Canadian wireless companies girding for international deals in Hong Kong

The federal government plays a crucial role in helping Canadian telecommunications and wireless companies enter new export markets and create business partnerships, according to one company heading to the International Telecommunication Union’s ITU World 2006 event in Hong Kong this month. Kevin McCormack, director of market for NewStep Networks, a Toronto-based provider of fixed-mobile convergence products, tells Report on Wireless in an interview that getting exposure to 14 markets in the Asia-Pacific region would have been nearly impossible without the help of the Canadian government. "It definitely helps…for a small company," he says. "All the logistics and details to have a presence would be significantly more difficult to arrange had we not leveraged the Canadian Pavilion while we were there," McCormack states. Time is saved by also working through the Canadian government’s existing channels. "For us to do it and hit so many countries , you need someone who is extremely well connected to drop in there, but that is difficult," says McCormack. "So the time and the amount of energy and people required to would have been significantly greater." A number of Canadian companies will be in Hong Kong from December 4 to 8 peddling their wares to firms in the Asia-Pacific region as they try to seek new international trading partners. The delegation will be part of the Canadian Pavilion at the ITU World 2006 Living the Digital World event. Two of the key services provided by the Canadian Pavilion will be match-making opportunities and presentations from 14 trade commissions, each representing a country in the Asia-Pacific region. Potential trade partners from Canada and the region will be matched to explore potential opportunities. Each trade commission will give a 30-minute presentation about the trade opportunities available in each region. This will be a boon to NewStep, according to McCormack; despite already having a presence at a senior level in some countries, the company isn’t visible in all of them. "We’re definitely going to gain a better understanding of the opportunities across Asia-Pacific, as opposed to just in the key markets, like Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia where we’ve been active," he says. "We’re going to get a 14-country view." It appears as though just being on the exhibitor list could pay dividends for the three-year-old spin-off from Bell Canada. A couple of systems integration companies from the Asia-Pacific region have already contacted NewStep inquiring about setting up meetings. "Just that in itself has proven to be very valuable because could become a representative partner or channel to market for a particular country," McCormack says. There’s also a chance NewStep could announce a major deal with a leading service provider in the region that has mindshare and is bullish on fixed-mobile convergence. McCormack describes the deal as being on the fence but one people are working hard to finalize during the event. This year’s ITU World marks the first time it has been held outside of Geneva, and having it in Hong Kong offers tremendous opportunity for Canadian companies looking to break into China, the world’s largest market. NewStep certainly sees the opportunity for its products. Describing NewStep’s product as one that allows for "a single number that’s twinned between your desk phone and your cell phone" and provides seamless handoff between the landline and the cell phone, McCormack suggests that there is a significant opportunity in the Chinese enterprise market for such a system. "We have seen in the last six to 12 months an increased interest in fixed-mobile convergence and it’s just finding the right service, the right application ," he says. Representatives from the Canadian government were unable to comment by press time on its role in helping Canadian companies break into new export markets.

Canadian wireless companies girding for international deals in Hong Kong

News | December 4, 2006

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