It is held with the patronage of Mohamed Jamil Bin Ahmed Mulla, minister of communications and information technology, and organized by National Exhibitions Company and Informa Saudi Arabia,

“The Saudi Telecoms and ICT sector is booming and the high number of industry experts that attended the Saudi Telecoms and ICT Summit held alongside TELSA is a reflection of the industry’s demand for such an event,” said Hussain Al-Harthi, managing director, National Exhibition Company.

“The summit presented a platform that united the industry in discussion and debate covering topics such as Saudi Arabia’s role in setting a benchmark for next generation connectivity in the Middle East.”

According to a report published by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), nearly 70 percent of the Internet users in the G20 will be from emerging markets by 2016 compared to 56 percent in 2010, while mobile devices, especially smart phones, will account for about 8 percent of all broadband connection in the G20 nations by 2016.

“The Saudi telecoms and ICT sector is experiencing rapid change. Saudi Arabia’s distinct demographics are driving an accelerated uptake of higher-value services,” said Deep Marwaha, general manager of Informa Saudi Arabia.

“TELSA, which features an exhibition, conference and workshops, supports this active industry and attracts business leaders, telecoms professionals and government agencies from throughout Saudi Arabia and the region.”

“Saudi Arabia’s government has invested heavily into the country’s economy and infrastructure, announcing the second record budget in a row this year. The number of projects and firms is increasing and companies are in turn raising their telecoms and IT budget and purchasing a wider variety of services,” said Hidefumi Kawakita, general manager of Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa — KSA Office, during the exhibition.

“We see a great potential for business technology solutions and services to verticals such as Education, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, and many more, and therefore we are setting a focus on this field.”