Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is the UAE BPO market supporting information helplines?
The UAE Business Process Outsourcing market is valued at approximately USD 5.1 billion, per Ken Research, supporting information helpline and directory outsourcing across public sector, tourism, hospitality, financial services and utilities verticals.
What languages do UAE information helplines operate in?
UAE information helplines commonly operate in Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and Malayalam, per Outsource Accelerator, supporting UAE's multicultural resident population and international tourist visitors with 24/7 multilingual coverage.
What drives UAE information helpline demand?
UAE government service digitalisation, 15 million-plus tourist arrivals annually, 13-plus verticals requiring 24/7 information access, and 99 percent internet activity driving hybrid information demand support UAE information helpline growth.
Do I need third-party approval to open an information helpline firm?
No third-party approval is required for activity 8220.99 at the trade licence stage. You still need to comply with UAE Personal Data Protection Law, TDRA regulations and any public sector engagement requirements for government helpline contracts.
What does activity 8220.99 cover?
Activity 8220.99 covers information helpline directory services including public sector information lines, business directory enquiry services, tourist hotlines, insurance and banking information helplines, utilities info lines and multilingual directory services.
How to Start an Information Helpline Directory Business in Dubai with Meydan Free Zone
Government service info lines. Tourist assistance hotlines. Emergency helplines routing to the right responder. Insurance policy lookups. Bank branch and ATM locators. Business directory enquiries connecting a caller to a plumber, tow truck or notary at midnight. Information helpline directory services provide the answer layer for residents, tourists and businesses navigating UAE services and institutions.
Ken Research1 values the UAE Business Process Outsourcing market at approximately USD 5.1 billion, driven by demand for cost-effective information services, cloud-based platforms, automation and the migration of high-volume information and directory work from in-house teams to specialised providers across public and private sectors.
Contact Point 3602 reports UAE information helpline demand is driven by seamless Arabic-English service, UAE-specific etiquette training, hosted omnichannel contact centre stacks and 24/7 availability across 13-plus verticals including government, tourism, hospitality, financial services and utilities requiring reliable information access.
Outsource Accelerator3 reports UAE contact centre operators including iSON Xperiences, IBT and Volga Tigris deliver 24/7 multilingual information services in Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog supporting UAE public sector helplines, hospitality tourist support lines and financial services information platforms.
Andava4 reports 99% of the UAE population is active on the internet with 11 million-plus adult social media users, driving hybrid demand for voice-based information helplines alongside digital and social channel support for consumers and residents seeking authoritative UAE service information.
Whether you are running a public sector information helpline supporting UAE government service enquiries, a specialised business directory enquiry service connecting callers to UAE professionals and vendors, a tourist and hospitality information hotline supporting Dubai and Abu Dhabi visitor programmes, or a multilingual insurance, banking or utilities information helpline serving UAE consumers, this activity covers information helpline directory services.
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A Dubai-licensed information helpline directory provider serves a UAE BPO market valued at approximately USD 5.1 billion, alongside 13-plus verticals requiring 24/7 multilingual information access and a UAE population with 99 percent internet activity and 11 million-plus adult social media users.
Sources: Ken Research (2025), Contact Point 360 (2025), Outsource Accelerator (2026), Andava (2026)
Who is this activity for?
- PUBLIC SECTOR & GOVERNMENT HELPLINES: You run a public sector information helpline supporting UAE government service enquiries, federal and emirate service platforms, DEWA, RTA, DHA, SEHA and MoHAP citizen and resident information lines with multilingual delivery, cloud-based platforms and 24/7 availability under public sector engagement contracts.
- BUSINESS DIRECTORY & CONSUMER HELPLINES: You run a specialised business directory enquiry service connecting UAE consumers to notaries, plumbers, tow trucks, locksmiths, food delivery, taxi services and vendor directories, alongside consumer information helplines for insurance policy lookups, bank branch locators and utilities information under subscription or per-call service models.
- TOURISM, HOSPITALITY & MULTILINGUAL HELPLINES: You run a tourist and hospitality information hotline supporting Dubai and Abu Dhabi visitor programmes, hospitality group information services and multilingual information helplines for insurance, banking and utilities enquiries across Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and Malayalam speaking UAE residents and tourists.
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8220.99 - Information Helpline Directory
Under this activity, you can run an information helpline directory business providing information and directory services to callers. Service range covers public sector information helplines, government service enquiry lines, business directory enquiry services, tourist and hospitality information hotlines, insurance and banking information lookups, utilities information helplines, emergency response routing information and multilingual directory services delivered on subscription, per-call or long-term contract models.
This activity covers information helpline directory services. Related activities such as data processing and hosting or data entry services fall under separate classes within group 631.
In short: if you are running an information helpline, business directory enquiry service or public sector information hotline, this is your activity.
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Third-party approval: No third-party approval is required.
Anti-money laundering compliance: This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
Footnotes
¹ Ken Research, "UAE BPO Market 2019-2030", December 2025.
² Contact Point 360, "Call Center Outsourcing Services in UAE", October 2025.
³ Outsource Accelerator, "Top 40 BPO Companies in UAE", 2026.
⁴ Andava, "100+ Digital Marketing Statistics in the UAE 2026", April 2026.
