Speaking to The Financial Express, Sun TV managing director KalanithiMaran said his group plans to cover the entire gamut of the communicationsbusiness in the coming years. Maran said that his focus next year would beto offer value-added internet services to the masses.

He said that he wants to provide services that would be cheaper than icecreams and "the much-maligned word e-commerce would be an important part ofit".

"For instance, I want housewives to place orders from home to neighbourhoodshops through the Net, and be charged a commission as low as 10 paise," headded. Maran said he wants to be in the volumes business by offering lowvalue services. "If e-commerce is to succeed in India it has to be taken tothe masses," he said.

A project team is working towards cabling the city using optical fibres. Thecompany is in the process of applying for ISP licences. Talks are on withseveral hardware manufacturers to devise cheap access terminals which can beused for surfing the Net and send and receive e-mail. He said it will besome time before people are able to access the internet through cable TV.However, accessing internet through cable would be a preferred mode in thefuture, he said.

Maran said he is chalking out his internet business plans. Theinfrastructure for his internet foray would be in place by March 2000, headded.

Maran said his group's foray into FM radio segment is in line with hisvision of being in the forefront of the communications industry. The groupis willing to set up as many as 13 radio stations requiring possibleinvestment of Rs 5 crore each.

Foray into N American market in the offing
Sun TV has temporarily deferred its plans of starting Bengali and Gujaratichannels. In February, Sun TV will kick-start 24-hour news channels in Tamiland English. The same will be done in the group's other southern languagechannels -- Gemini, Surya and Udaya.

Sun TV is all set to enter the US and Canada markets directly without helpof any channel partners. The company beams through channel partners inSingapore, Malasia, UAE, Sri Lanka for telecasting programmes. The next stepwould be a foray into South Africa, which has a sizeable Tamil population.The channel is actively scouting for partners in the region, said Sun TVmanaging director Kalanithi Maran.

Maran said his group wants to cover all Tamil-speaking population around theworld.