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The UAE's answer to Silicon Valley, Dubai Internet City (DIC) has earned itself a prestigious place in history as the world's first complete Information Technology and Telecommunications center to be constructed inside a free trade zone.

The Vision Behind the City

Wanting to establish itself as the information technology hub in the region, DIC was created in an audacious attempt to attract international technology companies to the UAE and the rest is history!

The phenomenal success story that followed the creation of Dubai Internet City is unprecedented. Some of the 200 giant international conglomerates already licensed in the DIC include Compaq, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, Oracle and IBM. Most of these corporations are moving their entire regional headquarters and projects to this newly established high-tech Internet City.

The fact that so many reputed conglomerates have already set up base here has sent several other companies from all over the world clamoring to claim a space of their own.

The Driving Force

As with so many of the other successful property development projects, credit for this ambitious and innovative project goes to Dubai's Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

An astute businessman one of the UAE's most successful entrepreneurs, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been the driving force behind the transformation of Dubai from a barren desert town to the leading trade and tourism destination in the eastern Arab world. Establishing Dubai as the leading Information Technology center is another successful notch under his belt.

Laying the Foundation For The Success Story

Business-friendly, family-friendly, stable and with the best infrastructure for commerce in the whole of the Middle East, Dubai city itself is the perfect setting for the new Internet City. It is supported by a skilled work force that is made up of professionals from over 70 different countries.

Acknowledged as the world's first free trade zone for e-commerce, some of the noteworthy features of Dubai Internet City include:

- 100% tax exemptions
- 100% foreign ownership
- Protection for intellectual property rights
- State-of-the art networks and connectivity
- Research and development centre
- Exhibition facilities
- Science and Technology park
- Crime-free environment
- Hassle-free environment

With the proposed Internet University, Dubai Internet City will have achieved another 'first' in a long line of many.

The Layout of Dubai Internet City

A profusion of lush, colorful gardens that surround every building does much to soften the harsh desert atmosphere and add a charming campus environment to Dubai Internet City. If you did not already know it, you'd never believe that this thriving, well-tended landscape comprising verdant lawns, cerulean lakes and colorful flowers was entirely man-made.

It does not matter however; what matters is that it serves the purpose. In the words of Rowland Griffiths, Cisco's regional director, "When you look out of the window and see green grass and lakes it gives you a nice feeling just to come to work."

Dubai Internet City - Placing Dubai Firmly On the Technology Map

A growing demand by businesses striving to enhance their efficiency and productivity and also by Arab governments keen to upgrade their outdated systems, Dubai Internet City has placed Dubai firmly on the world technology map.