Software sector urged to focus on mobile innovations

Global software provider Microsoft is urging the Philippines' software industry to develop a niche in software development especially in developing innovations for mobile products.

Microsoft Asia Pacific general manager for corporate marketing Oliver Roll said that Filipino software developers could take advantage of the all-time-high mobile industry in the Philippines, being the leading mobile economy in the world.

Roll was here in Cebu recently as one of the guest speakers during the recently concluded International ICT Conference and Exhibition, and discussed on the (further) development of a Robust Software Industry.

He said the Philippines could make the software industry as its "shining star" in ICT sector, if industry players should well recognized the opportunities for software development both in the domestic and foreign markets.

He mentioned that the country's improving economic fundamentals is demonstrating good opportunities for software developers to see the huge opportunity.

The Philippines' niche in the mobile market should serve as a gateway for Filipino software developers to take advantage to, and make world-shocking mobile software innovations that could take the attention of the worldwide market.

"You are the leading mobile economy in the world, you're sending more than five million SMS a day, find opportunities in this particular market," Roll told IT professionals, especially the software developers in the country.

He said the number of software developers in the Philippines is growing dramatically every year- it is well complimented by the government's full support to boost the ICT sector.

Roll recommended for the Philippines to act immediately right now, as other countries are also finding its niche in the software development. He mentioned that the amazing success story of Singapore and India as one of the benchmarks.

China, on the other hand, he warned that it is trying to catch in developing in home-based software developers.

In Microsoft's intent to help the potential software development industry in the Philippines, this Bill Gates founded company initiated a support for the creation of Fly High: Philippine Software 2010, a blueprint of the software industry players on how to make it a global player in the next five years.

Fly High is meant to convey the lofty potential of which the Philippine software industry is capable. "Philippines Software" identifies the sector. "2010" provides a time-bound objective.

Microsoft has worked together with Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and the Commission on Information & Communications Technology (CITC), to undertake a series of consultative workshops to identify action items required stimulating growth of the Philippines software sector.

The workshop participants included representatives of the software industry, academe, government, business chambers, and media. Thus the birth of Fly High: Philippines 2010 that identified five priority Action Areas and 21 Action Items for urgent implements.

This includes, among others; arresting the brain-drain trend, increasing number of homegrown software development companies with international quality standards, hiring at least 100,000 software workers in the next five years, government software investment to increase 10 percent annually, effectively branding the software development industry in the Philippines, increase intellectual property compliance for software-at least three percent (down) annually.