UBL has planned a major thrust in these business and has already acquired a 42 per cent stake in Usha Communications Technology Ltd, the overseas holding company which holds 100 per cent equity of UBEST India Ltd and Usha Communication Technology Inc, USA. The revenue of this high-end telecom OSS product business is expected to be $12 million in the current fiscal.

Usha Martin Academy of Communications Technology (UACT) a division of the company, will start its maiden training course in March this year. UACT operating out of the IIT campus in Chennai is a joint venture between UBL and IIT Madras and will provide specialised and focused training in telecom related software as well as focus on research and development.

For the nine months ended December 31, 1999, UBL has reported a 15 per cent in profit after interest and depreciation at Rs 25.58 crore from Rs 22.24 crore in the corresponding nine months of the previous fiscal. Its turnover has gone up from Rs 587.65 crore to Rs 639.28 crore, an increase of nine per cent.