The government and telecommunications company Dhiraagu have signed an agreement with the Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) to strengthen cyber security in the Maldives.
The agreement was signed after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's meeting with the senior management of Batelco during his state visit to Bahrain. The agreement was signed by Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Managing Director of Dhiraagu Ismail Rasheed, and Chairman of Batelco Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
As part of the agreement, the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT), the leading agency in digital development in the Maldives, will ensure secure cyberspace for the citizens of the Maldives through the resources of Dhiraagu and Batelco. They include advisory and consultancy, security engineering, cyber defense, security assurance, cyber threat, and threat hunting and incident response.
Speaking about the agreement, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna said she hoped it would support the government’s efforts to make cyberspace a safer place for all Maldivians and to enhance its capacity. She also stressed the importance of working together with all relevant stakeholders to strengthen cyber security.
Furthermore, Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa said he appreciated the relationship between Maldives and Bahrain and the work done by Batelco in the field of communications through its international operations with Dhiraagu.
Meanwhile, Managing Director Ismail Rasheed said the agreement with Batelco is an added support to strengthen the country’s cyber security infrastructure. He said the agreement will allow Dhiraagu to collaborate with the NCIT for the benefit of the government, businesses, and citizens.
Batelco is Bahrain's leading provider of digital communications solutions serving the Bahraini government, enterprise, consumer, and global markets. The company’s Tier 3 certified facilities provide mobile, internet, data, cloud services, and data centre solutions.