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Mohamed Alabbar, the billionaire and current chairman of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, has stated that he is planning to release a phone messaging service for the Middle East that aims to compete with services such as WhatsApp by being more regionally focused.
Even though Emaar Properties sole focus is property related, Alabbar has diversified his involvement in other areas, mainly technology. The subject of the messaging app came up at a conference in Dubai on Tuesday if he was considering launching a messaging app akin to WhatsApp, Alabbar replied: “Yes, soon,” adding “it’s regional” when asked if the service would be designed for an Arabic-speaking audience.
This isn’t the only step the billionaire has taken when it comes to making investments in the technology sector for the region. He was also behind an investment firm that bought out a stake in logistics company Aramex; a source at the time said it was part of a plan to build an e-commerce platform. Such a platform would, of course, be the prime home for a messaging service.
Source: Gulf News
