A Taiwanese firm will set up a £1.9 million sterling (€3 million) call centre in Belfast that is expected to employ more than 140 people within three years.

Acer says its centre will cater for northern European customers from the Benelux countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the UK. Its European president, Mr Gianfranco Lanci, said people with foreign language skills were a key requirement. The firm has already placed recruitment advertisements and is confident it can find suitable staff.

"We decided in favour of Belfast because the city offered access to a pool of well educated and computer literate young people," said Mr Lanci.

A £1 million sterling grant from the IDB will support the project. Northern Ireland's Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sir Reg Empey, described it as a "tremendously important and strategically significant investment from one of Asia's technology leaders".