Sify brings new weapon to broadband war

For Rs 999 per month and
27 November 2002

Sify will launch its hybrid (wireless and cable) retail broadband services in Mumbai and Chennai this year and expand its operations soon to reach a larger market.

The retail pricing is comparable to that of cable Internet players like Hathway Cable & Datacom, Asianet India and Zee Interactive, and with DishnetDSL, which offers digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband. Further, subscribers do not need to buy/rent modems as they do for cable/DishnetDSL connections.

For Rs 999 per month and a one-time installation charge of Rs 3,500, a Sify subscriber gets a broadband connection guaranteeing a minimum speed of 48 kbps that can go up to a maximum of 64 kbps. While a dial-up connection costs around Rs 33 per hour, Sify's broadband service costs Rs 25 per hour. There is no restriction in the case of operating systems used on a subscriber's computer.

In the case of corporates, the initial payment is Rs 60,000, with prepaid cards for browsing.

Sify will offer the service by setting up base stations in different parts of the city. Then a wireless receiver is fixed at the top of the customer's building in the line of sight with the base station. From the wireless receiver, the subscriber's premises are wired with an Ethernet cable.

According to David Appasamy, general manager, Corporate Communications, Sify is also exploring the possibility of working with cable television operators. The company will also leverage its I-ways (cyber café chain) spread across the country for this service.