Insight

Behind every success saga there is phenomenal effort, awe-inspiring dedication and a certain compelling force. These virtues not merely catapult an organization to great heights, but also enable it leave an ineradicable mark in its areas of activities. The Sterling Infotech Group (SIG) is a perfect instance to this. Promoted by Mr. Sivasankaran, SIG is a US$ 2 billion Group is varied interests in potential business sectors including communication, media, renewable energy, realty, agriculture and food & wellness. A glance at the past twenty five years of SIG reveals its consistent growth in size and stature, and its evolution into a professionally managed one with interests in telecom services, bio fuel, wind energy and food & beverages business. SIG forayed into the business arena in 1988 through Sterling Computers Limited. It assembled and marketed Personal Computers, when computer penetration was very low given high street prices of computers. Eventually, the company escalated to the status of one of the largest players in this sector primarily based on unmatched value proposition. Post the divestiture of its telecom business to Maxis in March 2006, SIG has been pursuing investment opportunities in the renewable energy, real estate, engineering & construction and e-governance initiatives both in India and abroad. A significant track record Pioneered computerization in India To a deserving nation, SIG brought about a transformation in computerization in the 1980's. SIG revolutionized the industry by offering PC for Rs. 30,000 against the prevalent market price exceeding Rs. 1 lakh. This affordability facilitated small and medium enterprises to grow multifold in their operations. Revolutionized the mobile communication industry in 90's Sensing the rapid evolution of cellular phones globally, SIG bagged cellular licenses in 1994 and was among the first to launch cellular services in India. As ever, SIG aimed at providing the advantage of technology to the public at large. It made cellular service affordable to the common man by slashing the tariff for outgoing calls from Rs. 8 per minute to Rs. 1.40 per three-minute call. Besides, SIG was the first in India to make incoming calls free and Intra-Circle calls as local calls. Thanks to SIG's pioneering efforts, India is today one of the biggest cellular phone markets in the world. To acknowledge his immense contributions in diverse industries, Mr. C Sivasankaran was recognized with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award twice from the President of India.