"We can expect a lot of changes (in Asia) and we see growth of 10 to 20 percent which is a little ambitious, but I believe we can grow much faster," BT Global Services chief executive officer Andy Green said in a briefing.

He said BT Global, one of British Telecom's principal businesses, is geared for expansion and plans to channel bulk of its Asian investment to China. He declined to cite any figures.

"Mainland China is one of the world's fastest growing markets for many companies. BT will continue to invest in this region, and work with key partners such as Wharf T and T and others," he said.

He said the company's bullishness on the region stemmed from its expectation of Asia offering "tremendous opportunities given the huge amount of investments coming into the region. And with our expertise, we believe we can accelerate some more."

The company currently serves some 13 countries, operating over 100 service centres, offices and research centers in the Asian region. It also has a presence in Europe and United States.

During the briefing, Green also said the trend in the supply of information and communications technology services had gone toward becoming more streamlined, flexible and cost-effective.

He said consolidation and globalization are the main theme in the industry.

"Enterprises face constant pressure to consolidate and restructure operations to achieve economies of scale, hence the information and communications technology services such as customer service and marketing call centers, often are outsourced to more cost-effective third parties," he said.

He said globalisation offers companies the ability to locate parts of its operations anywhere that makes commercial and financial sense.

He said the final key driver to the information technology services industry is cost.

"Management wants more capabilities but within tighter IT budgets," he added.

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