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New IT vistas at Gitex Hyderabad news
N Venugopal
07 January 2002
Hyderabad: Gitex Hyderabad 2002, the first-ever Gitex event outside West Asia, demonstrates the potentiality of the information technology industry that holds vast scope for Indian businesses in spite of the slowdown. The three-day mega event, inaugurated here on 7 January, consists of a large exhibition and presentations on all concerned issues.

Speaking at the inaugural session of Gitex, Andhra Pradesh Governor Dr C Rangarajan said the slowdown has resulted in a downward revision of IT industry growth rates. The growth rates have come down from the expected 30 to 40 per cent to 15 to 18 per cent.

"However, not all is lost. Even in the context of the present downturn in the world economy, the scope of outsourcing of Indian IT companies may not necessarily diminish. The lower cost may result in India substituting other higher cost sources. With the slowdown elsewhere, the time is probably just right for Indian IT companies to build capabilities and generate volumes to cover costs. The scope here, indeed, is vast both in short and medium terms," Rangarajan said.

Dubai World Trade Center vice-chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar, who is also the director-general of the Dubai Economic Department, said the 20-year-old Gitex is the largest and the most important event in the Middle East. "The show is held annually at the Dubai World Trade Center complex. We have expanded Gitex to Cairo and Beirut in 1999, and Gitex Riyadh is going to be launched in 2002. Gitex Hyderabad is the first time ever the event reaches out into new markets. Dubai and Hyderabad have several things in common and we hope the event will be great success."

The inaugural session was organised on the theme India Tomorrow. Andhra Pradesh IT and communications secretary J Satyanarayana elaborated the theme, while Satyam Computers chairman B Ramalinga Raju delivered the keynote address.

The event will have 10 sessions, apart from a concluding session of a panel discussion on the growth of the IT industry in the Indian market. The event has more than 250 registered delegates and about 50 exhibition participants. The exhibitors include a contingent from the UAE and several IT majors like IBM India, Microsoft Corp, Oracle India, Intelligroup Asia, Nokia India, Satyam Computers, Vanenburg, HSBC, InfoTech Enterprises, Visualsoft Technologies, Portal Player and Wilco International.




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New IT vistas at Gitex Hyderabad