Over 90 percent of UAE consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable broadband connectivity as concerns about carbon footprint surge, a new report by Cisco found.
The survey of more than 21,000 people in 12 countries, including 1,000 in the UAE, looked at how consumers use broadband internet, and what they expect in terms of connectivity, sustainability and enabling their digital lives.
Cisco found that the demand for sustainable broadband is on an upward trajectory, especially in the UAE – where the next UN climate conference COP28 will take place in November.
The survey confirms the heightened environmental consciousness in the UAE, with 61 percent of respondents admitting they were aware of the internet’s CO2 footprint. In addition, around 77 percent said they were concerned about it.
“With the UAE boasting one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world, consumers are raising their connectivity aspirations and are increasingly willing to pay extra for a broadband service with a lower carbon footprint,” said Mohamed Tantawi, Managing Director Telcos and Service Providers for the Middle East and Africa at Cisco.
“By constantly innovating the technologies of the future and collaborating with service providers, we can help them place sustainability at the forefront of broadband infrastructure development.”
Tantawi added that achieving this would require scaling the infrastructure while efficiently managing energy costs and reducing carbon emissions in line with their sustainability goals.
Other notable trends brought to light by the Cisco Broadband Survey were: the continued rise in remote and hybrid working models, the widespread adoption of Internet of Things devices like wearables and other smart home technologies, as well as the need to boost home internet security.
“The UAE is among the world’s leading countries in various digital life indexes. Our survey has confirmed that consumers are increasingly relying on the Internet that encompasses every facet of their daily lives,” said Abdelilah Nejjari, Managing Director for the Gulf Region at Cisco.
“Given the fast expansion of IoT, hybrid work and digitization in general, continued investment must be made to enhance and upgrade the underlying network infrastructure and propel future economic growth across the country.”
Only 3 percent of the survey’s respondents said they have not taken any measure to secure their network at home, further reinforcing Cisco’s findings from its 2022 report which highlighted that 73 percent of UAE consumers were worried about being hacked.
“Cybersecurity needs to go hand in hand with the rapid adoption of digitization in the UAE,” Nejjari said.
While internet speed is still the main priority among those planning to upgrade their broadband service in the next year, security is a close second, with 38 percent of respondents ranking it as their main priority.
“Today, with the evolution and complexity of cyber-attacks, raising public awareness of online safety and usage of more sophisticated means for protection like multi-factor authentication (MFA), is more important than ever.”
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