Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a data processing, hosting and web portals business do?
It provides hosting infrastructure and data processing services, processes client data, and operates web portals such as search and content sites that serve information to users.
What does this activity cover?
It covers hosting infrastructure, specialised hosting and application services, processing data supplied by clients, and operating search and content portals that act as gateways to the Internet.
How large is the UAE data centre market?
The UAE data centre market is worth around USD 1.5 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach nearly USD 3.9 billion by 2031.
Why is demand for hosting and data processing strong in the UAE?
Cloud migration and data-residency rules push organisations to host and process data locally, and near-universal internet use keeps demand for storing and serving data high.
Is this activity different from computer programming?
Yes. This activity provides hosting, data processing, and portals. Writing the software that runs on that infrastructure is computer programming, a separate activity.
How to Start a Data Processing, Hosting and Web Portals Business with Meydan Free Zone
Every website that loads, every app that syncs, and every dataset a company relies on lives somewhere, on a server, in a data centre, behind a portal. That somewhere is an industry of its own. Data processing, hosting and related activities, together with web portals, is the business of storing, processing, and serving the information the digital economy runs on.
The UAE data centre market is worth around USD 1.5 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach nearly USD 3.9 billion by 2031, growing about 17 percent a year, according to Mordor Intelligence¹.
The country now hosts dozens of data centre facilities and the regional cloud regions of the largest global providers, positioning it as a digital gateway between Asia, Africa, and Europe. With internet penetration close to 99 percent², that infrastructure serves both the businesses that process and host data and the portals that deliver it to users.
Hosting, data processing, and web portals are the layer beneath everything online. The UAE has invested heavily in that layer, which makes it both large and fast-growing.
Sources: Mordor Intelligence: UAE Data Center (2026); DataReportal: Digital 2025 UAE (2025).
A data processing, hosting and web portals business sells infrastructure and reach: somewhere for data and websites to live, and a way for users to find and use them. It spans two related jobs, storing and processing information for clients, and operating the portals that serve information to the public.
Businesses, platforms, and content providers rely on it to keep their data available and their services online.
The demand is structural, because nothing online works without it. Every company that moves to the cloud needs hosting and data processing; every website and app needs infrastructure behind it; and every portal that aggregates content or search needs to be operated and maintained. The UAE has made this a national priority, with data-residency rules pushing organisations to host locally and hyperscale providers building regional capacity.
With the data centre market growing at around 17 percent a year and internet use near universal, demand for storing, processing, and serving data is among the most dependable in the digital economy.
From hosting and data processing to the portals that serve it, the UAE rewards businesses that keep the digital economy's information stored, processed, and reachable.
Who is this for?
- Hosting and data centre service providers: Providers offering hosting infrastructure and data processing services to clients.
- Data processing firms: Firms processing client data and generating reports and data services from it.
- Web portal operators: Operators running search and content portals that serve information to internet users.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate a data processing, hosting and web portals business in a fast-growing digital infrastructure market.
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6310.00 - Data Processing, Hosting & Related Activities; Web Portals
Under this activity, you are licensed to carry out data processing, hosting, and related activities, as well as the operation of web portals.
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There are clear boundaries on this activity. It covers the hosting, processing, and serving of data and the operation of web portals. It is distinct from writing the software that runs on that infrastructure, which is computer programming, and from designing or managing a client's wider computer systems, which is computer consultancy and facilities management.
This activity provides the infrastructure and the portals, not the software or the systems design behind them.
The line is precise. If your business hosts and processes data or operates web portals, you are in. If you write software, design and manage computer systems, or sell hardware, you are not.
Third-Party Approval: No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
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Citations
¹ Mordor Intelligence. UAE Data Center Market. Mordor Intelligence, 2026.
² DataReportal. Digital 2025: The United Arab Emirates. DataReportal, February 2025.
