More business deals at Gitex

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

The 41st GITEX Technology Week has witnessed a huge number of business agreement and the launch of new technologies as the event concluded on Thursday in Dubai. On the final day local and international companies signed various agreements.

DEWA MoUs: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) and its subsidiaries have signed several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with a group of leading local and international companies at the 41st GITEX Technology Week, which concluded on Thursday.

The MoUs aim to strengthen the integration of the next-generation technologies in utilities in Dubai and the UAE to enrich the experience of citizens, residents and visitors and enhance their happiness as well as to reduce carbon footprint and protects the environment.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said, “These agreements strengthen DEWA’s collaboration with the government and private sector, to provide innovative and pioneering experiences through smart services that save customers time and efforts using the latest disruptive technologies and Artificial Intelligence tools. This is in accordance with the Dubai 10X initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which mandates the Government of Dubai to be a global leader that is 10 years ahead of other cities through government innovation and reshaping the traditional work mechanisms.”

DEWA signed an MoU with Etisalat to speed up digital transformation using Etisalat’s MobileHub platform to enhance their integration with DEWA’s applications. This provides instant and effective dashboards and reports to help the management in decision-making. Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at DEWA; and Salvador Anglada, Group Chief Business Officer in Etisalat, signed the MoU.

Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions), a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, signed an SD-WAN Managed Service Provider (MSP) agreement with OmniClouds, a leading technology start-up in the cloud service provider (CSP) space for the Middle East region. Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Hub and Amr Eid, CEO and Board Member of OmniClouds attended the signing.

Moro Hub also signed an MoU with Atos, to strengthen collaboration in exploring advanced technologies. The MoU was signed Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of Digital DEWA; and Marc Veelenturf, Atos CEO for the Middle East and Turkey.

InfraX, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, has partnered with WoM Technologies for its planned rollout of the first-ever Low Power Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) wireless Internet of Things (IoT). Rashid Alahmadi, Chief Operating Officer at InfraX, and Badar Rashid Al Balushi, Chairman of WoM Technologies signed the MoU.

 du  partnership  agreement: du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC),  on announced details of a new partnership agreement with Thales, a worldwide leader in data protection, to enhance its Cybersecurity Defence Centre and Digital Trust portfolio.

With data breaches increasing in frequency throughout the digital landscape and regulatory requirements mandating related compliance becoming more stringent, du has prioritised its focus on enhancing sensitive data security, both on-premises and in cloud environments. The partnership was made official with a signing ceremony at GITEX Technology Week 2021, which concluded Thursday at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer, du, said, “Now more than ever, the telecommunications and ICT arenas demand advanced data security solutions that deliver the best possible outcomes continuously. du has always engaged with external partners to combat threats and prevent potential digital discrepancies from presenting themselves and negatively impacting clients and communities. And as such, we are delighted to make our collaboration with Thales official under the banner of GITEX 2021. The enterprises and government entities we support can rest assured that every data security component will become even more enhanced in due course. Related activities will ultimately be beneficial for all, subsequently upgrading security postures, securing in-country data, and elevating our process-driven and defence-in-depth approach.” Sebastien Pavie, VP Sales Southern EMEA, Data Protection solutions, Thales, added, “We are proud to be providing businesses with the necessary capabilities to protect and manage essential data through encryption, advanced key management, tokenisation, and authentication and access management through this collaboration. We look forward to supporting du moving forward, and GITEX 2021 marks the beginning of what promises to be an effective and successful partnership.”

DIC workshops: Dubai Internet City (DIC) and in5 concluded their activities at the close of GITEX Global with DIC hosting a series of knowledge-sharing workshops at its pavilion, while the incubator’s stand saw start-up founders gaining invaluable brand exposure while interacting with potential clients and investors.

DIC saw a number of high-level figures visit its centrally located pavilion. LinkedIn, Huawei and htc were among the tech giants that had a presence at the pavilion, where they held a series of professional development workshops across a range of topics over the course of GITEX.

At the in5 stand in Zabeel 6, start-up founders were able to sit down one-to-one with angel investors and venture capitalists to discuss potential partnerships and funding opportunities, among other things.

For Atif Ahmed, CFO of ViewIT, a property technology (proptech) start-up, being hosted at the in5 stand at GITEX has been an invaluable experience. “It’s a fantastic experience for a young start-up like ours, which only launched on the Apple and Google app stores six months ago, to be here.

“In5 has got a beautiful setup, and we’ve actually been able to sit down and talk with a number of investors, which is crucial for a seed-stage start-up like ours. Our product video has been playing on a loop, and that has attracted a lot of curious visitors who we have had the chance to educate about our offering.”

ViewIT is a platform that allows real estate agents to visit a listing and create a walkthrough video for a verified listing in three easy steps.

Andrew Widera, Co-founder of Veehive.ai, a mobile-first online streaming community that offers creators tools to easily manage and monetise their content, also feels that he had taken a lot away from GITEX, where he spent day one at the DIC pavilion and day three at the in5 stand.

On Monday, in5 signed a number of agreements to further enhance the strength and offering of its ecosystem. Pen was put to paper on MoUs with Tie Dubai, TomTom, Gellify and Parsons to improve in5 start-ups’ access to mentorship networks, cutting-edge location technology, appropriate investors and market access to large corporate projects. The agreements followed in5’s announcement that its start-ups had raised a collective Dhs1.4 billion in funding from VCs and angles investors so far.

Airbus signs MoU: Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Esharah Etisalat Security Solutions during GITEX Global 2021, by which the two parties will collaborate to deploy the Tactilon Agnet communication and collaboration platform across Dubai to support the government’s operations and the Emirate’s public safety and security efforts.

In the frame of the MoU, Tactilon Agnet licences will be used by relevant organisations which will give them access to integrated features, including voice services, instant messaging, video communication, location mapping, and emergency calls.

The planned implementation of Tactilon Agnet, which runs on standard and ruggedised smart devices, will benefit public safety personnel and first responders such as Dubai police, ambulance operators, and Civil Defence forces, as well as transport, utility, and industry organisations, corporate sectors, and others.

Tactilon Agnet is a collaborative tool for business- and mission-critical users. It offers a hybrid work environment allowing Tetra and LTE radio users to coordinate with their team members using their existing communication infrastructure and smart devices.

On this occasion, Ali Bahlooq, General Manager of Esharah Etisalat Security Solutions, said, “Our latest MoU with Airbus reflects our shared goal to help fast-track the digital transformation of Dubai and the UAE. It is a testament to our keenness to play a key role in the emirate’s bid to become not only the world’s safest place to live and work in, but also the leading smart city globally. This is aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. We are delighted to partner with Airbus in our quest to implement ground-breaking sustainable solutions capable of preserving and enhancing smart living in the country.”