A DE-CIX study indicates that latency dropped from 200 milliseconds (ms) in 2012 to less than 3ms in 2022.
The study highlights the development of the digital ecosystem in Dubai, with the meteoric growth in the city’s internet infrastructure in the period between 2012 and 2022.
In 2012, 90% of local data traffic needed to be transported outside of the GCC to Europe, Asia or North America, whereas today 90% of locally-bound data remains local.
“An international Internet hub not only offers its population and companies better Internet performance: through the increasingly dense Internet infrastructure and regulatory openness, it encourages international companies to move there, it entices high performers and talents to call it home, it brings down the cost of connectivity, and it enables intelligent, data-based urban planning,” co-author of the study, Internet industry consultant Gerd Simon
“In short, it makes a city or region fit for the 21st century.”
Additionally, the international IP transit price has fallen by 98% and broadband internet prices by around 85%.
In the same time-frame, the UAE has seen the number of locally-registered networks grow by a factor of eight and the UAE is now ranked first in the GCC in terms of fixed line and mobile broadband subscriptions.
The results demonstrate the impact of the country’s digitalisation initiatives and the establishment of the UAE-IX by DE-CIX further highlights that, the company says.
As a result, the UAE GDP earned through non-oil related economy increased by 35% between 2012 and 2022.
