During the late ’90s, when the internet was still known to the few, a leader had envisaged how the same is going to whip up a storm globally. Maher Elfadel Aboukadir, Chief Executive Officer of Vision Valley, set up the firm as a systems integration company, diversified into telecommunications, networking and information technology industries in Dubai in 2002. Prior to starting Vision Valley, Maher worked with a major telecom operator in the region, building the internet infrastructure and services in the UAE. “The project started in 1994; the same time the commercial internet was at its infancy stage. Since we had no means to do research on the internet, we built a small lab and initiated self-learning on the internet. After establishing internet services in the UAE, the same was extended to other regions like APAC, Europe and USA’s East and West Coasts.” Simultaneously, Maher was also educating the public on the usage of the internet.

The Journey

Maher’s launch of his startup ‘Vision Valley’ demonstrated his bold decision to quit his established corporate life to venture out on his own. “Having only two full-time staff and growing organically to over 300 engineers with operations in three continents to become one of the most successful ICT providers in EMEA was indeed a feat,” notes Maher. “By 2005, the company was the recipient of ‘the most sophisticated video collaboration network’ award, while 2009 saw the company winning an award for the best SI of Video collaboration in EMEA keeping 700 companies (mostly from Europe) on the back seat. “As a result of the repeated major successes, one of the top vendors of telecommunication products offered to acquire Vision Valley which I instantly rejected and decided to continue as per the company’s strategy,” adds Maher.

IoT and the Smart City Connection

Noting that the advent of the internet brought in the concept of Smart Cities, Maher says: “At Vision Valley, we identified IoT & Smart Cities as a new line of business starting around 2010. Since then, we devoted a massive investment in learning, research, and development as well as building a robust ecosystem of partners getting ready for what we assumed was going to emerge as a landslide wave of technology followed by a similar wave of business needs. “Maher notes that the first project deploying the concept of the smart city where Vision Valley played a key role, happened in Dubai. “This place has become the role model in the region and many other parts of the world inspiring other cities around the globe. This project opened the door for other opportunities and many neighboring markets. We then moved into a parallel strategic objective; developing certain products that support the same notion of smart cities in a big way. This wave started with Letuno® then a chain of products carries the name ‘Spectro’.