Intel says Asia matching global Q4 sales growth
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MADRAS, India, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Intel Corp INTC.O said on
Tuesday sales of its computer chips in Asia was keeping pace
with global sales growth in the fourth quarter of 1998.
"In the fourth quarter, our business in Asia is definitely
growing as fast as it is growing elsewhere," John Davies,
Intel's vice-president and general manager, Asia Pacific, told a
news conference in the southern Indian city of Madras.
The world's largest computer chip maker said last month it
expected fourth quarter revenues to be between eight and 10
percent above the third quarter level of $6.7 billion.
Davies said the Asia Pacific region, which accounted for 20
percent of the firm's worldwide business, was seeing steady
growth in personal computer (PC) sales.
"PC sales is certainly growing, though not as fast as was
predicted in 1997, when some people predicted growth of as much
as 30 percent," he said.
Intel revised its fourth quarter sales figures upward due to
a rebound in demand.
Davies said the Asia Pacific region had notched up a quarter
of a billion dollars in Intel's electronic commerce billings
since its launch in July, making it the world leader for Intel's
new Internet-based business.
"The goal is to get over 60 percent of our accounts online
by end 1998 and we'll be adding a lot of countries from the
region early next year and India is one of them."
The chip-maker's director of South Asia, Atul Vijaykar, said
the firm had held preliminary talks with the Indian authorities
and was hopeful of clearances to start electronic commerce from
the country, in early 1999.
India currently does not permit commercial transactions over
the Internet.
REUTERS
Rtr 12:50 12-01-98
Copyright 1998, Reuters News Service
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