(MENAFN- Arab Times) Strong take-up of the latest ICT products and services are fuelling the future of Kuwait's business development, according to industry businesses, analysts and investors. Driven by high government spending and growing private sector consumption, Kuwait's IT market is projected to grow by 4.1 percent to KD 263 million in 2013, according to a report by Business Monitor International. Kuwait ranks No. 28 in the world in the percentage of individuals using the Internet at 79.2 percent, and No. 7 among developing countries, according to the ITU Broadband Commission report "The State of Broadband 2013".
On par with the fellow GCC countries, 65.2 percent of Kuwait's households have Internet access, ranking an impressive No. 11 among the world's developing countries. Thanks to a largely youthful, techsavvy population, Kuwait's mobile penetration is nearly 215 percent as of June 2013, according to Business Monitor International. The 5thArab Social Media Report by the Dubai School of Government also reports that Kuwait all Arab countries on Twitter with a penetration rate of nearly 8 percent. Fully attuned to these trends, Kuwait's government is ploughing ahead with strategic ICT focus, providing e-government services on its Kuwait Government Online portal 24/7 in Arabic and English, according to the GCC eGovernment Committee.
Recently, the Ministry of Communications launched the Mobile Number Portability, enabling customers to retain their mobile number when switching operators, and the National Assembly also passed a draft law to establish an independent telecommunications commission to oversee the country's mobile, landline, and broadband sectors. Kuwait's thriving ICT profile and capabilities are strongly evidenced by its increasingly prominent presence at GITEX Technology Week.
More than 300 business and organisations from Kuwait are set to attend this year's event, which runs from October 20-24 at Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme "Lets Create, Disrupt and Reimagine Together." Among those signed up to attend are Alghanim Sons Group, Alshaya, ArabianITS, Kuwait Finance and Investment Company, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, Kuwait Investment Authority, Middle East Telecommunications Company, and The Sultan Center.
The Middle East Telecommunications Company, an integrator of telecommunications and IT solutions that operates across the Middle East and Africa, is among those leading the technological charge in the private sector. Bassem Abdel Jalil, CEO, Middle East Telecommunications Company, which is set to have a strong presence at GITEX Technology Week 2013, said: "Telecommunications is evolving at an unprecedented rate, and our Kuwaiti clients are the most progressive in the region. As one of the region's largest home-grown ICT integrators, we're dedicated to helping our clients of all sizes - from government ministries to small businesses - stay on top of the latest technological innovations to enhance their ROI and positively contribute to Kuwait's national economy.
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