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Technology Stocks : Satyam Infoway Ltd-(Nasdaq:SIFY) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (1192)	3/15/2000 10:01:00 PM
From: Mohan Marette	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1471

In the News - Centre to let ISPs set up submarine gateways Siddharth Zarabi & Neeraj Saxena NEW DELHI, MARCH 15: The Government is set to lift the restrictions on international bandwidth access and abolish Videsh Sanchar Nigam's (VSNL) monopoly in this area. In a pathbreaking recommendation aimed at increasing the proliferation of the Internet, the sub-group on telecom, headed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has recommended that private Internet serviceproviders (ISPs) be allowed to set up landing stations for under-sea opticalfibre cables -- bypassing VSNL. The sub-group believes that the cost to end consumers will fall drastically if private ISPs are also allowed to set up gateways using submarinefibre-optic cables. This decision will resolve the acute scarcity of bandwidth, reduce prices and provide faster Internet access to people. Currently, ISPs are allowed to set up international gateways using satellites only. Undersea cable companies like Fibre Link Around the Globe(FLAG) and others are willing to provide international connectivity to private ISPs directly The sub-group has now said that ISPs be allowed to enter into agreements with under-sea cable providers such as SE-ME-WE,Project Oxygen and SAFE "on commercial terms". It has also proposed that there should not be any restriction on the number of such agreements. At present, VSNL has an exclusive control over FLAG's landing point atMumbai. The group has recommended that VSNL's $37-million investment in FLAG(one of the largest under-sea cable providers) needs to be protected. VSNL has been allotted 150 Mbps of capacity on FLAG with only a part of this is being utilised currently. It has now recommended that ISPs can hire bandwidth from FLAG through VSNL.Companies that desire to set landing stations with FLAG, will have to negotiate with FLAG/VSNL in the context of the existing commercial agreement between the two. VSNL will also be directed to notify the outstanding bandwidth demand and time frame within which an ISP will be provided the required bandwidth. In addition, VSNL will also have to publicly announce the procedure and timeframe for making available the bandwidth to private parties. The sub-group has also recommended that ISPs should be allowed to use very small aperture terminals (V-Sats) as backbone for connecting their various points of presence (PoP). This is owing to the fact that V-Sats have a higher up-time and can be quickly deployed even in remote locations. However, the sub-group has specified that the V-Sat connectivity be allowed subsequent to and under the terms of the opening up of domestic long-distance policy, which is expected to be finalised soon. Another key recommendation attempts to make it easier for ISPs to secure allconnectivity to set up their networks. Delays by the department of telecom services (DTS) in providing permission delays rollout and expansion ofservices. DTS will now have to inform ISPs within 30 days whether it is feasible to provide the desired resources. In case it is feasible, DTS will have to comply within 90 days of receipt of payment. The sub-group has also recommended that DoT take all necessary steps to expedite the sharing of infrastructure from and with cellular operators, in order to bring down the cost of service. -Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.