Maktoob has hailed the unprecedented growth and rapid penetration of the Internet in the region, citing improved technological infrastructure and the constant emphasis on e-based operations by regional governments.
“The spread of e-literacy in the Arab world is boosting employment avenues for the region's skilled workforce and presenting business opportunities in this niche sector,” noted CEO of Maktoob.com, Samih Toukan. “Encouraged by the support of local governments and the success stories of several web communities, the Internet has built a formidable presence for itself in the region.”
At the same time, Toukan revealed that Maktoob recently achieved three million registered email users. Releasing details of Maktoob member statistics for 2002, he pointed out that Saudi Arabia and Egypt continued to dominate the number of memberships at 16 percent and 13 percent respectively.
“While Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Lebanon have long been the leaders in the field, countries such as Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait have surprised us with the number of Maktoob.com memberships in those regions increasing four-fold in the recent past,” Toukan added.
Maktoob began five years ago, initially offering web-based bilingual email. Now, the company has diversified towards offering both Internet users and companies a range of IT solutions that are developed in house. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
