Technology

ICTA calls for Govt funds to set up 400 Nanasalas

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) has called for funds from the government to set up 400 Nanasalas to improve the IT literacy rate of the rural communities and bridge the digital divide, said Program Manager ICTA, Fayaz Hudah.

The Nanasala program creates a platform for rural people to communicate with the rest of the world. The geographical isolation will not be a hindrance for their economic prosperity.

Lack of professionals, a Sri Lankan brand and poor infrastructure facilities are the main drawbacks to develop the IT-BPO industry in the country.

The universities produce only around 1,000 graduates in the IT and IT related fields annually. According to a national IT workforce survey the demand for IT graduates this year will be over 5,000.

Compared to India which has over two million employed in the IT-BPO industry, Sri Lanka has only around 11,000 employees with around US$ 200 million in export value addition.

Hudah said the ICTA has been calling upon the government to encourage private sector investment in education, given the limited intake in universities which is around 12 percent.

Accredited private institutions should be encouraged to train students who are unable to pursue higher studies in English and other academic fields in the IT-BPO industry.

ICTA had proposed to increase the visibility of Sri Lanka as a destination for more IT-BPO outsourcing companies to be set up.

"Connectivity in Sri Lanka is comparatively higher than most countries in the region. The government needs to find a solution to reduce the connectivity cost which impedes the growth of the IT industry", Hudah said.

The idea of setting up an IT university has been taken up at various discussions but to-date no steps have been taken to make it a reality.

The IT-BPO industry in Sri Lanka is considered the fifth largest export earner. The industry should take advantage of the emerging global opportunities.

The global expenditure on new technology will exceed US$ two trillion by 2010 and the outsourcing industry will grow rapidly. The global market for IT-BPO outsourcing is US$ 330 billion while only around 10 percent of the market is being serviced.

According to a market survey India's IT-BPO revenue will top US$ 60 billion this year.

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PC House to market latest Gigabyte range of motherboards

PC House Ltd., a leading IT solutions provider and the sole distributor for Gigabyte Motherboards and Graphic Cards in Sri Lanka since 1997, is set to introduce the latest range of Motherboards from Gigabyte United Inc. to the local market. Gigabyte products and manufacturing systems have been certified by ISO 9001, ISO 9002, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and IECQ 080000.

PC House will market a range of Gigabyte motherboards such as, The GA-P35-DS3R and GA-P35-DS3P, featuring the latest intel P35 Series Chipsets to cater to the needs of PC enthusiasts and general users alike. This new introduction has revitalised the international hardware industry standards with their unmatched performance, durability and flexibility.

P35 series motherboards support DDR2 RAM speed up to 1066MHZ and the latest Intel Core 2 multi-core and upcoming 45nm processors. In addition, Gigabyte Ultra Durable 2 motherboards are equipped with the Gigabyte propriety Silent-Pipe thermal technology as well as the built-in-high-definition 7.1+2 channel Realtek ALC889A sound chip, whose 106dB signal-to-noise ratio significantly reduces noise during signal transmission and supports Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for an exhilarating home theatre entertainment experience.

Describing this latest addition to PC House product portfolio, Product Manager Gigabyte Ravindra Jayasinghe said, "PC House is committed to introduce and upgrade the IT industry standards in Sri Lanka.

As a pioneering IT solutions provider, we have worked painstakingly to introduce state-of-the art IT technology to Sri Lanka and to get into strategic partnerships with giant global IT product manufacturers to bring down to best quality technology, components and accessories to the local market.

Likewise we are sure; the latest introduction by Gigabyte will transform the hardware industry in the country as Motherboards are considered as the foundation of a computer."

Head of Marketing of PC House Rizwan Anise said, "As we have a well established network of regional offices operating in all parts of Sri Lanka, we are in a position to take down the new technologies we bring in to grass- root levels. As such we should be able to make Gigabyte Ultra Modern 2 Motherboards available islandwide within a fortnight.

EPSI, Dialog Telekom to promote ASUS V2 series 3G Notebooks

EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd, the sole authorised distributor for ASUS in Sri Lanka, partnered with Dialog Telekom PLC, the largest mobile operator in Sri Lanka with over four million subscribers, representing approximately 60 percent of Sri Lanka's cellular market to promote ASUS V2 Series 3G Notebooks which are now Dialog 3G ready.

Head of Marketing EPSI Computers Rukshan Jayawardene, said that ASUS V2 Series 3G notebooks are one of the pioneering notebook manufacturers, to launch the 3G ready notebook, whereby now users in Sri Lanka can purchase a Dialog 3G SIM card and install it on the rear section of the ASUS V2 series 3G notebook.

He said that this technology was introduced for the first time in Sri Lanka, whereby a Dialog 3G SIM can be installed on the ASUS V2 Series 3G Notebook and thus it allows the user to have total connectivity whilst on the move.

Dialog Telekom had certified ASUS V2 Series 3G Notebooks as 'Dialog 3G Ready' and was quite happy to partner with Dialog Telekom to launch ASUS V2 Series 3G Notebook.

More grants to obtain quality certifications for IT-BPO companies - ICTA

ICTA has already pledged over USD 180,000 in grants to 13 domestic ICT companies to obtain internationally recognised quality certifications and this process is under way.

These certifications are requirements for the growth of the ICT industry, as most international clients look for such certifications before work alliances are committed to with a local partner. For example, if any IT company wishes to bid for a World Bank contract, the requirements call for a CMMI Level 4 certification.

Programme Manager at ICTA, Fayaz Hudah, said, "Almost all successful Indian ICT outsourcing firms possess these certifications and the Chinese government is also encouraging its ICT outsourcing firms to obtain them, offering tax credits upon certification.

However, as Sri Lankan ICT companies, while fast growing, are still relatively small, they do not usually have the funds to obtain such certification which can cost over USD25,000."

This gap is being addressed by the ICBP, which gives short-term boosts to such companies.

It provides funding for the certification process to ensure that when local ICT firms take their services to the international market, they are on par with any other firm in the world. The ICBP, a USD 5.3 million fund overseen by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and implemented by PricewaterhouseCoopers Sri Lanka, consists of several strategies that aim at developing the local ICT industry.

The ICT Capacity Building Programme (ICBP) said grants of up to USD 15,000 each are available for ICT companies to meet part of the cost of obtaining internationally recognised business certifications.