DirecWay-the satellite-based broadband service by HECL

Hughes Escorts Communications Ltd (HECL)-one of the country's premier VSAT service provider-recently announced the commercial launch of DirecWay-a comprehensive satellite broadband service. With an investment of over $ 15 million in introducing DirecWay, HECL will be the first national satellite broadband service provider in the Indian market to offer services in over 800 cities and rural areas across the country.

DirecWay is the world's leading broadband by satellite service for consumer, small business and enterprise markets. Customers have access to a variety of value-added solutions; all on a single platform and all backed by support from HNS to give companies the edge they need in today's market.

To support this service, the company has invested in setting up a world-class infrastructure for the Indian market which includes dedicated satellite space, a data center for hosting enterprise applications, a network operations center to manage all services and marketing services and support. DirecWay will also deliver solutions for networking, Managed Network Services (MNS), Data Center Hosting and application services such as distance education; multimedia broadcast services and telemedicine.

Announcing the launch of DirecWay in India, Pradman Kaul, Chairman and CEO, Hughes Network Systems said "DirecWay has clearly been one of the most successful services for Hughes worldwide. Today, we have over a lakh subscribers in the US alone and have installed over 25,000 units in Australia and Europe. I am confident of its success in the Indian market with the role it will play in bridging the digital divide by delivering comprehensive solutions. It will allow small businesses and individual users in remote locations the same advanced technology that powers global enterprises."

With DirecWay, HECL plans to target a wide range of potential customers including large enterprises, SME's and the home user. The solution is quick to deploy, delivers cost-effective networking and enables wide spread connectivity.

Through its host of value added application services such as e-procurement, e-distribution, e-CRM, HR management and corporate training, DirecWay enables corporate to streamline operations, cut costs, develop new sources of revenue and create a better-trained workforce. HECL has collaborated with companies including Compaq, Commerce One, Talisma and Legato to provide these application platforms.

DirecWay will be available to customers in two flavors-the Two-Way System allows to send and receive information via satellite and the economical One-Way system that allows to receive information via satellite at speeds identical to the two-way system. The one-way system sends information using the telephone line. 

Speaking at the launch, Partho Bannerjee, President and CEO, HECL, said, "Today the business differentiator for any technology service provider lies in the value added applications rather than basic connectivity. As per IMRB estimates, the Indian broadband market in 2002-03 is expected to be Rs 200 crore. With DirecWay enabling the customer to access a one-stop shop solution-right from hardware, to broadband Internet access and applications, we are confident of generating over Rs 100 crore of revenue in the first three years of operations." 

DirecWay will be made available to the Indian customers for a one-time hardware cost of Rs 30,000 for One-Way and upwards of Rs 1 lakh for Two-Way and the recurring charges range from Rs 1,000 per month at the lowest to Rs 20,000 per month depending on the service plan chosen by the end user.