Retrieved from Allafrica News
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200210140066.html

Business Day (Johannesburg)
October 14, 2002 
Posted to the web October 14, 2002 
By John Fraser, Trade And Industry Editor

ALTECH's UEC TV set-top box manufacturing subsidiary has not only conquered the local market, but is becoming a leading exporter of homegrown technology, it was confirmed last week.

Details of UEC's performance was given to analysts by Altech CE Craig Venter. He argued forcefully that a SA company which invests heavily in its own research and development can not only compete effectively in the local market, but can use this as a launchpad for global success. Venter said that UEC has more than 95% of the SA market for TV set-top boxes, which accounts for 48% of the company's sales.

Meanwhile, the company has an 80% market share in the rest of Africa, 70% in Australia, 60% in the Middle East and at least 90% in Greece. There is a R235m order that is expected to be secured with Foxtel of the US, about 5000 units have been ordered from China, and SA satellite operator Multichoice has ordered 10000 units of a new generation of decoder, which can split the TV screen to show two different channels at the same time. Meanwhile, a Middle East customer recently placed a R100m order for a basic satellite and cable decoder.

New software and modems from UEC have been supplied for the new interactive TV systems, which enable users to send e-mail messages. Vehicle tracking and recovery company Netstar, which is another subsidiary of Altech, is also busy establishing operations outside SA based on the intellectual property that has been developed in SA.

There is already a Malaysian Netstart system, and there will be efforts to expand to Brazil, India and elsewhere in Africa as well.
"Six years ago, we had a business which was very reliant on multinationals they had the intellectual property rights. "We have focussed since then on developing our own intellectual property as the only way you can grow is by controlling the intellectual property. "I feel that SA software engineers should never be underestimated in terms of their skills base and they cost a quarter of what you would have to pay an equivalent software engineer in Europe," Venter said.

"We now have a homegrown technology group."