'Domain expertise is our core differentiator'

You have changed your brand name quite often. How will you then
manage to build a brand?

We changed our brand name because the ownership changed. So, it's not
something that is in our control. It does affect the brand, but there is a
positive side. When we started with Hughes, it took us 10 years to build a
brand, because Hughes was known for satellites, and Flextronics was into
electronics manufacturing, and people always wondered why software company in
between. Now, we are an independent enterprise. So, whatever brand we create has
its own existence. We have articulated our strategy to suit our customers, and
we are investing enough to build our brand.

What are the key focus areas while you work for service
providers, equipment vendors and handset manufacturers?

Our focus is everything on communications. When we work with EVS, we work on
GSM and CDMA systems, 3G, super 3G, WiMax, IMS, etc. Our revenues predominantly
come from equipment vendors; they contribute close to 70% of our revenues and SP
and handset 15% each.

How are you different from other software companies such as TCS
and Wipro?

We are solely into communication. But for other companies such as TCS and
Wipro, a hundred million dollar customer is more likely to be a bank. So, their
top management focus on customers in the telecom space is not going to be as
much as ours. Unlike these companies, we invest 6-8% in R&D. Domain
expertise is our core difference from our competitors.

Are you working on hardware-based, software-based or
application-based designs? Which one of these has more value?

We are predominantly in the area of software and applications-based designs.
We do have a small hardware team, which works on cost reduction re-engineering,
but bulk of the work is in the area of software. This is because the demand is
more for software. As far as hardware is concerned, new product introduction is
done by our customers, and for some of the redesigns of the older hardwares, and
to leverage end-to-end solutions for customers, we have a small hardware team.

Sonia Sharma


maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in