Sales in ‘spying’ technology up in Middle East

Sales of surveillance and security cameras in the Middle East are growing nearly 50 per cent faster than in the rest of the world. And IP network cameras, which enable monitoring and recording of video over the internet, saw a 40 per cent hike in sales.

Images from an IP  or internet protocol  camera can be viewed anywhere in the world on a computer.

Axis Communications, a leading provider of network video, said the Gulf region last year witnessed a 60 per cent jump in surveillance and security camera sales compared with 42 per cent growth globally.

Gilles Ortega, the firm’s regional manager, said the Gulf market was witnessing tremendous growth because it was an early convert to the new IP technology. “IP adoption is much faster in the region than in the West, which is still relying largely on the analogue cameras.

 

Though they are slowly switching to IP, the rate of adoption is much quicker in the Middle East.

“Our worldwide sale of IP-based surveillance cameras touched one million in 2007. We are targeting a total sale of 10 million units by 2010. And 47 per cent of the total sales were generated in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Axis focuses on the professional segment of the network video market and has customers in education, transport, government, retail, banking and industry. A study estimates Axis’s market share for network cameras is 46 per cent in EMEA.