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VSNL to buy Indian ISP for Rs 750 million
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MUMBAI: Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) is strengthening its broadband presence in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment. The telecommunications giant has agreed to buy out Direct Internet Ltd (DIL) and its wholly owned subsidiary Primus Telecommunications India Ltd (PTIL) for Rs 750 million ($16.7 million). |
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US-based Primus Telecommunications Group Inc will exit from India, selling its entire 85 per cent stake in DIL. VSNL is also buying out the remaining 15 per cent held by an Indian partner. The deal is expected to be completed in a few weeks, VSNL said in a statement. |
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PTIL provides fixed broadband wireless internet services to SMEs in several Indian cities. The company has close to 1,000 SME and 10,000 retail customers. Out of a total revenue of around Rs 550 million in FY 2006, nearly 80 per cent came from the SME segment. Retail business accounted for 15 per cent while Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) contributed to around seven per cent of the company‘s income. 
The retail customers are likely to be rehomed in VSNL while DIL will focus entirely on the SME segment. The company‘s operations will continue to be run with the old management. “The huge infrastructre of VSNL will allow DIL an opportunity to expand in the SME segment. VSNL has massive bandwidth which will offer DIL‘s operations greater efficiencies. In the past, we were buying bandwidth on a leased basis and this was consuming 60 per cent of our costs,” says DIL and PTIL founder-CEO Tilak Sarkar.
This will be VSNL‘s first SME-specific acquisition in the internet space. VSNL had earlier acquired DishnetDSL for Rs 2.7 billion and Tata Power broadband for Rs 2.39 billion which gave it broadband subscribers in the retail as well as the SME segments. DIL, on the other hand, has mostly SME subscribers.
“The SME segment is a lowly penetrated but growing market. VSNL sees this as an opportunity to expand its presence in the broadband space,” says an analyst.
VSNL has been aggressive in acquisitions over the last one year. While it bought Tyco International‘s global under-sea fibre optic cable network unit in July 2005, recently it acquired telecoms network service firm Teleglobe International Holdings Ltd.
Nasdaq-listed Primus Telecommunications, an integrated communications services provider offering international and domestic voice, VoIP, internet, wireless, data and hosting services to business and residential retail customers, had reported a net revenue of $1.19 billion in the 2005 fiscal. |
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
