The Middle East’s ground-breaking developments in telecommunication sector are attracting the attention of global IT and communications (ICT) professionals, according to an expert.

"Companies want to know what’s happening regionally and what new services are down the line," said Ed Malkoun, group exhibition director of Mecom 2009, a leading telecommunications exhibition and conference.

The Mecom takes place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from May 25 to 27.

ICT professionals representing a cross-section of industrial, commercial and government  sectors, have pre-registered from as far afield as the US, Canada,  Chile, Europe, Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

“Together with those visitors from literally every country in the Middle East, we’re expecting Mecom 2009 to be the strongest proposition to date, he added.

The pre-registrations to this year’s expo reinforce the view of professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, that the region is “breaking new ground in communications, with exciting developments in the way companies operate across the region and beyond,” he stated.

“Growth opportunities are strong for the region’s fixed and mobile operators, and the capabilities developed in domestic markets provide a strong base for overseas expansion,” he noted.

Mecom brings together the region’s major operators and service providers to deliver a platform for deals and partnerships throughout the region and beyond. The exhibition is dedicated to showcasing communications solutions for the enterprise.

During the event the leaders of the top telecommunication companies and regulators in the Middle East and Africa will gather at a special one-day “Telecoms Leaders” Summit and Roundtable (May 25) to discuss global and regional challenges facing the industry.

Also, the event features “Connect” Strategic Telecoms Summit for industry decision makers on May 26-27.

The presentations include competing in today’s telecoms market, innovative business models, the future of convergence, and making money from value-added services. The Pre- and post-summit workshops are to be held on May 24 and May 28.

“It’s an exciting event. I look forward to attending the show and I’m hoping that this edition will be the same as, if not better, than previous ones,” said Fauzan Qazi, chair of IT Programs at Higher College of Technology, UAE.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to learn what’s happening in the communications world. I’m especially keen to get more info on Wimax technology,” said Al Mehairbi Hamad, IT Engineer at the Supreme Petroleum Council.

One of the many first time exhibition visitors to register this year is Al Hashmi Taha of Abu Dhabi Terminals, who said: “I’m interested in meeting with the key networks and telecom partners and to be informed about cabling, switches and the new services of the telecom providers.”-TradeArabia News Service