Now is the hour for Rocom

By PETER GRIFFIN

Now finally seems to be the hour for mobile computing specialist Rocom Wireless.

It has been far from plain sailing for the New Capital Market-listed company over the past couple of years after disappointing mobile computing revenues generated from the launch of Telecom's high-speed mobile network.

Attendance at yesterday's annual meeting suggested interest in Rocom has shrunk with the value of the investments of its 800 shareholders.

But a new emphasis on wireless data from network operators Vodafone and Telecom seems to be paying dividends of a kind for Rocom.

The company posted a loss of $260,000 last year on revenue of $6.7 million. Its share price has hovered around 15c. It was 55c in late 2001.

Rocom last year withdrew from the unprofitable mobile phone business, focusing instead on mobile computing, satellite services and billing platforms. General manager Drew Gilpin said the move out of mobile phone sales had been timely.

But "multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns" from the mobile phone companies were stimulating the wireless data market.

Rocom said sales in mobile solutions and connections increased 10-fold last year. Rocom's wireless projects with the likes of TVNZ, Villa Maria Estate and Arano Juice had given it some of the best reference sites in the country.

Its satellite services division continued to grow but had experienced the same increase in demand Northern Hemisphere global satellite operators had experienced as a result of war in the Middle East.

The jewel in Rocom's crown was turning out to be its World Billing Services operation.

Rocom picked up the billing engine from struggling Newcall Group for a mere $200,000. Analysts had put a value of $4 million on the billing system.

Rocom was able to supply billing information that was more detailed than the information offered up by either Vodafone or Telecom.

The division contributed 30 per cent of Rocom's revenue.

Gilpin said more salespeople were being brought on board to sell mobile computing products.