JEDDAH — Strong demand for access control systems in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) has paved the way for the world's leading commercial security providers to ring in the New Year with their latest solutions when the 17th edition of Intersec opens in Dubai this month. Worth $200 million in 2014, the MEA access control market is estimated to grow 15 per cent annually up to 2018, when it will reach nearly $500 million, according to consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan. The double-digit growth is fuelled by increased infrastructure spending across the region, with wireless locks, IP-enabled devices and iris detection systems among the latest access control technologies to be showcased at Intersec 2015, the world's largest trade fair for the security, safety, and fire protection industries. Taking place on Jan. 18-20 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Intersec will feature more than 1,200 exhibitors, with 300 specializing in access control systems such as access cards, physical access (locks, bollards, turnstiles, gates), and biometrics (finger prints, palm geometry, vein, and facial technology). Among the world's top 10 commercial security providers exhibiting at the three-day event is Swedish lock manufacturer ASSA ABLOY, which will launch a range of new products including Yale ENTR – a wireless smart lock solution that allows users to control door locks from smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth enabled devices. ASSA ABLOY is the largest global supplier of intelligent locks and security solutions, accounting for more than one in ten of all lock and security installations worldwide. — SG
