The Department of Economic Development (DED) announced that it would offer mobile access to trade licence information and services through Windows based pocket PCs and Symbian based Nokia mobile phones. The DED Officials demonstrated the application ‘InfoTouch’, in the presence of representatives from its partners at Microsoft and Nokia at a press conference today.
InfoTouch has been developed inhouse by the IT division at the DED on the Microsoft .Net platform and is available to all Windows based pocket PCs users. The DED has also partnered with Nokia to develop a Java client application for Nokia 9300 and Nokia 9500 mobile phone users, allowing access to DED services over GPRS.
The application can be installed by downloading it from www.infotouch.ae, which is part of the DED website. The site also offers detailed instructions about installing and using the application through both Windows based pocket PCs and Symbian based Nokia mobile phones.
“This initiative is in keeping with the directives of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Defence Minister and Chairman of DED, to move rapidly towards full fledged e-Government procedures,” said Mr Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General for Executive Affairs, DED. “The DED has worked closely with its international partners Microsoft and Nokia in this project, to ensure that the application is in line with international standards and will facilitate our customers in dealing with business registration procedures. The DED also plans to extend the InfoTouch services to include other options at a later stage," he added.
“One of the strategic objectives of the Department of Economic Development is to create an investor-friendly environment in Dubai which will encourage investors to make Dubai the destination of choice in terms of setting up their own business establishments,” said Mr. Khalid Al Kassim, Deputy Director General for Development and Planning, DED speaking at the launch. “This initiative will enable business owners to instantly obtain important information and to manage their trade licence registration procedures at their convenience, without a need to call or visit the Department,” he added.
"Nokia’s offering is unique. Using the flexibility of Symbian platform and market leading Series 60 or Series 80 smart phones, the customer can develop highly tailored applications to enhance the productivity of their internal and external customers by providing secured wireless connectivity to corporate resources,” said Jarmo Hostio, Senior Sales Manager, Nokia Enterprise Solutions Middle East and Africa. “Nokia is proud to have developed this new application in partnership with the DED, which will go a long way towards facilitating access to DED's business registration services in real time, anywhere at any time. Secure solutions for remote access to information help Governmental organisations offer modern services and become more efficient, resulting in significant social and economic returns."
“Microsoft is very pleased that the DED chose Microsoft .NET to develop the InfoTouch application. Microsoft has enjoyed a close partnership with DED for some time, and we support DED’s IT department in its efforts to develop innovative new applications to help businesses and citizens in the emirate,” said Ihab Foudeh, Head of Service, Microsoft South Gulf. “This project demonstrates the value of the Microsoft .NET platform for developers, in helping them to quickly create efficient and robust applications to extend services to mobile users.”
InfoTouch enables users to check the status of their trade licence transactions up to the payment stage, through an interface that communicates directly to the DED's live database.
Business owners using this service can enquire about trade names and check the database without actually visiting the department, to ensure the availability of the suggested trade name.
The application also enables users to monitor any fines that are related to existing licenses through a log in service using a dedicated user name and password. A business owner who is constantly on the move and yet in need of real time information can also track the status of all his licences via InfoTouch. Users of the service will also have access to the business Statistics and economic indicators in real time.
In order to download the InfoTouch application, users must have access to a mobile device that runs on either Windows Pocket PC or SYMBIAN O/S technology. In addition, users need to subscribe to the Mnet service (provided by Etisalat) in order to ensure fast access to the Internet.
About Department of Economic Development (DED):
The Department of Economic Development (DED) was established in March 1992, with the objective to organise, regulate and boost trade and industry within the Emirate of Dubai. The DED has moulded its mission of building a futuristic establishment, in accordance with the vision of the Government of Dubai and in the light of globalisation and the requirements of a digital economy. One of its key functions is to encourage local and foreign investments in commercial and industrial projects, and create the appropriate environment for investors.
The DED’s other functions comprise a wide range of regulatory activities including the preparation and maintenance of a commercial register and the supervision of all organisations. The DED is responsible for regulating the affairs of commercial agents and brokers and commercial advertising offices, in addition to overseeing and controlling the insurance industry in the Emirate. Examining the participation of the government in the private sector and representing the government in companies where it has a stake, also comes under the purview of the DED.
