DUBLIN-BASED software company Accuris Networks this week opened a Malaysian office which the mobile technology group hopes will help it make a profit this year and boost its expansion plans in the Asia Pacific region.
"We're a company that provides products to telecoms companies and we knew we had to go outside our borders to expand. Kuala Lumpur is key to our growth strategy," Aidan Dillon, chief executive of Accuris, said at a launch ceremony in the Malaysian capital.
Accuris had revenues of €4.5 million last year and Mr Dillon forecast an increase to €7 million this year. The group is on target to achieve a small profit after making losses for several years on the back of investment in research and development.
Mr Dillon expects the company to benefit from increasing convergence between today's cellular networks and next generation IP networks such as WiFi and broadband.
Accuris produces software which allows telecoms customers to roam between different types of networks using one number on one device and receiving a single bill.
The Kuala Lumpur office, which will generate sales as well as product development and support services, was opened by Ireland's ambassador to Malaysia, Eugene Hutchinson.
Accuris has had a presence in Malaysia for 18 months, but setting up a permanent office in Kuala Lumpur marks a significant investment in the region. It will have 20 staff, one-third of the group's 60-strong workforce, and will be a key driver in the expected 40 per cent increase in revenues this year.
Accuris's AccuRoam software allows CDMA operators to enable their subscribers to roam onto GSM networks while travelling. They have sold the product to CDMA operators Telecom New Zealand and Israel's Pelephone. The company also works with Huawei, the Chinese telecoms company, and executives from Huawei attended the opening.
In 2005 the company raised several million euro in funding from Atlantic Bridge Ventures. Headquartered in Dublin, the company also has a sales and support office in Denver.
The company was originally a joint venture between Eircom and KPN/Telia. In 2001, Eircom bought KPN/Telia's 50 per cent stake for €7.6 million before it was acquired by Larry Quinn and other former executives of the messaging firm Aldiscon and relaunched as Accuris Networks.
Quinn is chairman and a substantial shareholder in Accuris, while telecoms industry veteran Gilbert Little is also on the board.
