Reach
Issue 8 2015
|
23
A
irwave has established a
permanent presence in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
and is looking to apply more than a
decade’s worth of knowledge and
experience in delivering mission
critical communications to the
region. Mike McKone, Airwave’s
Director for the Middle East, looks
at the plans for the future.
The opening of the Dubai office is in
response to increasing demand for our
experience and knowledge in building,
maintaining and operating Airwave’s
Emergency Services Network in Great
Britain. The office will serve as a hub
to advise Middle Eastern customers
on critical communications.
Airwave’s new office is at Dubai
Silicon Oasis, where a small but growing
team is building up this new branch of
the company. It is important to make a
commitment to the region, and having
the office there has really ramped up the
interest in Airwave and our capabilities.
The Overseas Market Introduction
Service (OMIS), which is provided by
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and
the British Embassy in Dubai, is an
integral part of our business across
the UAE, and has been a key enabler
in progressing Airwave’s visibility.
We have great support from UKTI
through local embassy staff, who tell
us that we have a rare commodity
– a brand that highly regarded and
respected both locally and abroad.
We have had really good
engagement across the Middle East
– the office was officially opened at
the end of the summer and there are
significant opportunities in the security,
public safety and vertical markets
such as transportation and oil and gas.
The region is experiencing a huge
expansion of infrastructure and is
working to become a major player on
the world scene. This is significant
for a company such as Airwave, as
all new projects require some sort of
effective communication solution.
The UAE are also positioning
themselves as the venue of choice for
major events as they are so central
to both Europe and Asia. The football
World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and
the Expo in Dubai in 2020 are huge
events, so there is a lot of interest
across the region in the security of
their communications.
The preferred way of working is
face to face meetings and the building
of relationships, trust and personal
interaction is of great importance
to the heads of departments
and companies. No matter how
excellent your service or product is,
it is essential that you have the right
relationships in place first. These
traditions and ways are still very
relevant today and we are building a
team who understands this, and is
really looking forward to achieving
success in the Middle East.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world
Traditional life is still very much in evidence in the Gulf
Mike McKone,
Airwave Director
for the Middle East
A new Middle East base
for critical communications
excellence
