(DNE Photo)
By Mohamed Alaa Eldin
The Egypt market is full of growth opportunities, said Hashem Monsi, CEO of Dell, in an interview with Daily News Egypt.
According to Monsi, the company will focus on a number of main points in the Egyptian market, on the basis of positive expectations for local growth. Dell is launching several laptop and ultrabook products, and the first Dell tablet during the coming months.
What is your vision for the investment climate in the country in the near future?
I am optimistic about the Egyptian market in the near future. Egypt is a large and promising market whose population numbers around 90 million with more than 60% of this figure under the age of 35. This is an indication of the presence of a wide base of youth that are able to interact with various technological tools and can keep up with the continuous evolution of information technology. This fact points to increasing growth opportunities in the market.
Regarding the economic situation in the country, the Egyptian market has witnessed difficult circumstances over the past three years but the stabilising economic situation is directly proportional to the size of the market, rising purchasing power, and increasing growth rates, which will be followed by an increase in demand for technology.
What are the main aspects of Dell’s plan for Egypt in the near future?
We are focusing on growth in Egypt in the near future and strive, through our integrated services, to increase the volume of the market, which will be followed by indirect growth in the size of our business. The second point is an emphasis on the consumer market through laptops and ultrabooks in addition to offering the company’s first tablet soon under the name Dell Venue.
The third point is a focus on services offered to the business sector and especially our customers in the education, petroleum, and banking sectors, by offering developed solutions for storage, databases, Cloud Computing, networks, and software, which renders the company the only one in the world with integrated solutions in the information technology sector, especially after our traditional competitor HP has been divided into two companies.
What are the sectors in which you expect to see greater demand in the field of technology services?
Egypt’s economy passed through a period of idleness that negatively influenced demand for technology solutions, and with the onset of economic stability that the country is currently witnessing, there will be an increase in demand for technology services for the majority of sectors, particularly education, health, and employment.
What services do you think will garner growing demand in the near future?
Data centres are one of the most prominent types of technology services that will witness heightened demand in the near future as well as Cloud Computing in light of an increase in online commercial services and demand for Cloud Computing from small and medium-sized businesses.
What is your opinion on growth of the computer market in light of the existence of used devices as a competitor?
The Egyptian market is vast and has more than 20 million families, but economic conditions are not at their best. For this reason, individual consumers have resorted to choosing used devices as technological tools that meet their needs and are affordable.
Used devices help spread technology indirectly, which helps increase awareness of their use and attracts more customers to the sector. Consumers will eventually choose developed devices that meet their needs.
The Egyptian market will witness more growth during the fourth quarter of 2014, especially as the third quarter witnessed a decline in sales due to Ramadan and the summer holidays.
How do you feel about competition in the Egyptian market?
In general, competition is healthy and in the interests of the consumer due to companies’ striving to provide the best product at the lowest price. The Egyptian market is large and can absorb more actors.
Have tablets acquired a share of the laptop market?
Global trends are moving in two directions: One, toward choosing tablets at the expense of laptops and desktops, and two, toward displacing portable and traditional smart phone devices. One study confirms that tablet sales will overtake computer sales by 2017, as consumers move toward this type of technology.
What are the most important qualities of tablet devices that Egyptians are interested in?
Device and screen size are the most important factors that attract Egyptians to a device before taking the decision to purchase. The operating system is a factor as well.
How do you view the technology market in Egypt compared to the wider Middle East?
Egypt has acquired only 10% of the information technology market in the Middle East, which is not commensurate with the country’s size and population. The economy has represented an obstacle in this regard and future growth expansion is anticipated. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the largest share of the market due to their vast purchasing power and are followed by Oman and Qatar.
