Sify unveils its video-conferencing initiative

NEW DELHI: Chennai based Sify Ltd has launched its video-conferencing initiative for India. Christened ‘iMeet’, the facility is targeted towards all the market segments and the company is going to provide this by leveraging on its existing infrastructure of iWay cyber cafes all across the country.

The service was inaugurated with a video-conferencing link between Union Minister for IT, communications and disinvestment Arun Shourie in New Delhi and IT Secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivek Hariharan in Chennai.

"Initially, we are launching this facility at 25 locations encompassing 105 cafes and this would soon be increased to 40 cities and 350 cafes very soon. This is likely to have the social and business impact that STD booths had when they became available everywhere.

Consumers can also meet up with their loved ones in distant cities without traveling to meet them. We are providing this service at an affordable rate of Rs five per minute," said Sify president & COO George Zacharias.

The service is available over Sify’s tier 1 backbone infrastructure and the broadband connectivity of the iWay chain. The video-conferencing facility can be booked, once the calling parties decide to meet, at a convenient iWay in each city. "Soon users can also video-conference with their relatives or business associates in India or abroad, who have a broadband connection, as well as video-conferencing capability with a multi-media PC and a web cam," Zacharias added.

Sify is a network and e-commerce services focused company, offering end-to-end solutions with a comprehensive range of products delivered over a common Internet backbone infrastructure. This Internet backbone reaches 55 points of presence in India, representing an estimated 90 per cent of the established PC base in India.

(CyberMedia News Service)