Microland, Tdici Launch Planetasia.Com

Microland, the leading networking products company, has joined hands with TDICI, the country's major venture capital fund, to launch Planetasia.com, a first comprehensive Internet business solutions company, with an equity investment of Rs five crore.

While Microland and TDICI each holds 46 per cent of equity, the rest is being held by employees of Microland. Microland's decision to announce the setting up of an Internet solutions company follows the recent decision taken by the government on the new Internet policy. The new company will provide Internet-based solutions by combining business consulting, Internet technology and creative design Planetasia.com will also set up a `New Media Research Laboratory' (NMRL), at Bangalore, for research in Internet technology, which would be later used for providing solutions to customers.

NMRL also plans to work with universities and research organisations around the world in developing new technologies for the Internet.

The new company has already invested Rs 2.5 crore in a modern digital publishing studio and application development centre at Bangalore. The publishing studio is the creative centre where web designers, web writers and creative software engineers will use the latest tools in creating content, said Pradeep Kar, chairman, Microland group.

Started with 25 professionals, the Internet company plans to grow to 100 by March 1998 across its offices in seven cities, he said. According to A V Jayachander, managing director, TDICI, Planetasia has come at the right time with the opening up of the Internet market in India.

The digital publishing studio will house a crack team drawn from advertising, media, software and multimedia backgrounds; the consulting team will work on-site to analyse and transform business processes to make them more effective for the Web environment.

According to V S Sudhakar, CEO, Planetasia.com, the new company will leverage on intranets, extranets and electronic commerce. According to Madanmohan Rao, principal consultant of the company, Planetasia plans to harness IT developers, business consultants and creative designers under one roof.