A proposal to this effect has been forwarded to the government. The association plans to charge its members on a usage basis for providing these facilities.

Chairman of the association Rajeev Arora believed that competition should be welcomed in the business. The association was not very happy with the monopoly of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) in the business. Arora said that they wished to facilitate alternatives.

The association had played a major role in reducing leased line tariffs from Rs 14 lakh to Rs 28 lakh to just Rs 96,000, Arora said. License fee was down to a token of Re one for the first five years instead of Rs 50 lakh earlier. Port charges were waived from May 1999, he said and added that net access charges had been halved for consumers.

The gateway however was one of the main issues on the agenda of ISPAI which recently held a meeting to examine various aspects involved in Internet services. A sub-committee had been formed to examine the security guidelines for the gateway and also examine the legal aspects involved in the process.

Arora, who was of the opinion that the government should permit whatever connectivity technology would allow, said that the association was also examining the possibility of an Internet exchange to ensure that the bulk of the Internet traffic remained in India and did not have to go via the US. A bandwidth club had also been mooted. With 22 members, the association now planned to spread its wings and attract regional players by opening chapters. Arora said that they planned to open a website in the next few weeks giving details about the activities of the association.