3Com, one of the world’s leading networking technology companies, has announced its involvement in a groundbreaking e-government scheme in Bahrain.
The country’s Ministry of Commerce is pursuing a scheme to bring people closer to the institutions of Bahraini government.
The public face of the e-government scheme will be the Bahrain Internet Exchange - a large, ‘one-stop shop’ situated in Bahrain’s largest shopping centre, Seef Mall. The facility will provide a comprehensive public network which will enable citizens to interact with Bahrain’s ministries, allowing them to make enquiries, pay bills and complete other government-related transactions such as licence applications, without having to travel to separate offices.
“The Ministry of Commerce’s one-stop shop e-government initiative is a forward thinking project designed to bring the workings of government closer to the citizens of Bahrain,” said Mr Ali Ahmed Radhi, Assistant Under Secretary for Domestic Trade Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Internet Exchange at the Bahrain Ministry of Commerce.
“If this glimpse of the future relationship between state and citizen is to be successful, it is vital that we have a network infrastructure capable of addressing our requirements of availability, flexibility, accessibility and security,” he added.
The Ministry of Commerce has sought out capable partners able to deliver the highest possible value, said Radhi: “The project’s success depends on having a resilient, accessible, secure and constantly-available network infrastructure. The network solutions provided by 3Com met the Ministry of Commerce’s stringent performance and security requirements.”
This project brings the government and its partners closer to the citizens of Bahrain. Users will be able to contact the Bahrain government’s commercial partners in the project, which include banks and insurance companies. Each body involved has its own corporate network linked to the network’s automated systems and processes.
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
