NTT Data, the IT arm of Japan's NTT Group, says it is prepared to invest in Burma’s “social infrastructure,” and is looking at incorporating its ICT skills in areas such as traffic control, according to a report by IT correspondent Jamie Yap on Singaporean website ZD Net.
The Japanese company opened an office in Rangoon on November 8 as an offshore software development site mainly supporting software development projects outsourced from Japan, Yap wrote.
Soon, work from customers in foreign developed economies across Europe and the United States will be added, said Ryoji Fukaya, Asia-Pacific president and CEO of NTT Data.
Speaking at a media conference in Singapore on Thursday, Fukaya said the company's long-term strategy in Burma will focus on the business potential of the local market, and will work closely with both domestic companies and local offices set up by global and Asian organizations.
“Many things are changing and happening [in Burma], and we will closely look for opportunities,” he said, highlighting the need to work with homegrown companies in order to understand local customs.
But the opportunities for NTT Data are not limited to the country's corporate sector, Fukaya said. “We are very strong in social infrastructure, providing the back office systems used in water supply, electronics, and transportation.”
Nonetheless, Yap wrote, he acknowledged that political uncertainty would be a potential challenge for NTT Data, as with any overseas companies, in establishing a presence in the Burmese market.
Burma is the fourth country in Asia where NTT Data has set up offshore development sites, following cities in India, China, and Vietnam. According to Fukaya, the center already hired 40 local engineers and this number will increase to 100 by 2013. The targeted headcount within the next five years is 500 employees.
