Peter Biltsted has been appointed to head up the Dubai office, officially from October first of this year. He has been with Milestone Systems since shortly after the founding, and therefore demonstrates a wealth of expertise about IP video. He has been instrumental in building up the international expansion of Milestone over the last five years, and working with certified Milestone partners in the Middle East whose sales are increasing impressively.

"The UAE region has huge potential and is experiencing a GDP growth of almost 24%. The Dubai subsidiary will also act as a strong Milestone business hub to other regions, such as Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia," says Peter Biltsted, territory manager for the Middle East & Africa.

Dubai has experienced exceptional economic growth over the past few years. The Dubai Strategic Plan, launched under the theme "Dubai...Where the Future Begins", sets out a planned approach to develop the emirate's most dynamic economic sectors. The objectives for Dubai for the year 2015 will triple the country's GDP to $108 billion in 2015, and at the same time boost per capita income from $33,000 to $44,000. Economic growth would average 11 percent per annum. To ensure that they achieve this, they are undertaking a series of extremely ambitious development projects in all commercial sectors. All new construction is incorporating only the 'best of the best', and the newest technology.

IP technology is a core enabler for this strategy. While the market penetration of IP based security products is 10-15% on a worldwide basis, it is already above 30% in the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council) countries. This is illustrated by the focus on more efficient and value-adding technology in the new development projects.