Middle East anticipates Video Mobile services as standard by 2008, LogicaCMG survey shows

Their top consideration is quality, followed by price.

The LogicaCMG poll, conducted at the recently concluded GITEX 2006 trade show in Dubai and online at Bayt.com, also witnessed high levels of interest in Mobile TV (24 per cent), SMS Auto Reply or Out of Office Notification (19 per cent) and Instant Messaging (18 per cent).

Almost 80 per cent of those surveyed at GITEX said they expect Instant Messaging Service and videomail - the 'next generation technology' - to fully replace existing messaging delivery methods in the next two years. Close to a third of those expect it will take less than a year for the switch.

Nabil Y. Khalil, director, telecoms at LogicaCMG in the Middle East and North Africa, feels that the survey results are in line with patterns emerging across various markets around the world. Khalil said:

"These numbers are very encouraging for everyone in the industry, from service providers to manufacturers and retailers. Every society has its share of early adopters, the people who will pick up and implement a new technology rapidly, but these numbers suggest a far more widespread interest in technology development. The survey results show that the Middle East region is clearly at the forefront of technology adoption."

Of the 200 trade delegates and exhibitors surveyed at GITEX, 40 per cent said video calling/ videomail would be the most popular messaging application in the next two years. The popularity of video calling/ videomail was twice that of its closest competitors - Instant Messaging, a web-enabled step above the existing short message service (SMS) system, voice and text.