The face of business

Celebrating its third year of establishment, GULFCOMMS 2008, commencing October 19 gathers the global communications sector in Dubai. Throngs of solution and technology providers will be present, showing their wares and trying to cut a deal. Comm. looks at a few examples of what interesting developments a number of exhibitors shall be showcasing

Broadband network provider Green Packet has established the first dedicated WiMAX consultancy in the Middle East, in collaboration with a global division of its sister company Packet One Networks (Malaysia) also known as P1.

The WiMAX consulting firm will use GULFCOMMS to lend first hand experience and expertise to WiMAX players in this region to assist them in accelerating deployment and achieving commercial success.

Amongst the consulting services available are WiMAX strategic business planning, technology deployment, sales and marketing strategies, and roll-out management. In addition, the firm will also offer consultation on WiMAXrelated voice, video, and value added services.

“Our WiMAX consulting service will enable operators to maximise their returns on investment and minimise trial and error by adopting our best practices. We’re backed by strong credentials and success track record,” said Nik Ismail, executive director for Green Packet Networks. Given that P1 in Malaysia is the first commercial WiMAX operator on the 802.16e 2.3GHz spectrum in the Asia Pacific region, and amongst the first in the world to offer WiMAX commercial services, we believe we are in a strong position to offer sound advice to other operators looking to deploy the technology,” he added.

More than 80 countries and nearly 3,500 companies will take part in GITEX 2008, including Alcatel-Lucent, du, Ericsson and Etisalat

Green Packet Networks (Bahrain) will showcase its WiMAX customer premises equipment, repeaters and unique Intouch Connection Manager during the show.

Avaya

Avaya is set to utilise its presence to unravel the complexities involved in unified communications, and highlight the possibilities the applications have to change the way businesses communicate and remain successful. Avaya will also showcase its abilities in both the contact centre space and IP telephony solutions.

“Avaya will continue to focus on the competitive advantages of unified communications. It’s about providing reliable, secure communication infrastructures to enterprises that can be easily scaled to meet their needs and empower their professionals,” commented Roger El Tawil, director of channel and marketing, for Avaya in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. “Avaya solutions meet the demand of these professionals for userfriendly communication applications with superior connectivity by use of market leading technology that can be integrated with a wide ecosystem of partner solutions improving both efficiency and effectiveness.”

Microsoft

Microsoft is set to host a Dynamics Partners Community stand in the main exhibition area that will showcase Microsoft Dynamics (ERP and CRM) Business Management Solutions.

“The company’s focus on mid-market, enterprise, and corporate customers will be demonstrated through the display of our latest industry solutions. Visitors will have the opportunity to review the recently released products as well as see an exclusive regional preview of the innovative solutions that will be launched in 2009,” stated Tamer Elhamy, business solutions manager, Microsoft Gulf.

“We will also feature vertical solutions for the Middle East market through our Gold Certified partners, conduct industry and product sessions to allow visitors to experience the latest advancements in enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management business applications,” he added.

In addition, Microsoft will also host a Microsoft Day as part of the GITEX Technology Week Global Conference, showcasing key technology trends and sharing best practices with top decision makers, partners and customers. The Microsoft Day will include a series of in-depth sessions on topics ranging from enterprise desktops of the future to unified communications, virtualisation and security.

Industry drivers

According to research and consulting firm, Booz&Co, the current revenue for the telecoms and broadband Internet sectors in the MENA region exceeds US$50 billion, and is set to grow to US$70 billion by the year 2015.

“GULFCOMMS always proves a very popular segment of GITEX, by providing a focused platform for the communications market across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai World Trade Centre. “Population growth and deregulation will see the MENA region take over from America and Europe in the next five years, and much of the new business will be generated at forums such as GITEX.”

More than 80 countries and nearly 3,500 companies will take part in GITEX 2008, the
region’s, including Alcatel- Lucent, Research In Motion, du, Ericsson, Etisalat, NEC Philips, and Orange Business Services.