59. Dishnet DSL Ltd

Dishnet DSL Ltd (DDSL), one of the subsidiaries of Sterling group of
companies, is dedicated to providing Internet services in the country. In line
with the Sterling Group’s philosophy, this company, too concentrated on
delivering the widest possible range of Internet services at affordable prices.
As part of that strategy, the company set out to offer DSL services and dial-up
connectivity. In fact it is the only national DSL service provider in the
country. During the FY 2000-01, Dishnet’s has done a total business to the
tune of Rs 135 crore. It had notched up 2.35 lakh dial-up subscribers and 10,000
DSL subscribers to its credit. And the bulk of revenue has obviously come from
DSL connectivity. This is estimated to have brought it Rs 118 crore, while the
dial-up accounts for Rs 24 crore.

The success secret for the company has been its unique positioning to offer
DSL services. As part of that the company launched high-speed access at download
speeds up to 1.5 Mb and upload speeds of 512 Kbps. Its infrastructure partners
have been Covad, Sumitomo and Lucent. It also targeted the corporate segments
like the hotel industry and the educational institutions.

In addition, DDSL through its dial-up had 2.35 lakh subscribers and made its
services available in forty odd cities. It has 2,000 odd retail outlets across
the country. In the intervening period, it obtained licenses for setting up
eight satellite gateways and introduced roaming subscribers to log into Dishnet
accounts anywhere at local charges.