The Indian Techonomist

India's overseas communications monopoly tries the Internet

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited is India's public sector monopoly for international communications. Despite the on-going privatisation of telecom and broadcasting, VSNL's monopoly has been extended for 10 years by the government.

Recently, VSNL, whose previous forays into datacom have not been highly regarded by customers, leaked that it was going to start the country's first Internet provider for the public. So far, access to the Net has been for the limited category of users permitted to use the government's networks.

In late July 1995, VSNL appears to have got beyond some of the confusions in its earlier, premature announcement. But, as reported in a bulletin on August 1, and analysed in more detail in the sample July 1995 issue of The Indian Techonomist, VSNL's Internet experiment is far from a certain success.

The next issue of The Indian Techonomist will include an report on this monopoly's place in an India with deregulated telecom and broadcasting, with an interview with the Chairman, B K Syngal.

VSNL'S INTERNET SERVICE - PRICE STRUCTURE