UAE workers consider high-performing broadband crucial for economic growth

The latest Broadband Index report from Cisco finds that 70 percent of respondents in the UAE believe that the quality and reliability of their broadband connections are key to economic growth and societal development.

According to a global survey of over 60,000 employees from 30 countries on their home broadband access, quality, and usage, economic and societal progress will be impossible without universal access to fast and reliable internet.

The quality and availability of the internet are critical to the success of hybrid work. Three out of every four UAE respondents value the dependability and quality of their internet connection. The fact that 63 percent of respondents regularly utilise their home broadband connection for seven hours or more each day emphasises their reliance on high-performance Internet connectivity. Meanwhile, in 77 percent of households, three or more individuals use the internet at the same time.

Sixty percent of respondents said they use mobile technologies to access the Internet at homes, such as their mobile phones or a 4G or 5G hub. Fiber-optic broadband is used by 16% of the population.

“Networks and digital technologies are at the heart of the big economic and social transformations happening in our region. Demand for broadband connectivity has increased exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Reem Asaad, Vice President in the Middle East and Africa, Cisco. “With the rise in remote and hybrid working, businesses are required to enable the collaboration and effectiveness of all employees, regardless of location. We created the Broadband Index to understand how the pandemic has impacted the use of broadband and customers’ expectations around the globe, including the Middle East and Africa.”

According to 75% of respondents, access to fast and reliable internet is vital to future economic growth. 74 percent believe that everyone, regardless of location, should be able to safely connect to fast and reliable internet.

A further 73% believe that having access to fast and reliable Internet connections is critical to sustaining a well-educated populace. This is a cornerstone of both the UAE Government’s ambitious AI Vision 2031 initiative and Abu Dhabi Vision 2031. When asked which vital service they would prioritise if they had a broadband connection in the future, 24 percent said education.