A parliamentary report said that the most prominent problems in the communications sector in the country are represented in the absence of competitive prices compared to prices in the countries of the world, in addition to the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector banning some audio and video communication programs, stressing that subscribers face difficulties in canceling some telecommunications services while the subscription In services is much easier.
The report, which was prepared by the Technical Affairs, Energy and Mineral Resources Committee of the Federal National Council, included a public questionnaire to measure customer satisfaction with the services provided by telecommunications companies, during the period of the state’s precautionary measures to confront the new Corona virus outbreak, which concluded with the most important observations of Internet services due to The due bill, especially in light of the urgent need to benefit from the Internet services for distance learning, which affected the study and learning of students, and the absence of direct lessons.
In detail, a parliamentary report prepared by the Technical Affairs, Energy and Mineral Resources Committee of the Federal National Council on services provided by telecommunications companies monitored key observations on the performance of these companies within the state, noting that the observations covered four axes, namely localization in telecommunications companies, and the quality of services provided to the public, And social responsibility, and finally the development of the communications industry and information systems in the country.
The report concluded in the axis of "Emiratization in telecommunications companies" to two main observations, the first is the absence of a clear strategic plan on Emiratization in the telecommunications sector, while the second, the weak role of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in obliging operators operating in the telecommunications sector to determine specific Emiratisation percentages in various jobs.
On the theme of “Quality of services provided to the public”, the parliamentary report ended with two other observations. The first is the limited role of companies operating in the telecommunications sector in providing distinctive programs and services to those of concern and senior citizens, enabling them to access and easily use telecommunications services and benefit from them, and encourages them to communicate and interact With others at reduced prices, while the second note carried criticism of some operators in the telecommunications sector offering offers and services that do not express clearly the obligations and rights of their subscribers.
In the "social responsibility" axis, the report concluded three observations, which included the importance of companies operating in the telecommunications sector to prepare societal programs and initiatives to raise awareness about electronic security, the challenges of the digital world and encourage a positive and safe use of the Internet, as well as the importance of adopting small and medium-sized national technology companies in developing Its operations and services, in addition to the importance of investing the funds of the Development Fund for Communications and Information Technology in supporting the education and training sector and providing projects and scientific research in the field of communications and information technology.
According to the parliamentary report, the fourth axis, "Development of the Telecommunications Industry and Information Systems in the State", concluded with two observations. First, the lack of a clear and unified framework in the companies operating in the telecommunications sector regarding the digital transformation of e-government at the level of the federal authorities, and reliance on unified government platforms to link the systems of those agencies to exchange data easily, to serve the customer’s need to obtain government services in a smart manner, according to a strategy Artificial Intelligence and the Industrial Revolution.
The last note was the absence of strategic initiatives concerned with preparing specialized national human cadres to keep pace with the developments of the times related to the boom in data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of things.
The report stated that the committee sought to communicate with members of the community with a view to monitoring and soliciting their views on the services provided by telecommunications companies, by offering an extended questionnaire on their satisfaction with those services, explaining that the questionnaire concluded that there are 13 problems or observations related to the quality, prices and level of the services provided.
The list of issues also included the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector banning some audio and video communication programs, the need to develop customer service in response to subscribers, the weakness of localization in companies operating the telecommunications sector, and the absence of offers and services that are appropriate for all segments of society, especially those with limited income, despite The presence of offers for residents commensurate with their different segments, and the presence of areas within the country outside the coverage of the telecommunications company, which makes the phone picks up the signal for the communications of neighboring countries, the impact of the privatization system of telecommunications companies on the quality of services provided to individuals, and the delay in the arrival of home technical support on telecommunications services.
The report touched on another public questionnaire conducted by the committee with the aim of monitoring and polling their opinions on services provided by telecommunications companies, during the period of precautionary measures applied by the state to counter the spread of the new Corona virus, indicating that the questionnaire concluded that there are six problems experienced by clients from members of the sample. He said: The first problem was the internet outage due to the due bill, especially in light of the urgent need to benefit from Internet services for distance learning, which affected the study and learning of students, and the absence of direct classes, while the second problem focused on the necessity of increasing Emiratization rates in the operating companies . And third, the high prices of telecommunications and internet services compared to the quality of services and data provided, compared to neighboring or developed countries.
The fourth problem included the lack of proportion of the speed of the Internet with the value of the data chosen by subscribers, while the fifth was the small number of competitors in the country, and finally the failure to provide distinguished services and programs at reduced prices, especially under the current circumstances.
Competitive prices
The report summarized the problems in the absence of competitive prices compared to prices in the world, the limited profits of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) abroad in exchange for profits from the UAE market, so that it covers its losses outside the country, and the difficulty of customers canceling some telecommunications services while subscribing to services Much easier, limited offers and services provided to people of determination and their personal presence to customer service centers is a burden on them, lack of clarity of offers and services provided to the customer by companies operating in the telecommunications sector, and the lack of offers and packages dedicated to owners of small projects.
The absence of competitive rates for communications, and difficulties in canceling services despite the ease of subscribing to them.
The limited role of operators operating in the telecommunications sector in providing programs and services for people of determination and senior citizens.
The weak role of "regulating the telecommunications sector" in compelling operators operating in the telecommunications sector to determine Emiratization rates.