Bahrain has achieved full nationwide 5G protection, unleashing a brand new wave of alternatives for streaming, gaming and provide chain applied sciences. The entire nation’s 1.5 million inhabitants can now entry the high-speed service, and funding consultants hope the rollout will appeal to tech heavyweights within the post-Covid period.
Bahrain’s telecommunications sector attracted roughly BHD 787 million (greater than US$2 billion) in funding between 2009 and 2019. In keeping with financial diversification efforts, the Kingdom’s ICT sector now accounts for almost three % of nationwide GDP .
Commenting on the announcement, HE Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, Bahrain’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, emphasised the significance of strengthening good telecommunications infrastructure. He mentioned: “We’re constantly striving to make sure that the Kingdom of Bahrain maintains its place among the many world leaders on this essential sector. This contains making certain the provision and deployment of economic 5G providers and rising readiness for next-generation ICT providers such because the Web of Issues and Machine-to-Machine communications. This necessary milestone can also be a testomony to our power as a regional and international ICT chief. Moreover, it’s a clear indication that our ongoing nationwide digital transformation and Bahrain’s Financial Imaginative and prescient 2030 methods are on monitor. Each prioritize a robust ICT infrastructure to assist the expansion of our digital financial system whereas enhancing Bahrain’s readiness to harness innovation. We’re assured that our potential to generate, make the most of and in the end export innovation will likely be important to rising and diversifying our financial system into excessive value-added sectors similar to content material growth and synthetic intelligence (AI). Fast entry to info is crucial for innovation, particularly for next-generation providers. On this approach, 5G is a vital step in Bahrain’s ongoing transition from internet shopper to internet producer of technological innovation.”
Researchers estimate that there will likely be greater than 1 billion 5G connections by 2023, with Bahrain being one of many first international locations on the earth to realize nationwide protection.
The Kingdom has beforehand launched a number of legal guidelines for technology-based companies, together with MENA’s first GDPR-compliant private information safety legislation and a knowledge jurisdiction legislation that enables info saved in Bahrain to fall below the authorized jurisdiction of its residence nation .