Optimism for economic recovery is high among Qatar’s SOHO and SMEs, says a research commissioned by Qatar Telecom (Qtel).

While concerns over the economic crisis hampered spending and expansion plans in the past year, the market is poised to pick up in 2011, and more than 60 percent of companies are looking to invest in services that support a high quality of customer service, the research said.

Qtel launched the new research into the growth of small and medium enterprise (SME) companies at the recent Enterprise Qatar meeting in Doha, as part of its  support for the thriving sector. 

With approximately 98 percent of companies in Qatar classified as SMEs, providing the correct environment for the growth of this segment is a key strategic priority, and Qtel is at the forefront of providing a range of dedicated connectivity, efficiency and security solutions, a company statement said.

Working with internationally-noted research company IDC, the research team conducted interviews with around 200 companies in the SOHO and SME sectors across Doha.

In terms of the kind of communication services that customers are looking for, two of the key areas for growth in 2011 will be video (specifically video conferencing) and mobile data, it said.

The research also underlined the status of Qtel as the preferred partner and provider of world-class solutions and services for small businesses in Qatar, it said. –TradeArabia News Service