(1 August 2005 9:00 pm)

MUMBAI: With the government allowing foreign owned satellite radio services such as WorldSpace to operate in India, the latter is now going full steam ahead.

Apart from starting an aggressive ground marketing campaign, it is also getting its act together on the receiver front.

A large part of the consumer base of the WorldSpace radio service is likely to be the well-heeled customer who will not feel squeamish about anteing up Rs 6,000 for a radio receiver and Rs 1,800 odd per annum as a subscription fee. Some of them, would not mind paying a little extra to buy receivers which they could install in the dashboards of their fancy wheels and listen to the crystal clear digital sound.

That probably is what drove WorldSpace to tie-up with US-based Delphi, a world leader in automotive systems and components, to launch and market Delphi-WorldSpace satellite radio receivers in India. The partnership covers the China market too and the sets are expected to roll out in the first half of 2006.

“We expect Delphi-WorldSpace Mobile Satellite Radio to fundamentally transform the mobile listening experience in India,” said Delphi Product & Service Solutions managing director Asia Pacific Dominic Seto. “With our product, Indian listeners can expect better sound quality than they are used to with conventional AM/FM equipment, as well as a greater variety of programming. Delphi-WorldSpace Mobile Satellite Audio will deliver clear, digital-quality sound and dramatically expand the array of choices for the Indian market - from five or six FM channels to dozens of news and entertainment options.”

The agreement calls for Delphi to provide hardware that will deliver uninterrupted access to the WorldSpace satellite radio network, which provides more than 35 radio stations across India. Digital satellite programming offered by WorldSpace includes a combination of news, sports, music, brand name content and education programming developed by WorldSpace or provided through sources such as BBC and CNN International.

Delphi-WorldSpace Mobile Satellite Radio receivers will be designed to receive and decode the WorldSpace satellite signal seamlessly throughout India and, in the future, in other markets where WorldSpace service is available.