In 1999, when broadband Internet was still a high-priced alternative in the largely dial-up world of consumer Internet, one newly-formed company was already hard at work designing applications and technology for ubiquitous broadband.
According to a Frost & Sullivan 2005 study, Advanced Network Technology Laboratories (ANTlabs) has successfully achieved 100 per cent market share in enabling the setup of wireless hotspots in Singapore and more than 75 per cent market share in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. ANTlabs currently provides easy and secure network connectivity for many global organisations in the region. Its goal is to power even more hotspots and broadband infrastructure across the Asia Pacific countries.
ANTlabs' forte is in developing zero-configuration connectivity, secure access control, and roaming technologies and the enabling seamless connectivity for wired and wireless networks in private and public domains. ANTlabs' flagship product, the ezXcess Gateway, is an access gateway that provides network access control and zero-configuration wireless and wired broadband Internet access using its patented Tru'Connect technology.
The fledgling company relied on partnerships with well-known names in the technology world. In 2001, they started a partnership with Sun Microsystems, which was formalised a year later under the Infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Programme (iLIUP) by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). "iLIUP certainly came at the right time for us," said ANTlabs CEO Ang Kwang Tat. "It helped us solidify the partnership and take it to the next level."
ANTlabs has leveraged the iLIUP partnership to penetrate regional markets where Sun Microsystems has presence. Thailand was one of the first to yield results. True Corporation, the third largest telecom operator in Thailand, has just inked a deal with ANTlabs. Ang is looking to Indonesia for the next big win. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and even Australia are expected to follow. Eventually, Ang has hopes of cracking the lucrative China market. "iLIUP is catalyst and a foundation for us to get a lot of things done in much shorter time."
Besides market penetration, extensive technology transfer has also taken place. Sun provided access to system-level expertise for Solaris and Sun hardware that was crucial to ANTlabs and invited ANTlabs' personnel to the US to preview their hardware roadmap. In some cases, it was a first-in-the-world peek at upcoming technology that allowed ANTlabs to modify their own product roadmap to take advantage of the latest advances.
"We could see that Sun clearly had our interests at heart; they weren't just interested in selling more hardware through us," Ang said. "Without the co-operation and trust that is built through this close partnership, none of this would be possible."
Ang had some parting words for companies looking at similar partnerships: "iLIUP provides a certain advantage but you still have to mind your business fundamentals. Manage your expectations while going into the partnership. If you're lucky, you might get some short term gain when attending things like regional road shows. But if you don't see immediate results, don't throw in the towel. Stay in it for the long haul. Focus on creating a mutually beneficial situation with your iLIUP partner."