CommAsia 2002 focuses on emerging technologies

The recently concluded CommAsia 2002, held at the World Trade Center Metro Manila from May 9 to 11, offered visitors a mix of telecoms, IT and electronics exhibitors featuring their latest solutions and products.

The show was well-represented by large telcos such as Globe Telecom, BayanTel, Eastern Telecom, Meridian Telekom, PT&T and MCI WorldCom. There were also a number of resellers and service providers. What was surprising was the lack of handset manufacturers in the exhibit. Nokia was a major sponsor yet it was not represented in its own booth.

The event, now on its second year, aimed to address the needs of different sectors, specifically the telecommunications, broadcast, electronics, information technology and e-commerce industries.

Visitors were able to try out Eastern Telecom’s speedy DSL Internet connections that were made available through a wireless (Wi-Fi) 802.11 LAN running on the latest Asus notebooks. Eastern Telecom’s DSL was consistently fast and the company made it possible for some booths to connect to the Internet throughout the show.

Some of the notable exhibitors were CyberStateU, an online education provider that aims to provide Filipinos the option of affordable online courseware through the Internet. Its technical and programming courses can be accessed by anyone with a decent Internet connection.

Exhibitors also included global IT companies such as Computer Associates and 3Com (via its local distributor MicroWarehouse).

CommAsia also had a number of foreign participants as it was timed to coincide with the National Electronics and Telecommunications Week (NETW). Also participating were the Australian Trade Commission, the Commercial Service of the United States Embassy and representatives of British Trade International.

CommAsia helps the country by focusing on new and emerging technologies for IT and telecoms that set the groundwork for future capability development in the country. This is particularly important for the Philippines where a world-class telecoms infrastructure can attract world-class investment and business opportunities.