Date:16/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/16/stories/2006061601970700.htm

Back VSNL to set up cybercafes at 68 railway stations

Our Bureau

Mumbai , June 15

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd has won franchisee rights to run cybercafes at 68 railway stations in the country. The first such cyber café is now open in Bangalore. The rest will be operational in the next few weeks, said a statement from the company.

The company did not specify the financial terms under which the franchisee arrangement with Indian Railways would operate. Each of these cybercafes will be equipped with 10 to 20 high-end multimedia PCs and will be open 24x7. Tata Indicom will also create select areas at these railway stations that will be Wi-Fi enabled, allowing passengers to use their laptops or Wi-Fi enabled PDAs.

value added services

All Tata Indicom dial-up and broadband customers can use this facility by using their existing accounts, it said. Apart from gaming and Internet browsing, other value-added services such as printing, scanning, mobile charging and CD-writing will be offered at these cafes.

Passengers can use these cafes for making onward bookings, checking their bank statements, tracking their investment portfolios or for making international calls.