Wipro sets up software center in Britain

BANGALORE: India's diversified information technology giant Wipro Ltd. said

on Thursday that it had opened a software development center in Britain to

service clients in the European region.

A statement from the Bangalore-based firm said the center, located in

Reading,

would initially employ 50 software professionals. Wipro had on Wednesday

announced the opening of an office in France to boost business from Europe which

accounted for 28 per cent of its total revenue of Rs 21.5 billion ($465 million)

in the nine months ended December 31, 2000.

"The European market for IT services is growing rapidly due to

e-business initiatives...and shortage of IT skills in European

corporations," Sudip Nandy, vice president for sales and marketing at Wipro

Technologies' European operations, said in the statement.

Wipro Technologies is the software services arm of the New York Stock

Exchange-listed Wipro. The statement said that Wipro's European customers

include British gas transport

firm BG Transco, UK travel operator Thomas Cook and British utility Thames

Water Plc.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.