The UAE will lead the world with 100 per cent broadband penetration by 2012, said Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, after opening 'Mecom 2011,' the largest ICT exhibition and conference in UAE capital.

Mecom will see more than 100 exhibiting companies demonstrate their next generation communications technology and solutions for government, healthcare, hospitality, banking & finance, oil & gas, real estate, retail, manufacturing, logistics and media sectors.

The event which runs till May 18 will be open from 10 am – 6 pm daily.

Delivering the keynote address at the Mecom CEO Summit in Abu Dhabi, Al Mansoori said, '“Mobile penetration (usage) rate in the UAE has now crossed 200 per cent, while household broadband penetration currently stands at 40 per cent.

'According to industry giants Cisco, the UAE is already in the top ten worldwide in terms of the quality of its broadband service,” he added.

Al Mansoori went on to say that the TRA has also predicted that the Middle East and Africa will continue to be the fastest growing market globally.

“I am proud of this achievement and what this initiative means for the growth of the telecoms industry, according to the TRA, spending on telecommunications this year maybe the biggest ever,” said Al Mansouri while addressing the top telecoms bosses from around the region who have gathered to discuss the latest industry issues and examine the global trends affecting next generation ICT solutions.

Using the latest fibre optic technology which is currently being implemented by Etisalat, the ambitious plan has the capability of making the UAE the first country in the world with 100 per cent broadband penetration by 2012, the minister said.

“A perfect example of this is Etisalat, which is at present competing in more than 18 countries and has an estimated 100 million customers,” said Binu Pillai, exhibition director of IIR Middle East, the organisers of Mecom.

TRA deputy director general, Majed Al Mesmar, said, “In 2010, the telecommunications sector contributed 5.5 per cent towards, the UAE’s GDP. Collectively, Etisalat and du shared 11 million mobile subscribers, 1.6 million fixed telephone subscribers and 1.4 million intyernet service subscribers generating over Dh24 billion.”

The other top speakers included Nasser bin Obood, acting CEO Etisalat; Osman Sultan, CEO at du and Ross Cormack, CEO, Nawras. -TradeArabia News Service