Beirut, 8 September 2014: Under the management of Zain Group, touch the leading mobile operator with 53% of market share is taking a step forward for innovation through supporting the “Arab Mobile App Challenge” (AMAC) 2014 in Lebanon as a country host. This step falls under touch’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications, as the AMAC regional competition aims at promoting local innovative businesses and is simultaneously held in 6 Arab countries, Tunisia, Kuwait, Qatar, Algeria, Jordan and Lebanon.
“Fostering home grown successes in innovation that result in creating economic value at a local level is part of the company’s ongoing national commitment to economic development and social welfare. Zain’s Group rich experience in this scope is being leveraged on the local level.” stated Wassim Mansour, Vice-President and General Manager of touch.
“Figures show 22,000,000 smartphones and tablets available across MENA region, a potential for local innovators and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Moreover, the growth of mobile data through the introduction of 3G and 4G in many countries in the region have made the internet on these devices more widely available. Statistics on mobile Internet use and smartphones penetration in general show that there is a large possibility for more local apps.” Mansour added.
AMAC Co-Founder Applied Innovation Institute Board Member Dr. Paris Del’Etraz, said: “The app market is growing at a speed we never envisioned, changing the way we interact with the world and transforming the opportunities around us. It is the perfect platform to provide spaces for young Arab nationals to express their ideas, to launch start-ups, and to develop new and authentic Arabic content that is highly needed and demanded."
AMAC 2014 will offer a mix between physical and web based activities besides acceleration events to participants who can register via www.arabmobilechallenge.com/user-registration.