DUBAI // Regulators are rolling out a network that will allow government bodies to connect with each other.
The UAE Federal Government Network, or FEDnet, will let federal and local government entities share infrastructure and services on a cloud system, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said on Monday.
At present, each government body is linked to one or more internet service providers, meaning they are working in an isolated way, said Saeed Belhoul, director of eGovernment operations at the TRA.
“The FEDnet will come to reorganise this internet networking between the Government to connect one centralised hub that connects all the government entities,” said Mr Belhoul.
Many governments in other countries are connecting on a virtual private network, which is less secure than what FEDnet would be, he said.
The network would have a security operations centre monitoring and responding to incidents around the clock, he said.
The TRA hopes to connect more than 50 government bodies to FEDnet from February.
The authority began work on the network this year with Etisalat and du to set up the infrastructure for FEDnet. It is part of federal smart-government initiatives.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
