UAE in the last 15 years had exhibited a progressive stance towards the development of ICT. This is driven in both the household, business, and government sectors. In 1982 Etisalat introduced the first mobile phone, by the late 1980s their growth began to pick up steadily and now the country is at more than 100% penetration. 1995 was the first year the internet was available in the UAE. Since that time the number of internet users in the UAE has grown exponentially. The charts below show continued growth in dial up account users, but also a surge in broadband subscribers as well. Also detailed in the charts is location of use, home vs. office.
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These charts provided by the UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority show the recent diffusion of ICT technology.
ITEM |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
Main telephone lines in operation (thousands) |
1,136 |
1,188 |
1,237 |
1,299 |
Mobile subscribers (total prepaid & postpaid) (thousands) |
2,972 |
3,683 |
4,534 |
5,258 |
Mobile subscribers - prepaid (thousands) |
2,495 |
3,186 |
4,007 |
4,709 |
Total Internet subscribes (thousands) |
347 |
418 |
527 |
646 |
Dial-up internet subscribers (thousands) |
317 |
364 |
399 |
432 |
Broadband internet subscribers (thousands) |
30 |
56 |
128 |
214 |
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