By Matteo Bavaresco, Group CEO at Ducab

Modern infrastructure, from soaring skylines to complex metro and rail networks, depends on systems that keep performing long after construction ends. In an increasingly connected world, efficiency and reliability have become defining measures of such infrastructure performance. Stronger infrastructure means a better nation.

Because when infrastructure stands without failure, the impact ripples across entire communities and economies.

The UAE offers a clear example of what this means in practice. Rapid population growth, urban development and economic expansion have placed increasing demands on electricity, water, transport and logistics networks. Yet reliability remains one of the nation’s strengths, with a system that rarely fails. Through a combination of planning, technology, maintenance, and resilience, the UAE’s infrastructure has proven it can withstand demanding environments.

Dubai’s electricity and water infrastructure illustrates this approach. In 2025, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) set a world record of just 0.82 minutes of customer electricity interruption per customer for the entire year. Electricity transmission and distribution losses stood at 2%, while water network losses were 4.4%.

These figures reflect what happens behind the scenes of building infrastructure: predictive maintenance, automated systems, network monitoring, and investment in capacity. DEWA uses artificial intelligence and reliability-centred maintenance to identify potential cable faults before they become failures. Its smart grid strategy represents an investment of AED 7 billion through 2035, designed to strengthen availability, efficiency and resilience.

Transport provides another example. Dubai Metro recorded a 99.7% punctuality rate, while carrying approximately 275.4 million passengers in 2024. By the end of 2025, the network had served nearly 2.8 billion passengers since its launch. Maintaining that level of performance requires continuous inspection, maintenance and asset management after construction.

UAE’s national rail ambitions are another example. Etihad Rail’s 900-kilometre national network connects key cities, ports and industrial hubs, with freight operations already active and passenger services being introduced in phases from 2026. By 2030, the network is planned to have capacity for 60 million tonnes of freight and 36 million passengers annually.

So, what actually makes infrastructure reliable?

It starts with certainty. Designing systems around realistic demand forecasts and building sufficient capacity before pressure becomes a problem. It requires resilience to prepare networks to withstand failures, extreme conditions and unexpected disruptions. It depends on visibility by using sensors, data and digital systems to identify problems early. And perhaps most importantly, it requires lifecycle thinking to understand that infrastructure does not end when construction is complete.

For businesses, communities, and cities, reliable infrastructure creates something difficult to measure but fundamental to progress: confidence. Ducab is part of creating that confidence by supporting infrastructure with reliable cable solutions that contribute to the continuity and resilience of critical systems.

The electricity will be there. The water will flow. The trains will run. Goods will move. That certainty is the real measure of infrastructure that is built to last.

Original announcement: Ducab 
Image: Courtesy of Ducab

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