Supporting the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

Dubai, United Arab Emirates- 5 May, 2014: Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA) is transforming into a wireless smart city, becoming the first free zone in the region to integrate free WiFi connectivity and smart services in its territory.

The wireless development process is done in collaboration with GOWEX, a leading company in creating Wireless Smart Cities, and will be divided into three phases. The first one will run in May allowing citizens and machines (M2M) to connect in a smoother and smarter way.

Ayoub  Al Hammadi, Senior Director of Corporate Support at DAFZA said:" At DAFZA, we always look for ways to improve our tenants' experience and facilitate their businesses. By integrating Wi-Fi connectivity, our tenants and employees will have an internet free access and a download speed of 1Mb."

DAZFA's step to transform into a smart free zone comes to support the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to transform Dubai into a "Smart City", to link the government services and the public through the use of smart devices accessed freely using high-speed wireless internet connections.

DAFZA headquarter, buildings, facilities and public areas will have free Wi-Fi after the deployment of 500 hotspots, which will also be installed at DAFZA transport facilities.

Mr. Jenaro Garcia Martin, CEO of GOWEX said:" We are proud to work with DAFZA, the number one Free zone in the world- according to Financial Times- as it hosts more than 1,600 companies from different countries and contributes with 8% to Dubai's trade. By this agreement, DAFZA joins a global network of more than 80 Smart Cities in 5 continents as New York, Madrid, San Francisco, Paris etc."

Dr. Saad AlMubayedh, CEO of THTC which is the local partner of GOWEX added," At DAFZA, we are creating a significant intelligent network with the latest information and communication technology "

For a free internet connection, users only need to detect the network using their mobile devices - smartphones, tablets, etc., and once connected they will have access to a validation site where they can register to start navigating through the services.

The project will benefit the employees and companies based at DAFZA, as it will bring in smart services that will work for free.

-Ends-

About Dubai Airport Freezone:
Established in 1996 as a part of the Dubai Government's strategic plan to be an investment driven economy, Dubai Airport Freezone is one of the fastest growing premium free zones in the region. The free zone is currently home to over 1600 companies from various industry sectors, including aviation, freight and logistics, IT and telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, engineering, food & beverage, jewellery and cosmetics. Located strategically within the boundaries of Dubai International Airport, DAFZA offers a range of modern facilities with a state-of-the-art infrastructure.

International investors can enjoy dynamic growth through DAFZA's excellent incentive packages including 100 per cent tax exemption, 100 per cent foreign ownership and no currency restrictions. Situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, the DAFZA is a gateway providing access to over 2.5 billion consumers.

In 2012, DAFZA was named number one Free Zone in the World by Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) magazine, moving up from second place in 2011. Other accolades with fDi include the top Middle East Free Zone of the future 2013/14. This is the third time in sequence DAFZA to be named the fDi's Middle East of the Future including the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

DAFZA's commitment to quality is recognized by worldwide ISO certificates for Quality, Environment, Health & Safety and Information Security Management System, as well as Complaints Handling System. In 2010, DAFZA won the Dubai Quality Appreciation Programme award in the service category and in 2012 it was named Best free zone in the world by fDi.

About Gowex:
GOWEX is a company that has been operating in the telecommunication market since 1999 and is now leader in the creation of Wireless Smart Cities, providing Free & Premium WiFi connectivity in the public places and on transportation. The creation of these Wireless Smart Cities® not only enhances the cities digital infrastructure management capabilities facilitating wider eCommerce. But also improves the everyday lives of people by allowing them to connect to the internet for free, when they are out and about.

With offices in Madrid, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Costa Rica, GOWEX has developed a sustainable business to business model for its WiFi networks, which also benefits Municipalities, network users, franchises, associations and carriers. The business model is based on operational efficiencies and high technical qualities, which are patented and built in to the 2 architectural platforms: 1) the Roaming platform, which allows users to connect for free in all of Gowex's Wireless Smart Cities ,2) the Advertising and Geolocalized Content Platform which is financed through marketing and advertising agreements, allows network users to be connected and importantly contacted according to their location.

On 12 March 2010, the company was listed on the Mercado Alternativo Bursátil (MAB), with an initial price of €3.5 per share. On 15 June 2010, Gowex became the first and only Spanish [SMB - in full] to list its shares on two exchanges (a "Dual Listing") with quotations on both the MAB stock market (GOW) and on the NYSE-Alternext (ALGOW).

The company has demonstrated continuous growth since 2008, and in 2012 achieved a turnover of €114.3 million and net profit of E17m. In February 2013, the SEC approved the launch of a programme of ADRs (American Depositary Receipts), enabling GOWEX to also be traded in the United States on the OTC market. In December 2012, GOWEX finished a capital increase of about 18 million giving entered large institutional investors.

© Press Release 2014