The Hindu Business Line : Just one box will do

HOW does it sound when a company offers help to turn the `idiot box' in the house into an instrument that can be used as a radio, a computer or juke box? And all this at no extra cost?This is what the Pune-based Divinet Access Laboratories Ltd says it is ready to offer its customers. The company has come out with a `broadband access' technology called RAMNet (Remote Access Metropolitan Network). What it offers customers, the company says, is a network to provide broadband access to homes and offices at affordable cost. Unlike other broadband technologies such as ADSL and cable modem which predominantly offer Internet services, RAMNet offers the Internet as one of the services. It also offers solutions for services based on digital video and audio, which supports a large number of simultaneous users. It provides a single-point access mechanism for a wide range of services through the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), allowing the user to access all the services offered through RAMNet, says the company.

The RAMNet technology is the result of three-and-a-half years of research and development by a team led by P.R. Eknath, Chief Technology Officer, DiviNet, former CTO of C-DAC and Sanjay Wandhekar of C-DAC, an integral part of the team that developed India's first super computer, PARAM, and its series. RAMNet has evolved from the concept stage to the `Commercial Launch' stage. It is now in beta phase trial covering a130-km area in Pune connecting about 500users in different parts of the city.

According to Eknath, "our objective is to provide an affordable and secure technology to people. This provides a broadband access mechanism with speeds ranging from 64 kbps to 10 Mbps for Information, Communication and Entertainment to residential as well as corporate clients."

He says the technology "provides point-to-point connectivity between every user and the central location and makes the network secure, reliable and predictable. The network will be ready for mission-critical business traffic. It can be directly connected to the ISPs, thus eliminating the need for acquiring the E1-R2 lines from telecom companies."

A key feature of the CPE is the CAS (Conditional Access System) that converts the TV into a multiple-use gadget or one that can interface with multiple gadgets. In this era of accessing, and the conditional access system (CAS) Bill, the gadget being proposed by the Government is designed exclusively for CAS applications. On the other hand, a similar-costing CPE from DiviNet offers CAS as one of the built-in functionalities.

The CPE designed by DiviNet helps subscribers connected to RAMNet to access broadband services such as video-on-demand, online chatting, SMS, e-mail, online gaming and interactive online education and more, says the company. All these applications are accessed on the existing TV.

RAMNet integrates multiple gadgets/services into one, such as the radio, juke box, VCR, video on demand, video telephony, multiparty video conferencing, gaming and interactive education. These gadgets/services are used by homes and offices. One can listen to multiple radio channels, view regular video channels which are free to air and subscribe for the required pay channels, watch movies and content on demand and use the PVR (personal video recorder) facility to record the programmes. All this through the CPE, says the company.

T-commerce a reality

T-commerce, a term for local e-commerce through TV, is going to be a reality soon because of the RAMNet network. One can walk through virtual shopping malls and shop online. To make the transaction secure, a biometric security system (such as fingerprinting) will be provided to subscribers, says Eknath.

The company is also coming out with scratch cards and prepaid cards in a month's time. "Imagine a customer is watching a movie. If the prepaid amount is used up, all he has to do is use the remote and punch in the prepaid card number. The number of hours and the amount will be immediately withdrawn from the account and the customer will be given a new prepaid card or number. He can continue watching his programme. All this will take only a matter of minutes and he doesn't need to get up from his couch,'' says Eknath.

What about the language barrier associated with technology products? B.P. Narayan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, DiviNet, says the system is multilingual, supporting interactive services through the chosen language of the user. Also, it doesn't assume the shape of a PC that faces low penetration and the `computer phobia' hurdle. As far as commercial applications go, he says services such as private networks, bandwidth-on-demand, online competitions, T-commerce, e-commerce, online promotions, online trading of shares and live quotes and online lottery have been developed.

Narayan says the interactive broadband access will be available at the existing dial-up costs. To expand reach, the company proposes to operate city-level online services through partnerships with market operators. It also envisages local city-level partnerships with shops, departmental stores, restaurants, hotels, cinema houses, and utility service providers.

Company officials say DiviNet has put in place the funding arrangement for commercial deployment of the technology through venture capitalists and financial institutions.

DiviNet won the first E-Biz challenge award, instituted by Dubai Internet City, for RAMNet for world-class innovative e-business ideas. DiviNet won despite competition from 1,385 entries representing 34 countries, they say. The company is in the process of acquiring intellectual property rights over the technology.

rsavitha@hotmail.com

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