Tech Data wireless gets mobile

Pan-European campaign aimed at resellers

Tech Data, the parent company of Computer 2000, is launching a pan-European campaign to promote and sell wireless networking technologies to resellers.

The initiative, which is expected to reach over 100,000 resellers, will feature a wireless networking roadshow with a demonstration area and technology guides.

It will also put information on its website during the campaign, which will run in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and Ireland.

Hermann Klein, Tech Data's director of network product marketing for EMEA, said: "There is massive potential in the wireless networking market and this campaign is designed to raise awareness of the technology and what is available. It aims to give resellers the tools they need to sell wireless networking solutions to their customers."

Tech Data hopes its campaign will capitalise on research from analyst IDC, which showed the market for wireless networks grew by 80 per cent in 2000 to more than $1bn (£700m). By the end of 2005, IDC predicts this figure will rise to $3.2bn.

Brigitte Kohlmeier, Tech Data's wireless programme manager for EMEA, said networking resellers in Europe should look to new technologies.

"Networking remains a highly competitive market, but wireless networking will offer resellers new opportunities to sell to SMEs. Resellers need to embrace it," she said.

Andy Dow, commercial director at Westcoast, said: "Everyone is looking at what will bring the next big growth to the industry and it's a pretty safe bet to say it will be wireless.

"But the industry has waited a number of years for it to take off. I don't think we'll see the real boom until mid to late next year."