New Zealand companies at BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia

Singapore - New Zealand companies are out in strength showcasing innovative information and communications technology (ICT) solutions at CommunicAsia and Broadcast Asia 2011. Thirteen companies from New Zealand comprise one of the largest delegations this year at Singapore’s premiere ICT show.

“As an industry, ICT is always evolving, always innovating, always on the edge. This spirit of innovation has helped New Zealand technology companies make many significant breakthroughs,” said Ziena Jalil, New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Singapore. “With a strong representation at CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia, they hope to connect with potential partners and explore new markets within Asia and beyond.”

The companies exhibiting at this year’s show are keen to boost their presence in Southeast Asia, with a few of them already having established base operations in Singapore. They provide leading-edge ICT offerings ranging from workflow management and electronic payment software to print optimization and finance and banking solutions.

“Only eight years ago, New Zealand’s ICT industry contributed close to NZ$1.5 billion to the economy. Today, it contributes almost NZ$20 billion and employs approximately 40,000 people,” said Jalil.

“CommunicAsia is a good time for New Zealand ICT companies to forge meaningful links in Southeast Asia,” said Lee Chuan Seng, Chairman of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Southeast Asia Beachheads Advisory Board. “With the growth in the ICT sector in the past few years, an increasing number of niche opportunities are opening up in Southeast Asia for New Zealand ICT companies to apply their expertise. Companies will be able to charge a premium for products or services with differentiation.”

New Zealand has a wide and diverse ICT sector, which includes wireless infrastructure, health IT, transport and logistics technologies, mobile applications including digital content, geospatial, and telecommunications. Telecommunications and program distribution remains the most significant ICT commodity, with electronic devices and equipment the highest-value export commodity.

An early adopter of technology, New Zealand companies are creating specialised applications that are in international demand. Over 50 percent of the frequency control devices used by the GPS industry worldwide are manufactured by New Zealand’s Rakon. In Singapore, New Zealand’s Tait Radio Communications has helped SMRT trains communicate effectively with one another and another New Zealand company, Gencom, built HD studios for ESPN Star Sports. Gencom is exhibiting at BroadcastAsia

Metra, also at BroadcastAsia, is a subsidiary of the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Ltd (MetService). Metra is a full service meteorological agency and provides its Weatherscape XT and Weatherscape Clip products for broadcast and online organisations around the world.