Date:07/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/10/07/stories/2004100702200700.htm

Back Bandwidth prices from India high: Gartner

Our Bureau

Mumbai , Oct. 6

INTERNATIONAL leased line prices for bandwidth from India are five times more expensive, as compared to hub routes such as Singapore-Hong Kong or Singapore-Tokyo.

However, in the case of intra-city leased lines, India, along with a couple of countries, is among the cheapest regions, according to a Gartner report titled International Bandwidth Pricing Trends Asia-Pacific.

International bandwidth prices in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to decline by 20 to 25 per cent annually for the next three years, said a news release from Gartner, which quoted from its report.

"For the fast growing Indian market, new submarine cables such as TICS (Tata Indicom Chennai Singapore), FLAG Falcon (Reliance) and SMW-4 will add capacity on both the western routes towards Europe and eastern routes towards Singapore.

This will result in a 40 to 50 per cent annual price decline for international connectivity from India.