The Hindu Business Line : MTNL to partner Novatium for Net access device

Consumers in Delhi and Mumbai may not need to buy a full fledged PC to access broadband services any more. The state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) is all set to partner with Chennai-based smart computing solutions provider Novatium to launch a low-cost access device, which could enable subscribers to get the benefits of a PC for less than $100.

The finer details of the partnership and the offer price for the device is expected to be announced on Monday by the Communications and IT Minister, Mr A. Raja.

Net PC

Novatium had earlier launched its Net PC which enables users to get a computing system with online software applications such as word, presentation tools, spreadsheets, surf the Internet, learn on education packages, play games and music online for a monthly fee. There are also no hassles of having to maintain the system or threats of virus because the device is remotely managed by the company. The software or applications are automatically upgraded by the company. Users are also given a memory space of 2GB on the central server. The partnership with MTNL could be based on a similar model.

High cost of owning a full fledged PC is one of the biggest bottlenecks for the uptake of broadband services in the country. The MTNL-Novatium partnership is expected to bring down the upfront investment for the consumer taking a broadband connection considerably. So far, broadband growth has been sluggish with just about 2 lakh subscribers a month.

More Stories on : Outlook | Broadband | Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd

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