Like all other sectors, Qatar’s strong Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is playing a crucial role in country’s growth and economic diversification. Helped by the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the e-commerce is also growing rapidly in the country.
According to a recent report of Oxford Business Group (OBG), by leveraging 5G while developing segments such as online video gaming and e-sports in an increasingly digitalised global economy, Qatar is solidifying its position as a leading ICT market in the region and beyond.
Qatar is prioritising the development of its ICT sector as it aims to transform into a knowledge-based economy in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the country’s framework for economic diversification and growth. Human resource development is critical to the authorities’ goal of becoming a regional leader in ICT, and local talent stands to benefit from partnerships between educational institutions and global tech firms aimed at bolstering innovation.
Growth in ICT will be driven by the country’s extensive pipeline of large-scale, government-led infrastructure projects in transport and energy, as well as by innovation in the financial services, retail and health sectors.
“Chief among these developments is the Lusail City project, which is central to preparations for hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The smart city is being built with technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), among others, to encourage sustainability and promote mobility. Beyond hosting this major sporting event, Qatar is looking to leverage opportunities in other high-potential areas such as e-sports, as well as boost the local research and development (R&D) ecosystem,” the global research and advisory firm report stated.
The e-commerce market is growing at the rate of 25 to 35 percent annually in MENA region. The MCIT is supporting the e-merchants as well as the buyers to increase their confidence to bring in more credibility to this entire e-business platform which is all the stakeholders involved in the business that is vendors, suppliers, e-merchants and the customers.
Meanwhile, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) also initiated a survey in early April 2022, targeting all local companies providing information technology (IT) products and services.
The survey is part of a large-scale strategic CRA research study, with the aim of building measurements and a comprehensive understanding of Qatar’s IT industry and on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The survey was themed to cover various related aspects including market landscape, governance and regulations, infrastructure, research and development, innovation, funding and talent.
