IT.COM 2004 kicks off

IT.COM evokes keen interest from 13 nations
The Hindu Business Line

BILLED as Asia's largest ICT event, IT.COM 2004 kicked off on Monday with business delegations from 13 nations and over 290 companies participating.

The annual five-day event, dogged by controversies about infrastructure issues in the showcase city of Bangalore, nevertheless saw much interest, especially with the 60-company-strong Australian business delegation, the announcement of two UK firms setting up operations in Bangalore and the Tata Honeywell endorsement of Bangalore's potential, with its plans to expand by over 1,000 people in city.

"The momentum continues, and Bangalore has a talent pool that we are here for," the Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab (HTSL) Managing Director, Mr Krishna Mikkilineni, announced here.

Karnataka has seen 92 companies start operations in the first half of this fiscal, and over half of them are 100 per cent foreign equity companies.

"Two companies are starting off in Bangalore every week and we encourage them to set up operations in Mysore, Mangalore, Manipal, Belgaum and Hubli," said the Chief Minister, Mr N. Dharam Singh.

It's a wired world

IT.COM 2004 is the largest wi-fi-enabled space and event in the country, with a footprint of over 25,000 sq. metres, and the hotspot will enable delegates and visitors connect whenever they want to, where ever they want to, said Mr B.V. Naidu, Director, STPI, one of the hosts of the event.

All visitors to the fair were enabled to watch all events live on "the country's largest LCD screen."

The Rural Internet Quiz that is part of the IT.COM event has seen participation by over 61,000 students, according to Mr Shankaralinge Gowda, Secretary, Department of IT, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Govt of Karnataka. The event also offers graduates the chance to go through a BPO skills Assessment Test, conducted by a government agent, and an BPO Career Mart where a number of ITeS players, such as ICICI OneSource and Convergys, are hiring.

The BSAT includes voice testing and online-administered quizzes whose results would be mailed to participants.