[April 07, 2006] New Data: UK Mobile Services Are Prime Ground For US IT Companies; Many IT Companies Are Expanding into British Midlands, Datamonitor Analyst Notes; Seattle Area's Eoscene Corporation is One Example Tweet SEATTLE --(Business Wire)-- April 7, 2006 -- Mobile services is a rapidly growing area of opportunity for US IT services companies operating in Europe, with the UK likely to be the largest national market at least through 2008. The new country-based growth analysis was revealed today by Datamonitor analyst William Conner at a Seattle roundtable sponsored by The British Midlands. Speaking at the roundtable, William Conner, EMEA manager for Datamonitor, identified several distinct areas of market opportunity for US IT services companies serving the European market, including mobile services. "The rollout of more complex mobile applications, coupled with concerns regarding security and device management, have translated into services investment from enterprises," Conner said. He indicated that the UK, the leader in mobile services spending in Western Europe, will continue to hold this position through at least 2008, when the UK mobile services industry will reach more than $100 million in revenue. Conner noted that a number of major US IT companies, including IBM, CSC, Sungard, Unisys and Misys, already have operations in the British Midlands. "In general, high technology companies, such as Seattle's own Eoscene Corporation, are finding that the Midlands is a favorable place to serve UK-wide clients," said Vern Sebby, CEO of the British Midlands. "Several reasons include the region's central location, its world-class information and telecommunications infrastructure and its high concentration of computer science graduates." In recent years, Sebby noted, the British Midlands has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of high technology companies. "The number of large, US-based IT services companies located in the Midlands has increased significantly, with companies such as EDS, Perot Systems, Oracle, SAIC, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin conducting business in our region," he said. Eoscene Corporation, a privately held company based in Renton, Wash., has successfully seized on the market opportunity in the British Midlands by forging a customer relationship with Network Rail, which manages British Rail's infrastructure. As part of its software suite, Eoscene has built wireless-enabled mobile data applications that streamline data collection, asset tracking and in-field monitoring. "The Midlands is a great market, where IT spending decisions are driven by the desire to partner with the best in breed, regardless of their country of origin," Eoscene CEO Richard Gustafson said. "We believe that the region functions as a springboard for IT opportunities, both in the UK and throughout Europe, and we look forward to building even more business due to our presence there." Datamonitor's Conner noted that mobile applications have grown rapidly within the financial services industry. Mobile banking applications that utilize consumers' mobile devices are reducing the cost of transactions, while increasing customer retention, he said. "The benefits of access to real-time information and the shortening of business processes have also led to significant investment in mobile applications in insurance and investment banking," Conner said. "Meanwhile, in brokerages and stock exchanges, mobile applications can provide the latest equity information to analysts, traders and senior management." Conner also discussed the growth in RFID (radio frequency identification) technology, and projected that the UK and Germany will continue to be the dominant European countries for RFID from 2006 until 2010, and likely into the future. Sebby noted that the British Midlands can be an ideal location for IT companies serving not just the UK, but all of Europe. "With its near-London location, the British Midlands is a very attractive site for US companies seeking a central site for their European operations," Sebby said. "In addition to our location and highly skilled IT labor pool, we also offer a well-developed financial services sector, excellent quality of life, and commercial office space at very competitive rates." Datamonitor plc, a premium business information company specializing in industry analysis, helps its clients, 5,000 of the world's leading companies, to address complex strategic issues. Through its proprietary databases and wealth of expertise, Datamonitor provides clients with unbiased expert analysis and in-depth forecasts for seven industry sectors: Automotive, Consumer Markets, Energy, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare, Technology, Transport and Logistics. The British Midlands is the economic development agency for central England. Its region includes the major commercial centers of Nottingham and Birmingham, plus many equally attractive business centers in smaller cities and towns. With 650,000 people employed in the financial and business services sector, the area offers world-class skilled labor and highly competitive operating costs, just 90 minutes from London. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]