Open source software centre to be set up in Chennai

The central government is to take the initiative to set up a centre next month in Chennai dedicated to creating open source software, said Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology.

Maran's announcement came in the backdrop of the inability of personal computer manufacturers to bundle Microsoft software with PCs that are being sold below Rs 10,000 because the software is too expensive.

Maran today launched PC-maker HCL Infosystems' new machine that has been priced at Rs 9,990. During his address at the launch, he said that the new low cost PC was meant to primarily encourage first time buyers.

At present, India has 15 million PCs to serve a population of 1.1 billion. Maran said the general aim was to increase it to 75 million PCs by 2010, and a low cost PC was an effective way to reach the target.

HCL, which makes the new PCs in Pondicherry, is expanding its manufacturing facility there to meet the anticipated increase in sales volume. Company's chairman and CEO Ajai Chowdhry said that an investment of Rs 7.5 crore-Rs 8 crore had gone into the Pondicherry facility.

The company was looking at putting up an additional facility in another year, he added.

HCL is upbeat on the potential of the new low cost PCs. Chowdhry said that when the company's entry level PC cost Rs 14,990 in January 2004, its marketshare in the home PC segment was 3.7 per cent. By March 2005, when the price of the entry level PC had been brought down, HCL's marketshare in the home PC segment had increased to 15 per cent.

Nokia's centre

Dayanidhi Maran today said that he had asked Nokia, during his recent visit to Finland, to set up its Network Operating Centre in Chennai. The facility would be used to remotely monitor their network in this region. Maran said that he soon expected an announcement from Nokia on this subject.

In April this year, Nokia had announced its intention to set up a $ 150 million (about Rs 652 crore) plant to make mobile phones near Chennai. The plant will be Nokia' first in South Asia, and its tenth manufacturing facility in the world.