Bennett Coleman which owns `The Times Of India' plans to significantly enhance its communication capabilities with the installation of the dedicated satellite communication hub.

Confirming this, Bharti BT chief executive officer K Ganesh said that talks had been initiated with the media house. As discussions were at a preliminary stage, it was too early to provide implementation details, he added. The company has already implemented a V-Sat system at the Amar Ujala newspaper.

The company is also making concerted efforts to establish its presence in the country's niche V-Sat business. With the V-Sat business poised to take off in the country, Bharti BT has made significant investments in upgrading its service level, besides pushing for an expanded client base.

Bharti BT hadentered into a tie-up with Computer Associates Unicenter TNG for implementing the base manager and advanced help desk solutions, Ganesh said. Unicenter TNG is considered the most advanced enterprise management system and will help Bharti BT to manage the operational processes in dealing with customer enquiries/complaints as well as gain control over project management and network implementation, he said.

Bharti BT has also become the first domestic firm to implement an ERP package using the V-Sat technology. The project has been implemented at Calcom, a black and white TV manufacturer, using the Baan package for three important functions including finance, distribution and manufacturing.

The V-Sat technology is used for transmission of data, or image, or sound from one centre to another through satellite communication. If the technology is understood and correctly used, it can significantly minimise costs. V-Sat in India had recieved a temporary setback with the failure of the Insat satellite. Industryexpects the situation to be set right soon, with the launch of another satellite in the Insat series by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

A large company with its head office in the capital can integrate with all it branches to achieve synergy in functions. A big data file containing one lakh lines and each line containing 40 characters can be transmitted via V-Sat in seconds to any destination in the country. Companies can have highly reliable communication via V-Sat and also cut down on their expenditure on travel, by using video conferencing.