HCL Comnet launches SpaceTeach

HCL Comnet has launched SpaceTeach, a VSAT-based interactive, two-way distance

education application. The company has done a project for IIT Bombay,

substantiating the efficacy of the solution for imparting lectures facilitated

through live interactions. Launched as a pilot in May 2002, these lectures are

currently being beamed, from IIT Bombay to three centers one in Mumbai, Indore

and Nagpur each. This offering is an attempt by the company to diversify away

from simply selling, installing and commissioning VSATs. The company was

acclaimed as India s no. 1 VSAT service provider (according to number of VSATs

installed) by a recent survey in Voice and Data magazine s May issue.






According to Deepak Phatak, Head KRESIT, IIT Bombay, the architect of the
project, "With emerging technologies information dissemination has become

much easier and cost-effective. At IIT Bombay, we aim to take this phenomenon a

step further by reaching out to students and working professionals instead of

they reaching to us. This distance education project will eliminate all physical

barriers to education by creating a national virtual classroom. We will expand

to more than 8 colleges benefiting more than 30,000 students nationally