CPqD

Brazilian telecoms research and development company CPqD aims to see revenues grow 20% this year to around 230mn reais (US$108mn) compared to 190mn reais in 2006, CPqD president Hélio Graciosa told BNamericas.

Campinas-based CPqD, whose revenues are split roughly between software (60%), services (30%) and technology production (10%), sees over 90% of its revenues generated from the telecom sector.

However, according to Graciosa, CPqD's revenues in its core business may only grow by 5% this year as the company has covered that market well and it is now a little saturated.

"This area [telecoms] will have slower growth because we have been in the market for a long time... So we want to maintain business and renew products," Graciosa said.

CPqD and local telecoms products manufacturer Parks are also adapting WiMax technology of US wireless solutions provider Proxim Wireless for the local market. Graciosa expects that the product to be launched at the start of April.

NEW GROWTH AREAS

CPqD is also targeting new areas for higher growth such as the energy and banking sectors, according to Graciosa.

The company's clients include federal power company Eletronorte and banks Banco Real and Bradesco.

Building on its experience in the telecoms sector, CPqD is developing customer care and billing technologies for power companies and text-to-speech systems for banking customers.

As an example, CPqD also developed an electronic reader program to transform any Portuguese text into audio to help users with impaired sight to access literature for the federal government data processing service (Serpro) last year.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

CPqD is also tapping new international markets, with 6% of revenues expected to come from other Latin American countries and Africa this year.

The company, for example, will export technology for public pay phones and prepaid phone cards to countries such as Bolivia and parts of Africa.

CPqD, which recently achieved CMMi level 3 certification, has 1,300 employees based in Brazil. The company is also a majority shareholder in local technology solutions supplier Padtec.