Around 181 Firms Join TECOM’s ICT Cluster In 2013

Around 181 new firms joined Dubai Internet City (DIC) and Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ) in 2013, free zone developer TECOM said.

DIC is the MENA region’s largest information and communication technology (ICT) cluster while the DOZ is the world’s first free zone dedicated to the outsourcing industry.

Both clusters, managed by the Dubai Holding unit, now together host around 1,600 companies in total, a statement said.

Around 60 per cent of the companies operating in both clusters are Fortune 500 firms in the software, hardware, internet services and information technology sectors. These include Microsoft, Oracle, Dell and Facebook aside from other multinationals and local SMEs.

Some of the Fortune 500 companies based in DIC including Hewlett Packard, DELL and IBM ME also increased their presence in 2013, the statement said.

“2013 was a very positive year for Dubai, with the winning of Expo 2020 and the introduction of Dubai’s Smart City initiative,” said Majed Al Suwaidi, managing director, DIC and DOZ.

“It has also been a strong year for DIC and DOZ, with the welcoming of a large number of new companies into our community, and the expansion of some of our largest existing business partners.”

DIC also launched ‘in5’, an innovation hub providing infrastructure, support and a working environment for ICT, mobile and digital start-ups. It currently has 33 tech start-ups and entrepreneurs.

“Supporting entrepreneurs as well as our larger business partners has been a key focus over the past year, and we have witnessed great synergy between some of our larger more established business partners and start-ups and entrepreneurs,” said Al Suwaidi.

“For example, a MoU was signed between Microsoft and in5 at GITEX to provide in5 start-ups with access to Microsoft’s BizSpark software program.”

Various government initiatives that aim to transform Dubai into a smart city are expected to spike investments in the ICT industry.

According to a recent report from IDC, the UAE’s ICT expenditure is forecast to grow five per cent to over $15 billion in 2014. Analysts also expect the country’s ICT sector to witness around two per cent of growth due to the Expo 2020.