VSNL plans uninterrupted worldwide link

Kochi: Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), all set to launch the first phase of the South Africa Far East (SAFE) inter-continent submarine link, has evolved a contingency plan to ensure uninterrupted worldwide link to its customers from Kochi.

The strategy, sources say, envisages immediate switching over from SEA-ME-WE-3 to SAFE, and vice-versa, if one of the submarine cables malfunctions. The contingency mechanism has been installed to dispel doubts about possible interruptions and eventual breakdowns in communication through South East Asia-Middle East-West Asia and SAFE networks in the minds of prospective customers.

The contingency plan will be in place along with the commissioning of the first phase of SAFE, which will connect Kochi to Mauritius through a 2MB link. The Kochi node will also be connected to Mumbai through a 2MB link for easy, faster and low-tariff traffic between the two destinations.

''The contingency plan assures the customer of an alternative arrangement if one of the cables fails. The strategy has been evolved to impart confidence among customers,'' says VSNL senior general manager A S Menon. The availability of the submarine connectivity is attracting many IT-service providers to Kochi.

With the completion of the submarine connectivity, a major portion of the traffic, currently being routed through satellites, will be shifted to cables. This will mean faster and cheaper connectivity, the sources say.

While the minimum delay in satellite link is 300 milliseconds, it is only 30 milliseconds in cables. Also, the cost will come down to more than 50 per cent in Kochi and Mumbai, as both the cities are cable stations. This, in turn, will help Internet service providers to slash their rates, the sources add.

The annual port charge for a 2MB Internet leased line service will be Rs 11.6 lakh in Kochi and Mumbai, while it will be above Rs 17.6 lakh in other cities that are connected to the cable heads through terrestrial links. The rate is Rs 35 lakh in centres where connectivity is possible only through satellite, the sources point out.

Similarly, international private leased circuit services will have to pay just Rs 26 lakh in Kochi, whereas the tariff in other centres will be Rs 45 lakh. It is about Rs 75 lakh in centres that can be connected only through satellites, the sources say.

VSNL is planning to complete the SAFE network in a phased manner. The complete commissioning is expected in three months' time.