With this, Data Access became the first Indian telecom company to enter Sri Lanka to herald the end of monopoly of the incumbent carrier, Sri Lanka Telecom, in this sector. This development follows the recent deregulation of the telecom sector in Sri Lanka and the opening up of the sector to international companies. Presently Data Access is the second largest ILD operator in India after the state-owned VSNL having a market share of 30-per cent of the total ILD market.

Says Data Access (India) managing director Siddhartha Ray: “We are glad to be the very first licensee of Sri Lanka’s long-distance telephony privatisation. Data Access is committed to participate in the new emerging markets of international carrier opportunity, and the Sri Lankan license is a very important milestone for us. We intend to tap the 400 million minutes a year voice traffic market in Sri Lanka, which is expected to grow substantially due to the expected drop in rates arising out of privatisation of the sector.”

Adds Data Access executive vice-president and chief technology officer Vivek Jhamb: “With our unique network architecture, we would be able to start operations of the new license within the next six weeks by interconnecting a new gateway switch at Sri Lanka with our existing gateway switches in London, Hong Kong and New York. We already have over 84 carriers interconnects at our switches in these places, which will now be able to terminate traffic in Sri Lanka through us in addition to the existing traffic being terminated in India.”

Incorporated in 1999, Data Access is one of the first ISP licensees in India to set up its own private Internet gateways, thereby ending the monopoly of VSNL in international carrier business in 2000. Promoted by SPA Enterprises, India, and partnered with PCCW, Hong Kong, Data Access is maintaining its monopoly-breaking track record in the Indian telecom market by being the first Indian private voice-carrier to deliver large-scale voice traffic on its own network. The company operates several telecommunications licenses in India, the UK and the US for voice, data and broadcasting services.

Data Access is the only Indian carrier network with its own footprint reaching all parts of the world and operating its own network centres in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, and servicing not only the Indian consumer but the global telecom consumer through its global clearing house operations in London and New York. Apart from providing ILD/ISD services, Data Access also provides Internet services under the well known ‘NOW’ (Network of the World) brand to both individuals and corporates. Data Access is the first Indian company to get a ‘full carrier’ license to offer ILD and NLD services in the US.