i2, Satyam in marketing tie-up

CHENNAI: US business-to-business commerce software maker i2 Technologies Inc

has tied up with India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd. to rapidly grow its

business in the region, a senior company official said on Tuesday.

Peter O'Connor, i2's vice president for Asia South, told a news conference

the marketing tie-up with India's third largest listed software services

exporter, would help the US-based firm achieve a 500 per cent growth in license

sales in India in 2001.

"The relationship ... will enable us to grab the enormous opportunities

we see here," he said. "We see $12-15 million in sales revenue in

2001."

The Dallas-based i2 last week reported strong fourth-quarter results, posting

earnings of $44 million on revenues of $378 million. The earnings excluded

amortization, taxes, one-time charges and some expenses.

O'Connor said the firm was bullish on the Indian market and aimed to become

the largest supplier of business-to-business software applications in India by

the end of the year.

He said the firm will also train people at Satyam for projects in Thailand

and in other Asian markets where it expects to see license sales revenues of up

to $200 million in 2001.

i2 has about 800 employees in India, mostly based at a software development

center in the southern city of Bangalore.

Satyam upbeat



Satyam Computer's Enterprise Business Solutions director G B Prabhat said it had
made significant investments in training personnel for implementing i2's

solutions and saw a sizeable share of the division's revenue flowing from the

tie-up.

"Though we have existing tie-ups with other players in this space such

as Ariba, our partnership with i2 will help us cater to a growing demand for

e-business solutions," he said.

In early Tuesday trade on the Nasdaq, i2 shares were down $1-. at $55.

Shares of Satyam Computer, which is planning a listing on the New York Stock

Exchange, ended 4.5 per cent down at Rs 408.6 on Tuesday, while the benchmark

Bombay index ended 0.69 per cent up.

The share is a whopping 99.6 per cent off its 52-week high of Rs 1,445.99

reached in March, but has rallied by over 40 per cent from its low of Rs 291.50

in October.

Satyam got permission last July for an American Depositary Receipts issue

worth about $380 million.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.