Visitors throng the exhibition halls at the opening of the Gitex Global 2023 in Dubai on Monday. Kamal Kassim/ Gulf Today

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Business Editor

The 43rd edition of the Gitex Global, which opened its doors to the public on Monday, has once again reached full capacity at DWTC, with the blockbuster tech showpiece hosting 6,000 exhibitors and 180,000 tech executives from 180 countries. A cross-section of exhibitors share their candid views with Gulf Today, who are upbeat about this year’s event.

e& autonomous telecom store

e&  announced the launch of ‘EASE’ (Etisalat by e& Autonomous Store Experience), the world’s first autonomous telecom store powered by AI utilising ground-breaking technologies to empower customers to seamlessly purchase etisalat by e& products and services.

The autonomous store will bring the future of retail to UAE with its combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, facial recognition, smart gates, robotics, smart-shelves and smart dispensing machines. The seamless customer journey enables customers to enter the store using facial recognition or the etisalat by e& app; they can then explore and purchase a wide variety of products and services (mobile and fixed products, accessories, handsets, device trade-in) and just walk out of the store with a simple self-check out. Shoppers enjoy a quicker and more convenient shopping journey with zero waiting time; this heightened level of convenience and speed contributes to an improved overall customer experience.

Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e& said: “The launch of ‘EASE’ is a major milestone in our transformation journey redefining the future of retail and customer experience. This innovative integration of technology revolutionises the way connectivity services and smart devices are bought showcasing our commitment to innovation and the intrinsic value of leveraging technological advancements. Our vision has always been to simplify the everyday for our customers, and this is a major step in this direction.”

etisalat by e&, in collaboration with technology giants, has integrated cutting-edge technology into its EASE store to create a seamless shopping experience, reaffirming e&’s dedication to digital innovation.

Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO, etisalat by e& said: “Digital transformation is a cornerstone of our vision, empowering customers to harness the advantages of advanced technology, which has become an integral part of our work and daily lives. As industry leaders, we wholeheartedly embrace innovation to boost operational efficiency.”

“Today’s announcement reaffirms our steadfast commitment to enhancing the customer experience. The store is like a tech oasis operating in a highly integrated ecosystem of advanced technologies. With EASE Stores, we are bringing our vision of tomorrow to life, where technological advancements meet unparalleled experiences.”

Pakistan Pavilion

Pakistan has one of the largest exhibit lounge at Gitex, the world’s largest IT exhibition. We have 27 companies and over 45 startups exhibiting at Gitex. Our brand TechDestination Pakistan is one of the biggest brands visible at Gitex Global 2023”, said Dr Umar Saif, caretaker Federal Minister for IT and telecommunications.

Dr Umar Saif with Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE and other dignitaries at the opening of Pakistan Pavilion at the Gitex Global in Dubai on Monday.

He was speaking at the inaugural of Pakistan Pavilion at Gitex Global at World Trade Center Dubai. Gitex is being held at two locations in Dubai where more than 170 countries and 6000 companies are participating.

In Pakistan, IT exports and start-ups have shown a sharp upward trend in recent years, driven by enabling policies of the government of Pakistan. Today Pakistan’s IT exports stand at $2.6 billion annually with potential of increasing to US $ 10 billion within next 2-3 years.

For incentivizing Industry, Pakistan is establishing special technology Zones. Around 5- 7 technology zones are ready while two technology zones are already operational. These technology zones will house technology companies, outsourcing companies, startups, financial institutions and real estate developers capable of building technology infrastructure. Additionally we are also creating co-working spaces with necessary infrastructure to accommodate 500,000 free lancers working online in Pakistan, said Dr. Saif. He further mentioned that Pakistan has 2nd largest online freelancing workforce in IT.

Talking about startups in Pakistan, Dr. Umar Saif said that $800 billion has already been invested in startups in Pakistan. This shows potential in Pakistan’s IT and startup sector.

Appreciating the event, Dr Umar Saif said that Gitex provides an ideal platform to Pakistani exhibitors to interact and network with key industry players, explore business opportunities and learn important developments taking place around the world.

Pakistan-UAE ties

The UAE and Pakistan to expand bilateral cooperation in Information Technology specifically in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy.

The two sides discussed this in a meeting held between Dr. Umar Saif, Pakistan’s caretaker Minister For Information Technology and Telecommunication and Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE’s Minister of state for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Director General of the Prime Minister’s office, UAE.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of Gitex 2023 where Pakistan is participating with over 27 companies and more than 45 startups under the brand TechDestinationPakistan.

Dr Umar Saif, briefed Omar Sultan Olama about tech potential of Pakistan with thousand of IT Graduates being produced by Pakistani Universities coupled with rising startup culture. He also appreciated Gitex that provides an ideal platform to exhibitors to interact and network with key industry players, explore business opportunities and learn important developments taking place around the world.

 Omar Sultan Olama appreciated Pakistan’s growing participation in Gitex Global 2023. Both sides agreed on signing MoU for the Government Excellence Excellence Program (GEEP) to achieve excellence in Government performance.

Lexar

Lexar, a leading global brand in memory and storage solutions,  unveiled its new portfolio of memory and gaming products at GITEX Global. The company’s latest product line-up includes a new microSD card, internal SSDs, DRAM, and portable SSDs, and is showcased at its stand D1, Hall No.1, of the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Lexar’s new products comprising Professional GOLD micro SDXC UHS-II Card; Portable SSDs along with the Professional NM1090 M.2 Gen 5 NVMe SSD, ARES RGB DDR5 Desktop Memory, and NM790 with Heatsink M.2 NVMe SSD will be available in the market in Q4 2023 across the Middle East. The products are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of photographers, videographers, content creators, and PC enthusiasts of all levels.

“Lexar has established a long history of more than 25 years in developing leading memory solutions. By leveraging next generation manufacturing technologies our newly expanded portfolio now offers high-speed performance combined with higher memory capacities, allowing users to capture, access, play video/games and transfer high-definition multimedia files at blazing speeds,” said Fissal Oubida, General Manager of Middle East, Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent, Lexar.

The new Professional GOLD micro SDXC UHS-II Card leverages high-speed performance and a Video Speed Class 60 (V60) rating. It will be available in 128GB and 256GB storage options and offers read transfer speeds of up to 280MB/s. This card allows users to quickly capture, play back and transfer high-definition multimedia files including 4K video. This is a premium memory solution for gaming devices, action cameras, tablets, smartphones, and drones.

 “We will continue to offer the future of memory solutions to our professional and gaming communities. Our new product lineup has been extensively tested and is specifically designed to work seamlessly with multiple devices such as sports camcorders, tablets, smartphones, and even drones. We are proud to offer the quality, performance, and reliability Lexar users expect,” added Oubida.

Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks, a leader in cloud networking showcases the network industry’s first digital twin capabilities within the ExtremeCloud IQ platform at Gitex Global 2023.

The attendees got a chance to learn how they can leverage their networks as a strategic asset to improve operations, drive better experiences for end users and positively impact organizational outcomes. Demonstrations also included Extreme’s new regional UAE Data Center, which supports AI-driven networking and data sovereignty. Within two months of its launch, the RDC already manages over 5000 devices from 300+ customers.

Maan Al-Shakarchi, Regional Director – META, Extreme Networks, said: “Extreme strives to push the boundaries of what can be achieved by leveraging the network as a strategic asset. With the META region facing new and exciting developments in the technology landscape, Gitex 2023 gives us the welcome opportunity to learn, discuss and exchange insights that will shape our digital future. This year we are demonstrating how the power of network analytics, AIOps, machine learning and automation can improve operations and drive better customer experiences. Together with our partners and the customers we are re-imagining connectivity to create one infinitely distributed, scalable and customer-centric.

ExtremeCloud IQ, an end-to-end cloud management platform that gives customers improved visibility and control over their entire network, as well as access to the networking industry’s first digital twin capabilities. With a digital twin of their network, customers can simplify staging, validation and deployment of switches and access points from the cloud and significantly reduce the time it takes to complete a deployment. The platform also includes explainable machine learning and AI features to help IT teams reduce mean time to resolution, distinguish network anomalies and verify and trust proactive insights.