New tech to enable 'bandwidth on demand'

Bangalore-based firm Sobha Renaissance Information Technology (SRIT) is set to unveil a software that will enable internet users to pay only for the bandwidth they use. The software will be launched at the 'IIR Telecoms 2007', beginning on June 6 in London.

Named Dyna-Rate, the software is based on the bandwidth-on-demand concept, and is expected to save costs for both individuals and corporates.

If an organisation needs an Internet connection only to check emails or surf internet, a subscription of 64 kbps would suffice, for which it will have to shell out between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000 a month. However, if members of the organisation want to use the video-conferencing facility, they will need more bandwidth "� at least 1mbps. This will cost no less than Rs 40,000 even if they use the facility once or twice in a month.

Besides, operators buy bandwidth from international service providers such as SingTel, based on the commitment to their customers. In practical terms, of the total money a subscriber is paying, about 10 per cent of that goes to the service providers. However, when the customers' demand is high even though the usage is less, the operator has no alternative but to buy higher bandwidth and keep in reserve.

Phanikanth Kudapa, IP Technology Programme Head at SRIT, says: "Dyna-Rate allows for real-time subscriber billing as per the service delivered to the subscriber at the time of delivery." The company is planning to commercialise the product globally by middle of June this month. It is, however, yet to determine the price structure.

"We plan to price this at a premium for Tier-I markets and more competitively in the emerging and price-sensitive markets such as India and China," Madhu Nambiar, CEO and MD, SRIT, told Business Standard. "We see Dyna-Rate as a potential boost to broadband usage in the home and business segments," he added.

Dyna-Rate will also help a subscriber to send the request for upgrading the service at any particular time through the service selection portal. The service will be delivered in few seconds as opposed to 3-5 days it takes currently. The system, which works with most of the new generation wired and wireless products, is capable of configuring network access server to allow protected services to be made available to a particular user upon receiving the request.