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News posted on The Indian Express : September 7, 2004
BroVis Wireless wired up for growth
Chennai Sept. 7, 2004 – Broadband seems to be the new buzzword in the country. We have seen and heard at length on how it would transform daily lives and myriad benefits it offers to companies. We have also seen commercials from many leading companies telling us that they will wire all of the country and change our fortunes.
But hang on, have we ever spared a thought on how we are going to provide last mile access to the consumers at their doorsteps? Though there are solutions like expensive cable modems and high-end wireless connectivity products, it unfortunately is not the answer. What one looks for is individual user products and campus / area distribution products at affordable costs. And now there is a ray of hope in the form of Chennai-based BroVis Wireless Networks with its BroadCell solution suite. What is truly unique is that the Company was set up by a former Silicon Valley engineer now based in Chennai and is probably the only one of its kind in the country.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Muthu Logan, President & CEO, says that "Pilot projects are already underway in Hiranandani housing complex in Powai, Mumbai and at some educational institutions like MIT in Chennai. "Set up with an initial funding of $1 million from a group of private investors in the US in April last year, the company expects to net another $3 million in funding this year. And as per Logan's estimates the company is targeting revenues of Rs. 1.7-2 crore this year from India. Going forward in 2005-06 we expect a turnover of close to Rs. 30 crore, he adds.
But considering the fact that broadband itself as a concept has not really blossomed in the country, how does BroVis intend to achieve this, one may ask? Logan has the answers readily like clockwork, "Our products are truly unique. We are introducing the multi user products immediately and will follow it up with single user products soon. We will also come out with advanced versions of these products later this year. What about affordability, one may ask? The multi-user products are priced around Rs. 5 lakhs while the single user products would be priced at Rs. 15,000.
"As hardware costs keeps coming down, we are sure the price will also fall in tandem. Our dream is to offer the single user product at Rs. 10,000."
The Company is really looking at rural areas for growth. "Many regions in the country have very poor or non-existent wireline Infrastructure. Since terrains are challenging in nature. So, wireless last mile access and wireless distribution of bandwidth becomes a necessity and that is what we offer, he added."