Hughes ties up with Oxigen to offer services

New Delhi, July 4 (UNI) Hughes, the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced it has tied-up with Oxigen to offer prepaid recharge and bill payment services across all HughesNet Fusion centers in the country.

As per the agreement, Oxigen services will be made available across all 250 HughesNet Fusion centres in 95 cities in Phase I.

The service will extend to over 1000 centres by the end of 2006.

''Hughes is confident that Oxigen will be able to leverage its infrastructure to provide greater accessibility and availability of prepaid recharge and bill payment solutions for customers Pan India,'' Oxigen Executive Chairman Pramod Saxena.

This tie-up will help Oxigen increase its points of presence from the existing 14 circles to 21 by the end of the year, a company statement said here.

''This tie-up will allow Oxigen services to be available across the country especially the tier B and C cities,'' said Hughes Communications India Ltd Director Pranav Roach, and added that the market for recharge coupons (GSM and CDMA) is to the tune of Rs 16,069 million on a monthly basis.

Oxigen is a market leader in the concept of electronic distribution of prepaid airtime and bill payment services in India.

It is a joint venture with South Africa's prepaid company whose turnover is over one billion. The company also has a strategic alliance with Citigroup International which has recently taken about 30 per cent equity.

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