Technology Sector Case Studies
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Technology Sector Case Studies 01010101 01010101 10101010 10101010 www.investhk.gov.hk This booklet showcases some technology companies that InvestHK has supported in recent years. These include companies from biomedical, electronics, information technology, telecommunications, green technology, and renewable energy sectors. We hope you enjoy reading these case studies. Simon Tsang Wendy Chow Head of Innovation & Technology Head of Information & Communications Technology T : +852 3107 1013 T : +852 3107 1012 E : [email protected] E : [email protected] www.investhk.gov.hk InvestHK is the HKSAR Government’s department for Foreign Direct Investment. Our goal is to help overseas and Mainland companies to set up and develop their businesses in Hong Kong. For those foreign companies already established, we extend our services to help them expand in our city. All of our services are free, confidential and tailored to clients’ needs. Our comprehensive range of services includes: Latest information on Hong Kong’s business environment: • Sector-specific advice and opportunities • Business incorporation procedures • Tax and business regulations • Cost-of-business models • Employment legislation • Immigration requirements • Business networking opportunities Introduction to business contacts: • Lawyers, accountants, human resource specialists, consultancies, designers, interior specialists and real estate companies Arranging visit programmes: • Meetings with service providers, professional associations and government officials and departments Business support facilitation: • Support and assistance with business licences, visa applications, trade mark registration, IP and trade regulations • Marketing services during the launch and expansion of your company • Advice on living and working in Hong Kong-housing, healthcare, schooling and networking InvestHK has offices in cities worldwide and industry experts across a range of business sectors. Contact us for free advice on setting up in Hong Kong or for details on how we can support your expansion in our city. 1 263 Mobile Communications (Hong Kong) Ltd 263 Calling Overseas Chinese Hong Kong is a strategic hub for 263 Mobile Communications’ further development of its international mobile virtual network operator (iMVNO) business in overseas markets In 2013, Mainland China opened its MVNO market and issued its first MVNO licenses for private firms, reforming the market dominance of three state-run telecom companies: China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile. 263 Mobile Communications (263) is a privately owned MVNO that has expanded its overseas network by acquiring, first, the US-based iTalk through its parent company, Net 263 group, and this year, a Hong Kong corporate owning an MVNO license. It now develops mobile business in Mainland China, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and elsewhere. “Hong Kong is the most important hub in Asia for the telecommunications sector. More than 90 percent of all international telecom operators have a presence here. The Mainland’s largest state- owned telecom operators all set up their first overseas branches in Hong Kong,” Jing Liang, CEO, 263 Mobile Communications (Hong Kong) Ltd, said. “But unlike the big telecoms, 263 is more flexible and more active in overseas expansion activities. Setting up in Hong Kong enables us to develop a tangible network with global coverage. It is very efficient in Hong Kong to apply for a business registration, and for the MNVO licence issued by the Office of the Communications Authority.” With its robust legal system, effective and professional telecom regulator, talent advantage and unparalleled connectivity, Hong Kong is 263’s natural platform for global expansion. “We plan to serve all Chinese communities around the world from Hong Kong. We are eager to provide the ‘One SIM card with multiple MSISDNs’ and CloudSIM services for the target segments of international roaming enterprises and overseas Chinese families,” Liang said. In the fourth quarter of 2015, 263 will launch a dual SIM card for US and Mainland mobile phone end users with its brother company, iTalk. It will be the first operator to launch such a product for Chinese people living in the US. Liang has noticed a few trends in his industry. “Mobile Internet is developing rapidly and is changing the way people behave, especially in Mainland China. Increasingly, many people will not need a mobile number in order to make a local or long-distance phone call. Owning a Mainland mobile number will become valuable. MVNO will also boost the growth of the Internet of Things “Hong Kong is the most important hub in Asia for the (IoT) and become indispensable in the IoT world,” he said. telecommunications sector. More than 90 percent of A long time friend of InvestHK, Liang joined the China Unicom Group in 1994 and has worked in international telecom operators have a presence here.” Hong Kong for five years as president of China Unicom (Hong Kong) Operations Ltd. He joined 263 in 2014 and is delighted to have received InvestHK’s support in terms of visa application, networking and publicity services. 2 www.263mobile.net Original date of publication: Sep 2015 AccessHQ Redefining Testing Australian independent testing firm, AccessHQ, is leveraging on Hong Kong being a regional ICT and business hub to promote its new quality assurance concepts across Asia AccessHQ (formerly called Access Testing) came to Hong Kong in 2011 after winning a web accessibility design contract from the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. Since then, it has started to attract more clients from other sectors, including airlines, banks, financial institutions and insurance companies, to benefit from its testing and quality assurance services including, but not limited to requirement quality assurance, performance, automation, mobile, web accessibility, usability and security testing. Indeed, testing is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the company’s services. “Testing and quality assurance are interlinked with the aim to achieve efficiency and to improve user experience,” Federico Favini, Country Manager, AccessHQ, explained. There is no limit in pursuit of quality. “Nowadays, information security is a growing concern around the world,” Favini said. In 2013, the company was selected as one of the primary contractors to provide independent testing, security risk assessment and audit services for all Hong Kong SAR Government departments. The business is developing fast that the company “Having a presence in the city allows us to penetrate into has recently expanded its security services team to better serve its clients on top of government departments. other markets more easily, especially Mainland China.” Nurturing Local IT Sector “Hong Kong has excellent ICT networks and vibrant business scene, which provide a good Quality Assurance and Human Quality test bed to challenge the security threshold of large organisations’ IT systems and identify the loopholes before regional and international launches,” Favini revealed. To resonate with its enhanced business scope, the company recently underwent a major rebranding from former Access Testing to current AccessHQ, to incorporate the elements of assurance, testing “Hong Kong is AccessHQ’s Asian hub. Having a presence in the city allows us to penetrate into and human quality into its branding and service propositions. “Testing has been commoditised other markets more easily, especially Mainland China, which is our next logical step,” Favini to such an extent that the industry is blindly pursuing functional tick box testing at the expense added. The Hong Kong office now has 20 staff. It is expanding to double the size, including adding of quality. But quality is our primary focus, and technology is there to serve people. Therefore, it is local headcounts under the security services team as well as recruiting more interns under its obvious that all technology should have a human quality that ultimately results in satisfied and loyal Graduate Tester Programme in partnership with local universities. customers,” Favini elaborated. The company welcomes talent from different fields and backgrounds to join so as to enrich its InvestHK’s ICT team has been helping AccessHQ expand into the Hong Kong market. "InvestHK has industry experiences. It will offer a variety of training opportunities, for example, sending staff proven to be a great partner. We’ll continue to expand our team of professionals as well as their skills members to ethical hacker courses to learn various simulated system breakdown situations, to find and certifications in Hong Kong,” Favini enthused. the loopholes and get solutions. www.accesstesting.com Original date of publication: January 2015 3 Arkadin Global Collaboration Service “ Being an international business and financial centre, Provider Expands its Hong Kong is an ideal place for Arkadin to run and Footprint in Hong Kong expand our business.” Arkadin’s Global Heads of Service Providers and Global Accounts are now located in Hong Kong – a strategic move to capture the growth opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region Arkadin is an award-winning and one of the fastest growing collaboration service providers in the world. With a vision rooted in the belief that progress emerges from people’s desire to share, Arkadin offers a complete range of integrated audio, web, video and Unified Communications (UC) solutions. As of early 2014, Arkadin has been a member of the