Indian telecom companies seek alliances with Israeli firms

With an eye on the global telecom market, the captains of India's telecommunication industry have sought joint collaboration with the Israeli firms and urged them to invest in the growing sector.

A 15-member telecommunication delegation is currently on a six-day visit to Israel, seeking alliances and holding meetings with the Israeli companies engaged in telecommunications.

Highlighting the huge market potential for the joint venture, Kishor Chaukar, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry's telecom council and managing director of Tata Industries Limited, said at the India-Israel telecom conference in Tel Aviv on Monday that while Israel could contribute in the field of high technology, India could provide low-cost manpower and external sourcing.

Chaukar said following the government's policy of liberalisation, India had witnessed a steady growth rate and there was a very positive atmosphere for the international companies to enter the Indian market in view of the huge reductions in tariff and the removal of many barriers.

The Indian ambassador R S Jassal said the Indo-Israeli trade had witnessed a phenomenal growth and shot up to $1.3 billion, as cooperation between the two countries had increased and diversified into many areas.

Addressing the conference, Yair Ofek, director general of the Israel Export Institute said about 120 Israeli high-tech companies were already operating in India.

''We don't have competition, we have cooperation,'' Ofek said.

The delegation members included K V P Baskaran, CEO, Aircel Ltd; U C Shrivastava, director (R&D), Aishwarya Telecom Pvt Ltd and Sunil Abrol, registrar of C-Dot.

The subtle message of the conference was that India's telecommunications market has tremendous market potential for the Israeli companies and that the Indian and Israeli companies could form alliances and break into the European and American markets.

One of the highlights of the six-day mission is the one-to-one meeting between the representatives of Indian companies and their Israeli counterparts.

Executives from the Indian companies - Idea Cellular Limited, Net4India Ltd, and Spice Communications Ltd - were scheduled to meet, among others, Israeli firms such as Audiocodes, Comverse Technologies and Alvarion, and venture capital funds like Vertex and JVP.