Deltagram to Set Up 100 Earth Stations
deltagram.com
By Uday Lal Pai
India Correspondent, asia.internet.com
[March 16, 2000--MUMBAI] Deltagram Satellite Mail is investing U$42 million to facilitate the setting up of 100 earth stations across India to offer satellite mail and Internet access services.
Deltagram, the satellite mail facility of the Chennai-based Delta Innovative Enterprises Ltd, uses satellite connectivity to transmit messages, and claims to be the first company of its kind in India to create a network of earth stations connected via satellite.
"We are planning to have about 100,000 message collection centers in every street all over the country," said R. Kothandaraman, managing director of Deltagram.
"We've received all clearances and approvals from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The earth stations will be equipped with the latest communication equipment, computer and proprietary software," Kothandaraman added.
About 3,000 towns and 40,000 villages in India would be connected over a three-year period.
Regarding the financing pattern, Kothandaraman said the proposed investment would be raised through private placement of equity, borrowings and fee from franchisees.
About US$4.6 million will go towards the planned Internet services -- the company intends to become a Category A (national) ISP shortly -- and US$23.2 million would be invested in creating the necessary infrastructure as collection centers for Deltagram.
The rest of the planned investment will go towards setting up 65 earth stations in major towns and establishing a development center. The company already has 35 earth stations connecting 200 towns.
Deltagram's offers a pair of messaging services: 'E-Flash' delivers messages to the recipient over telephone, fax or pager within 30 minutes, and 'E-Letter' uses Deltagram's courier network to hand-deliver your messages within 12-48 hours.
With either service, a confirmatory e-mail is posted to a user's Deltagram account. |
