Officials from Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun (Dhiraagu) and Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on enhancing cyber security in the Maldives.

Batelco is the majority shareholder of Dhiraagu with 52 percent of their shares. The Maldivian government owns 41.8 percent of the shares with the remaining 6.2 percent of shares publicly held by the Maldivians.

Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer signed the MoU on behalf of the Maldivian government while Managing Director of Dhiraagu Ismail Rasheed. Chairman of Batelco, Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa signed on behalf of the telecom company.

The agreement would enable Batelco to work closely with Dhiraagu and the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) of the Maldives. The Cybersecurity Services from Beyon Cyber W.L.L. explored under the Cybersecurity MoU with Batelco include Advisory and Consulting Services, Security Engineering Services, Cyber Defense Services, Security Assurance, Cyber Threat Intelligence and threat hunting service, and Incident Response Services.

Chairman of Batelco Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa stated during a meeting with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, that the company recognizes technology as the foundation of any economy and was proud to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during President Solih’s ongoing visit.

Speaking at the meeting, the President emphasized the Bahraini Government’s leadership in expanding cooperation and cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships. The President expressed appreciation towards Batelco for its positive contributions to the Maldives’ economy.

The President said that lowering internet prices was a high priority for the administration and thanked Batelco for its contribution toward achieving the goal.

The President highlighted that the Cybersecurity agreement with Batelco would help explore connectivity with national, international, and multinational cybersecurity and digital service providers.