With the development of a smart ecosystem coupled with the rise of online transactions and adoption of tech in public services, the Emirates is witnessing a demand for consistent connectivity. Since more people are working, studying and shopping from home, high speed internet is the need of the hour for facilitating everyday tasks with a few clicks.

The UAE kicked off the new year by achieving the top spot in the world for delivering the fastest mobile internet to its residents, and the regional tech hub shows no signs of slowing down. According to rankings released by speedtest platform Ookla, the Emirates has raced past South Korea and Qatar to clinch the top spot in terms of mobile network speed for the third month in a row this year.

Known for being quick to embrace innovation in technology, the rising cluster of smart cities clocked a download speed of 178.52 Mbps to clinch the top spot. UAE rose to prominence among 135 countries thanks to data collected from hundreds of millions of netizens every month.

But the gulf's digital oasis lagged behind when it came to fixed line internet, since it only managed to reach the 29th position on that list. But things still look bright for Emiratis with local authorities scaling up speed for indoor Wifi networks towards the beginning of 2021.

Emirati telecom firm Etisalat was also in the news for hitting a record for the fastest ever 5G speed at more than 9 Mbps. It combined power from three spectrum bands to boost connectivity using a prototype handset.

Consistently performing internet services and easy availability of Wifi, were also factors that made UAE one of the most preferred locations for remote working in the post-pandemic era.

The news comes as a silver lining at a time when internet services in the Emirates have been temporarily disrupted due to a damaged undersea cable.