This year promises to be more exciting, especially for corporate workers as the Philippines ICT sector plans to roll out more innovative enterprise and user-based services and products.

The e-empowered employee (EEE) is expected to fuel ICT spending and growth in the Asia Pacific region this year. This is the predication made by research firm International Data Corp.

For 2006, IDC predicts that spending on telecommunications services will grow at 8 percent, exceeding US$175 billion for Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan). IT spending in APEJ will grow at 9 percent to exceed $110 billion, with China and India accounting for 64 percent of the region's incremental market value.

According to IDC, the economic outlook for 2006 is healthy, despite continued global political, health, and environmental uncertainties. 'This, combined with the relentless pursuit of enterprises and their employees to be more competitive, bodes well for the ICT industry in the region,' said Eva Au, managing director for IDC Asia Pacific.

Au said that the e-empowered employee is increasingly able to harness technology to be more productive and responsive. 'Work takes place anywhere, anytime, anyplace. It's moving out of the traditional workstation into homes, hotels, airport lounges, and taxis. Workspace boundaries are diminishing as the employee is no longer tied to an office location. Nine-to-five work hours make way for 24/7 operations,' said Au. She added that technology roadmaps will not only be determined by how they can be applied to enhance productivity, but also how they can support an always-connected, knowledge-driven, and rapidly shrinking global economic society.