Netgear plans to tap the $19 million Bahrain storage and networking products market for small and medium businesses (SMB).

 In line with this, the company has recently conducted an in-depth seminar – the first in a series of GCC-wide road shows – to showcase its full range of networking and storage solutions. Targeting system integrators and value added resellers, the seminar also seeks to leverage Bahrain’s information and communication technology (ICT) market, which is expected to increase its total worth from $231 million in 2005 to approximately $375 million in 2010.

As a result of the country’s continuing economic growth and the government’s growing commitment to information technology, Bahrain is projected to gain more popularity as a lucrative market for technology products and services. A number of corporate developments have opened up a wide range of opportunities for Netgear such as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and strong demand from the financial sector, in addition to a number of corporate initiatives regarding ICT procurement and broadband integration within their systems.

“The corporate sector of Bahrain demands a vast supply of networking and storage solutions, which Netgear is aiming to address within the coming months. In line with this, we have outlined a comprehensive action plan to build awareness for our products by positioning the company as a reputable source of ICT requirements in the region. As the leading provider for the small and medium businesses market, we are continuously discovering ways to satisfy the needs on the Bahrain market to be able to reach our expected revenues for the year,” said Ahmed Zeidan, channel sales manager, Netgear Middle East.

According to recent research reports, the regional ICT market across the region is projected to rise to $45 billion by the year 2010, with the Bahrain market generating 6 per cent of the total Middle East revenues. Netgear hopes to tap into the burgeoning demand for ICT solutions in Bahrain, which has been created by economic diversification and various eGovernment initiatives, in addition to heavy investments from finance, real estate, communications and manufacturing enterprises. Moreover, the company is also seeking to address the growing requirements from the local oil and gas industry and banking sector.

“Netgear aims to penetrate and capitalise on the ICT growth in Bahrain. The Bahrain Government’s determination to invest its budget surpluses and the boom in the country’s business sector is creating ample opportunities for vendors to provide their services, thus affording Netgear with a viable setting wherein we can acquire further business,” concluded Zeidan.--TradeArabia News Service