Business News Americas | February 18, 2011 | Matthew Malinowski
Government support has given a shot in the arm to Colombia’s nascent position as an IT hub, but the local industry is increasingly seen on a collision course with neighboring Peru, Frost & Sullivan research analyst Jennyfer Vélez told BNamericas.
Colombia’s edge comes from a combination of convenient geographic positioning in the middle of the Americas, a larger pool of skilled personnel and connection to the Globenet submarine cable, according to Vélez.
“But I think that in all of Latin America, Peru is generating the toughest competition for Colombia,” she said. “Peru’s [duty-free zone] Zofratacna is wooing foreign investment with very competitive prices and costs that are much lower than can be found in Colombia, particularly in the IT and contact center spheres.”
Colombia’s IT success is contingent upon government support, the analyst noted.
“The Colombian government has shown significant interest in creating awareness to welcome IT in the country,” she said. “This trend was also evident in the recent elections, during which each presidential candidate included IT adoption strategies within their development plans.”
…..
