SMART THINKING

Ring out the backpacks, ring in the flashpacks...and make sure they have notebooks in them. Phuket is ready to byte.

SIPA (Software Industry Promotion Agency) says it plans to work with TOT, CAT telecom and even private players to help put Phuket on the global IT map.

Looking globally, three locations spring to mind, that have have cashed in on the IT wave. The strides made by each of these are staggering. Two of these are right here in Asia.

Cyberjaya, the quaintly named, but famously equipped IT city in Malaysia has drawn rave reviews from whoever has strayed into its hi-tech realms. Situated about 50km south of Kuala Lumpur, located in the district of Sepang, Selangor this township is earning its title as the Silicon Valley of Malaysia.
The idea of the IT city, Cyberjaya, was born of a study by management consultancy McKinsey for the Multimedia Super Corridor, commissioned by the Federal Government of Malaysia, in 1995.

The plan was to create a leading-edge multimedia centre to attract global names in multimedia/IT arenas; cutting-edge infrastructure and an efficient, modern transport system.

Due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, private undertaking was deemed no longer viable--necessitating the government to take over of the 55% and 15% stake in the real estate component, Cyberview, which has remained a government-owned entity ever since.

Cyberjaya houses office and commercial; educational; public and recreational facilities, parks and residential areas, and provides transport; technological and communications features; back-up electricity; district cooling; data centres; call centres and office space.

Clubs offer residents and visitors every conceivable recreation: badminton, squash and tennis courts; table tennis and snooker room, swimming pool, gym, function hall, jogging track and more. The jogging track beside the Cyberjaya Lake connects to the Cyberjaya Lake Garden. Pubs and cafes are part of the leisure time activities.

But perhaps no where else has the IT industry been as effectively mobilised to generate tourism revenue than in the US. Both San Jose and California, IT hot-spots, are liberally hawked as must-see, must-do modern achievements.

Tech parks, fascinating museums, activities galore and learning opportunities cover every block. The merits of visiting the IT cities are showcased in brochures, on the Internet, and other media. The ultimate capital of commercialisation created the package at tremendous profit; and continues to recycle it for more.

DIGI PARADISE

Hard to imagine on an island where your correspondent is still waiting at 5am, hoping for a strong enough Internet connection for high-resolution photographs to condescend to drop into her inbox.
But SIPA is confident it can be done. A digi paradise, is what it's hoping to create. Plans include a 4,000 rai development in the hinterland of Phuket, shaded by mountains and smiled on by the rising sun. Software developers will be handed an innovation centre to help them come up with their brainwaves with everything they need at hand.

A Digi paradise that will, says SIPA, be worth around 100 billion baht by as early as 2010.

Indeed, it has to be said that Phuket has come a long way from where it was ten years ago when, as Joshua Lee of Lee Marine told the Post, the phone provided the only Internet connections, and he would spend all his time alternating between using his phone as a modem or to make crucial calls.
Can Phuket recreate the success of Silicon Valley and Cyberjaya? For now, it seems no more than a pipe-dream. A more practical analogy seems to be Bangalore, India's arguably "by fluke" IT hub.

Planning did not create Bangalore's IT wave--it followed--and has not yet caught up. Roads resemble lunar landscapes; the airport is an embarrassment; traffic is unbelievable and despite the high income, poverty rears its ugly head.

But Bangalore has cashed in. Hotel room rates have shot through the stratosphere. Clubs, pubs, cultural centres, IT schools have proliferated. Traditionally a hip and cool city, Bangalore has a new buzz that its residents are suitably proud of.

The drive along the state highway, between Bangalore and Mysore has been transformed from its incarnation 5 years ago--lined as it was with pump houses, jaggery making units, tea shacks, tender coconut piles and grazing cattle. It now wears a smart, modern suit.

With the `Tourism Corridor' tag, Bangalore is transforming its rural life. Modern eateries, premium ice-cream joints, themed dining and designer real estate beckon tourists.

In addition, traditional trades like the lacquer toy industry and other cottage industries have also begun to thrive, as an off-shoot of increased tourism.

BRINGING IN THE BUCKS

An Information Week analysis of government labour data showed 3,472 million American citizens were employed in IT through the end of the first quarter of 2006. Right then, said the study, more Americans were employed in IT than at any time in the nation's history.

After the economy recuperated from the recession of the early 2000s, corporate confidence returned and companies are re-investing in IT.

Phuket as a digi paradise could mean a plethora of new jobs for all, not only in the IT sectors, but the various support services that would go to providing the infrastructure to the folks with the notebooks.
Perhaps most importantly, this revenue would be untainted by the cultural and moral guilt of the gambling industry and would be spared the wrath of the guardians of the community.

NO PARK WITHOUT PLAYERS

Phuket's ambitious digi project hopes to lure about 20 major software companies within six years.
The Global Outsourcing Centre and National Incubation Centre will aim to increase productivity and raise the bar on the IT profile in the country. SIPA is well-aware of the necessity to make Thai software globally competitive.

Big names are key, for an IT city to develop a reputation. Cyberjaya boasts Dell, DHL, Satyam, Wipro, HSBC, Motorola, OCBC, BMW, IBM, Shell IT, EDS, Monster.com, Vivanova Systems and others. .
Attracting multinational players to come here and develop software for Thailand and the rest of the world is what SIPA is aiming for.

Three more ICT centres--Thailand Digital Content Centre in the capital, Global Outsourcing Centre in the north and National Incubation Centre in the north-east are also being planned.