Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, connects over 35,000 Devices to WLAN at Dubai World Trade Centre during GITEX Technology Week 2015

DUBAI, UAE, 26th November, 2015: Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia’s (MENASA) largest venue operator and home-grown event organiser has partnered with Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, to provide ‘always-on’, secure and high speed wireless internet access across the venue at the recently concluded GITEX Technology Week 2015. An impressive 35,839 devices, including phones, laptops, tablets and other mobile devices were successfully connected to the Wi-Fi network during the five-day event. 

Some interesting wireless internet usage statistics from the event are below:

Day 4 witnessed the most traffic with over 7000 connected devices (Oct 21st at 13:55h)
Average session duration was 29 minutes
Total traffic over the five days was 2907GB (2.9TB)
23% of the connection mode was 802.11ac, the latest wireless networking standard. No doubt this figure will be substantially higher next year as business executives switch to devices that support the new standard and take advantage of lightning fast Wi-Fi.
Over 44% of all devices authenticated during the event were running on  Apple operating systems, followed by Android (41.62%) and Windows (7.46%).

Mr. Zeeshan Hadi, Country Manager of Aruba Middle East said, “In today’s age of #GenMobile, world class events like GITEX require world-class wireless connectivity – WLAN that is secure, reliable, capable of handling client diversity and density, can support spikes in connections at peak hours and have the backing of world class support. We are happy to say that Dubai World Trade Centre recognized these attributes in Aruba’s technology and put their faith in our services again this year like it has done in previous years. Our company in turn ensured that we deliver on our commitment to providing seamless and uninterrupted access to the internet at all times.”

“Our work with DWTC reinforces our position as the most trusted wireless network solutions provider in the region, with the capacity to provide tailored solutions to a large varied audience. The project is one we are glad to be associated with because of its high density nature where we could showcase our cutting edge networking solutions,” he added.

Mr. Farid Farouq, Vice President of Information Technology at DWTC, said: “Our relationship with Aruba goes back a few years and over this period, the networking vendor has not only met, but has exceeded our expectations in terms of quality of solutions and service. Wireless connectivity is no longer considered a luxury but a necessity and it is critical that we can provide 24/7 internet access as part of the world class hospitality experience we offer to our exhibitors and visitors. We have received positive feedback about Aruba’s technology performance at the event this year and the internet usage statistics are a good indicator that everything went according to plan. Encouraged by another great showing by Aruba, we intend look forward to building on their relationship in the future.”

The work with DWTC and GITEX adds to Aruba’s growing portfolio of customers in the Middle East and further demonstrates the company’s strength in providing solutions to support global trends towards flexible and mobile internet connectivity.

Since its inauguration in 1979, DWTC has played a critical role in the growth of international trade for the Middle East region. From the landmark 39-storey Trade Centre Tower, to the region’s largest purpose-built complex for events and exhibitions, DWTC has become the epicentre for business tourism in the region. With over 35 years of expertise in the events and exhibitions industry, DWTC expertly organises global events and manages premium venues, as well as develops dynamic commercial environments and provides world-class hospitality. Most of all, DWTC delivers unique and unparalleled customer experiences to their exhibitors.