The Middle East gaming market is booming. Competitive gaming has become a major attraction drawing in millions of fans across the region, where players vie for cash prizes in e-tournaments, which have become a major attraction, drawing millions of viewers across the globe. This phenomenon is particularly thriving in the Middle East, where many identify as gaming enthusiasts, competing in games like Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Fortnite.

The Growth of Esports in the Middle East

The interest in e-sports in the region has been steadily growing, with the number of gamers expected to rise to around 87 million by 2026. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a dominant market for e-sports, largely driven by widespread mobile penetration and government investment in gaming infrastructure, including state-of-the-art gaming zones, like NEOM’s gaming hub. Currently, Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup is the globe’s largest e-sports tournament in the world.

In the UAE, the government’s vision for economic diversification is paving the way for improved digitalization and its emergence as an e-sports powerhouse. This is evident from recent investments in setting up gaming hubs, including Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC)’s new Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Dubai that integrates Crypto and gaming centres.

Why Telcos Are Winning in the Middle East Gaming Market

Telcos are eager to take part in the Middle East’s growing gaming scene.

With deep roots in tech and innovation, they’re now exploring ways to enable and monetize this opportunity. In Saudi Arabia, STC’s gaming platform, STC Play, allows users to browse content, buy digital gear, join tournaments, and connect with other players through built-in chat, creating a vibrant, interactive community.

Telcos in the Middle East, too, are also actively supporting the gaming ecosystem by offering a Gaming Pass that provides dedicated data for gaming. e&’s eLife TV Gaming service allows subscribers to access over 70 premium games in HD quality directly through its eLife TV set-top box.

Gaming Tourism and Hospitality Trends

The popularity of gaming has led to the rise of ‘gaming tourism’, with personalized, gaming-integrated hospitality experiences. Some hotels have fully equipped gaming rooms for gaming aficionados. For instance, Rove Hotels in Dubai offers gamer guests high-speed wired internet connection for their gaming needs, in addition to leisure facilities.

Gaming tourism is an attractive opportunity for telcos in the region to tap into this rapidly growing market and diversify their business. However, the next generation of gaming services enabled by 5G will require high-capacity, resilient networks that support today’s bandwidth needs.

How Telcos Support the Middle East Gaming Market

Telcos can promote gaming culture in the UAE in many ways. These include offering premium game subscriptions, supporting in-app purchases, and using data analytics to enhance user experience and streamline operations.

Across the region, telecom providers are also upgrading their infrastructure to meet growing demand. For example, e& UAE plans to deploy Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme, making it the first to deliver 1.6 Tb/s speeds in the Middle East.

In addition, e& UAE and Lenovo are working on a new 5G Edge-in-a-Box solution. This technology will allow for faster, more flexible deployment of 5G connectivity across various locations.

Meanwhile, STC in Saudi Arabia is expanding its fiber optic network to enable high-bandwidth, low-latency connections. These efforts support Saudi Arabia’s broader goals—powering mega-projects, enabling smart city development, and becoming a global esports hub.

Meeting gamers where they are

Telcos face a growing challenge: scaling their network resources to handle peak gaming demand. Gamers today are still tied to a single platform, physical hardware, and long software downloads.

But that’s changing. Players increasingly want more flexibility, mobility, and freedom in how they game.

As graphics improve and real-time mobile gaming gains popularity, latency—or lag—becomes a critical concern. To reduce this, telcos may need to rethink their network architecture. Solutions like edge networking and enhanced data center interconnects can help minimize lag and keep performance high

What’s Next for Gaming in the Gulf?

As the gaming industry in the region scales even further, analytics and network intelligence will be critical to identify congestion and latency during peak periods of usage and to activate additional network resources on demand. Instead of simply ‘throwing more bandwidth at the problem’, an adaptive network will put telcos in the driver’s seat, presenting gaming as a valuable monetization opportunity.

What are the products and the services that Hikvision offers and what did you display at Intersec 2023?

In 2023, at Intersec Hikvision displayed its latest commercial display with a resolution surpassing even 4K. Visitors at the booth could witness the exceptional color and performance, as well as the innovative 3D naked Eye LED technology. Our major focus is on video security solutions, but we also offer a full range of offerings for management of vehicle entrance and exit, people access control, employee time and attendance which, provide comprehensive building solutions.  We work with multiple partners such as system integrators and technology partners to provide a complete solution to end users. Our target markets include the logistics, smart traffic, enterprise, energy, education, hospitality, and retail industries.

Talk about the presence of Hikvision in the market?

In the Middle Eastern region, we have a strong presence in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE and have worked on several successful projects with prominent customers. In 2022, we collaborated with Americana Group, the largest retail group in the region, to provide business intelligence and AI features that improved efficiency and increased sales for the retail sector. Additionally, we worked on a project at KNO School in Oman, where we provided a smart campus solution for the school to ensure a safe and secure environment for students. Our solution included interactive screens, transforming traditional blackboard classrooms into modern digital ones, allowing for easier interaction between teachers and students. The classroom is equipped with several features. The most notable one is the interactive screen that allows for seamless interaction with all activities. The teacher can prepare and upload their teaching materials to the screen, which is fully synchronized. The class schedule is pre-arranged, and there’s a class panel in front of each classroom that can be controlled from the booth. Currently, the classroom is set up for a chemistry and mathematics class.

What are the new products and the services that you showcased at Intersec 2023?

Intersec is not just about showcasing products this year. Our focus is on the combination of technology and application to provide a complete solution to our customers. We also have high-definition commercial displays with AI features for retail analysis and industrial cameras designed for the energy sector. Our goal is to integrate these products and provide vertical solutions by combining technology, applications, and user experience. Our product line is extensive, but we understand that working alone is not enough. We collaborate with third-party partners and integrate with the security industry. Our approach is to provide a universal platform that can be used across all verticals and work with partners to design specific, tailored solutions based on their field knowledge and experience. This allows us to create detailed solutions for retail, hotels, hospitals, etc.

Premier Inn, which currently has 11 hotels across the UAE and Qatar, is also planning further expansion in its existing markets and elsewhere in the region as part of its long-term Middle East growth strategy.

Simon Leigh, Managing Director, Premier Inn MENA, said: “Premier Inn’s focus for 2023 is to further evolve our brand and footprint in the region – on our existing ‘home grounds’ of the UAE and Qatar, elsewhere in the GCC and in other markets in the wider Middle East.

“With its huge investment in tourism under Vision 2030, a bid to host EXPO 2030 and world-class developments in full swing across the country, Saudi Arabia offers excellent opportunities for Premier Inn.  We would be immensely proud to bring our much-loved brand to the Kingdom and be part of its ever-growing tourism and hospitality sector. Fruitful discussions are continuing, and we are confident that Premier Inn will make its KSA debut this year.”

Premier Inn also plans to launch a new, higher-grade room category in the Middle East, as well as more enhancements at its existing properties this year, reinforcing its commitment to the region and to maintaining its position as MENA’s hotel brand of choice for high-quality, high-value accommodation.

“2022 was a record year for Premier Inn MENA in terms of trading and growth, fueled by large-scale events such as Expo 2020 and the World Cup, the continued post-pandemic bounce-back, and the opening of our 11^th property, Premier Inn Barsha Heights. With the peak travel season in full swing and a surge of visitors from China since borders reopened, it’s been an equally superb start to 2023 – a year in which we plan to continue to trade brilliantly, invest in our business, harness new technology and attract – and retain – great talent,” said Simon Leigh.

“Bupa Arabia’s participation at the InsureTek Middle East 2022 Conference comes as part of our continuous efforts to be active partners in the development and growth of the insurance industry in Saudi Arabia and the region as a whole,” said Alshereef Hamideddin, Marketing and Customer Experience Director at Bupa Arabia.

He added: “The future of the insurance industry in the coming years, not only in Saudi Arabia but also in the rest of the world, will largely be shaped by the industry’s ability to leverage digital transformation and AI solutions to improve customer experience.”

Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance was one of the first companies in the Saudi insurance industry to establish an entire department for digital transformation in 2018 to develop digital services and innovative solutions. Recently, Bupa Arabia launched its new “Telehealth” platform, which directly connects major healthcare providers with its members, providing a seamless customer experience.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Saeed Nader, Channel Sales Manager – Saudi Arabia & Bahrain at Nutanix said, “Digital transformation has been a top priority for organizations in Saudi for the past two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has further created a pressing need for enterprises to speed up their plans to enable the work from home/ remote working trend. In this scenario, cloud computing is seen as one of the pillars of a digital transformation strategy.”

Nutanix will assist SBM in developing and certifying its staff to provide design, configuration, and support capabilities. Nutanix will conduct regular training and enablement sessions for online certifications, product updates, and workshops for hands-on instruction. SBM technical and sales staff will have access to the various tools and resources available as part of Nutanix Elevate (program). Nutanix will also make available skilled resources to assist the partner in the execution of its Nutanix opportunities.

“We are constantly looking to form alliances with best-of-breed technology vendors that share our vision. We believe that with the power of Nutanix’s solutions, we are now well-positioned to serve the digital transformation technology needs of enterprises in Saudi,” said Mr. Hassona Al Quraan, VP – Infrastructure & Network Technology at SBM.

“Invixium’s innovative pace and focus on customer experience match our core values,” said Mohammed Awaga, CEO at Saudisoft. “We are proud to offer our customers leading technologies that improve the way their businesses work. Invixium solutions like multi-biometric security, touchless biometrics, mobile access control, and wellness screening will all contribute to a safer, more productive work environment for our customers.”

“Growing our distribution network is critical to expanding our business,” said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium. “Our partnership with Saudisoft allows Invixium to offer the Saudi Arabian market cutting-edge solutions that are sure to blow away expectations. Our signature rapid innovation combined with relevant solutions to today’s most common business needs can quickly and effectively respond to the demands of this market. We are certain that the technologies we offer will improve the lives of Saudisoft’s customers.”

LEAP was held against the backdrop of rapid digital transformation in Saudi society, in line with Vision 2030 goals. The country aims to become one of the world’s top 20 tech economies using digital to create a more diverse economy.

Steven Yi, president of Huawei Middle East, said, “as the host of LEAP, Saudi Arabia’s digitization roadmap exemplifies the transformative role of technology across all sectors of the society. The Kingdom has put digitization on the fast track and is now amongst the global pioneers in deploying new generations of ICT solutions. LEAP has served as an important international forum to build consensus and deepen collaboration in areas that will create new economic and social value for all.”

Under the theme of “Dive into Digital”, Huawei’s exhibition at LEAP demonstrated the end-to-end capabilities, with representation from its enterprise, carrier, and consumer business groups, as well as its cloud and digital power business units.

The Huawei Digital Power business focused on the intersection between digital and power electronics technologies to help create zero-carbon ICT infrastructure in the Middle East and to support zero-carbon electricity generation in line with recent national sustainability commitments.

The two organizations will work together on the launch of new projects within the Huawei ICT Academy Program that involves building a talent supply chain covering the entire process of learning, certification, and talent promotion. Through such projects, SDA and Huawei aim to support 8,000 Saudi trainees through the Huawei ICT Certification Program.

The latest memorandum outlines the plans for Huawei to train and certify 100 Saudi trainers from SDA through its Huawei Train the Trainer (TTT) program, focusing on areas such as AI, cloud, security, data center, and 5G.

Mohamad Alsuhaim, CEO of Saudi Digital Academy, said, “this memorandum with Huawei will open up new opportunities for Saudi digital talent to both develop cutting-edge skills and to be leaders of the future digital economy.”

“Local talent is constantly required to drive digital transformation on a national level. Through partnerships like this with the Saudi Digital Academy, we can create an even stronger digital ecosystem that serves both recent graduates and ICT professionals, contributing towards the progress of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 which places a strong emphasis on the potential of the ICT sector,” said Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia.

An official statement quoted, “The expansion supports priorities set by Saudi Arabia’s 2020 budget allocation of SAR102 billion ($27.2 billion) for security and regional administration including cybersecurity, as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 pillar on National Industrial Development and Logistics. “

Bruce Niven, Chief Investment Officer, Aramco Ventures said, “Dragos is that partner and as a testament to our trust in them, we have invested in the company. We are pleased that Dragos continues to expand its footprint to enable more organizations in the region to secure the critical infrastructure that serves our communities and contributes to the global economy.”

Dragos is privately held and headquartered in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area with a regional presence around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East.

Tailored to today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations can work with Dell Technologies to plan, deploy and manage their entire IT footprint and choose how they consume and pay for IT solutions. Customers can scale IT as needed to launch new applications, start new projects, and address the changing needs of their business.

How does APEX Flex on Demand work?

Dell Technologies assists organisations to determine their hardware, software and services requirements to establish for today and plan for their future needs. From there, all technology is installed and made available to customers. Automated tools allow for a quick response to new service requests, workload fluctuations and changes driven by the business to improve IT flexibility. Customers can also customise configurations based on their workload and therefore avoid over-provisioning and control cost by paying for elastic resources only as they are consumed. Using the APEX Console, Flex on Demand customers can also view and monitor usage of consumed resources and view and approve invoices.

Martin Uchytil, Regional Sales Director – Dell Financing MERAT said: “Organizations across UAE and Saudi Arabia are fast-tracking technology implementation to drive long-term business success. But lack of budget and resources means they are looking for a more agile and simple way to continue their technology investments. With the introduction of APEX Flex on Demand, Dell Technologies is enabling customers to overcome these barriers to transform their IT. APEX Flex on Demand allows businesses to acquire infrastructure and services, paying only for what they use, with the ability to scale up and down, and enables them to start using technology more quickly to help achieve their business goals.”

With the introduction of APEX Flex on Demand, organizations in UAE and Saudi Arabia can now use a pay-per-use flexible consumption model for custom configurations, where elastic capacity is delivered and measured at the product level. For instance, customers can choose the term of the usage, the minimum commitment and cap costs.

APEX Flex on Demand is also available through channel partners in UAE and Saudi Arabia

As APEX Flex on Demand helps to accelerate our customers digital transformation journey, it also offers the Dell Technologies partner community in UAE and Saudi Arabia the ability to grow their opportunities and customer base. Solution providers can play a major role in assessing and supporting their customers by helping them optimize their costs, resources, and performance with a pay-per-use consumption model from Dell Technologies.