As part of its participation in GITEX Technology Week 2017, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in partnership with Smart Dubai, aiming to develop a unified digital identity in the UAE. The agreement enhances the mutual cooperation between federal and local governments, in line with the UAE's strategy to launch and implement unified projects at the national level that contribute to achieving the goals of UAE Centennial 2071, UAE Vision 2021, and sustainable development.
The project aims to develop and integrate the 'SmartPass' service of the UAE federal government, with the 'Dubai ID' service, into a single system that allows users to easily and seamlessly access federal and local government services, by logging in once, from anywhere, and processing transactions digitally. The 'Digital ID' will also contribute to achieving the TRA's business facilitation initiative, as part of the joint national initiatives. Additionally, it supports Smart Dubai strategies of 'paperless government' and 'blockchain'.
"We are pleased with this joint project with Smart Dubai, which is an important milestone in the efforts of integration and interconnection between local and federal government entities, within a comprehensive national framework, according to the directives of our wise leadership, to ensure the provision of a unified government service channel for the customers," said H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General.
"Unifying smart access of the UAE mGovernment and Smart Dubai aims to prevent any duplication in the smart pass application (SSO), as both sides had worked during the past period to develop this feature to facilitate the smart transformation of services," Al Mansoori added.
"We are confident that this step will be the beginning of the nationalization of this experience. I would like to commend on the great cooperation of the brothers in Smart Dubai, which confirms their keenness to advance digital transformation towards the desired horizons to reach the community happiness."
On the same subject, H.E. Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, the Director General of the Smart Dubai Office, said that the project aims to unify government work in a single system at the federal and local levels, and opens the horizons of the future vision towards an integrated and interconnected digital generation on the national level. This would contribute to achieving the UAE Vision 2021 aiming to develop the government services to meet the future requirements, and provide a high-quality life for citizens, residents and visitors of the UAE.
H.E. Bin Bishr emphasized that the launch of the unified digital identity is an important step in the process of joint national action to create a conducive environment for the growth and development of smart cities. Additionally, it supports the utilization of various entities' resources to achieve the people's aspirations of a promising future for the coming generations, and enhance the UAE's development and the happiness of its people.
The TRA-Smart Dubai joint project is the beginning of a new generation of digital identity, where visitors, residents, and investors inside and outside the country, would be able to benefit from the digital ID, which will work on smartphones, allowing all its users to conduct their transactions in terms of signatures and approving contracts, electronically, as well as the possibility of granting approval to share their data with service providers. This ID will provide the highest standards of privacy and security to the users.
Furthermore, the 'SmartPass' service allows users to access the UAE government services using a single account. Users need one-time authentication only to access many mGovenment services online. The service is available to citizens and residents (UAE ID holders), as well as the visitors. It is part of the UAE mGovernment initiatives, and part of the national plan aiming at the provision of smart government services to the citizens, residents and visitors.
Nevertheless, the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, a subsidiary of Smart Dubai, has launched the 'Dubai ID' service in collaboration with the Emirates Identity Authority to provide infrastructure and joint services to government entities to assist in facilitating the public seamless access to its services around the clock. The registration in Dubai ID allows automatic access and use of more than 600 services from 16 government entities in Dubai, through a single user name and password, which eliminates the need to register with each government entity separately, and having multiple personal accounts.
