Content development for applications is an area of “tremendous growth”, according to Nokia’s Middle East and Africa head of marketing Steve Lewis.

The Finish phone manufacturer posted downloads of almost 2 million applications a week in its mobile applications store, Ovi.

“Apps provide a great opportunity for companies to communicate with customers. Usage of mobile internet services has been highest in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” says Lewis.

Mobile downloads in Saudi Arabia have reached 50 terabytes a day on average. This is four times the Scandinavian average, which has the highest download rates in Europe. Mobile applications typically return low profit margins in Europe, but since telecoms providers have the power to charge high premiums in the Middle East, the potential to monetise the mobile market is great.

Nokia provides publications tools for developers to create applications in Arabic.

There has been a 72 per cent growth in the number of Middle East application developers with published content in the Ovi store within the past three months.