Demand for communication equipment in the Middle East has witnessed a gradual upswing, on the back of continuing infrastructure developments, said experts.

Major sporting events such as the London Olympics and the soccer World Cup in Qatar have contributed to the demand.

Among the many regional telecom and equipment companies at Gitex Technology Week was the UK firm, Greenlee Communications.

The company, which was part of the UK Pavilion at the exhibition, has been returning to the region for the last 12 years.

"Markets such as the Middle East are always building and using small appliances," sales representative Nicholas Coyle told the Gulf Daily News.

"All of these infrastructure developments have fibre requirements and communication needs," he noted.

The construction boom in the Middle East hasn't waned, he observed.

"Dubai has been growing over the last 30 years," said Coyle. "They have faced problems with financing. However, if there's space, people will continue to build on it," he added

The platform Gitex provided for technology companies was vast, by the sheer scale of the expo. "It makes you realise how big and how difficult the sector is. You should know your product well and how to sell it to exhibit here successfully," he said.-TradeArabia News Service