Pacific Internet to focus on e-services
The company might also focus on providing Internet access and data hosting services. Playing a pivotal role in the loss-making company's new orientation would be PacNet's portal, Pacfusion.
"I want to transform Pacfusion to provide e-services for enterprises for anybody who wants to get into the dot-com area or to e-enable their business," he said yesterday. This new focus is expected to take PacNet back into profitability in a couple of years, with e-services bringing in a significant portion of the company's revenue.
"I think we are very clear about our strategy right now. This is to be the Asia Pacific leader in Internet services and Pacfusion will be the e-services arm to complement our overall Internet business," Tan told The Straits Times.
However, the ISP would not be giving out a free surf plan similar to that which Tan pushed through when he was with StarHub Internet.
Tan described the free surf plan, which StarHub introduced in 1999, as "appropriate at the time." PacNet would instead give "paid quality Internet acess."
PacNet also has operations in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Australia, India and Thailand.
The Nasdaq-listed firm remained unchanged at US$4. It recently reported a net loss of US$6.8 million for 2000 over a US$4.8 million gain the previous year. The company's total revenues, however, increased 27.8 percent to US$63.1 million in 2000.