Pacific Internet to Roll Out Internet Access Services in 25 Cities in India
Aims to Offer Suite of E-Business and Content Services in Collaboration With Pacfusion.com
SINGAPORE, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Internet, which commenced operations in Mumbai, India two weeks ago, announced today that it plans to roll out its award-winning Internet dial-up and corporate access services to 25 major cities there by end-2000. The company has been aggressively recruiting professional staff to support its expansion plan.
Pacific Internet is the latest entrant and one of the first foreign ISPs to enter the India market. Its joint venture unit, Pacific Internet India (http://www.pacific.net.in/), has started offering dial-up Internet access with a family of retail packs. The company will offer a full range of services including Internet access, email, web hosting, web design, web consulting and e-commerce services.
Said Mr. Mohana Pillai, President of Pacific Internet India, ``We have already started offering Internet access in Mumbai and will roll out our services in Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and other cities in the coming months. We will be providing the high level of service, reliability and support that is expected of an award-winning, Nasdaq-listed company.' Mr. Pillai is also Business Development Director at Pacific Internet Limited, where he was involved in the acquisition of a number of ISPs including Zip World and Mira Networking, two award-winning ISPs in Australia.
Mr. Pillai added, ``Competition in India will be tough, but we will meet our competitors 'head on' as we build our market presence in this country. We will start by focusing on the quality and breadth of services that our subscribers will receive from the Pacific Internet brand. To start, we will implement our trademark 24 hours X 7 days a week Technical Assistance Center, so that our subscribers can call us at any time of the day or night at their convenience.'
Said Mr. Nicholas Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Internet Limited based in Singapore, ``We have good reasons to be extremely bullish about India. Indians are highly educated, proficient in English and IT-savvy. In addition, Internet penetration is low while growth potential is high. The sky is the limit where opportunities for Pacific Internet India are concerned.'
Pacific Internet India plans to become one of the largest ISPs in the country in the near future. Said CEO Mr. Lee, ``We are well poised to do this as we have the experience in building up quality ISPs in Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia and Singapore. This means that our products as well as our engineering, marketing and management of process-related issues have been tested and proven in several countries.'
In each of the five countries in which Pacific Internet operates, the same computer server and management architecture have been set up. This is done to enable each country, including India, to tap the synergies offered by the other operations. Added Mr. Lee, ``Similarly, we will be able to implement leading-edge applications from the US or Europe into our regional operations simultaneously.'
Pacific Internet India To Offer e-Business and Content Services
Pacific Internet India will be collaborating with Pacfusion.com (http://www.pacfusion.com/), Pacific Internet's e-Business division, to introduce e-Commerce, content, community and communications services to the vast India market.
In line with Pacific Internet's plan to become the leading syndication platform for quality content providers from around the world, Pacific Internet India will be partnering with Indian content providers to publish their content on its portal. In addition, it is aggressively looking into forming strategic joint ventures and other partnerships with local content partners.
For a start, the company will be introducing several online services and proprietary content sites including IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Aunt Webby (online counseling service), Laugh Track (online jokes) and a chat group on Bollywood movie stars. The company will localize all content to cater to Indian tastes and preferences.
Pacific Internet India expects to set up by early 2000 a localized version of the company's successful online PI Mall. The mall will be offering attractive discounts to merchants in a move to encourage small and medium-sized Indian enterprises to take their businesses online. Said Mr. Larry Ang, Group General Manager (e-Business) of Pacific Internet, ``PI Mall will provide Indian SMEs with the platform to sell their products and services to a worldwide market.'
Pacific Internet Limited (Nasdaq: PCNTF - news) is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The Company now offers award-winning services including Internet access, portal sites and the ultimate web lifestyle with the ``3Cs' (commerce, content and community).
SOURCE: Pacific Internet Limited
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