Mumbai: Entering the web conferencing market, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) today unveiled the Tata Indicom web conferencing service based on the Microsoft Office Live Meeting Platform..

This is a hosted software solution that minimises infrastructure and set up requirements and lets people collaborate and share information like presentations and documents and conduct virtual meetings from anywhere using a PC and an internet connections, proving a cost-saving alternative to business travel for particularly those in the SMB sector.

VSNL is providing this service for the first time in India. The service will be available immediately to customers across the country.

Addressing media at a press conference held in the city today, Kishor Chaukar, managing director, Tata Industries, and director, VSNL and Neelam Dhawan, managing director Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. also announced a strategic alliance to address the emerging communication needs of the enterprise, SMB and consumer segments.

Says Chaukar, "Armed with the combined strength of VSNL and Microsoft Office Live Meeting, our endeavour will be to deliver the next generation of real time communication to enterprises in India. Our latest offering will enable our customers to meet the twin objectives of enhancing team communication and reducing travel time. This alliance is in keeping with our objective of offering end-to-end managed services to our customers."

Under the alliance, VSNL will combine its communications network with Microsoft software to create solutions and services targeted at these segments. VSNL and Microsoft will also undertake joint "Go-to-Market" initiatives to evangelise and market these offerings in the target segments.

Neelam Dhawan, commenting on the partnership, said, "Delivering software as a service is key to improving access to IT, and ensuring that Indian enterprises and consumers can realise the benefits of technology. A few years ago, it would have been impossible to think of deriving synergies between the telecom and IT industries. The rapid growth of telecom networks, and adoption of IT - is fostering a marketplace that is ready for converged solutions."

"VSNL is one of India's leading telecom service providers with a strong foothold in the enterprise segment. The launch of the Tata Indicom Web Conferencing Service, powered by Microsoft Office Live Meeting is an example of the powerful converged solutions that such a partnership can provide."

In fiscal year 2004, Microsoft used Live Meeting to replace one in five business trips and saved over $40 million world-wide and expects to save $75 million this year.

The service will be available in two versions - standard and professional - through four variations:

• Named user licence (fixed and dedicated capacity for unlimited meetings)
  
• Room licence ("always on" meeting room)
  
• Monthly minute licence (pay per use)
  
• Shared seat licence (pool of seats for multiple use).

In the future, the two companies plan to focus on other areas including next generation converged voice, data, messaging and video services; managed hosted 'info-comm' services and'; deployment of service delivery platforms for the provision of subscription based instant video and music packages over broadband, and multimedia streaming over broadband and dial up networks.