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ABU DHABI / Reuters
Billionaire Mohamed Alabbar, one of Dubai’s most prominent businessmen, plans a phone messaging service for the Middle East that aims to compete with services such as WhatsApp. Alabbar, who made his fortune as the chairman of Dubai’s largest listed property developer, Emaar Properties, has been moving into other areas, in particular technology.
Asked on the sidelines of 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. He declined to give any further details.