Record growth in users of official UAE government portal from January-October: TRA

The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has said that the official portal of the UAE government (u.ae) has hit a new record in its number of users, reaching nearly the 10 million mark during the period from January to October of this year, a 50.73 per cent increase year-on-year over the 6.54 million users recorded in the same period in 2019.

During January-October 2020, the u.ae portal saw its number of users from abroad increase by around 3 million, compared to 2 million during the same period in 2019.

India ranked first in the number of users from abroad, followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US and the UK.

The portal was launched in 2011 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to act as a single window for online information and services provided by federal and local UAE entities.

It caters to citizens, residents, visitors and investors by providing information on government developments, laws, policies, services and trends.

It is the world’s only portal with a domain name consisting of one letter “U”, which refers to self “You”.

Through its four sections, u.ae covers key topics about the UAE, including information, services, e-participation and media.

Section one includes the UAE’s history, economy, political system, government, plans, strategies and initiatives.

The ‘Information and Services’ section meanwhile incorporates topics of employment, investment, tourism, infrastructure and visa systems, as well as a full list of all government services in the country.

The E-participation section includes channels of communication with the UAE government, advisory platforms, and live chat, among other services.

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic a few months ago, a number of new topics were added to the portal including information relating to travel procedures, return of residents from abroad, visas provisions and entry permits, as well as information supporting the workforce in the private sector.

Also, government services are accessible around the clock via the portal, with UAE PASS replacing SmartPass.

Read: UAE PASS to be sole digital identity to access government services in Dubai

“U.AE serves as primary reference for people seeking information and government services in general. U.AE has contributed to the continuity of business amid the current circumstance, by providing a significant number of e-services, and providing a broad range of information needed by UAE residents or visitors,” said Salem Al Housani, acting deputy director general of the Information and mGovernment Sector.