Qatari Economy aided by ICT Infrastructure

Qatar’s flourishing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is driving the advancement of a sophisticated knowledge economy and has made significant progress in this area. The country has established a robust ICT infrastructure over the past decade that can serve as the foundation of the digital economy.

According to the Qatar ICT Landscape and Digital Trends report by the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), a well-developed, high-quality, and affordable ICT infrastructure is crucial for promoting the industry and facilitating digital transformation across all economic sectors. The report states that Qatar’s excellent fiber and mobile infrastructure, including 5G, along with recent investments in data centers, can help bolster the digital economy.

The significance of localizing data center capacity is growing as Qatar increasingly focuses on enhancing cloud services and edge computing domestically, following global trends, with the aim of becoming a digital hub. Localized data centers decrease latency for regional users, provide cost-effective solutions, reduce energy expenses, and improve the dependability of solutions due to the strong local infrastructure.

Qatar’s mobile infrastructure is world-class, and its overall mobile connectivity speed is among the highest globally. As a result, 5G implementation has been extensive, enabling the market to leverage other emerging technologies like IoT and cloud services more effectively. The report also notes that significant investments and progress have been made in localizing data centers in Qatar, including Meeza’s construction of four Tier III certified data centers within the Qatar Science and Technology Park.

Cloud services and associated data centers are essential to Qatar’s transformation into a global digital hub. MoCI’s Single Window platform, which has been operational for the past three years, has resulted in significant improvements in Qatar’s business environment, with about 70% of business registration transactions now conducted online. Additionally, the Qatar Financial Centre, Qatar Free Zones, and Qatar Science & Technology Park offer streamlined licensing platforms.