Dubai: The converging worlds of technology and telecommunications will be showcased at this year's Gitex technology trade fair starting on Saturday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The show will include the first-ever dedicated focus on the telecom sector, with the Gulfcomms tele-communications trade fair taking place at the same time adjacent to Gitex.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, etisalat and du will man booths at Gulfcomms, as will international operators such as Orange and Korea Telecom.
Overall 125 exhibitors including telecom operators from 31 countries will be on hand during this inaugural event.
The number of exhibitors at Gitex has jumped 16 per cent to 1,347, and new country delegations from the US, Syria, Hungary and Portugal will participate.
Gitex's success has risen with the growing emphasis on information and communications technology in the Middle East.
Market research firm IDC projects IT spending to double from 2005 to 2010, when it will reach $16.8 billion.
"As the IT market streng-thens and spending in the Middle East and North Africa markets increases we believe our role as a facilitator to deliver valuable business opportunities for the worldwide industry is paramount," said Helal Al Merri, director general of Dubai World Trade Centre, the event sponsor.
Occupying 62,000 square metres of show space, Gitex will feature new products and applications spread across the entire high-tech field including push-email, radio frequency identification, mobile communications and IP technology.
Many vendors are planning to introduce important initiatives at the show.
Microsoft will unveil its latest versions of Office, its Exchange Server messaging platform, and its new Vista operating system.
Expectations are also high for Sony, Hewlett Packard, and several other big-name IT companies, according to Aliyah Al Ali, project manager for Gitex.
By Ivan Gale
© Gulf News 2006
