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STPI prepares to sell gateway facilities to ISPs

STPI is aggressively marketing the services of these gateways to the up and coming Internet service providers.

T O D A Y

• The freeware PC • Supercomputing centre • More Net gateways • Videoconferencing job

''We have already received firm orders from the ISPs,'' STPI Director N S Narotra has claimed.

STPI, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Electronics, offers connectivity through satellite gateways even in remote areas, unlike the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited whose reach is limited to big cities.

In the initial years, the brief for STPI was to promote information technology entrepreneurs. But it is now recasting its role in the new environment where the Indian software industry has gained its own momentum.

''Our role is now enhanced to ensure that information technology proliferates. This is the kind of mandate given to us by the National Task Force for IT,'' Narotra claimed.

STPI has so far promoted about 15 dedicated clusters for IT entrepreneurs and more are being planned. The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India is taking the help of STPI to find and support IT professionals through its venture capital fund.

Because banks and financial institutions do not have the necessary expertise in the IT Industry, the involvement of an institution like STPI should help, Narotra explained.

Of India's software exports, about a third are accounted for by entrepreneurs promoted by the STPI, Narotra claimed.

UNI

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