(8 July 2006 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Telenity, a provider of next generation converged services platforms and applications for communications networks, will be providing location-based services (LBS) solution to India's state-owned telecom giant, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) through its partner Tier 1 network equipment providers (NEPs).

Telenity provides its Canvas LES, Location Enabling Server, and 14 location-based services to BSNL that will enable the operator to offer personalised value added location-based services to its mobile customers. This highly scalable location solution will serve BSNL network infrastructure expected to grow from approximately 14 million to 70 million subscribers, and is expected to support world's largest deployment to date.

"Location-based value added services are absolutely essential for carriers to effectively compete and differentiate in the wireless marketplace. Worldwide carrier revenues from location-based services are expected to climb from a little less than $1 billion in 2005 to nearly $8.5 billion by 2010," said Telenity CEO Dilip Singh.

"Our converged location and presence solution supports complete and total privacy of location-based services across any network. It not only increases BSNL's enhanced service offerings and ARPU, but just as significantly, enables BSNL to aggressively pursue a wide variety of new business models, including resale and revenue sharing options. This deployment shows Telenity's commitment to serve one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world," he added.

Telenity's LBS solution is a crucial part of BSNL's expansion of its GSM/GPRS digital wireless network in the south, east and north zones of India. It includes Telenity's Canvas LES, which ensures subscribers can easily find, locate or monitor phones and other assets based on their geographic position, points of interest and securely fine-tune their privacy profile on the fly when they want it and 14 location-based services including:

• Real Time Fleet and Asset Management - enables enterprises to locate, monitor and manage their mobile assets and employees in a secure way using a simple Web browser.
• Friend Finder - alerts subscribers when one of their friends in their buddy list is in close proximity to their location or vice versa.
• Mobile Yellow Pages - allows subscribers to get the location of the closest service point of their interest.
• City Sightseeing - provides subscribers with the location information of a place of interest - restaurant, museum, theater, park, etc.

Telenity's LBS solution is developed utilizing the Canvas service creation environment, telephony applications server and service delivery gateway. Telenity's LBS solution is the most comprehensive and advanced in the world today and is positioned for VAS in IP Multimedia Subsystem enabled and 3G networks.

"As we expand our network, our main goal is to meet the personalisation needs of our fast growing subscriber base and strengthen our position in the industry as an innovator and leader in mobile value added services. The location-based services solution from Telenity will allow differentiate BSNL mobile value added services and increase average revenues per user," said BSNL general manager mobile services S. Krishnan.

"Within just more then a year of operation in India, Telenity has expanded its workforce to fully support customers in India,. We are rapidly moving ahead with our commitment in the region by establishing center of excellence for APAC in India. This will ensure BSNL services are up and running all the time" said Telenity general manager Asia Pacific Ashwani Vachher.

India is among the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world. In a country of over one billion people, teledensity now stands at about eleven percent or around 120 million people. This figure is expected to grow to 30 per cent by 2010, according to the Department of Telecommunications of India.