Transport Minister: Internet Penetration in Qatar's Financial Sector at 100 Pct

Doha, November 01 (QNA) - HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti said Internet penetration in Qatar has reached its maximum in banking and financial services at 100 percent, noting that this would help businesses reach new markets. Speaking on Tuesday at the third information security conference for the financial sector, the minister projected a future increase in the use of communications, information technology and Internet in the financial and banking services. HE the minister said that thanks to the indefinite support of the wise leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and the directives and diligent follow of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the benefits of information technology and communications have reached the biggest possible segment of people and economic institutions in the country. He added that the ministry's strategic plan aims to spread the digital culture and achieve digital comprehensiveness at 100 percent rate for all demographic segments including temporary workers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, to raise awareness of the benefits of information technology, communications and electronic protection. He noted that everyone now realizes that the growing dependency on information systems and networks carries some risks, saying that cyber-attacks is no longer limited to activists and hackers but are now carried out in the form of electronic wars supervised by organized groups to achieve goals that contradict with the U.N. conventions that promote security, stability and knowledge-based economy. HE Al Sulaiti said Qatar has benefited from such attacks in developing measures and planning flexible basics that facilitate dealing with such threats, adding that one of these measures is launching the national strategy for information security. (QNA)