and the level of its popularity of Saudi Arabia third with 2.72 million visitors. As for the most
locally and globally. Moreover, the report highlights the journey of popular pages, the page of applications for entry permits and
u.ae, which was launched in 2001, starting with its establishment visas and their validity came at the top of the list, as the average
as a static site under the name of (government.ae), through the time spent by the visitor browsing this page was 4:16 minutes.
stage of the interactive site based on an open-source content Travel to the UAE page came second with an average visit time of
management system, to the stage of the one-letter domain (u.ae), 4:07 minutes, and the Emirates ID page came third with an average
which is the shortest domain name in the world. Commenting visit time of 3:51 minutes. According to the report, English came
on the report, H.E. Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, TDRA Director as the most used language with 48.8 million visitors, followed
General, said: “The UAE Government official portal (u.ae) is the by Arabic with 8.13 million visitors, then French with 1.18 million
UAE interface online, and an interface of its digital presence. We visitors, then German, Russian and Chinese. The report showed
are pleased with the results achieved by the portal in terms of the the inclusion of 2,630 digital services on the portal, provided by
level of visits, searches and browsing. We are also pleased with 221 federal and local government entities. u.ae consists of four
the comments and suggestions received from the portal users main sections, including the information and services section, the
that have contributed over time to developing it and improving UAE section, the E-Participation section, and the media section.
its performance in line with international best practice.” H.E. Al The information and services section addresses many topics such
Mesmar added: “TDRA’s team works tirelessly on developing the as work, investment, tourism, infrastructure and visa, in addition
portal and aligning it with the higher national directions, manly 'We to a complete list of all government services in the country. The
the UAE 2031' vision with its four pillars related to government, second section covers the history of the UAE in different eras, as
society, economy and international relations. We developed the well as the plans and strategies of the UAE to foresee the future and
portal based on our role as an enabler of the digital government, achieve comprehensive development. This section also covers the
and on our strategic goal to enhance the digital lifestyle in country's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
line with the directives of the wise leadership by making digital set by the United Nations. The E-Participation section lists the
transformation a path to creating a happy and sustainable future channels of communication with the UAE Government, as well as
in the UAE.” u.ae reflects the best international experiences, platforms for consultation, instant chat, and others.
such as the customers' journey, adopting the latest international (May 23, 2023) www.tdra.gov.ae
standards and choosing the best content management system.

118 MAY-JUNE 2023