Speaking to The Financial Express, Mr Michael Ripps, chief operating officer, Lycos Asia, said his company has invested close to Rs 50 million in its Asian operation of which a major portion is in India."Indian market figures prominently in our Asian business model. We are in the process of building brand equity and consolidating our operations here", he said.

Lycos, Mr Ripps added, is on the lookout for strategic tieups with ISPs and content providers for sprucing up its Indian operation. The company would soon open talks with ISPs for possible tie-ups for marketing and sales, he said.

Besides, Lycos would continuously update its site with rich content including entertainment and interactive features, he said adding, that the company would tie up with more content providers and portals to achieve this. Mr Ripps said Lycos Asia would take over promising portals in India for consolidating its operations if the price is found right.

Though the company has not set aside any specific sum for its acquisition plans, it would finance the take over or mergers from its internal accruals, he added. Besides, Lycos would soon launch more regional editions to have presence in all segments and enhance its reach to all part of the country. Currently, Lycos has two vernacular editions, he said.

As a part of its brand building, the company would go in for major promos by sponsoring events and full-fledged commercials. A major sales pitch would be to go in for direct marketing of its site, he added.