Unwired bags Deloitte tech award

Wireless service provider Unwired has nabbed the 2006 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award, which recognises the nation's fastest growing technology companies.

Unwired narrowly pipped Mirror Image Access Australia, a Sydney-based mobile technology solutions provider, for the crown.

According to Deloitte, the program ranks the companies -- public or private -- based on percentage revenue growth over three years.

Julia Bickerstaff, leader of the Fast 50 program, said for the second year running, the fastest growing industry segment was Internet-based companies, with 34 percent. "With the increasing level of convergence of different industries via the medium of the Internet this looks set to continue into the future," Bickerstaff added.

Apart from coverage in Sydney, Unwired recently increased its network coverage in Melbourne from the central business district to cover over one million residents across the city.

Other companies in the top five include payments systems company Customers Ltd, wireless broadband solutions provider BigAir Group and telco SP Telemedia.

Employment Web site Seek and online measurement company Hitwise made the Fast 50 list for the fifth consecutive year.

In terms of interstate rivalry, Bickerstaff said: "New South Wales has over taken Victoria in producing the highest number of fast growing technology companies, with 42 percent of winners having their headquarters in New South Wales.

"Victoria still performed strongly with just under one third of the technology companies based there. Queensland produced 12 percent of the winners and Western Australia and South Australia each produced 8 percent and 4 percent of the winners respectively."