Pioneer Online to set up development centre

Circuit EC / Hyderabad

Pioneer Online, the Hyderabad-based ISP and software solutions provider, is setting up a new software development centre as part of business unit eLabs, and an animation division. It will be adding about 100 employees this year. The centre will be set up adjacent the Vanenberg IT Park in the Hitec City at an investment of Rs 10 crore. “We are raising about

Rs 7 crore from SBI and the rest will be financed through internal accruals. We are anticipating revenues of Rs 21 crore this fiscal as against Rs 17 crore last year,” said Sridhar Reddy, managing director, Pioneer Online. Set up in 1998, it has developed three business units: eLabs, Nvision and ISP. Pioneer eLabs takes care of software application development (e-governance), system integration, turn-key enterprise solutions, etc. The company has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government to facilitate the sale of VoIP cards and dial-up cards through e-Seva centres in the state. As per the MoU, Pioneer VoIP cards will be sold through 162 e-Seva centres and Pioneer dial-up cards will be sold through 38 centres in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Customers can enter any e-Seva centre and pick up these cards. They just have to scratch the card to get the access number and code for initialisation; they can also get their access code and number though online payment. “Pioneer Fone cards will offer services at affordable prices. An international call to a landline in countries such as the US, Canada, UK, Singapore and Germany will cost less than Rs 2 per minute. Cards are available at prices ranging from Rs 75 to Rs 625,” Reddy added.