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VSNL to buy Indian ISP for Rs 750 million
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).
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.
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.
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Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
