Calicut Partners Flourish Under Benevolent Govt
By 360 Magazine Staff
Mumbai, Jul 24, 2007
Spurred by the state government's initiatives introduced over the last 2 years, the IT market in
Calicut is on its way to becoming a
prime IT hub of Kerala. The 40 channel partners who attended the DI Yatra event were all praise for the government's support in promoting the growth of the IT market.
"The Kerala government is working on different projects to establish IT infrastructure and information technology parks. Many IT bodies are helping the government in their mission," said Vinod Kumar N., president of the Malabar Information Technology Dealers Association (MITDA).
As part of its efforts to boost the IT sector in the state, the government is planning to convert a shut Birla factory into an IT academy ."The fruits of the government's initiatives will be visible in a couple of years and we will compete with Kochi and Trivandrum as a prime IT hub of Kerala," said Rajesh Punappan, proprietor of Tar Energy Systems.
According to Kumar,
Calicut accounts for the sale of around 1,800 desktop PC's and 1,500 laptops. Unlike other cities, branded goods are selling more than the assembled ones in this city where brands like Acer and Compaq have established a firm foothold.
The partners said that the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) segment was driving the sales in the city. "Sixty percent of the demand can be attributed to the home segment, whereas 30 percent to the small offices, and the rest from the corporate sector," said Kumar.
Calicut's lone IT association, the MITDA, is aiming to connect every phone in Calicut with an internet connection by 2010. Formed in 2003, MITDA is scheduled to have its general elections next week.
HP and Logitech made presentations during the event apprising the partners about their respective latest products and channel policies, among others.
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