The site is an integrated group of free web-based applications and other value-added tools, including a unique time-saving HTML attachment viewer which lets one view and print files from over 250 different programmes without waiting for a lengthy download or having to load a new application in order to read a file.

There will also be three India-specific channels on lifestyle, news and LiveWire Channels to keep the user informed on Indian happenings, according to co-founder and chief executive of i2iNet, Ryan Hendricks.

Hendricks' promoted Media-Magic has helped found several start-ups, including magictel.com, a company based in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in the past. Last year, Media-Magic and Mumbai-based Natelco group of companiesgot together to launch i2iNet.

It has already entered into alliances with many technology and content partners from Asia and the US and has received funding from venture partners in the US and Singapore, Hendrics said.

WebOffice is the first in the series of products the company intends to launch in the coming years. Over the next 12 months, it will also roll out a audio/video multi-party conferencing application, enabling real-time communication over managed IP networks.

In the immediate future, i2iNet will launch a family of internet applications and content solutions. The company is talking to all leading ISPs and content providers in the country for promotional tie-ups.

WebOffice, the site, will provide users with a secure web-based solution that it claims is tailormade for the Indian online experience. It simplifies the task of accessing and managing personal communications with productivity tools such as email, calendars, stored files, bookmarks, search engines and address books by linking themall together in a single window accessible for free through Explorer or Netscape.

WebOffice applications includes a secure multi-account e-mail with the ability to send and receive mail from multiple POP accounts, thus greatly simplifying e-mail retrieval. It also offers five to 10 mb (expandable to 10 mb) of free e-mail and file storage with the ability to share files and collaborate with others anywhere in the world.

It also has a private and shared calendars with e-mail reminders and document links that make it easier to keep up to date and work with friends and colleagues. Additional feature is file synchronization with the user's local PC hard disk which keeps files up-to-date whether one works at home, at the office, or is out of town. It also offers a Outlook and 3Com Palm Pilot-compatible address book with links to one's e-mail, calendar and available whenever a user logs on.