VSNL Lanka Limited was renamed TATA Communications Lanka yesterday following the global launch of TATA Communications as the new corporate identity for VSNL. TATA Communications Lanka is a company which offers wholesale, enterprise and retail solutions which include International Direct Dialling (IDD), international Internet Protocol (IP) bandwidth, international private lease circuit, MPLS based services, corporate voice as well as the global calling card.

At a press conference to announce the renaming, TATA Communications Group CEO N. Srinath said that although they are relatively small in Sri Lanka, TATA sees the attractiveness of this emerging market as well as the advantages of the terms of cost. "Our new identity in Sri Lanka will strengthen our commitment to the long lasting relationships we have with our customers, partners and stakeholders across the country", he assured.

Srinath further revealed that the company was the first to launch WiMax in India, and was also the Cisco certified service provider in Asia Pacific for TelePresence a high-end technique of video conferencing. "We have a very big market share when it comes to global infrastructure and we believe TATA Communications will open up opportunities in Africa", Srinath stated.

He added that the TATA Group is the largest business in India and is the only Indian entity in Forbes's list of World's 20 most reputed companies. TATA recorded US$29 billion owning the largest automobile and chain of hotels in India. "6 percent of the world's internet traffic is carried by us and we are probably the ninth in the position for IP networks",� he claimed. He moreover pointed out that the TATA Communications wants to make some of the advanced internet services provided by them available in Sri Lanka. 

TATA Communications Lanka CEO Ravi Sankar divulged that in Sri Lanka they have a target market share of 30 percent and had 100 percent growth compared to last year. "We will like our parent company focus on the world of IP, MPLS, Ethernet and Managed Services. We will strive to leverage the global capabilities of TATA to create a new world of communications in the market", he stated. 

TATA Communications Lanka was incorporated in June 2003, commenced operations in February 2004 and obtained the External Gateway Operator (EGO) License. TATA Communications in the meantime plans to invest over US$2 billion over the next three years for further expansion.