The Asia Pacific region is a big market for enterprise mobility, currently a leader in terms of mobile broadband subscriber base and having a growing industry for mobile data services. Given these trends, HCL Technologies has invested in an enterprise mobility lab in Singapore.

India's HCL Technologies has announced the launch of its Mobility Experiences Ready to Lead Business Innovation (MERLIN) laboratory, with particular focus on taking advantage of the company's engineering DNA in developing applications, solutions and services for clients.

Virender Aggarwal, HCL president, says the Singapore facility is meant to augment the IT firm's capabilities in product engineering and marketing, particularly in mobile-related activities.

To excel in the mobile application world requires leadership in product engineering, laser focus on consumer experience and an entrepreneurial ecosystem of clients, partners and developers that sustains the innovation momentum are needed. Our Mobility Lab will be the nerve center to further augment HCL's capabilities in all these areas."

Singapore as a Mobility Hub in Asia

The facility, located in Jurong, will be run in close coordination with the government of Singapore. HCL hopes for MERLIN to be considered a milestone by Singapore's Infocomm authority, particularly with regard to promoting ICT in the region. The 32,000 square foot mobility lab employs 1,000 HCL engineers, and will soon include recruits from Singapore universities as part of full-time or part-time programs.

Singapore is considered to be a popular business hub in Asia, and therefore an ideal center for setting up a facility for promoting enterprise mobility. HCL is leveraging its engineering experience in managing a robust mobile ecosystem for the Asia Pacific region. The company also plans to use its experience in other verticals, such as retail, consumer goods, media, entertainment and banking, to better service clients in various industries.

The APAC Mobile Data Industry on the Rise

Revenues from mobile broadband and data services in the Asia-Pacific region are predicted to double from 2011 to 2015. According to Frost & Sullivan, the market is set to grow from the previous year's US$ 87.5 billion to US$ 148.1 billion by the end of 2015. Development gaps exist, though, particularly between emerging and developed economies in the region. Mobile broadband is becoming a preferred means of getting online, especially in regions that support fast and stable mobile infrastructures. These can support various applications, such as cloud computing, as well as other enterprise uses.

Setting up engineering and marketing offices in Singapore brings IT firms closer to the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, given its strategic location and adequate infrastructure. In setting up shop in Singapore, HCL is positioning itself for easy access to wider markets and a potentially bigger client base.