Satellite services firm Aprize Global has made Hong Kong its Asian headquarters, with plans to first target the mainland market and establish a joint venture there by the end of this year.
Chinese government agencies and firms were interested in its low-orbiting satellites for applications such as monitoring water levels on the Yellow River for flood prevention and to track supply levels in oil pipelines, said Aprize Asia chairman Dino Lorenzini.
Mr Lorenzini, who is also head of Bermuda-based Aprize Global, which owns both Aprize Satellite System and 60 per cent of the Hong Kong company, said the company would focus on applications where the receiving equipment was stationary and two-way communication required.
Tracking service for moving objects such as cargo containers was still being tested and might not be ready for several years, he said.
The company already uses a Shenzhen factory to manufacture its receivers, and the hope is that the vast land mass and relatively less developed infrastructure in China will mean a demand for a technology that can collect data from remote locations.
'I think initially the government customer is where we want to start. We've had discussions with China National Aerospace, we've had discussions with China National Offshore oil company, and we will be meeting with Sinopec,' Mr Lorenzini said.
The operating licence would be obtained through a joint venture partner, something that has become an option after China's entry into the World Trade Organisation, he said.