Back

DOHA- QATAR:

The 2019 edition of the Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) came to a close Friday with the announcement of the winners of the Qatar Digital Business Awards (QDBA) and the QITCOM Awards in a prestigious gala presided over by HE Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications.

Now in its fifth year, the annual Qatar Digital Business Awards is one of the most prestigious awards for the digital industry in Qatar, and comes as part of the Ministry of Transport and Communications’ (MoTC) efforts to honour and recognize corporate entities, SMEs and startups that have contributed to the development of the digital industry in Qatar.

For this year’s awards, MoTC received 150 nominations for the various categories of the awards. The nominations, which came from 76 public and private entities including four major banks, were reviewed by a jury made up of industry experts, university professors and government officials.

The awards were presented by HE Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications, and HE Reem Al Mansoori Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in 10 categories:

ICT Service Provider of the Year, Systems Integrator of the Year, Mobile App of the Year, Cloud Solution of the Year, Digital Startup of the Year, Smart Solution of the Year, SME Digital Transformation of the Year, E-commerce Solution of the Year, Innovative Fintech Solution of the Year, ICT Exporter of the Year.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, HE Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, remarked, “The fifth edition of QITCOM was held this year under the theme “Safe and Smart Cities” in a nod to what Qatar is aspiring to achieve and excel at, regionally and globally, and that is the building of safe, smart cities the citizens of which enjoy a high quality of life and services, as well as a robust, diverse and sustainable economy. The notable growth in the outcomes of QITCOM year after year are a key indicator of the progress Qatar has made on its journey towards digital transformation and of the developments in the Qatari market and infrastructure which render it an attractive destination for local and international investments, with the potential to build an exciting future.”

The ICT Service Provider of the Year award, which recognizes the role played by ICT service providers in supporting organizations with the timely provision of services, was presented to A101, after being shortlisted alongside, Ali bin Ali Technology Solutions and GBM Qatar.

The Systems Integrator of the Year award goes to the enterprise systems integrator that can demonstrate high levels of customer satisfaction. This year the award went to Mannai Trading Company after becoming a finalist alongside GBM Qatar and Meeza, 

The Mobile App of the Year accolade is awarded to a business that has pioneered an original mobile app that has enhanced the services offered to its customers. This year 23 entities were nominated for this award, and while Doha Bank and Commercial Bank of Qatar reached the final stages, the award went to Hamad International Airport.

Meeza bagged the award for Cloud Solution of the Year, which recognizes organizations that provides excellence in cloud-based solutions, services and infrastructure. Other finalists included ADGS and emdad.

The Digital Startup of the Year award, which goes to a new product or service that has delivered measurable benefit for customers, went to urbanpoint, after a tough competition with 30 nominees, with applab and Modaris reaching the shortlist.

Smart Solution of the Year award - given to businesses or government entities in the transport, logistics, environment, healthcare or sports sectors, which are the priority sectors targeted by the Smart Qatar program TASMU - went to Bonocle QSTP LLC after being shortlisted with Hamad Medical Corporation and Kinecto Technology and Trading. 

The award for SME Digital Transformation of the Year, awarded to an SME that has successfully deployed innovative digital tools to enhance their operations and services, went to Gulf Times Community, after being shortlisted alongside QGrabs and Royal Art Kitchen Equipment Co.

Meanwhile the E-Commerce Solution of the Year was awarded to E-Butler after being shortlisted alongside getit.qa, QGrabs, and QTSouq.

Innovative Fintech Solution of the Year, which goes to organizations that have disrupted the FinTech space through the implementation of new and innovative solutions, went to debito after being shortlisted alongside Fatora.io, and Qatar Islamic Bank.

Finally, ICT Exporter of the Year went to modaris, after competing in the final stages with Maskan and Q-tickets and Events.

The gala dinner also witnessed the awarding of the QITCOM 2019 awards, which went to eight companies whose booths stood out during the exhibition. The awards were given in six categories: Best Innovative Booth (Hamad bin Khalifa University), Best Interactive Booth (Vodafone), Best Accessible Booth (Qatar National Bank), Best Sustainable Booth (Qatar Rail), and Best Engaging Booth (Huawei Qatar).

The Best Interactive Booth award was given in three sub-categories based on the size of the booth; booths between 36 and 95 square metres in size (Cisco), booths between 95 and 300 square metres in size (Ooredoo) and booths larger than 300 square metres (Microsoft).  

QITCOM 2019, the largest Information and Communication Technology showcase and event in Qatar, was held from 29th October to 1st November at QNCC under the patronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Held under the theme “Safe, Smart Cities” the event featured over 100 speakers, 400 international and local exhibitors including 100 startups and 300 innovators and entrepreneurs.