A. Pharaon & Partners Law Firm.

Web-enabled phone call service Skype confirmed on Monday that it was to set up its Middle East headquarters in Bahrain, despite the service being banned in neighbouring countries.

At a joint press conference with the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Skype said Bahrain’s liberal and advanced ICT infrastructure and policies and its geographic position providing unparalleled access to the Gulf’s trillion dollar market were key reasons for establishing a regional representative office in the kingdom.

Skype, which allows users to make free voice and video calls through the internet, has been available to consumers in Bahrain for the past two-and-a-half years. It remains blocked in some other Gulf countries, like Oman and the UAE.

Skype’s CEO Josh Silverman said in a statement: “Bahrain provides one of the most energetic environments to support and encourage innovation – with a talented local workforce, and forward thinking economic development strategies that help support business and broaden regional presence.”

He added: “In addition, as a Gateway to the Gulf, Bahrain is the ideal location from which to support our global strategy of making Skype available to as many people as possible wherever they happen to be. The Middle East and Africa has a young, tech savvy population and we believe that Bahrain will play a central role in making Skype even more popular in the region."

The World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010 ranked Bahrain in the top 30 economies, a climb of eight places putting the Kingdom 29 out of 133 economies worldwide.

Bahrain was also ranked first in the Middle East and 13th out of 192 countries worldwide in the 2010 United Nations Global e-Government Readiness Survey.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, chief executive of the EDB, said: "We are delighted that Skype has decided to set up its regional representative office in Bahrain. It is a tremendously innovative company and their decision to move here reflects the positive impact resulting from the economic reforms being driven forward by the EDB in Bahrain." 

Source: Arabian Business