ICTV signs development partnership with Danish firm, Next Mobile

Publicly listed Information Capital Technology Ventures (ICTV) has entered into a development partnership agreement aimed at boosting its competitive advantage in the fast growing information technology sector.

The agreement was entered into by ICTV with REWSS A/S, a Danish-based company with an operations and development hub in the Philippines, and Next Mobile, a local mobile telephone system operator.

REWSS provides Network Business Intelligence (NBI) software solutions for telecommunications operators worldwide with clients in the USA, Europe, Africa and Asia for various network technologies including CDMA, GSM and UMTS (2G and 3G).

Using Next Mobile’s network infrastructure, REWSS will develop its REWSS tools for the iDEN Motorola technology. ICTV will handle the project management role and use the end solution for iDEN in handling Next Mobile’s Network Operations Center, ICTV president Wilfred Racadio said.

Just recently, the ICTV board gave management the go-signal to apply for the transfer of its shares listing from the SME board to the Second Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange as may be approved by the PSE.

ICTV officials earlier expressed confidence that the company is well on its way to being a major player in the fast growing technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) sector.

According to research conducted by top US investment bank Morgan Stanley, there are several key related trends in the global TMT industry, including the tremendous rise in emerging TMT markets and the compelling growth of global residential broadband services.

Added to this is the fact that the global Internet is increasingly mobile-centric because of the availability of mobile devices that are getting more and more compact, and functional laptop computers that offer increasing levels of connectivity and mobility. As a result, mobile services with basic Internet connectivity are therefore expected to enter their own “sweet spot” (to use the market term) of adoption within two years.

Another factor is the accelerating pace of global innovation, with the innovation coming from outside the United States in areas related to broadband and mobile Internet, with global investors appearing to be willing to support it.

All in all, Internet leaders, for the most part, are well positioned, and increasingly, are vying to become next-generation communication hubs, the research showed.

In its bid to join the sunrise TMT industry, the ICTV board approved an amendment to the primary business purpose of the corporation to allow it to engage in the business of providing telecommunications (VAS), media (except mass media) and information technology products and services.