VSNL sets its sights on South

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 5. After quadrupling the bandwidth in Delhi, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) has set its sights on the South. It is actively working with other international companies to implement the South Africa Far East (SAFE) optic fibre submarine cable system with its landing point at Kochi.

The cable is expected to land at Kochi by the beginning of January next and the overall commissioning of the entire cable system is likely to be completed by December 2001.

The SAFE cable, in which VSNL has invested Rs. 231 crores, will bring worldclass digital cable technology for providing various telecom and information technology services such as telephone, fax, data transmission, Internet, ISDN and video uplinking

One of the major benefits will be that it will be owned, controlled and maintained by individual operators. Thus, the revenue generated by the Indian operator will remain in India. VSNL already has had an international gateway in Kochi since early 1998. It is serviced by the SEA-MEA-WEA-III submarine cable.

In addition, VSNL is also in the process of commissioning additional 100 mbps connectivity via satellite links in Hyderabad and Calcutta and 10 mbps in Chennai.

VSNL expects not only consumers but the company to benefit in future from the aggressive drive to increase the bandwidth. As it is preparing to enter the domestic long distance telephony, the availability of massive bandwidth through optical fibre and satellite connectivity will help in its plans for a quick pan- Indian roll-out.

In this, the international gateway and cable systems at Kochi will play a crucial role and the city could well become a prominent milestone on the international information superhighway.

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