New Delhi : Dialnet Communications Limited, the home-grown unified messagingservices company, is planning to rope in a foreign partner to establish aglobal presence.According to the managing director, Mr GD Binani, Dialnet, the company ishoping to form a joint venture with either an Indian or foreign partner. Hesaid: "To put our plans into shape, though we are open to both borrowingfrom financial bids as well as strategic alliances, however, we would favourequity participation. We would be interested in players who bring anunderstanding of the IT and telecom sector to the joint venture."With the nature of product that we sell, the huge expatriate Indianpopulations in USA and UK show tremendous scope for growth, he added.
In fact, the voice mail and audiotext services, according to Mr Binani, havean enormous scope in India too as a substantial chunk of population is notconversant with information technology. In such a scenario, Internetintegrated telephony services provide a more comfortable interface for thisnon-IT savvy audience to get connected.
At present, US-based company Audiotecs has a 40 per cent stake in DialnetCommunications. The rest is held by the promoters, by Mr Binani and hisfamily.
Riding on the success of game shows such as Star Plus' Kaun Bangea Crorepatiand Sab TV's Jab Khelo, Sab Khelo, Dialnet hopes to double its turnover thisfinancial year. The company has provided the software for theseviewer-interactive programmes.
In 1999-2000, the four-year-old company showed a turnover of Rs 4.25 croreand in the present (2000-1) financial year it hopes to clock in Rs 8.5crore. "Of this Rs 8.5 crore turnover, 50 per cent is being contributed bythe gameshow business," added Mr Binani.
For the next financial year (2001-2), the company has put in place a Rs 40crore expansion plan and hopes to improve its turnover to Rs 60 crore.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
