Leading international information and communications technology exhibition in Saudi Arabia, Gitex Saudi Arabia 2012, will held next month at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the event will run from May 21 to 24.

A growing number of regional and international exhibitors have already confirmed participation at the trade event, a statement from the event organisers said.

Saudi Arabia is now ranked third among Arab countries and has improved by 17 places to occupy the 41st spot globally in the UN e-Government Readiness Index 2012, demonstrating the country’s success in improving its e-services and injecting large-scale investments to increase broadband penetration, which is now expected to reach up to 31 per cent by 2013.

The widespread adoption of e-services and sustained internet boom have also been influenced by decreasing cost of internet access and computers, and the expanding range of internet services that cater to a much broader cross-section of the population, the statement said.

“The enthusiasm towards the growth prospects of the Saudi ICT market is clearly manifested in this year's Gitex Saudi Arabia, which is witnessing a surge in interest from regional and global exhibitors,” a spokesperson from Riyadh Exhibitions Company said. “The energetic response of leading IT companies to this year’s event demonstrates the status of Gitex Saudi Arabia as the premier networking and marketing platform for all stakeholders in the Kingdom’s ICT sector.”

“Saudi Arabia’s impressive performance in the UN e-Government Readiness Index 2012 underlines the successful efforts in boosting the adoption of e-services and enhancing broadband penetration across the country, and we are therefore putting greater emphasis on these areas during the trade event,” he said. “We have also prepared a much more extensive showcase of products and value-added services that cater to a diverse range of sectors, including oil and gas, financial services, healthcare, education and communications.”

Gitex Saudi Arabia 2012 will run concurrently with Saudi Communications 2012, the 14th international telecommunications exhibition which will serve as the business-to-business portion of Gitex. – TradeArabia News Service