ExportWise - Spring 2008 - ExFiles: Exporting Success Stories
EION Inc.Kanata, Ontario
By Gilbert Le Gras
Kanata-based EION Inc., a broadband WiMax data networking equipment provider, is blazing trails into some of the most remote regions of the world, from the Amazon jungle to the scorching desert of Saudi Arabia.
The seven-year-old firm’s award-winning products for data and voice over satellite, wired and wireless networks are used by police and security agencies, hospitals, schools, e-government and business on every continent in the world except Australia and Antarctica – but neither of those two places would pose an obstacle.
“We have relay towers in Riyadh and in Norway,” notes EION President and CEO Kalai Kalaichelvan.
“We have built an ultra-rugged product. It’s really an expanding market that we have, which gives remote communities high-speed, broadband connectivity.”
The compact, all-weather technology has earned EION one of many awards for their installation in an Ecuadorean Amazon jungle town a six-hour drive away from the nearest city, and opened the door to top World Bank officials keen to hear about its potential.
“As soon as we won Deloitte’s Fast 50 Wireless award, we received a lot of calls from banks and equity funds,” says Kalaichelvan.
“The communities we want to reach are the unreachables. We are the key enabler for bridging the digital divide.”
This Canadian technology by EION, able to transmit from 20 kilometres to 60 kilometres in distance, connected the Ecuadorean villagers to the Internet in less than four hours, he said.
“Technology that works here, doesn’t necessarily work there,” Kalaichelvan said.
“You also have to look at your sales partner and look at their credibility and reliability in that market. We are very selective in choosing our sales partners.”
EION has 165 channel partners worldwide and has enabled connectivity to more than 14 million subscribers.
EDC has been invaluable to EION’s growth and success since 80 per cent of its revenues come from outside Canada.
“Setting the right terms and conditions on contracts is where EDC really helps us, as well as on due diligence (accounts receivable) insurance. When an order is an appreciable size we get pre-shipment financing.” Kalaichelvan added. “EDC is indispensable for those of us who rely on international business.”
Photo: Courtesy of EION Inc.
