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Ducont set to launch homegrown WAP applications
-- By Mark Sutton

Dubai, 2 September, 2001:
Dubai-based Ducont has announced that it is set to launch a full set of WAP services for the Middle East – using applications that were almost completely developed in the region. Ducont’s range of m-services, for both B2B and B2C, will be ready to launch within four weeks, according to Ivan Fernandes, CEO and Managing Director.

Among the services that Ducont is planning to roll out are wireless banking, stock brokerage, news, ticket bookings for entertainment and travel and mobile synchronization with the Microsoft Outlook application. Although the company could not reveal details of who it will be partnering or which GSM providers would be involved, Fernandes said that Ducont would “definitely be working alongside” Etisalat, the sole GSM provider for the UAE.

Fernandes was also keen to point out that, contrary to the usual set up of companies in the Middle East deploying solutions that have been developed in the West, Ducont had developed 95% of its own applications in Dubai. “The development and the deployment have all been done here,” he said. “We are already talking to overseas customers about providing them with our services.”

Ducont director Ahmed Al Rafi added: “The mobile is very personal – it can be very close to everyone. Our leading edge technology and functionality will ensure consumers have an efficient, flexible and cost effective solution in their hands that is capable of responding to a range of different services in a dynamic marketplace.”

The launch was accompanied by a demonstration of some of Ducont’s planned WAP services, which will include stocks information with graphs of prices, and local area maps. A WAP emulation application is also hosted at the Ducont website, so that users can experiment with various services.