VSNL to opens cyber cafés at railway stations

BANGALORE: Videsh
Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) announced that it is now enabling customers to stay
connected on the move by setting up Cyber Cafes at major railway stations across
the country to create users-friendly public internet access points. The company
has been awarded franchisee rights for running of Cyber cafes at 68 locations,
in pursuance of the agenda outlined by the Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav
in his Railway Budget for 2006-07.

The first such Cyber Cafe was inaugurated at the Bangalore railway station by
Shashi Kalathil, President, Broadband & Retail Business of the company.
Speaking on the occasion, Kalathil said, "This effort will enable VSNL
implement the promise made in the Union Railway budget of setting up such Cyber
Cafes across the leading railway stations in the country. We are keen on making
Internet easily available so that passengers can stay connected even while on
the move".

The company plans to make all the 68 cybercafes operational in the next few
weeks. The unique feature of these cyber cafes will be that all Tata Indicom
dial-up internet and broadband subscribers can use this facility by using their
existing accounts. Each of these cybercafes will be equipped with 10-20 high-end
multimedia PCs with flat panel monitors and will be open 24 X 7. The company
also plans to offer other value added services like printing, scanning, mobile
charging and CD writing through these cafes. Passengers can also use the Cyber
Cafes for making onward bookings, checking their bank statements, tracking their
investment portfolio and making ISD calls.

Tata Indicom will also create select areas in the railway station that are Wi
Fi enabled, allowing passengers to experience the Internet on their laptop or
Wi-Fi enabled PDAs at blazing speeds, thus meeting the growing need of the
people to be connected - anytime and anywhere.

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