Singapore Tech Cos Eye India as Research Hub
The Financial Express, 15 December 2003

India is soon to become a research and development (R&D) hub for several Singapore companies, according to iDA Singapore (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore). Already, a few Singapore companies like Purple Ace - a wire-less startup, Xinergy 21, Cleardata Voice (IT infrastructure services company), are evaluating locations in India for setting up R&D bases.

"These companies are looking at setting up R&D centers in the next 12 months or so. Singapore companies are also keen on setting up marketing arms in India to tap the Indian market with their solutions," iDA Singapore country director (India) Mohan Mirwani told eFE.

Other companies like Crimsonlogic and First Apex that already have development centers in Bangalore, are now looking at increasing their R&D activities out of India. "These companies are more than satisfied with the Indian talent pool and now they are looking at a further ramp-up", he said.

iDA is a statutory board in charge of information technology and telecommunications sectors and regulations, policies and promotional activities within these sectors in Singapore.

The other Singapore companies looking at entering India for to sell solutions are National Computer Systems, Singapore Computer Systems and Entech Cybernetics.

Meanwhile, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and iDA are promoting the idea of Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) players establishing the front-end in Singapore with back-end in India.

We are working on a model, where the Indian BPO forms will set up their front-end in Singapore for a better positioning in the international market," Mr Mirwani.

Scandent, a BPO firm with Indian promoters, has already set up its international headquarter in Singapore with its back-end in India.

"Further, there are some large to mid-sized BPO companies in the financial sector looking at Singapore," he said.

iDA is a statutory board of the Singapore government and operates under the ministry of information, communications and the arts (MITA). IDA was formed in December 1999 as a result of a merger between the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore and the National Computer Board.

According to its webstie, iDA offers IT training programs for adoption of e-lifestyle among Singapore residents as well as infocomm skill development.

Tata Consultancy Services and Satyam, leading Indian IT software and services companies, have already made Singapore their Asia-Pacific hub.

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