Gujarat, the Right Choice

# Small is Beautiful



After having spent ten years in the US working for companies such as Intel

and Sun Microsystems, Parul Mehta (Motif co-founder) and I decided to set up

base in Ahmedabad. It is the commercial capital of Gujarat, one of India’s

most industrialized states. It has one of the lowest real estate costs in the

country, one of the few privately-owned electric utilities in the country

(negligible outages) and a well-networked infrastructure, with multiple ISPs.

Gujarat also has a large talent pool. This is backed by government incentives to

promote the industry.

From the point of view of my industry, the contact center (BPO/call center)

sector in the US is mainly based in smaller cities. This has been, and will be,

the trend in India as well. Consequently, I see cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara,

Chandigarh, Cochin, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Pune becoming the

locations of choice as regards setting up ITeS units.

Kaushal Mehta, MD, Motif, one of the first call centers to set shop in

Gujarat

# On the Right Track



Being a development center in Ahmedabad, Elitecore has enjoyed the benefits

of working in this city.  Distances are short. This leads to more

quality working hours and putting in late hours, when necessary, also does not

become a problem. We get trained manpower of good quality, real estate cost

is comparatively low and the quality of life is high.

The government has also taken various steps to improve the atmosphere for IT

companies, provide support to the industry and develop the state as an IT

destination.  It has rolled out the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN).

It has set up a high-tech Infocity in Gandhinagar, with facilities of a

Satellite Earth Station with hubs at Ahmedabad and Baroda.  The Software

Technology Park in Gandhinagar, with various facilities and concessions for IT

companies, is also an attraction.

Nikhil Jain, MD, Elitecore Technologies, a leading convergent billing,

provisioning and customer acquisition software solutions company

# Bandwidth Gains



We have just completed five years in Gujarat. In these five years, the state

has undergone a metamorphosis with regard to the IT industry. Today, the

bandwidth availability is Gujarat has turned on its head, with the scenario

changing from one of scarcity to that of abundance. Players like Bharati, Tata,

Reliance, etc, have wired up Gujarat to the national map and hence bandwidth is

available on tap. More and more undersea cables are landing in India and they

are increasing the total bandwidth available to India, and to Gujarat, to a

great extent. The rates have gone down because of competition and this is

creating a very positive impact on IT, ITeS and related industries. Moreover,

there is a very positive change in attitude and beliefs of entrepreneurs

regarding the IT industry. Earlier, investment in IT was seen as a cost and it

is now being viewed as an investment to improve revenues. Globalization and the

fact that there are a large number of NRGs in the US have resulted in several

IT-enabled service companies coming up in Gujarat in the last two years. One can

find the best of call centers now in Gujarat. Events like Vibrant Gujarat

and CIT have also gone a long way in improving the image of Gujarat as an IT

destination.

Chirag Mehta, MD, Icenet.net, Gujrat’s largest private ISP

# Calling Attention



We are based in Infocity and it has provided us good facilities. I would

like to say that bandwidth availability in Gujarat has improved over the years

and is now comparable to the rest of the country. Today, the prices are

competitive and we have different options to opt from and with increase in

interactions with our foreign counterparts the companies do try and meet the SLA’s

put down. The state government too offers a good amount of help to the start up

companies in terms of subsidies. Of course, much more needs to be done.

Arun Prasad, center manager, I-Call India, call center based in Infocity

# Ready to Roll



Gujarat has improved greatly as an investment destination for IT and ITeS.

According to Nasscom, Gujarat is among the top five BPO/ITeS destinations in

India, ahead of Bangalore and Mumbai. There is a lot of potential and we, the

corporates and the government, have to realize it fully. Gujarat today has more

than 20 BPO/ITeS companies and total seats are somewhere in the region of 7,000.

Moreover, events like Vibrant Gujarat and CIT have attracted global attention.

Better things are in the offing.

Ruzan Khambatta, E Comm Opportunities, largest ISP providing Internet on

cable