'The growth we expect will translate into substantial investments'

Connectiva has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Celtel
International. What was the consideration for this selection?

The key considerations for the contract was the ability of the product to
support “Distributed Revenue Management”, ie, supporting multiple geographies,
and monitoring not only the activities of the local operating entity but also
feeding corporate headquarters with revenue impacting activities across 14
countries.

The second consideration was the ability of the vendor to implement this
solution across fourteen countries innovatively, and in a very compressed time
frame. Given that this is a complex project, Connectiva's 100% success record
made a big difference. Over the past seven years, all implementations of
Connectiva's solutions have been on time and within budget. This enviable track
record helped in the selection of Connectiva as the vendor of choice.

What challenges have you faced in taking the company to the next level?

The biggest hurdle that we overcame initially was to demonstrate was how
tangible our value proposition is. Once we proved the compelling business case
associated with deploying our solution, we started to get a lot of interest from
telecom operators globally.

What kind of engagement do you have with operators?

The executive sponsor of revenue management projects at telecom operators is
usually the CEO or the CFO's office. We work closely with the executive sponsor
to make sure that there is alignment with their corporate objectives.

What are your growth plans for the current fiscal?

The growth that we are expecting will translate into substantial investments
both in and outside India. Unlike ITeS players, we are not looking to hire
thousands of people. We are in the business of creating IP, and are recruiting
the best in our field. Our Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Kolkata has several
PhDs from reputed institutions, and we will continue to be very selective when
recruiting people.

Today, we have offices in New York, Mexico City, London, Kuwait, New Delhi,
Kolkata and Singapore. We expect to triple our sales this financial year, and
will add to our network of global offices.

Jatinder Singh

jatinders@cybermedia.co.in