Acterna India to provide T&M systems to Reliance Infocom, Bharti Cell

Jaidev Majumdar in Kolkata

Acterna India Pvt Ltd, the fully-owned subsidiary of the US-based communications test and management (T&M) major Acterna, has teamed up with convergence outfits Reliance Infocom Ltd and Bharti Cellular Ltd. Acterna will help them roll out fibre-optic base communication networks and assist them with synchronisation services.

In the Rs 15,800-crore fibre-optic network project undertaken by bandwidth provider Reliance Infocom, Acterna will provide remote fibre T&M systems to ensure the desired quality of service (QoS) level.

For cellular services provider Bharti Cellular, Acterna’s services are expected to help the company attain QoS levels that translate into clearer speech and fewer missed calls.
Mr Vishnu G Goel, managing director of Acterna India Ltd, said his company had earlier sold similar services to government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
“Now, with de-regulation of the telecom industry in place, we are approaching these convergence outfits to subscribe to our services. Unmistakably, it will mean providing better services to the end-user. We distinctly have a role to play when they are conceptualising the services,” Mr Goel said.
Delhi-based Acterna India reported a turnover of Rs 55 crore during 2000-01, and expects a 20 per cent topline growth during the current fiscal, according to Mr Goel.
The company has, of late, invested Rs 2.5 crore to procure capital equipment, apart from tying up with channel partners across the country.
According to industry reports, the total market for T&M during 2000-01 was Rs 370 crore. Acterna was placed third with a marketshare of 11 per cent behind leaders Agilent Technologies and Tektronix with 28 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. The rest belongs to small-time local players.
The reports also point out that 2001-02 may overall be a good year for T&M. In the first quarter of the current fiscal, Tektronix has reported a 200 per cent growth. But if new technologies do not come in during the year, the incremental sales of the plain vanilla equipment may not grow by more than 15 per cent.
Acterna has also worked with various providers of cable television services, including the Hindujas’ INCable, Zee’s Siticable and the Rahejas’ Hathway.