Internet gateway and services provider
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd’s (VSNL) internet private leaseline
circuit (IPLC) bookings trippled in financial year ended March
31, 2003, with data traffic accounting for over 25 per cent of
its revenue.
"IPLC segment has grown significantly during the
fiscal, due to an increase in call centre operations and
software developments in India, apart from the country
becoming a back office for outsourcing operations," VSNL
head corporate business VS Shridhar said here on Sunday.
The Tata Group firm’s 64 kbps equivalent IPLC circuit bookings
grew to 35,712 circuits in FY-03, compared to
10,907 bookings recorded in FY-02, he said, adding
that data traffic accounted for about 25 per cent
of VSNL’s total revenues, compared to 11 per cent
in FY-02.
"The increase in data was predominantly from the US,
followed by the UK, far eastern countries, Japan and Hong
Kong, while multinational companies’ call centres and back
office operations in India accounted for a major share of data
traffic," Mr Shridhar said. VSNL’s IPLC circuit
bookings in the first month of the current fiscal were at
1,369, while bookings from April 2002 to April 2003 stood at
37,081 circuits, he added.
The ISP’s revenue model is expected to be stronger this
fiscal due to a growth in data market in India and its recent
foray into the National long distance arena. VSNL is also
seeking an international long distance provider license in Sri
Lanka, and is also planning to offer CDMA services in Nepal
‘shortly’.
Meanwhile, commenting on the disruption in the atlantic
submarine cables due to algerian earthquake, Mr Sridhar said
they were fixed within three to 36 hours.
"The data traffic was immediately shifted over to the
Pacific cable systems and an interruption was not felt in the
country," he said. VSNL connects the sub-continent with
the rest of the world over five submarine cable systems
including sea-me-we-2 and 3, sat-3/wasc/safe and flag.
The Tata Group company alternates traffic between the
Pacific and atlantic cable systems to avoid clogging of the
fibre optic lines.
