Dishnet DSL Ltd (DDSL), one of the subsidiaries of Sterling group of companies, is dedicated to providing Internet services in the country. In line with the Sterling Group’s philosophy, this company, too concentrated on delivering the widest possible range of Internet services at affordable prices. As part of that strategy, the company set out to offer DSL services and dial-up connectivity. In fact it is the only national DSL service provider in the country. During the FY 2000-01, Dishnet’s has done a total business to the tune of Rs 135 crore. It had notched up 2.35 lakh dial-up subscribers and 10,000 DSL subscribers to its credit. And the bulk of revenue has obviously come from DSL connectivity. This is estimated to have brought it Rs 118 crore, while the dial-up accounts for Rs 24 crore.

The success secret for the company has been its unique positioning to offer DSL services. As part of that the company launched high-speed access at download speeds up to 1.5 Mb and upload speeds of 512 Kbps. Its infrastructure partners have been Covad, Sumitomo and Lucent. It also targeted the corporate segments like the hotel industry and the educational institutions.

In addition, DDSL through its dial-up had 2.35 lakh subscribers and made its services available in forty odd cities. It has 2,000 odd retail outlets across the country. In the intervening period, it obtained licenses for setting up eight satellite gateways and introduced roaming subscribers to log into Dishnet accounts anywhere at local charges.