Mobile apps overtake calls, email and messaging as smartphone's most used feature

The region’s smartphone users are beginning to move toward ‘mobile only’ content consumption, as mobile apps overtake traditional features of a mobile phone such as calls, email and messaging, it was revealed in a recent study by The Nielsen Company.

The World Economic Forum’s latest Global Information Technology report puts the number of internet users in the UAE at 75%, with the number of broadband internet subscribers at only 15%. This significant difference between users and subscribers can be attributed to the mobile phone penetration rate of 232%, with the UAE’s consumers opting to use mobile internet as their connection of choice for consumption of content online, moving to a ‘mobile only’ environment.

The past few years have seen an explosion in the use of mobile apps, and the outlook is set to increase even further from 10.7 billion downloads in 2010 to an estimated 182.7 billion in 2015 as forecast by global market intelligence firm, IDC.

“The ICT industry is rapidly growing and changing, and it is clear that the smartphone is becoming a key player in the ICT landscape through the expansion and development of apps and mobile content. The popularity, functionality and ability to personalise your smartphone with apps of your choice, will fuel the continued rise, with the Middle East poised to engage with this phenomenon as the various app stores open up across the region,” said Trixee Loh, SVP, World Trade Centre, organiser of Gitex Technology Week.

Gitex Mobile, Apps & Content World 2011 provides an array of opportunities to engage with the industry’s top practitioners and gurus via knowledge exchange opportunities with free-to-attend open panel debates, featuring speakers from the likes of RIM, Nokia, Mobile Entertainment Forum and more. Themed across four days, each daily debate will focus on mobile advertising, mobile gaming, mobile security and more. There will also be a series of dedicated developer days from Nokia and Blackberry, as well as the opportunity to meet with apps and content developers from across the region and internationally. Further fostering the drive to assist the evolving eco-system, Gitex will present a series sponsored networking events that will be held after hours, with a mix of exhibitors and select guests from the Gitex Digital Marketing sector, Gitex Mobile, Apps & Content World and the Gitex Cloud Confex all adding to the increased convergence currently uniting these 3 important ICT verticals.

Tom Farrell, General Manager, Nokia – Lower Gulf said, “Nokia recognizes the need to adopt new technologies to serve the ever-expanding needs of the technologically-savvy consumers and businesses in the region. The recent partnership with Etisalat to offer direct billing integration allowing Ovi Store customers to pay for apps instantly is one such example. Coupling this first of its kind service innovation with the over six million apps downloads a week in the Middle East, Nokia is in a strong position to ensure both consumers and developers’ constantly-evolving needs are always met.”

Eisa Al Ansari, General Manager for Advansoft said, “At Advansoft, we’re motivated and inspired every day by how our customers use our software to find creative solutions to business problems, develop breakthrough ideas, and stay connected to what’s most important to them – one key area of this development is the Mobile Apps market. The need for a comprehensive international ICT event that features the most important aspects of today’s technology industry is vital for the Middle East. Gitex has always offered the opportunity to reach new clients and introduce them to the latest services.”
Following three decades of continued modernisation, Gitex Technology Week will this year further evolve and re-invent offering new features which reflect regional and global trends, offering new highlights to exhibitors and attendees alike.

Building on the hugely successful inaugural Gitex Mobile, Apps & Content World, the 2011 edition returns with an even stronger and more comprehensive presence.

Gitex 2011, taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 9 – 13 October, is introducing brand new elements to reinforce its position as the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region’s leading ‘finger on the pulse’ technology event. As one of the three largest ICT exhibitions in the world, the show connects more than 136,000 industry professionals from five continents with over 3,500 suppliers, and is one of the most influential and high-profile events in the global ICT sector today.

Notes and media contacts
About Gitex Technology Week 2011
Redefine the Future:
Gitex Technology Week delivers the ultimate platform for the international ICT industry to meet and conduct business. The event is a definitive gateway not just to the Middle East market but to the wider region.
Gitex Technology Week hosts thousands of key suppliers and market innovators across three core disciplines:
Gitex Business Solutions: The leading international ICT trade event for enterprise solutions and SMBs for the MENASA region.
GULFCOMMS: The largest international telecommunications trade event for mobile, fixed IP and satellite.

Consumer Technology: The MENASA region’s premier international trade event for consumer technology, entertainment, IT systems, components and peripherals.

New to 2011 – Gitex Card Technology:
Gitex expands its portfolio to incorporate this rapidly emerging sector as the Middle East embraces the latest trends, challenges and related products and services in this sector.
New to 2011 – Gitex Digital Media and Marketing:
Gitex Digital Media and Marketing embraces the world of the digital era by bringing together a combination of e-commerce, social marketing and e-marketing in an innovative, multi-dimensional platform, focused on bringing digital opportunities to the forefront.

New to 2011 – CyberSecurity @ Gitex
CyberSecurity @ Gitex edutainment will offer presentations on cybercrime awareness and how to avoid falling into traps including web phishing site, mobile phones credit card scanning and cloning, and identity theft among many more.

About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
As the organiser of GITEX Technology Week, Dubai World Trade Centre offers more than 32 years’ experience of delivering world-class events in the Middle East, providing local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge.

Our team organises 18 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an ideal platform for business development in the region. Our commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors.

For more information, please contact:
Rola Abu Hassan / Feras Hamzah
Wallis Marketing Consultants
Tel: +971 (0)4390 1950

Kurt Parry
PR Manager
Dubai World Trade Centre
Tel: (+9714) 308 6124