• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Our Bureau

KOLKATA, March 26

TAJ Bengal, a property of the Taj Group of Hotels, has forged a tie-up with the Chennai-based Microsense Pvt Ltd and Convergent Communications, to offer wireless broadband connectivity to residents of the hotel here.

The technology, christened Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), allows guests to access high-speed Internet from their laptops from any part of the hotel.

Stating this during a news conference here, Mr Samir Khanna, General Manager of Taj Bengal, said the facility would enable guests to move from one room in the hotel to another without fear of losing the Internet connection.

Mr Khanna said the hotel would provide a network card that would enable laptop users to connect to the Internet instantly. Users would have the option to choose from different plans ranging from a one-hour access on payment of Rs 100 to a 24-hour access for Rs 600. Loss of the network card or its damage beyond repair shall cost the user Rs 15,000.

According to Mr Khanna, about 35-40 per cent of the hotel's room guests use their own laptops and the number of such people was on the rise. As such, the focus was on facilitating the needs of these guests, most of whom are on business trips and wish to remain connected.

The Chennai-based companies have invested Rs 50 lakh in the infrastructure that has been set up to provide the WiFi solution. A revenue-share arrangement has been arrived at whereby 65 per cent of the revenue generated from the initiative would go to the Chennai-based companies even as the balance 35 per cent would rest with Taj Bengal.

At present, Taj Bengal generates around Rs 20 lakh per annum as revenue from usage of the Internet. With the introduction of WiFi, this figure is expected to go up to Rs 25-26 lakh within the next one year. As such, the incremental business that is expected to be generated by Taj Bengal on account of the WiFi initiative within the next one year would be around Rs 5-6 lakh.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Apollo Tyres mulls sourcing from Russia

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line