Huge Indian presence at Middle East's largest IT exhibition

Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 19:30 IST
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DUBAI: A host of leading Indian technology companies are participating in the five-day world class IT exhibition here, exploring new business opportunities. An Indian pavilion has been set up for the first time at Gitex 2002, the largest international IT exhibition in the Middle East. The show, which has been staged in Dubai annually for the past 20 years, will end Thursday. Gitex 2002 has a large international presence, with over 600 exhibitors from 37 countries representing some 1,500 companies, including top IT vendors. Among prominent Indian companies taking part in the show include a mid-size software solutions provider Orbitech Solutions Limited. The company provides software solutions for financial institutions worldwide. It offers "Orbi Suite" of financial products to retail banks, corporate banks, private banks, investment banks and other financial service institutions. Nucleus Software Exports, a software maker with an annual turnover of $12 million and presence in the U.S., Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, has also made a strong presence at the show. Newgen Software Technologies is showcasing its expertise in document management and workflow products and solutions, Web architecture, Web-based solutions and consultancy services at Gitex 2002. Kerala's Industry and IT Minister P.K. Kunjalikutty is also attending the show with a high-level official delegation. "Kerala and the Arabian Gulf are traditional trading partners and allies. Our ties go back a long time. Now, we are building new equations on the strength of Kerala's unmatched strengths in IT," said Kunjalikutty. He said that Technopark, the state's IT hub, was keen to launch several joint initiatives with Dubai Internet City (DIC). Technopark officials, who are in Dubai to work out details of the cooperation, will announce the modalities of joint initiatives soon, he added. The minister also held talks Tuesday with Mohammed Ali Alabbar, director-general of Dubai's Department of Economic Development, and Ahmed bin Byat, director-general of the Dubai Technology, E-commerce and Media Free Zone (Tecom). "We have been trying to open up all sectors for overseas participation and make the state competitive. We have been successful to a great extent in getting this message across," said Kunjalikutty. The minister said Kerala is the ideal location in India for establishing IT companies. "We have achieved 100 percent digital connectivity with optic fibre cable linkage to the national Internet backbone, along with bandwidth of 15 Gbps (giga-bytes per second) from two submarine cable landings in Kerala." Satyam Computer Services, India's leading diverse IT solutions provider, is showcasing its domain competency for the oil and gas industry at Gitex 2002. The company has a large customer base of around 100 in the Middle East including ADNOC Distribution. Other clients of Satyam include National Drilling Company, Emirates airline, Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Authority and the Dubai Technology, E-Commerce and Media Free Zone, and Kuwait National Petroleum. Meanwhile, the second edition of Gitex Hyderabad, scheduled to be held from January 22 to 24, 2003, at the Hitex International Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, is expected to attract a large number of multinationals and international IT players. Ajay Sawhney, secretary (IT and Communications) in the Andhra Pradesh government, said: "Gitex Hyderabad presents the ideal forum for the region to increase its global profile and fuel the continued growth and expansion of its ICT sector. "This annual event, coupled with several new government policies aimed at stimulating international interest in the region's ICT sector are important and positive steps that will help secure Andhra Pradesh's future." Agreed Vijay Menon, international project manager for Gitex Hyderabad. "We are overwhelmed with the positive response Gitex Hyderabad is generating among key IT and telecommunication players. "Many ICT organizations operating in India need an internationally-focused venue to showcase their products. Gitex Hyderabad offers a solution that works."
Source: IANS