Cashing in on Internet Protocol Television(2)

Mao Weimin, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said IT-related sectors including broadband Internet, telecom infrastructure and services will be under the Central government's direct oversight.

The annual turnover of China's information technology and telecommunication industries is set to hit $602.3 billion by 2020, according to the ministry's forecast.

"Communications infrastructure is the foundation of the nation's economic development. That's why the government is keen to place the growth of information use on the fast track," said Cao Shumin, head of government think tank China Academy of Telecommunication Research.

Wang appreciates how people's user-experience affects the direction technology is heading from a customer's perspective.

The rich consumer information technology sector is having a greater impact on enterprise-use markets, he said.

"In the past, major information technology trends were first adopted by super-big entities, then small and mid-sized enterprises and, in the end, by individuals. But nowadays popular technologies first used by grass-root users are greatly influencing what a multinational chief technology officers decides to put into his company's network," said Wang.

The emerging trend of workers bringing their own devices to work is fundamentally changing the direction of internal communications both in global conglomerates and SMEs.

As more employees bring their own laptops, smartphones and tablets to work, enterprises have to design a brand new communications platform that meets company security requirements and, for now, mobility needs, he explained.

Avaya sees private sector as growth driver

Growing business opportunities in China's private sectors are what John Wang, Greater China head of Avaya Inc, has high hopes for in the near future.

China has millions of small and medium-sized enterprises active in almost all sectors from manufacturing to e-commerce. Avaya hopes they will drive new business.

"The SMEs in China will be a powerful profit-growth driver for us in the years ahead," said Wang.

Avaya now serves a number of leading privately held companies in the Internet and electronics markets.

It provides call centers to Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc-backed online retailer yhd.com.

"Xiaomi was a unique company for us because it asked us to integrate its own instant messaging applications into the contact center platform. No other customers have had a similar request to Xiaomi's," Wang said, adding Chinese tech and Internet companies are constantly asking for a full use of communication tools to improve services and spur innovation.

"That is a challenge for Avaya but also an excellent business opportunity," said Wang, with a smile on his face.

Wang was keen to talk about how his company could serve SMEs in China like a pupil always eager to deal with questions to which he knows the answers.

"I believe China has a huge demand for collaboration and communication technology. That's why Avaya has been actively seeking customers in various industries to explore new ways of implementing the technology," he said.

The company's own sales staff now cover 22 major Chinese cities and rely on partners to reach customers in smaller cities.