Orange Networks forays into wireless arena

SILIGURI, INDIA: When most of the upcountry enterprises and companies are heading towards cost cutting and downsizing due to slowdown, usage of local wireless broadband in north Bengal is on the rise. Orange Networks is gearing up to venture into direct retail outlets and is appointing channel partners.

Primarily concentrated in north Bengal and Sikkim, the company is targeting the SOHO and enterprise segment as its customer base. In this move, Orange launched its brand new offering MetroNet recently, which comprises Wi-Fi equipment along with a prepaid connectivity scheme.

Talking about the venture, Arun Agarwal, Director, Orange Networks said, “The technology we are offering is unique. To surf the Internet, no phone connection is required and thus there's lesser downtime with improved speed.”

The company is now all set to compete with national majors like BSNL, Tata and Airtel. In this process, Orange has recently introduced surf plans for the SOHO segment starting at Rs 340 a month with an unlimited usage plan for Rs 499 on a monthly basis.

Commenting on the market scenario in north Bengal, Agarwal said, “In north Bengal, the scenario is different from the rest. Here, since brand consciousness is low, people look for service and offerings from the company. Being a hilly area, ISP majors are having a low penetration level here and this is an opportunity for us. Being a local player, Orange Networks has a firm understanding of the market dynamics and the demands of the people.”

Confident in his expansion plans to parts of Bengal-Assam border and Sikkim, Agarwal is planning to launch a new retail outlet in Siliguri by mid-April to demonstrate the benefits of Wi-Fi and wireless products.

Also, the company is now looking for channel partners in the region. Agarwal said, “After the launch of the outlet, we will be concentrating on building up a strong channel base and will route our products to the enterprise level through the channels. However, for the SOHO segment, we will be directly supplying the products.”

Commenting on his criteria for selecting channel partners in the region, Agarwal added, “We are looking for partners with a good contact base in the corporate segment. Also, the channel partner should have financial stability and have good reputation in the market regarding credits and payments.”