Reliance emerges fifth largest ISP with R-Connect

[Chirag 5]

Though this article is old enuf now, and as salil pointed it here, there r somethings tht shud be known to all of us...

RELIANCE EMERGES FIFTH LARGEST ISP with R-CONNECT

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2003 01:58:40 AM ] HYDERABAD:

If Reliance Infocomm is to be believed, the group now operates the fifth largest ISP in the country. Though not officially registered, what is interesting is that the group achieved the status purely on the back of its wireless-mobile connectivity service R-Connect that the company sells as a value-added service on its Reliance India Mobile (RIM).

R-Connect has logged over 2 lakh subscribers since introduction, Mr S P Shukla, President, wireless products and services, told ET.

This would make it the fifth largest ISP after BSNL, MTNL, Sify and VSNL, going by the latest available Trai numbers.

Though the four metros, along with Bangalore and Hyderabad, account for the largest number of subscribers of R-Connect, surprisingly, it is subscribers in the cowbelt states of UP, Bihar, MP and Orissa who have clocked the highest internet airtime on R-Connect.

Subscribers in these four states have logged upwards of 400 minutes of R- Connect per month on an average, far higher than that in the metros or mini-metros, Mr Shukla said, though he was reluctant to share the exact numbers.

Reliance Infocomm offers three packages, gold and silver for internet access through its CDMA mobile service on R-Connect which, respectively, cost Rs 1000 per month and Rs 500 per month for unlimited access but with download limits of 250 mb and 100 mb, respectively, and a standard package at a monthly rental of Rs 200 and 40 paise per minute airtime charge.

“While marketing for R-Connect has been low-key with the target mostly being the corporate sector, its use by individuals has surprised us,” Mr Shukla said. The two lakh subscribers that it has attracted are clearly above the industry norm and its usage too, has been encouraging, he added.

“Our objective has been only to provide mobile access to the internet and not necessarily sell internet services”, he said. From the operational point of view, most browsing has been observed in the non-peak hours which is not taxing on the network, he added.

The CDMA 1x network promises internet access at speeds of up to 144 kbps without tying a subscriber down to a landline or a slower access technology, Mr Shukla said.

In the coming days, the company plans to get aggressive on R-Connect adding new devices such as WAN data PC cards that allow users to surf the internet without the bother of having to buy a mobile phone. “Test marketing has already begun and we will commercially launch it soon,” he said.