Dishnet Introduces DSL in India

Dishnet Limited, the ISP arm of Sterling Group, has introduced Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology for high-speed Net access.

“Dishnet brings this broadband access, which is at least 140 times faster
than the fastest analog modems available in the market today,” said the
company statement.

“We are offering the newest and most advanced Internet access service,
which we are introducing to India for the first time,” said Ravi Warriar,
president of marketing for DishnetDSL. He said that the firm would soon
be installing the DSL Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) in Chennai, Mumbai,
Delhi, and Bangalore, followed by 55 other large cities and towns.

DSL is a broadband communication technology designed for use on regular
phone lines. The technology delivers broadcast quality video, video
conferencing, and high-speed data transmission to the home or business,
all without interrupting normal telephone service.

Dishnet was launched in March 1998 under the brand name ETH. After
getting an all-India ISP license in December 1998, Dishnet has launched
Internet services in Pune, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore and New Delhi.
Dishnet also plans to launch its Internet services in Mumbai, Kochi,
Nagpur, Hyderabad, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Madurai. Currently, the firm
has a subscriber base of 18,000.

Dishnet has entered into an agreement with some of the leading IT
companies like Microsoft, Portal, Compaq, Dell, Cisco and Ericsson.
Dishnet has also launched a own website that aims to provide information
to students both in colleges and school. It gives school-going children
the benefit of online curriculum, model test papers for board exams and
loads of other general knowledge tests.

Dishnet plans to launch a maiden IPO to partly finance its expansion
program.