A month after General Electric (GEC) announced its decision to acquire Fore Systems, the region's company officials have reiterated their commitment to Asia, and parade the opportunities customers can gain from the merger.
Fore has always had a good presence in Asia, according to Michael Green, Fore's senior vice president for corporate sales, who dismissed suggestions the company lacked a strong presence in the region.
"We've invested here from as early as 1993, and have secured a number of good accounts with service providers in the region," said Green. The company's customers include Telstra in Australia, and China Guangdong Provincial Cable which is the second largest cable operator in that country, added Tommy Nham, Asia-Pacific marketing director, Fore.
"I'm not yet in the position to say how strong GEC is in Asia because we really haven't had the chance to understand that," Green admitted. "But in any event, we've pledged to combine forces here, with other acquisitions that GEC has made, and will be more aggressive in this marketplace."
Coupled now with resources from communications giant GEC and its Marconi Communications subsidiary, Fore now has "more opportunities to go after larger deals", particularly in the service provider market, he added.
GEC has announced it will be divesting itself from the company's electronics business, and focusing a lot more on its data applications and telecommunications business, he noted.
Fore also has much to benefit from the backing of a future parent that has huge financial resources, Green said.
"I think it is impossible to deny the consolidation that's been going on in the market as far as voice and data is concerned," said Alex Turkington, Fore's Sydney-based South Asia regional director.
"And I think the market is looking for large companies with big research and development budgets to continue developing leading-edge technologies," Turkington added.
