Kozhikode Cyber Park eyes W. Asian markets

Kozhikode: The UL Cyber Park here, the first IT special economic zone (SEZ) in the cooperative sector in the country, will focus on big data, cloud computing and apps development, says its Chief Executive Officer P. Gopinath.

“We will go with the latest trends in the IT sector in order to meet the needs of the global market, especially the West Asian market,” Gopinath told Business Line in an interview. “The park has the potential to function as a back-office for the West Asian banking and financial industry.”

Rs 210-cr park
The Rs 210-crore first phase of the park, with a built-up office space of nearly half a million square feet, will open in December. Gopinath claimed that several top global IT brands had expressed intent to set up shop in the park.

Since the global IT industry is not in the pink of health at the moment, will it not impact the prospects of Cyber Park? “Our becoming operational will coincide with the anticipated bounce-back of the US economy from its slowdown,” Gopinath said. The US recovery would boost the IT industry.

When the park, promoted by Uralunkal Labour Contract Cooperative Society Ltd, becomes fully operational it will have 2.7 million square feet of office space.

Located on a hillside surrounded by greenery just outside the Kozhikode city, the park is strategically placed in terms of road, rail and air connectivities. Bangalore is 350 km away, and Kochi — home to SmartCity and Infopark — is 200 km away.

“Cyber Park will be the IT hub of the North Kerala region which has a lot of IT talent and companies spread all over,” Gopinath said. “We can have linkages with the IT facilities at Bangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore.”

The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode; the National Institute of Technology; University of Calicut and University of Kannur are expected to supply managerial and technical manpower. Many IT firms as well as professionals, currently operating in Bangalore, were expected to relocate to the cyber park.

Sez status
The SEZ status, which reduces the tax burden of the companies substantially, will be an attraction for IT firms to the park. “We have a recipe for success in terms of strategic location, access, talent pool and the SEZ status.”