The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has received a total of 1,300 applications for this year’s edition of the Alesco Apps Award, a mobile app development competition.

The competition has been launched by the Arab League of Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (Alesco), said a statement from TRA.

TRA said that its efforts to promote the event have resulted in the notable increase in the number of participants compared to last year.

The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony to be held in November, in Dubai, UAE, on the side-lines of the upcoming UAE Innovation Week.

TRA said it is co-ordinating with various UAE national committees such as education, culture and sciences to ensure the success of the event and contribute to the UAE’s development.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, director general, TRA, said: "The UAE’s focus on innovation is not limited to local projects and initiatives."

"The nation’s wise leadership envisions innovation to become part of the culture based on accumulated experiences that benefit everyone across all sectors of society and directs its promotion through meetings, conferences and awards," he stated.

"The awards is one of the events which enhances the spirit of competition among the Arab youth and promotes interaction and the sharing of experiences," he noted.

“As the country hosts this year’s ceremony, it is very encouraging to see the increased number of participants which shows their readiness to develop solutions that address the needs of the UAE community,” stated Al Mansoori.

"This competition is part of our country’s vision to promote smart transformation and establish smart cities and mGovernment. It is very well within the TRA’s strategic goal of establishing the foundation for e-government at the federal level and achieve customer happiness," he added.-TradeArabia News Service