Dubai Internet City Registers Year-on-Year Growth in 2010 with 150 Companies Setting up Base at ICT Cluster

Telecom, Networking, Software, Internet and Multimedia Key Providers to Growth

Dubai-UAE: 30 January, 2011 – Dubai Internet City, part of TECOM Investments, today announced it has registered year-on-year growth in 2010 with 150 companies setting up base at the ICT cluster.

In 2010, DIC also saw 48 of its business partners expanding their commercial operations and businesses in the region.

The growth witnessed by the ICT cluster is poised to increase further in 2011 with enterprise IT spending in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) forecast to reach US$795.2 billion , a 1.3 percent increase from 2010, according to Gartner.

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “The year 2010 proved positive for us on the back of an industry uptrend and saw many businesses emerging as winners. Additional investments in potential growth areas and operational expansion beyond the region were also witnessed. For DIC, this translates into more companies opening direct offices at the ICT park with most of the leading brands driving the region’s positive trend.

“The favourable year-on-year trend for the ICT cluster reflects the development in the region that continues to attract a large community of ICT professionals and specialists. We believe the new investments and influx of top level executives will continue in 2011 with multinational organisations across the globe regarding this region as the next growth area.”

Key sectors that saw new additions at Dubai Internet City in 2010 include telecommunications and networking, as well as software, Internet and multimedia. Cable and Wireless Europe, ADP Dealer Services Gulf, Pitney Bowes Software, China Communication Service, and Versata are among the top global brands that chose to base their operations at the ICT business park.

A significant number of companies from firststeps@DIC, a unique facility that allows businesses to lease short-term office space while exploring market opportunities, also expanded their presence into full-fledged operations. Currently, more than 25,000 ICT professionals are employed within DIC as part of technical teams and support staff.

Innovation, entrepreneurship and the evolving SME segment in the country were the other major focus areas for the ICT cluster in 2010. Supported by DIC, events such as DemoCamp Dubai with the first series of 2011 due in April, ArabNet Forum, TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), and SME Advisor Awards 2010 spotlighted the three areas in the country and the region at large.

Malek said: “Technology is key driver of growth and contributes significantly to the economy of the country, reflecting the entire region’s position as a fertile ground for small businesses. Though big businesses are the mainstay of the economy, smaller, nimbler organisations continue to expand their role as major growth enablers.

“As the region’s key technology cluster, Dubai Internet City remains integral to facilitating the growth of SMEs by creating and offering the necessary infrastructure and technical capabilities to grow from a grassroots level.”

At the forefront of the region's ICT industry, Dubai Internet City remains committed to supporting emerging technology trends in the region and continues to play an instrumental role in developing the industry while contributing to Dubai's drive towards creating a knowledge-based economy.

About Dubai Internet City

Dubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, was established in 2000. It is currently regarded the Middle East's largest information and communications technology (ICT) cluster. Built as a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in several neighbouring regions, DIC’s core focus area extends from the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent, and from Africa to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), covering nearly three billion people with a GDP of over US$10 trillion. As a knowledge-oriented business model, DIC has created a dynamic international community of IT companies hosting business partners that include most of the Fortune 500 brands, as well as a number of small and medium enterprises and ventures. In 2009, 135 new companies joined the DIC cluster. For more information, please visit: www.dubaiinternetcity.com