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The global technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) market is poised for an interesting year ahead with a diverse spread of development that is likely to have varying impacts on current market players, according to the ‘Predictions 2010: Global Innovation for the TMT Market’ seminar hosted by Dubai Media City, the region’s leading media hub and a member of TECOM Investments.

Organised by Deloitte in collaboration with Dubai Media City, the one-day event has set the stage for the business advisory firm’s annual TMT predictions that will be released on 19 January, 2010.

The seminar, held today at the Dubai Knowledge Village conference centre, provided an overview of the current global and local TMT landscape and looked at the emerging issues that will impact the technology, media and telecommunications sector in the coming year. The event offered an opportunity to industry professionals to network with their peers from across the TMT sector, and key influencers from the media, regulatory and analyst communities.

Mohammad Abdullah, Executive Director, Dubai Media City, said: “Our support to the Deloitte event is in recognition of the importance of studies to guide the growth of the TMT industry in the Middle East. It is particularly pertinent to identify trends such as convergence that will impact the future of media industry.

”As a catalyst contributing to the growth of the media and technology sector, Dubai Media City is committed to lead such discussions that bring thought provoking perspectives to the table for looking ahead and gearing up for dynamic shifts in the industry.”

Speakers at the full day event included Jolyon Barker, Industry Leader, Deloitte Global TMT; Saba Sindaha, Deloitte Middle East Head of TMT; Jim Sloane, Head of UK Technology Practice and Vice Chairman of Deloitte UK; Simon Kerton-Johnson, Partner, TMT - Deloitte UK; Chris Williams, Partner – Telecom, Deloitte; Carl Bates, Partner, Head of UK Information Intelligence and Integration; and Robin Butteriss, Financial Advisory Services.

Chris Williams said: "The Predictions 2010 event provides the region's TMT leaders with key insights into the year ahead. The predictions are intended to kindle debate, inform possible direction, and identify potential actions for companies. For instance, although the telecommunications sector will most likely face challenges based on the state of the global economy, Deloitte predicts the financial pressures felt by the operators and their customers will actually accelerate the industry transformation that has been under way over the last several years."

In the telecommunications sector, some of the key trends highlighted at the event included further consolidation of MENA based incumbents and the reorientation of telecom related activities to create telecom ‘powerhouses’ that offer a wider range of mobile applications/offerings.

Key predictions for the media sector focused on traditional media companies looking to acquire online platforms and the consolidation of advertising based business models due to the slowdown in ad spend.

In the technology sector, trends indicate the acquisition of niche technology companies by established technology firms and further commercialization of green-IT technology.

Since its inception in 2001, Dubai Media City has evolved dramatically through offering business friendly regulatory frameworks and a state-of-the-art infrastructure. It was awarded the Newsweek Award of Excellence for 2009 for its outstanding contribution to the media industry by creating a world class environment under ‘one roof’.

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