DIC and DOZ Record 15% Growth in 2012

Dubai Internet City (DIC), the MENA region's largest IT cluster, and Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), the world's first freezone dedicated to the outsourcing industry, has announced growth of 15% as 160 new companies registered in the business parks throughout 2012.

The continued development and growth of DIC and DOZ falls in line with the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of developing the emirate as a global hub for the technology industry which is set to continue into 2013.

Key sectors that saw new additions within DIC in 2012 include internet and multimedia software, telecommunication and IT services. More than 60 business partners including Fortune 500 companies MasterCard, GE, Qualcomm, EMC and Google significantly increased their presence in DIC owing to the high quality of services and infrastructure that DIC provides.

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: "2012 was a particularly strong year for our cluster. Not only did we welcome some of the industry's biggest players such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Interglobe, we also saw the expansion of existing partners.'' DIC has been one of the forerunners in carrying forward Dubai's vision of transitioning into a knowledge-based economy with its access to an extensive talent pool from all over the world.

Throughout 2012, DIC has also increasingly turned its attention to supporting and nurturing small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), and encouraging the development of innovative ideas. Al Malek added: "Since the year 2000, Dubai Internet City has successfully developed a prosperous ecosystem for technology companies. We have created incentives, eliminated the barriers for SMEs to set up, and through In5 , an innovation hub which aims to foster and promote entrepreneurship, and FirstSteps business centre, we have striven to ensure entrepreneurs get the support they need to take their ideas to market.

"Our latest report, the Role of Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the Development of the ICT Industry' reveals that, going into 2013, the UAE is one of the few countries in the Middle East and North Africa that is truly investing in innovation via its various incubation programmes and funding tie-ups with international governments and private equity firms." Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ) also witnessed growth throughout 2012. A recent DOZ industry report titled Outsourcing in the MENA Region,' reveals that Dubai now counts for 90% of the UAE's outsourcing industry, and unlike other outsourcing hubs around the world, DOZ is a cross-sector zone catering to all types of outsourcing processes.

The business park is comprised of shared services organisations such as airlines, banks and hospitality companies; business process outsourcing (BPOs) and pure outsourcing third party companies. This unique structure allows companies to base in all their outsourcing activities in one centralised community.

In late 2012, DIC was also one of the parties that signed the UAE eCommerce Working Group Memorandum of Understanding with the Executive Office of the Government of Dubai at the event which aims to propose solutions and policy recommendations to create a more conducive environment to help existing UAE-based business become eCommerce capable.

Dubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, was established in 2000 and has since grown to become the Middle East and North Africa's largest ICT business park. and is home to more than 1400 international and regional ICT companies. Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ) is the world's first freezone dedicated to the outsourcing industry and was established in June 2004 by Dubai Internet City to provide a comprehensive operating infrastructure and environment for companies offering outsourcing services in the region.