Sunday, Oct 07, 2012
Dubai
The thing with apps is that a relatively simple idea can take-off instantly and have an immediate impact on people and companies, and while the current mobile apps penetration in the UAE trails the more mature markets by some distance, it is set to catch up.
“Users have more than one smartphone, especially in the Gulf, and they are consuming the digital content on their devices,” said Shadi Hasan, managing director of Flagship Projects.
The UAE controls 30 per cent of mobile phone apps development in the Middle East. Of this, Arabic apps represent 24 per cent. “The UAE market has many growth opportunities and that is why we launched the Travelport Developer Network in the UAE to encourage locally-based independent software developers to build innovative applications that can be easily integrated with our databases and travel technologies,” said Rabih Saab, president and managing director for Travelport Middle East and Africa.
Travelport’s ViewTrip Mobile app was developed in the UK. “Because of the feedback we received in the UK and the increasing demand for mobile apps in the Middle East, we decided to bring our ViewTrip Mobile app to our customer base in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with the aim of rolling it out in several other countries in the region soon.”
The widely used apps in the Arab world are related to government services, entertainment, news and those for religious purposes such as Quran and Islamic lectures, prayer and Hajri timings. An estimated 40 per cent of smartphone users consume between six and ten applications daily.
Around 150 popular apps developed locally are available on the app stores.
Because of the trend, mobile apps are an essential requirement for companies to service their businesses and customers. While still in the early phase of mass usage, more companies are using phone apps to connect.
“We see the trend in Arabic apps use and development on the rise with increasing demand for Arabic content on the Internet and across all digital platforms including apps,” said Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO and chief operating officer, twofour54.
To date, Apps Arabia - an investment fund established by twofour54 - has developed six Arabic apps including Kalimat, Kalimat Lite, TheFinjan, MusicFn, Chivi and WordMaster Tap.
With Internet penetration and smartphone usage having increased dramatically amongst Arab youth, Borg said that developing locally relevant apps in Arabic is a key part of this vision. Many app development companies in the UAE are outsourcing their jobs to other parts of the world.
“Outsourcing app development is cheaper and less risky; talents are rare in this part of the world and companies are not taking app development seriously as they are looking for low-budget projects,” Hasan said.
Being the first app developer in the region, Flagship has developed apps for government sectors like Public Prosecution, Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and for Etisalat.
“We have developed an app called Rufoof, which means shelf in Arabic, first of its kind in the Arab World, for the ebooks market,” he said.
Rufoof has signed contracts with many Arabic publishing houses. It has around 5,000 ebooks, of which 80 per cent are free to be downloaded. “We have pumped over Dh1.8 million for developing Rufoof app.”
Flagship has developed more than 50 apps locally. Quran Radio is the most popular app for Flagship and which has around 400,000 downloads. “Our UAE Pro League app is becoming popular now. We have developed apps for iPhone, Android and we are doing research and development on Windows 8,” Hasan said.
The UAE government is also moving to adopting these applications. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has developed its own app internally while DTCM’s popular app - Definitely Dubai - was developed by a freelancer.
“We see growth in all major smartphone platforms and endeavour, where possible, to develop apps that are platform independent,” said Saab. “Our aim is to provide flexible access to content and services and create a multi-channel experience so that services can be delivered on various devices and platforms, whether it be Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, etc,”
Apart from ViewTrip Mobile, he said another smartphone application available in the UAE is Travelport Mobi, a mobile travel booking solution that allows travellers to book and pay for flight, car and hotel bookings securely, giving them 24-hour access to Travelport’s content via their mobile phones and handheld devices.
GPS-based apps are “gaining momentum in the UAE. For example, in Ministry of Health app it shows the nearest clinics around you while the Etisalat app shows the nearest offices to pay your bills,” Hasan said.
By Naushad K. Cherrayil Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
