Low cost tablet maker Datawind that hit headlines four years ago with its Aakash devices is mulling a foray into affordable internet data plan segment.
The company has applied to the government for a national virtual network operator license under which it intends to offer data plans, both as a bundled offer and a standalone basis, by partnering with existing telecom operators, CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said on Friday.
In an interaction with the media, at the inauguration of Datawind’s facility here, he said the license is expected before the year-end. “Our target is to come with sub-Rs.20 a month unlimited data (internet) plan.”
Explaining that the virtual network operator is not required to purchase spectrum or set up towers, he said the company would launch SIM cards under its brand. The idea is to launch data plans costing Rs.100 for six months and Rs.200 for a year.
The new facility at the GMR airport complex in Hyderabad, the second for Datawind after the one in Amritsar, is into production of tablets as well as smart phones for around three months now and already shipped 3.5 lakh units. In the next few months, the company is likely to start work on a permanent plant in Hyderabad, on a half-acre plot nearby, with an investment of Rs.100 crore. From the present 600, the headcount at the existing facility is set to rise to 1,000 by March, Mr.Tuli said.
There are plans for a touchscreen panel manufacturing facility in Hyderabad like the one in Punjab and the company will set up another plant in eastern India next year. To queries, he said Datawind sold 1.3 lakh to 1.5 lakh units per month and India contributed to 85 per cent of the sales.
