Flydubai, Dubai’s first low-cost airline began its commercial operations on June 1st.
The inaugural flight took off from Dubai International’s Terminal 2 at 10:30 bound for Beirut.
FlyDubai is currently flying to Beirut and Amman. They will start flights to Damascus and Alexandria next week and plan to expand rapidly to countries in the Middle East, GCC and India. The evenutal plan as stated on their website is to extend to Iran, Eastern Europe and North & East Africa.
Fares are really low. For eg there is currently a flight from Alexandria to Dubai for 825(LE) Egyptian pounds. When I checked a week ago. A return flight between Cairo and Dubai was roughly costing about 3000LE on Emirates airlines and 2100LE on Egypt Air.
How does flydubai keep its fares low?
1. The tickets are one way tickets for one person, priced on a system based on availability, demand, time of day etc etc. Quoted prices include all applicable taxes. Prices will be quoted in the currency of the country of departure of the flight
2. You pay to change: If for some reason, you need to change your flight, you pay 100dhs per ticket plus the price difference from your original ticket if upwards and get a voucher refunded to you if the price moves downwards. You do have to pay the 100dhs charge per ticket, no matter what the scenario. (There are "free to change" tickets too, but these are normally priced higher than "pay to change")
3. Changes or cancellations can only be carried out 24 hours prior to the flight. Any later than that, you lose the whole amount.
4. Children above the age of 2, pay full fare.
5. If traveling with a child below the age of 2, there is a service charge of 50dhs plus taxes.
6. Fares are lower if you book from the website. A service charge is levied if you book via their dedicated call center (35dhs) or through an agent.
7. The quoted fare allows you upto 10kilos of hand baggage. You have to pay higher for more luggage. If you pre book your extra luggage on the website, it will be cheaper than just arriving at the airport and then paying for the luggage.
For eg: Your 1st piece of checked in baggage (upto 32 kilos) if pre booked online will cost 40dhs, but if you do it at the airport, it will cost you 150 dhs. The 2nd piece will cost 100 and 150 respectively.
8. If you want to select your seat, you pay 5dhs.
9. If you want a seat with extra legroom, it is 50 dhs.
10. A boarding pass is issued as soon as you book your ticket.
In these times of Recession, this airline could really take off, if they find a large enough market segment.
As I see it, business and holiday travelers without much luggage could find this airline cheaper than its competitors.
For those people I have often seen in the Dubai airport ahead of me, trying to check in 5-7 suitcases each on Egypt Air flights back to Cairo while trying to semi-conceal another 4-6 pieces of hand luggage, this would not be an economical choice.
Nor would it work for people who travel to Dubai with the primary purpose of shopping. I have seen so many piles of new clothes and childrens toys unceremoniously dumped in heaps at Dubai's airport, because paying the excess baggage fee on Emirates airlines does not make those clothes and toys worth it. People seem to find it cheaper to just dump the stuff (some with tags not yet removed) than pay the excess baggae fee. These people aren't going to be travely FlyDubai any time soon.
This will work for people who just carry their laptop and a change of clothes or two. Its also just 40dhs more for 1 piece of checked in baggae provided you book it online at the time of booking your ticket. So this option will work for a weeks long travel.
I wonder if the airline allows toiletries in hand luggage with the above restrictions that they have placed. If they dont, it would be cheaper to buy and discard toiletries on arrival than pay 100dhs to check it in.
They must have researched their pricing before coming out with this strategy. It will be interesting to see how full their flights go. There is a large market, given that it is still impossible to get a ticket on a Thursday evening Emirates flight from Dubai to Cairo, if you haven't booked well in advance.
You can book tickets directly on their site:
http://flydubai.com/
Also Published on desicritics.org
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Portable Career
This article that I wrote appeared in this months Oasis.
The hardest adjustment for a trailing spouse is to get used to the idea of giving up ones existing job or to search for a new one in a new location. But what if you did not have to give up your job, identify new clients from scratch or lose your income?
Yes, unbelievable as this may sound, it is possible, especially in this day and age of the internet.
The most common jobs that can be easily done over the internet are writing, editing and proof reading. Most freelance writers, write in the comfort of their homes. Their editors finalize the topic of the article over email and the writer sends it back once it is done. Rarely does an editor meet with their writers even if they are in the same town, so distance doesn’t matter. (This may not hold true for journalists in all cases).
Editors and proof readers also receive their basic material over email and send it back the same way once corrections have been done. Publishing houses, magazines, dissertation students from University all these are always looking out for writers or proof readers.
A couple of friends of mine run successful life coaching/personal coaching businesses online. They speak to their clients via skype or other VOIP software and it makes no difference to the client wherever in the world their counselor is located.
I do know a couple of people who have managed to continue their consulting business from different corners of the globe. With clients in their home country, they visit them occasionally on trips home and continue to work with them online over email, web or video conferencing and VOIP.
With internet banking and global payment services like Paypal, receiving money from different countries is not a problem in this day and age.
If you are computer phobic and internet based businesses are not for you, then there are still a lot of options to earn some money, even in a new country/location.
Giving classes is the easiest option to start up in any new location. If you have a special skill or vocation like cooking, baking, sewing, embroidery, jewelry making, yoga or anything similar, it is easy to start classes in that skill once you get connected in your new home.
If you like cooking and baking, there is the alternate revenue stream of cooking/baking to order in small or large quantities. In Egypt, taking up a stall at the Cooks Day off at the CSA is a good way to get a large cross section of potential customers exposed to your food. People like Kathy have even sold their home made cookies via outlets like Miriam Market.
If you love knitting, embroidery, designing jewelry or anything else which has a sellable end product, you will find a large target audience at the vendor stalls that normally accompany church and other monthly meetings or bazaars.
If you speak a foreign language, you can take language classes in small groups or individually. If you are especially good at explaining subjects like mathematics, economics or the sciences, a lot of parents look for someone who can coach their school going children in such subjects.
Most of these jobs can be done out of the comfort of your own home if you so prefer.
If you are someone who loves shopping, then you can turn that too into a profession. Personal shoppers are in great demand in some countries. If you know where to buy good quality clothes in Egypt, you can make money by using that knowledge coupled with a sense of style to spend other people’s money while building them a tasteful wardrobe.
I know women who have used their eye for buying unusual knick knacks, handicrafts or antiques to buy unique pieces in their home country and then sell them in their adoptive/host country and vice versa. In most cases making a tidy profit, due to the lack of availability of these items. (Please check the local laws for importing & exporting food items and antiques)
It is truly a blessing if you can convert something you enjoy doing into an income generating opportunity and if this opportunity is portable, then you do not have to worry which location your spouse is going to be transferred to next.
Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, is the editor of DIVA, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com
Portable Career
The hardest adjustment for a trailing spouse is to get used to the idea of giving up ones existing job or to search for a new one in a new location. But what if you did not have to give up your job, identify new clients from scratch or lose your income?
Yes, unbelievable as this may sound, it is possible, especially in this day and age of the internet.
The most common jobs that can be easily done over the internet are writing, editing and proof reading. Most freelance writers, write in the comfort of their homes. Their editors finalize the topic of the article over email and the writer sends it back once it is done. Rarely does an editor meet with their writers even if they are in the same town, so distance doesn’t matter. (This may not hold true for journalists in all cases).
Editors and proof readers also receive their basic material over email and send it back the same way once corrections have been done. Publishing houses, magazines, dissertation students from University all these are always looking out for writers or proof readers.
A couple of friends of mine run successful life coaching/personal coaching businesses online. They speak to their clients via skype or other VOIP software and it makes no difference to the client wherever in the world their counselor is located.
I do know a couple of people who have managed to continue their consulting business from different corners of the globe. With clients in their home country, they visit them occasionally on trips home and continue to work with them online over email, web or video conferencing and VOIP.
With internet banking and global payment services like Paypal, receiving money from different countries is not a problem in this day and age.
If you are computer phobic and internet based businesses are not for you, then there are still a lot of options to earn some money, even in a new country/location.
Giving classes is the easiest option to start up in any new location. If you have a special skill or vocation like cooking, baking, sewing, embroidery, jewelry making, yoga or anything similar, it is easy to start classes in that skill once you get connected in your new home.
If you like cooking and baking, there is the alternate revenue stream of cooking/baking to order in small or large quantities. In Egypt, taking up a stall at the Cooks Day off at the CSA is a good way to get a large cross section of potential customers exposed to your food. People like Kathy have even sold their home made cookies via outlets like Miriam Market.
If you love knitting, embroidery, designing jewelry or anything else which has a sellable end product, you will find a large target audience at the vendor stalls that normally accompany church and other monthly meetings or bazaars.
If you speak a foreign language, you can take language classes in small groups or individually. If you are especially good at explaining subjects like mathematics, economics or the sciences, a lot of parents look for someone who can coach their school going children in such subjects.
Most of these jobs can be done out of the comfort of your own home if you so prefer.
If you are someone who loves shopping, then you can turn that too into a profession. Personal shoppers are in great demand in some countries. If you know where to buy good quality clothes in Egypt, you can make money by using that knowledge coupled with a sense of style to spend other people’s money while building them a tasteful wardrobe.
I know women who have used their eye for buying unusual knick knacks, handicrafts or antiques to buy unique pieces in their home country and then sell them in their adoptive/host country and vice versa. In most cases making a tidy profit, due to the lack of availability of these items. (Please check the local laws for importing & exporting food items and antiques)
It is truly a blessing if you can convert something you enjoy doing into an income generating opportunity and if this opportunity is portable, then you do not have to worry which location your spouse is going to be transferred to next.
Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, is the editor of DIVA, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Life Coaching in Cairo
Amal, a friend of mine in Cairo has started Life Coaching specifically targeted for English Speaking practicing Muslim women in Cairo(and the rest of the world - since it is conducted by phone or internet).
Life coaching is a process that helps clients to articulate their dreams and aspirations, to clarify their purposes and goals, and to then help them achieve outcomes in any area of their life: personal, professional, relationships, health…
Amal was trained in Canada by Muhammad Alshareef (the founder of AlMaghrib Institute among other organizations) through DiscoverU (www.discoverulife.com) to use techniques and methods that are successful in secular coaching, and apply them within an Islamic framework.
If you’d like to know more about her service, you can go to: http://coachamal.com/index.html and get more information. She does have a special offer of a free session before October 15th that could give you a taste of the service before signing up with her, if you’re interested.
As far as we know, it’s the first service of its kind here in Egypt.
Added on 18 Oct 08: Amal has extended the offer for a free session until the 20th of October.
Life coaching is a process that helps clients to articulate their dreams and aspirations, to clarify their purposes and goals, and to then help them achieve outcomes in any area of their life: personal, professional, relationships, health…
Amal was trained in Canada by Muhammad Alshareef (the founder of AlMaghrib Institute among other organizations) through DiscoverU (www.discoverulife.com) to use techniques and methods that are successful in secular coaching, and apply them within an Islamic framework.
If you’d like to know more about her service, you can go to: http://coachamal.com/index.html and get more information. She does have a special offer of a free session before October 15th that could give you a taste of the service before signing up with her, if you’re interested.
As far as we know, it’s the first service of its kind here in Egypt.
Added on 18 Oct 08: Amal has extended the offer for a free session until the 20th of October.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Basics of Traveling - luggage
When traveling to any place, there are 2 things to consider.
1. What are you going to pack, given the number of days you are traveling for?
2. What luggage to carry it in?
What you carry is of course dependent on the number of days you are traveling for, the kind of climate at your location, the kind of events you will be attending.
Carry your toiletries and first aid kit with medicines that you commonly use for things like colds and headaches (your particular brand of medication may not be available in other countries)
These things have to be put into your checked in baggage with the new rules and regulations. Don't put them in your hand luggage, you may be forced to dispose of them at the security check point.
Personally, I prefer to travel with a matching luggage set or with a "different" color/print on it. I definitely make sure I (tightly) tie up some brightly colored ribbons on my travel luggage to easily identify my bags when they come in on the baggage carousel.
If you are traveling for business, then you will definitely need to take along a laptop bag and a suit bag. Suit bags are more convenient if you do not want to wear your blazer/suit when traveling.
If you buy a soft case garment bag, then this can fit inside your main suitcase. I prefer this, since with the single hand luggage restriction, I prefer to utilise that for my laptop bag.
As my hand luggage, I like to carry a bag that fits my laptop, important papers and a fresh set of clothes. I have had too many incidents of luggage not arriving with me at my destination and when I have training or presentations in the morning, I don't want to attend them in crumpled clothes of the previous day, nor do I want to go shopping at the last moment and make do with ill fitting clothes.
I also like this to be on wheels, so I'm not lugging the weight on my shoulder through huge airports.
I prefer a slightly sportier one, that can also double as a backpack when I'm traveling on holiday.
I like to carry my laptop so I can transfer pictures and work on them when the details are still fresh in my mind. Also in case of a work emergency, I have all my data accessible.
When sightseeing, the laptop can be locked inside the suitcase and the backpack is used to carry the guidebooks, cameras, cap, sunglasses, water and a light snack.
As a woman, we are also allowed to carry a purse when flying. Make sure you remove your cosmetics from this bag before flying and transfer them to your check in luggage. The purse will have a wallet, passport, a pen (for filling out forms), keys, cell phone, camera and any precious items that you cannot afford to lose if the checked in baggage is lost.
These are some basic pointers to consider when packing for your next trip.
1. What are you going to pack, given the number of days you are traveling for?
2. What luggage to carry it in?
What you carry is of course dependent on the number of days you are traveling for, the kind of climate at your location, the kind of events you will be attending.
Carry your toiletries and first aid kit with medicines that you commonly use for things like colds and headaches (your particular brand of medication may not be available in other countries)
These things have to be put into your checked in baggage with the new rules and regulations. Don't put them in your hand luggage, you may be forced to dispose of them at the security check point.
Personally, I prefer to travel with a matching luggage set or with a "different" color/print on it. I definitely make sure I (tightly) tie up some brightly colored ribbons on my travel luggage to easily identify my bags when they come in on the baggage carousel.
If you are traveling for business, then you will definitely need to take along a laptop bag and a suit bag. Suit bags are more convenient if you do not want to wear your blazer/suit when traveling.
If you buy a soft case garment bag, then this can fit inside your main suitcase. I prefer this, since with the single hand luggage restriction, I prefer to utilise that for my laptop bag.
As my hand luggage, I like to carry a bag that fits my laptop, important papers and a fresh set of clothes. I have had too many incidents of luggage not arriving with me at my destination and when I have training or presentations in the morning, I don't want to attend them in crumpled clothes of the previous day, nor do I want to go shopping at the last moment and make do with ill fitting clothes.
I also like this to be on wheels, so I'm not lugging the weight on my shoulder through huge airports.
I prefer a slightly sportier one, that can also double as a backpack when I'm traveling on holiday.
I like to carry my laptop so I can transfer pictures and work on them when the details are still fresh in my mind. Also in case of a work emergency, I have all my data accessible.
When sightseeing, the laptop can be locked inside the suitcase and the backpack is used to carry the guidebooks, cameras, cap, sunglasses, water and a light snack.
As a woman, we are also allowed to carry a purse when flying. Make sure you remove your cosmetics from this bag before flying and transfer them to your check in luggage. The purse will have a wallet, passport, a pen (for filling out forms), keys, cell phone, camera and any precious items that you cannot afford to lose if the checked in baggage is lost.
These are some basic pointers to consider when packing for your next trip.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
India's corporate biggies make multibillion-dollar plans for Egypt
From Economic Times, India
NEW DELHI: Top Indian companies like Essar, Reliance and the Tata group are getting ready to roll out over $20 billion investments in sectors ranging from oil and gas to plastic and fertilisers in Egypt.
"India and Egypt should walk hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder in this globalised world. The Indian economy is growing and so is the Egyptian economy. This is the perfect time for scaling up business ties," said Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation Fayza Aboul Naga.
"The Essar, Reliance and the Tata Group are some of big Indian companies planning multibillion dollar investments in Egypt," Naga told IANS ahead of Trade and Industries Minister Rashid Mohamed Rashid's visit here Tuesday.
"Egypt has multiple advantages for Indian businesses. Indian companies are closer to the cultural mindset of businessmen in Egypt and, therefore, have an edge," Naga said.
Business is clearly now the mantra with the two countries, which were the founder members of the Non-Aligned Movement and pioneers of South-South cooperation.
Soon after the trade minister's visit, a big business delegation led by Aseem Ragab, head of Egyptian Investment Promotion Authority GAFI, will come here to network with Indian businessmen at an investment conclave April 18-20.
Egypt's strategic location that makes it a gateway to the 20-country Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the 27-nation European Union and the Arab Free Trade Area has been a major magnet for globally ambitious Indian companies.
Egypt is determined to cash in on a new strategic and economic synergy emerging with India that will be sharply in focus when President Hosni Mubarak comes here on his first visit in a quarter of a century.
"India is emerging as an economic power. It's a source of pride for us in Egypt. The Egyptian economy is also growing at over eight percent annually. There are a lot of complementarities," Naga stressed.
The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector company, has decided to spend over $11 billion in oil refining, petrochemicals and plastics industries in Egypt.
The Reliance group is no stranger to the shores of the Nile. Reliance Petroleum Limited, a subsidiary of the Reliance group, has been importing and marketing Egyptian crude oil over the last seven years.
The Ruias-owned Essar Group is also brimming with ideas for investment in Egypt. A $9 billion refinery tops their list, which also includes a plan to set up a steel plant in the pharaoh's land.
Tata Chemicals is planning $1.2 billion investment in a fertiliser plant in Egypt. The Aditya Birla Group has already set up a joint venture plant in Alexandria to produce acrylic fibre and is playing with some more ambitious investment ideas.
The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), the Oberoi Group that runs a hotel near the pyramids in Cairo and the Kirloskar Group are already entrenched in the burgeoning Egyptian market.
Bilateral trade between India and Egypt touched $2.2 billion in 2006, compared to China's nearly $3 billion trade with Egypt. India and Egypt are eyeing an ambitious target of achieving $10 billion bilateral trade by 2010.
The two countries have identified IT, oil and gas, agriculture and food processing as some of key areas for closer collaboration.
NEW DELHI: Top Indian companies like Essar, Reliance and the Tata group are getting ready to roll out over $20 billion investments in sectors ranging from oil and gas to plastic and fertilisers in Egypt.
"India and Egypt should walk hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder in this globalised world. The Indian economy is growing and so is the Egyptian economy. This is the perfect time for scaling up business ties," said Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation Fayza Aboul Naga.
"The Essar, Reliance and the Tata Group are some of big Indian companies planning multibillion dollar investments in Egypt," Naga told IANS ahead of Trade and Industries Minister Rashid Mohamed Rashid's visit here Tuesday.
"Egypt has multiple advantages for Indian businesses. Indian companies are closer to the cultural mindset of businessmen in Egypt and, therefore, have an edge," Naga said.
Business is clearly now the mantra with the two countries, which were the founder members of the Non-Aligned Movement and pioneers of South-South cooperation.
Soon after the trade minister's visit, a big business delegation led by Aseem Ragab, head of Egyptian Investment Promotion Authority GAFI, will come here to network with Indian businessmen at an investment conclave April 18-20.
Egypt's strategic location that makes it a gateway to the 20-country Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the 27-nation European Union and the Arab Free Trade Area has been a major magnet for globally ambitious Indian companies.
Egypt is determined to cash in on a new strategic and economic synergy emerging with India that will be sharply in focus when President Hosni Mubarak comes here on his first visit in a quarter of a century.
"India is emerging as an economic power. It's a source of pride for us in Egypt. The Egyptian economy is also growing at over eight percent annually. There are a lot of complementarities," Naga stressed.
The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector company, has decided to spend over $11 billion in oil refining, petrochemicals and plastics industries in Egypt.
The Reliance group is no stranger to the shores of the Nile. Reliance Petroleum Limited, a subsidiary of the Reliance group, has been importing and marketing Egyptian crude oil over the last seven years.
The Ruias-owned Essar Group is also brimming with ideas for investment in Egypt. A $9 billion refinery tops their list, which also includes a plan to set up a steel plant in the pharaoh's land.
Tata Chemicals is planning $1.2 billion investment in a fertiliser plant in Egypt. The Aditya Birla Group has already set up a joint venture plant in Alexandria to produce acrylic fibre and is playing with some more ambitious investment ideas.
The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), the Oberoi Group that runs a hotel near the pyramids in Cairo and the Kirloskar Group are already entrenched in the burgeoning Egyptian market.
Bilateral trade between India and Egypt touched $2.2 billion in 2006, compared to China's nearly $3 billion trade with Egypt. India and Egypt are eyeing an ambitious target of achieving $10 billion bilateral trade by 2010.
The two countries have identified IT, oil and gas, agriculture and food processing as some of key areas for closer collaboration.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
India Outsources Outsourcing
From Business Today Egypt
April 2008
India Outsources Outsourcing
With worldwide technology spending expected to approach $2 trillion in the next few years, India’s IT titans are building nests outside their borders and Egypt is a prime destination
By Ali El Bahnasawy
For companies who want to outsource back-office operations, India has developed into the market model. But in a world where high-tech spending by both governments and the private sector exceeded $1.7 trillion (LE 9.35 trillion) in 2007, and the size of the global IT outsourcing industry reached $70 billion (LE 385 billion) with a growth of 30% in 2006, even a huge nation like India, which dominates international IT outsourcing with a 2/3 share of the industry, is facing a talent crunch. The solution? Outsource outsourcing.
India-based companies that were once notorious for seducing call centers and IT departments away from the West are now re-exporting their services outside India. Even with India’s massive population, the demand for IT services exceeds the supply of qualified labor in the country’s human resources market. Fueled by local successes, Indian IT companies are now buying companies in America, Europe and Asia to support their extended operations and cater to more than half of the globe’s high-tech needs.
Egypt has been ranked the thirteenth most attractive destination to set up an offshore service, according to a study by A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. The study, which looked at 50 countries, was based on the evaluation of three main factors: financial structure, availability of skilled workers and overall business environment. As a result of reforms to Egypt’s business climate — such as lowering the cost of employment, the increased availability of attractive business properties like Smart Village and flexible income tax regulations — in addition to burgeoning language and computer skills on the part of the Egyptian population, Egypt is becoming a prime destination for India’s IT giants, who are coming to boost the industry as well as take advantage of Egypt’s underutilized workforce.
Read the Entire Article on Business Today Egypt
April 2008
India Outsources Outsourcing
With worldwide technology spending expected to approach $2 trillion in the next few years, India’s IT titans are building nests outside their borders and Egypt is a prime destination
By Ali El Bahnasawy
For companies who want to outsource back-office operations, India has developed into the market model. But in a world where high-tech spending by both governments and the private sector exceeded $1.7 trillion (LE 9.35 trillion) in 2007, and the size of the global IT outsourcing industry reached $70 billion (LE 385 billion) with a growth of 30% in 2006, even a huge nation like India, which dominates international IT outsourcing with a 2/3 share of the industry, is facing a talent crunch. The solution? Outsource outsourcing.
India-based companies that were once notorious for seducing call centers and IT departments away from the West are now re-exporting their services outside India. Even with India’s massive population, the demand for IT services exceeds the supply of qualified labor in the country’s human resources market. Fueled by local successes, Indian IT companies are now buying companies in America, Europe and Asia to support their extended operations and cater to more than half of the globe’s high-tech needs.
Egypt has been ranked the thirteenth most attractive destination to set up an offshore service, according to a study by A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. The study, which looked at 50 countries, was based on the evaluation of three main factors: financial structure, availability of skilled workers and overall business environment. As a result of reforms to Egypt’s business climate — such as lowering the cost of employment, the increased availability of attractive business properties like Smart Village and flexible income tax regulations — in addition to burgeoning language and computer skills on the part of the Egyptian population, Egypt is becoming a prime destination for India’s IT giants, who are coming to boost the industry as well as take advantage of Egypt’s underutilized workforce.
Read the Entire Article on Business Today Egypt
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Satyam launches new facility in Egypt
From The Economic Times
BANGALORE: Satyam Computer Services Ltd, the fourth-ranked software services exporter, said on Wednesday it had inaugurated a software development and support facility in Egypt to tap growing outsourcing business.
New York-listed Satyam, which specialises in business software and offers back-office services, said the centre would have 300 staff and serve customers in the Middle East, North Africa and European regions.
BANGALORE: Satyam Computer Services Ltd, the fourth-ranked software services exporter, said on Wednesday it had inaugurated a software development and support facility in Egypt to tap growing outsourcing business.
New York-listed Satyam, which specialises in business software and offers back-office services, said the centre would have 300 staff and serve customers in the Middle East, North Africa and European regions.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Egypt wants a bite of Indian BPO mkt
From The Economic Times
CAIRO: Egypt has set its sights on grabbing a share of the multi-billion dollar Indian-dominated call centre market and is looking to an unexpected corner for a helping hand, India.
As it makes its pitch to the world, touting a multilingual workforce over India's English-speakers, a time zone shared with Europe and proximity to the US, Egypt is marketing its edge over India to India itself.
The government has sent a high-level delegation to India to convince the IT behemoth to sub-outsource its outsourcing to Egypt.
Several cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries, and Indian industry giants such as Wipro and Satyam have signed agreements to set up support centres in Egypt.
According to the Yankee Group, a US-based technology research and consulting firm in IT outsourcing, Egypt is 15 to 20 years behind India, which has boomed to dominate 60 per cent of the overall offshore market.
But the south Asian giant struggles to maintain an adequate supply of skilled workers, and handing some of the pie to Egypt could be mutually beneficial, Egypt says.
The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) was set up by the government of technocrat Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif in 2004 to guide Egypt's burgeoning IT industry and propel it onto the world stage.
The government hopes to entice major IT players to set up their call centres, accounting and payroll management, known as business process outsourcing (BPO), in Egypt, pumping resources into an industry it hopes will elevate the national economy.
"This sector will lead to a renaissance in Egypt," ITIDA CEO Mohamed Omran told media. So will Egypt become the new India? "Absolutely not," said Omran. "We cannot compete with India, we don't want to compete with India, we want to cooperate with India."
"It's what makes the most sense," said Mai Farouk, an independent IT analyst, currently researching Egypt's outsourcing industry.
"It would help the industry grow and elevate its standard," said Farouk, but she fears that the lack of a formal analysis of Egypt's IT experience so far could send the country down the wrong path.
"There has been no thorough analysis of the Egyptian experience," she told media. "In Egypt, if a type of business is successful, everyone jumps into it. It is an individual and business trend here.
"We need to study and learn from other's mistakes," she said. One problem facing India is the country's poorly planned roads making it difficult for staff to reach some of the outsourcing centres, something Egypt has picked up on.
Far from the clutter of Cairo, the government has allocated a vast expanse of desert to the highly marketed "Smart Village," a gated compound built with state of the art technological services.
The lush techno park already houses industry giants Microsoft, Vodafone, Ericsson and Alcatel among others. At the high-tech Vodafone Egypt offices, employees have already tasted some of that renaissance mentioned by Omran.
Staff have access to their own restaurant, cafe and gym. Sherif Bakir, head of retail at Vodafone Egypt, says the Smart Village has been very enticing for investors as well as new recruits.
"Young graduates in Egypt are attracted by so many factors in the IT industry: the prospects of a career, the salaries (which are four times that of an average starting salary) and the opportunity to work somewhere like Smart Village with all its benefits," he said.
"And in Egypt, being a call centre agent is not seen like being a telephone operator. It's not a dead end job, it's seen as a stepping stone to a career in the IT industry."
But critics say Egypt's outsourcing "boom" won't develop into more than a boutique industry, with the much-touted multilingual and skilled human resource pool amounting to a tiny percentage of Egypt's 76 million population.
A high level of illiteracy, dire poverty and a very large rural population mean that most won't touch the benefits of a booming IT industry.
Omran, of ITIDA, says the figures speak for themselves. "A tiny percentage of a huge population is a lot of people," he said. "We're talking millions. And IT is like blood, it gets into the veins of all industries and sectors."
He is eager to showcase his agency's pride and joy: Xceed, one of the largest contact centres in North Africa and the IT arm of the government-owned Telecom Egypt.
At the 16,000-square-metre (170,000-square-foot) space equipped with "cutting edge fault tolerant IT infrastructure," 1,200 agents offer customer and technical support to General Motors, Microsoft and Oracle among others, in eight languages including English, French, German and Hebrew.
According to Xceed, in 2005, nearly 70 percent of total outsourced Egyptian workstations were supporting local customers. "However, by 2010 this will be nearly completely reversed with 65 percent of Egyptian outsourced workstations servicing foreign end-users."
The ministry of communication and information technology is trying to attract foreign companies with a special focus on call centres, by offering five to 10 year tax exemptions, branding Egypt as a safe oasis in a troubled region.
CAIRO: Egypt has set its sights on grabbing a share of the multi-billion dollar Indian-dominated call centre market and is looking to an unexpected corner for a helping hand, India.
As it makes its pitch to the world, touting a multilingual workforce over India's English-speakers, a time zone shared with Europe and proximity to the US, Egypt is marketing its edge over India to India itself.
The government has sent a high-level delegation to India to convince the IT behemoth to sub-outsource its outsourcing to Egypt.
Several cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries, and Indian industry giants such as Wipro and Satyam have signed agreements to set up support centres in Egypt.
According to the Yankee Group, a US-based technology research and consulting firm in IT outsourcing, Egypt is 15 to 20 years behind India, which has boomed to dominate 60 per cent of the overall offshore market.
But the south Asian giant struggles to maintain an adequate supply of skilled workers, and handing some of the pie to Egypt could be mutually beneficial, Egypt says.
The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) was set up by the government of technocrat Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif in 2004 to guide Egypt's burgeoning IT industry and propel it onto the world stage.
The government hopes to entice major IT players to set up their call centres, accounting and payroll management, known as business process outsourcing (BPO), in Egypt, pumping resources into an industry it hopes will elevate the national economy.
"This sector will lead to a renaissance in Egypt," ITIDA CEO Mohamed Omran told media. So will Egypt become the new India? "Absolutely not," said Omran. "We cannot compete with India, we don't want to compete with India, we want to cooperate with India."
"It's what makes the most sense," said Mai Farouk, an independent IT analyst, currently researching Egypt's outsourcing industry.
"It would help the industry grow and elevate its standard," said Farouk, but she fears that the lack of a formal analysis of Egypt's IT experience so far could send the country down the wrong path.
"There has been no thorough analysis of the Egyptian experience," she told media. "In Egypt, if a type of business is successful, everyone jumps into it. It is an individual and business trend here.
"We need to study and learn from other's mistakes," she said. One problem facing India is the country's poorly planned roads making it difficult for staff to reach some of the outsourcing centres, something Egypt has picked up on.
Far from the clutter of Cairo, the government has allocated a vast expanse of desert to the highly marketed "Smart Village," a gated compound built with state of the art technological services.
The lush techno park already houses industry giants Microsoft, Vodafone, Ericsson and Alcatel among others. At the high-tech Vodafone Egypt offices, employees have already tasted some of that renaissance mentioned by Omran.
Staff have access to their own restaurant, cafe and gym. Sherif Bakir, head of retail at Vodafone Egypt, says the Smart Village has been very enticing for investors as well as new recruits.
"Young graduates in Egypt are attracted by so many factors in the IT industry: the prospects of a career, the salaries (which are four times that of an average starting salary) and the opportunity to work somewhere like Smart Village with all its benefits," he said.
"And in Egypt, being a call centre agent is not seen like being a telephone operator. It's not a dead end job, it's seen as a stepping stone to a career in the IT industry."
But critics say Egypt's outsourcing "boom" won't develop into more than a boutique industry, with the much-touted multilingual and skilled human resource pool amounting to a tiny percentage of Egypt's 76 million population.
A high level of illiteracy, dire poverty and a very large rural population mean that most won't touch the benefits of a booming IT industry.
Omran, of ITIDA, says the figures speak for themselves. "A tiny percentage of a huge population is a lot of people," he said. "We're talking millions. And IT is like blood, it gets into the veins of all industries and sectors."
He is eager to showcase his agency's pride and joy: Xceed, one of the largest contact centres in North Africa and the IT arm of the government-owned Telecom Egypt.
At the 16,000-square-metre (170,000-square-foot) space equipped with "cutting edge fault tolerant IT infrastructure," 1,200 agents offer customer and technical support to General Motors, Microsoft and Oracle among others, in eight languages including English, French, German and Hebrew.
According to Xceed, in 2005, nearly 70 percent of total outsourced Egyptian workstations were supporting local customers. "However, by 2010 this will be nearly completely reversed with 65 percent of Egyptian outsourced workstations servicing foreign end-users."
The ministry of communication and information technology is trying to attract foreign companies with a special focus on call centres, by offering five to 10 year tax exemptions, branding Egypt as a safe oasis in a troubled region.
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