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UK at CITA - a little bit ...

If American visitors were thin on the ground at the German CeBIT show, Europeans aren't exactly swamping the American CTIA show either.

In the past, this was because the US market was based on different mobile phone technologies from Europe's GSM standard. But today, with the importance of unlicensed (especially WiFi) spectrum growing and with GSM becoming world wide - and with 3G looming - it's odd to see the American territory being left to the locals.

"As the world's premier wireless show, CTIA Wireless 2003 is the natural place for UK companies to meet and seek partners," commented an official spokesman here in New Orleans as the show kicked off.

You could be forgiven not noticing. Only ten UK companies are taking up the offer of support from Trade Partners UK and the concommittant sponsorship from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a UK Trade Association for the telecommunications sector.

The companies exhibiting on the UK/US Technology Partners Pavilion are: AxS.co.uk - "the only website dedicated to the worldwide promotion of the UK's ICT and Electronics industries"; Bluebell International Replica Mobile phones and postures of branded mobile phones GSM systems; e-comeleon - Nokia, Motorola, Siemens and Sendo approved mobile phone covers decorated using the patent pending e-comeleon digital imaging process with a high photographic image resolution; Erskine Systems Ltd DC Power Systems, rectifiers and Al UPS. Then there's Smith Myers Cellular test and measurement equipment for network operators and designers; TTPCom Digital Wireless Communications technology including GSM, GPRS, BLUETOOTH, EDGE, 3G & Wireless gaming Platform; and finally, "Telecommunications - the prime national trade association for the telecommunications industry in the Industry Association UK.

Other UK companies includ Actix, Alan Dick & Co, Digital Bridges Ltd; plus Empower Interactive Group and Ubinetics.

Alan Cobb, Director General of the TIA, comments "Following the success of UK companies who exhibited at last years show, I feel sure that the 2003 event will continue to prove an effective vehicle for UK companies to gain recognition and partners. Each year, we bring a group of companies focused on building their business here, and this year is no exception. We are confident that the show will open up many opportunities for UK companies and allow them, once again, to demonstrate the UK's ability to produce world-class products and services to meet the needs of this important trading region."

Which sounds like a great export push! - but it's on a small scale. Check out AXS.CO.UK which calls itself "the principal resource on the web for overseas companies seeking UK partners." The AXS website "is a directory of UK firms actively seeking international business," - which, if true, simply shows that very few UK firms are actively seeking international business. Most of its Web content is concerned with Spain.