(from left to right): Hamad Obeidallah, Senior Vice President Commercial, Emirates Airlines; Salem Al-Shair, eServices Director, Dubai eGovernment; Hassan Al-Serkal, IT and Compliant Manager, Dubai Financial Market; Sharad Agarwal, CEO, Cyber Gear.
This makes Dubai eGovernment the first in the Middle East to launch such a portal.
Users who want to utilize the eServices can log on to the Dubai eGovernment portal, www.dubai.ae. Its advanced technology allows mobile device users browsing these services to access the specifically-designed mobile portal, whereas those who log on to the portal via PCs will have access only to the main Dubai eGovernment portal.
'The launch of a Mobile Portal was imperative considering the major increase in mobile penetration in Dubai and more importantly taking into account the increase in the number of people who are constantly on the move and dependent on their mobile phones for accessing information,' said Salem Al Shair, eServices Director, Dubai eGovernment. 'We are now focusing on utilizing innovative channels in eServices provisioning and have adopted a multi-channel approach in an integrated manner.'
Surfing
'Another factor that will ensure the success of this new portal is the growing demand among consumers for mobile phones and PDAs that allow them to access the Internet. Offering eServices through mobile phones ensures that a large section of the population has access to these services and also guarantees a high degree of security and privacy,' he added.
The Mobile Portal is the result of public private partnerships that Dubai eGovernment has achieved to provide a range of electronic services to enhance customer service. Dubai eGovernment believes that the private and public sectors have important roles to play in the creation of a digital economy.
The services that can be accessed through the Mobile Portal have been divided into six categories: Traffic, Islamic, Financial, Travel booking, Dubai Information and Entertainment. Our partners in this initiative are the Dubai Government departments, Emirates Airline, Dubai Financial Market and Cyber Gear.
Some of the services available under these categories are visa information from Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), Prayer Timings service from Awqaf and services from Dubai Police such as traffic fine enquiries and payments.
In addition, users can make Emirates Airline online flight booking, check the arrival and departure of flights from Dubai Civil Aviation Department. Users of the portal can also search for hotels, search for products in specific malls, be informed on sales and promotions taking place around Dubai, get updates on latest movies, find out the weekly television schedule for One TV, find a nearby embassy or consulate, use the currency converter service, as well as access valuable information from the Dubai Financial Market in the form of Mobile Quotes and Live Quotes. Mobile Quotes give the name of the company, Latest Deal (LD) price, volume and changes in stock prices, while Live Quotes gives the current stock rates for all companies.
The Mobile Portal was launched after an in-depth Mobile Portal survey conducted recently by Dubai eGovernment to assess the feasibility of providing Government services via the Mobile Internet as an innovative channel, for Government Department services, meeting customer needs and increasing usage of online services.
