BMI's Executive Summary

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Market Overview

With Mexico having plenty of room for potential progress on a range of ICT indicators, including computer penetration and e-government, BMI expects that the total value of the IT market will increase from US$10bn in 2007 to around US$16.9bn in 2012. IT spending as a percentage of GDP at less than 2% remains well below OECD levels and an increasing number of federal and state government initiatives are looking to stimulate more activity.

Demand is growing in all sectors, especially among SMEs, which again will benefit from government initiatives, and Education, where substantial new funding has been announced. However, in the current global economic climate, Mexico's overarching reliance on benign external factors, particularly in the US, presents a significant downside risk. Overall, the Mexican IT market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% over the 2007-2012 period, rather faster than GDP growth over the forecast period, although with strong variation between sectors and regions.

Industry Developments

In December 2007 the Ministry of the Economy launched a new tender for a project to develop the IT and IT enabled services (ITES) industry in Mexico. The World Bank will be involved in the project that specifies as its primary goal to develop the indigenous IT industry. A particular focus in on attracting outsourcing companies to Mexico and obtaining offshoring investment and opportunities. Meanwhile, in September 2007 the Mexican government asked congress to approve a budget of US$445 to expand a programme to integrate federal education resources. The IT programme, which is called Enciclomedia, is run by the education ministry and aims to integrate resources such as text books and virtual content and activities. The requested 2008 funding represents a rise of 39% from the 2007 allocation of MXN3.55bn.

Competitive Landscape

In 2007 foreign brands generally strengthened their position in the local PC market of which they have now have a market share of more than 50%. The gains came at the expense of local products which as recently as 2006 were still accounting for the majority of sales. The main challenge for domestic firms such as Lanix, Smitel and Texa is to strengthen their performance in laptops. However, foreign vendors are not sitting still, with leading US vendor Dell announcing a shift in focus towards more aggressive expansion in the retail sectorTurning to IT services, the major Indian vendors are on the rise in the Latin America region and in Mexico are mounting a strong challenge to US giants like IBM and EDS, which in 2007 was awarded a major IT services contact by Mexicana de Aviación to optimise light planes. Indian giant TCS recently won a US$200mn+ contract with the Social Security Institute of Mexico (IMSS) in a deal which ahs been described as the largest of its kind in Latin America.

Computer Sales

BMI is forecasting that Mexico's computer and accessories market will have a CAGR of around 9% over the 2007-2012 period. 2007 computer sales were put at US$3.9bn, and should pass US$6bn by 2012. The growing popularity of internet and broadband access is providing strong support for PC sales, with around 1mn of an estimated 1.7mn PC units sold in Mexico last year being purchased bundled with leading telecommunications company Telmex's internet service. The biggest barrier to higher PC penetration remains low annual average incomes, of about US$5,000 a year, and financing has long been a bottleneck to faster growth of PC penetration. The financing and unified bill options offered by Telmex have clearly unleashed fresh demand. Banks are also now offering more financing options, meaning healthier prospects for the consumer and SME segments, and vendors are becoming more flexible at devising new financing options.

Software

The total software market in 2007 was valued at US$1.8bn, with imported software accounting for at least 80% of the total, and the figure for 2008 is expected to come out at around US$2.1bn. Software CAGR for 2007-2012 is put at around 12%, with sales outpacing general IT market growth. As the government turns its attention to overcoming Mexico's longstanding under-investment in this area there should be more opportunities. The software sector's current high single-digit growth is being driven partly by increasingly strong demand for enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions from SMEs. A lack of IT infrastructure is thought to contribute to the high failure rate among SMEs in many parts of the country.

IT Services

The IT services market is estimated to have grown around 12% in 2007, to a value of around US$3.2bn, with similar or slightly higher growth expected in 2008 and throughout the forecast period. Indeed, the IT services sector has been increasing steadily for the last 10 years, with the increasing number of multinational companies operating in the market being an important driver for spending. IBM has recently declared its intention to expand its Mexico market business, stating that it considers the market as one with high growth potential for installation and services. Growth opportunities reside particularly within the SME sector, where companies are trying to use computing resources more effectively and integrate investments made in hardware and software.

Special Focus: Financial Sector

Mexican banks and financial services companies are among some of the country's most significant IT spenders, with consolidation, competition, and compliance with new international guidelines fuelling the trend. In recent years, several foreign-owned banks such as Spain's BBVA and Canadian Scotiabank Inverlat have been operating aggressively in the market, spurring local competitors to ramp up spending on IT as they compete for customers. With a wave of hardware and infrastructure installations in the past few years, the focus is now shifting to software and services, as companies look to enhance productivity and improve offerings to customers. Compliance and risk management applications are among the top sellers, with the need to manage compliance with Basel II capital guidelines, and legislation tightening up corporate governance standards. Another trend is for banks of all sizes to outsource the hosting, management and maintenance of software and hardware.

E-Readiness

According to the Social Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one in five people in Mexico now how internet access. This means that the ratio has doubled in a decade from one in 10 only 10 years ago. As ever, income is strongly correlated with access to internet. Eight out of 10 people defined as living in 'marginal conditions' do not have access to the web, according to the survey.

The World Economic Forum's latest annual survey found Mexico continuing to make steady progress on network indicators. The survey had Mexico climbing six positions in the rankings from 55th. The report attributed the improvement to the adoption of more efficient electronic strategies for digital networks and infrastructure connection both nationally and regionally. However, recent state and municipal statistics have highlighted slow progress in the implementation of e-government in Mexico at a federal level and the insufficiency of state funding.

In 2006 the Mexican Internet Association (AMPICI) revealed some results concerning patterns of internet usage in Mexico. Putting the number of users at around 20mn, AMPICI found that children and youths remain the most frequent users, with 39% of total users between the ages of 12 and 19. Around 19% of internet connections were from the office, with 39% from public internet access sites such as internet cafes, and 43% from home. Average time online was two hours per day.

Recent figures from the National Statistics Institute (INEGI) claimed that the number of computers in the country increased 11.9% from 2001 to 2006, from 23.6mn to 26.6mn. Other data has revealed that 26.6mn Mexicans have access to a computer (60% in an educational context, 30% for work). The report, also from INEGI, says that IT is becoming increasingly central to Mexicans' lives, even outside major cities.

Looking at the business sector, the Mexican IT Association claims that 99.7% of the 2.8mn Mexican companies face serious limitations in information technology which affect their capacity to compete. The association recently called on the government to increase funding for SMEs to secure access to IT.

Some 68% of Mexican internet users currently go online from places outside the home, such as schools, workplaces, and internet cafes. One of the goals of the e-Mexico plan, announced in 2001, is to connect 98% of the nation to the internet, with co-operation from telecommunications carriers. Low disposable income and the related low PC penetration rate remain barriers to further expansion.

CONTENTS

Executive Summary

• Market Overview
• Industry Developments
• Competitive Landscap
• Computer Sales
• Software
• IT Services
• E-Readiness

SWOT Analysis

• Mexico IT Sector SWOT
• Mexico Business Environment SWOT

Market Overview

• Government
Authority
• Background.
• Hardware
• Software
• Services
• Industry Developments

Industry Forecast Scenario

• Table: Mexico's IT Industry Indicators

Macroeconomic Forecast

• Table: Mexico – Economic Activity

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles

• Softtek
• IBM
• Sondapissa

BMI Forecast Modelling

• How We Generate Our Industry Forecasts
• IT Industry
• Sources