SkyNetGlobal Prepares Asian Push

Broadband wireless service provider SkyNetGlobal has unveiled plans to establish a Singapore-based subsidiary called SkyNetGlobal (South East Asia), which will act as the company’s vehicle for expansion in the region.

The ASX-listed company which provides business travellers with broadband wireless access to email, Internet and office LANs in airports, hotels and conference centres has revealed it will target its services to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei.

The company recently announced an alliance with Swedish software developer GlobeSoft AB to develop an application allowing subscribers to switch between their corporate network and the SkyNetGlobal network by merely selecting the relevant network at boot up.

Under the deal, all SkyNetGlobal subscribers as of February 2001 will be provided with the necessary software during the subscription process. The package will include a license to MultiNetwork Manager, a network switching application developed by GlobeSoft in Stockholm, Sweden.

Meanwhile, SkyNetGlobal’s chief executive office, Jonathan Soon, has appointed ex-merchant banker Victor Soh to head SkyNetGlobal’s South-East Asian operations as the company’s vice president.

SkyNetGlobal’s major shareholders include some of the worlds largest organisations and high net wealth individuals. Some of them include, Cabletron Systems (now Enterasys), Qantas, Ernst & Young, Leo Burnett and Mrs Nina Wang of the Chinachem Group in Hong Kong.