The investments were made despite the economic slowdown experienced in the region, senior analyst with US-based IT research and consulting firm IDC, Howard Hsu, told a press briefing. No figure was given for the amount of investments.

IDC also saw opportunities in integrating IT systems in the region, many of whose key economies are in recession.

IDC had last month estimated that spending on integrating developments in IT in the region would grow annually at 24 per cent from 1997 to $1.2 billion by 2002.

"We can see much opportunity in the systems integration systems," Hsu said, even if the budgets allocated for such services are small in the region.

In China and South East Asia, the adoption of packaged software applications would grow annually at 28 per cent from 1997 to 2002, he said.