Q: How profitable has been the
Cybercafe business around the world ?
Quite profitable. The first generation Cybercafe's which
offered only the basic contents like E-mail may not have been so
profitable. But with the increase in the available bandwidth, the
contents have also increased. The latest generation of Multi
media Cybercafe's are doing quite well. These latest generation
Cafe's offer the public a place to enjoy on-line entertainment.
People are social and they need to go out and enjoy. There is a
big difference between having a Coffee at home and enjoying a
Coffee at a Cafe. There is a big profit in serving Coffee
too.
Q: What are the additional services offered by the latest
generation of Cybercafe's ?
Besides the conventional E-mail, gaming and surfing
facilities, the latest generation of Cybercafe's offer high-tech
services like Video Conferencing, interactive on-line
entertainment and point to multi-point interactive broadcasting
services. The new generation of Cybercafe's are public places to
enjoy on-line entertainment. They need to reflect their
neighborhood and offer technology in a social environment.
Q: How does your organisation support the Cybercafe's around
the world?
Before our organisation started, there were around 400-odd
Cybercafe's all operating individually. Our orgainisation has
helped in networking some of these Cybercafe's. We act as a
spokesperson for this industry. We do the collective bargaining
with software developing companies to the benefit of our members.
We have a large database of our member Cyberclubs also publish a
magazine on this industry. We have also set up the only website
in the world promoting this industry.
Q: Have you associated with any other Cybercafe's in India,
beside the one you have just inaugurated ?
No. This is the first one. Though around five others have
contacted us, we have yet not taken any decision.
Q: What is your selection criteria ?
We take into account several factors like, Technology,
Geographical location, aesthetics, ability to host events,
bandwidth etc., into consideration before we make a Cybercafe
member of our association.
Q:Which is your favorite Cybercafe in the world?
My favorite cafe is in Thailand. It is a one lap-top . The people who own this place have all the passion to
run a cybercafe.They may not be big. But they have a good heart
and their service to the customers is very good. Money is not
everything. Service to the customers is most important.
Thanks to the sharp reduction in the annual Internet access
rates, growing awareness and the increasing need for services
like E-mail, the Internet user population in India is
growing by the day. It is estimated that by the turn of the
century, over one million Indians will be using the Internet for
business and entertainment.
Set up by the Bombay
based business man, Mahendra Gandhi, the new Cybercafe
strategically located near the Bombay Stock exchange, is the only
Indian associate of the Cyber Star Network based in California,
USA. Initially operating with a 12-computer network,the new
Cybercafe promises to offer a host of International standard
services to its net-savvy customers.
