VSNL
and AMD launch the Personal Internet Communicator
Tata
Indicom Broadband Services facilitate affordable
Internet access in India
October 28, 2004
VSNL,
India’s largest telecommunications service provider,
a member of Tata Group of companies and AMD (NYSE:
AMD) today launched the Personal Internet Communicator
(PIC), a high-quality, affordable, and easy-to-use,
consumer device that will help provide managed
Internet access to first time technology users.
The PIC will be offered as part of the Tata Indicom
Broadband Services.
Based
on AMD technology, the PIC has been developed
as part of AMD’s global "50x15" initiative
of providing affordable Internet and computing
capabilities to 50 percent of the world’s population
by the year 2015. To help accomplish this goal,
AMD has created a global ecosystem of participating
companies to develop usable, affordable technologies
and make them easily accessible for people in
global, high-growth markets to enhance communications
and education opportunities.
In
India, the PIC will be offered to Tata Indicom
Broadband customers as part of a bundled Internet
service including all the hardware and software
a consumer needs. It will come with the added
convenience of only one contact for complete service
and support for both the broadband connection
as well as the hardware. The Personal Internet
Communicator will be offered through a variety
of financing options and enable people with limited
disposable incomes to fulfill their desire for
computing and access to the Internet.
"The
introduction of the PIC can help eliminate the
financial barrier to access the Internet for many
people by removing the requirement for a large
capital investment," said Mr. Shashi Kalathil,
Head - Broadband Business of VSNL. "We can
now offer broadband services to a wider range
of customers and help open doors to new opportunities
in the world of communications, entertainment
and education. The Internet in India has so far
touched very few people because of non-availability
of an affordable device and high speed Internet
connection. Now, the coming together of AMD technology
and Tata Indicom Broadband will help broadbase
the Internet community in India."
Commenting
on the launch of PIC, Hector Ruiz, chairman and
chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices
said, "AMD and Tata Indicom today have made
a significant step to make powerful technology
available to a large portion of India’s population
who previously had no access to the Internet.
We are especially proud to partner with the TATA
Group, one of the largest and the most respected
business house in India, who is helping to realise
our vision of connecting 50 per cent of the world’s
population to the Internet by 2015."
Through
the PIC offering, customers can have access to
a variety of communication and productivity tools
such as an Internet browser, e-mail, word processing,
spreadsheet applications and a presentation viewer,
among others. Running on a customised, intuitive
operating systems powered by Microsoft Windows,
customers are offered an easy, out-of-the-box
experience that helps get them quickly connected
to the Internet and the rest of the world.
About
VSNL
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, first telecom service
provider in the world to get the prestigious TL
9000 certification, is India's leading provider
of International Telecommunications and Internet
Services. As the country’s leader in International
Long Distance services and with a strong pan-India
National Long Distance presence, VSNL is the leader
in the Corporate Data Market in the country today
with a strong service offering covering IPLCs,
ILLs, Frame relay, ATM and MPLS based IP-VPN services.
With established relations with over 80 carriers
across the globe, VSNL today has a strong infrastructure
base that covers multiple gateways, earth stations
and submarine cable systems.
VSNL,
as a member of TATA group of companies is now
rapidly growing its retail and corporate presence
under the Tata Indicom brand through its products
like high speed broadband, dial-up Internet, net
telephony and calling cards, and has an internet
subscriber base of over 8,00,000 subscribers.
The Company also proposes to consolidate its presence
in the Internet space by increasing its impetus
on the Retail Broadband business. VSNL also offers
a host of other valued added services that include
Television/Video uplinking, Program transmission
services, Frame relay services and Inmarsat services.
VSNL
is in the process of expanding its global presence and
after having commissioned services/operations in Sri
Lanka and Nepal, it is setting up operations in Singapore,
Europe and the United States of America. Its international
connectivity capabilities, both undersea as well as
satellite, offer the greatest diversity in India, which
is critical for all customer segments, encompassing
wholesale, corporate and retail. The company is augmenting
its international connectivity by setting up a 3175
km undersea cable between Chennai and Singapore with
a designed capacity of 5.12 tera bits. VSNL is listed
on the major stock exchanges in India and also has its
ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (www.vsnl.in)
About AMD
AMD (NYSE:AMD) designs and produces innovative
microprocessors, Flash memory devices and low-power
processor solutions for the computer, communications
and consumer electronics industries. AMD is dedicated
to delivering standards-based, customer-focused
solutions for technology users, ranging from enterprises
and governments to individual consumers. For more
information visit www.amd.com.
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