The CRM competence center will be spread across 10,000 sq feet and will be located within ERDCI building in Noida near Delhi. It proposes to train over 500 students each year for a career as call center agents, said Netspace managing director, Pankaj Garg.

While ERDCI, a scientific society under the Ministry of Information Technology, will provide the neccessary infrastructure and equipment, Netspace will provide the hardware and software support.

Though both sides will put money in the venture, Garg refused to disclose the amount being invested in the project. ``When fully operational, all three activities will require a large sum which will be equally shared by ERDCI,'' he said. The entire project is expected to be up and running within two months.

The call center facility will initially have 50 seats and be expanded to 100 in the second phase. It will target domestic customers, but look at international offshore clients later. ``We are putting in the switch-based communications infrastructure, scalable servers and other world-class facilities which are often missing in other call centers directed at a domestic audience. Our aim is also to offer the entire gamut of services and solutions to companies wanting to set up call centers,'' said Garg. The Netspace will also develop a Website, erdci-netspace.com, to be be used for the eCRM and ASP services. It will also rent software applications to corporate, PSUs and government.