Mishaal to Open COMMTEL 2005

Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal will open COMMTEL 2005, Saudi Arabia’s 20th international exhibition for IT, e-commerce and telecommunications, scheduled at the city’s International Exhibition & Convention Center on Dec. 12. The event will showcase computing, the Internet, mobile phones, business communications, office equipment and related accessories. Show timings are Dec. 12 and 16 — 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Dec. 13 through Dec. 15 — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sponsored by Saudi Telecom Co. (STC), the event will provide the opportunity to see the latest technology, and speak with experts and compare prices and specifications across a wide spectrum of products.

“The show is being held at a time when the Kingdom’s IT and communications sectors are witnessing an unprecedented boom,” said a spokesman for Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. (ACE), organizers of the annual event.

According to Exhibitions Director Zahoor Siddique, the show will provide decision makers with an ideal opportunity to see how premier international and local companies can help their organizations by fulfilling the need for effective communications and “edutainment.”

“The event will be characterized with a strong theme emphasizing the importance of the digital economy,” he said, adding that market leaders such as Bravo, Microsoft, Toshiba, LG and Axiom Telecom have already confirmed their participation in this business showcase.

A series of symposiums covering a range of interesting subjects that will provide industry professionals with a stimulating and informative forum will run alongside the exhibition. The show assumes importance against the background that IT has proved to be a vital area for the sustained growth of the Kingdom’s non-oil economy. Increased use of the Internet, mobile phones and e-commerce has made the Kingdom an IT market of tremendous potential. For example, although mobile phone subscribers increased in Saudi Arabia from 16,000 in 1995 to six million in 2003, the market penetration in this sector stands at just 22 percent, rendering the Kingdom a lucrative market in all areas of mobile phone technology.

Tejari Launches JV in Saudi Market

Tejari (www.tejari.com), a business-to-business electronic marketplace in the Middle East, has announced a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Technology Investments Company, a joint stock company specializing in IT, telecoms and other knowledge-based industries. The deal also includes National Information Systems (NIS), the developer of Tejari Saudi Arabia.

The partnership will serve the online procurement needs of the private and government sectors in the Kingdom, aiming for rapid expansion in its first year of operation. Saudi Arabia, a market that represents 60 percent of regional spending in all key economic sectors, is a crucial part of the organization’s regional expansion strategy.

“The Saudi market for e-business and e-government services remains the largest in the Middle East. Business development opportunities are unmatched anywhere in the region,” said Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, Tejari Board member and UAE minister of economy and planning, who attended the signing of the deal.

The deal comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is witnessing major growth in Internet usage, with 300,000 new users per year. In addition, the Saudi e-commerce market segment is expected to reach $15 billion by 2008, primarily dominated by B2B transactions.

With a strong reputation for quality and service throughout the Middle East, Tejari is realizing significant achievement with its regional expansion goal.

“Since we launched our first venture outside the UAE, in Jordan in 2002, hundreds of organizations in seven countries have realized the efficiencies that online procurement delivers,” said Omar Hijazi, CEO of Tejari.

Greater involvement in the Gulf states has long been at the heart of the company’s strategy for widening its reach in the region. “The Saudi launch was a fundamental priority for us,” added Hijazi.

“Tejari Saudi Arabia is being created specifically to enable both the private and government sectors in the country to realize the business benefits facilitated by online procurement, including dramatic cost savings, greater efficiencies and enhanced market reach,” commented Abdul Rahman Mazi, MD of Technology Investments Company. “Saudi Arabia is one of the most advanced countries in the region in terms of e-commerce infrastructure. Most of the necessary components are in place including e-commerce law, PKI infrastructure and the electronic banking settlement system. The adoption of e-procurement will result in an even more vibrant economy in Saudi Arabia.”

HP Acquires Compaq Services Saudi Arabia

HP has signed agreements to acquire Compaq Services Saudi Arabia (CSSA) by purchasing the remaining shares formerly owned by the Alireza Group. CSSA will be renamed “Hewlett-Packard Services Saudi Arabia.”

Announcing details of the acquisition, Joseph Hanania, MD of HP Middle East, said that this transaction was further evidence of HP’s commitment to developing its business in the Kingdom.

“We are investing heavily in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, with a view to get closer to our customers and partners and to be more agile and flexible in our offerings to them,” said Hanania. “This strategic investment reflects HP’s responsiveness to changes in the marketplace, strengthens HP’s ability to interact better with customers and partners and consolidates HP’s position as the largest IT company in the region.”

According to Abdullah Mohaisen, GM of HP Saudi Arabia, “This acquisition will bring HP services closer to customers and make our large and comprehensive services portfolio yet more accessible and available to customers in the region. Over the last few years, Compaq Services Saudi Arabia has continued to grow — both in size and reputation — across all sectors including banking, energy and telecommunications.”

Maktoob to Introduce Blog Revolution

Maktoob.com has launched its weblog (or blogs) section. The new development, called Maktoob Blogs is the latest in the web community’s initiatives to encompass as many useful features on its website as possible, in order to appeal to all types of users. The Blogs sections will allow Internet users to communicate with other people in the Arab world and share their experiences through online journals that they can use to comment, debate, publish and educate.

A top Maktoob.com official explained that the launch of the blog site will help Arab blog writers, who until now had to depend on non-Arab sites, to post their views in their own language. It would also help them to address a wider audience of web-savvy readers who constantly search for useful reading content.

“Blogs are the progressive, new way for Internet users to connect with other people who share like-minded interests,” explained Samih Toukan, CEO of Maktoob.com. “The new portal has been developed to host thousands of blog postings through a medium that will provide rich, unfiltered and compelling content to millions of blog writers and visitors in the Arab world.”

Toukan added that by offering this innovative platform, Maktoob.com aimed to be at the forefront of the technological revolution that is sweeping the Arab world.