Recently, Microsoft picked up a 35 per cent stake in Oxigen, India’s first prepaid company. Oxigen serves more than six million customers a month. It is present in more than 50 cities in 15 states. By next financial year the company plans to have a national footprint. It started as a payment company for telecom sector as the telecom revolution is sweeping the country. Oxigen is now diversifying into entertainment and is offering services to subscribers of Tata Sky, Dish TV and Worldspace. The company is also tying up with electricity companies for bill payment and is exploring possibilities of offering services in other sectors. In an interview with Manoj Gairola, Oxigen chairman Pramod Saxena talks about his plans and association with Microsoft. Excerpts:• Microsoft picked up a 35 per cent stake in Oxigen. Will Microsoft's role be limited as an investor in this project? How will you benefit with this association with Microsoft?With this tie-up, Oxigen will get access to Microsoft technology & services to innovate its distribution and transaction platform for delivering diverse services, making its retail Point of Sales (PoS) terminals smart and intelligent. This will enable us to use Windows Live, Windows Mobile, messaging and advertising services and leverage Oxigen’s universal payments platform “OxiCash” in India and other developing markets.• What are your expansion plans? How much do you plan to invest in next three years?Our plan is to ramp up our retail network to 250,000 retailers by 2010. We would like to sign-up all services for masses, be it for day-to-day needs or for leisure/comfort/entertainment and make it available to consumers through Oxigen Touch Points. We would like our unified access payment product attached to mobile to be the preferred platform chosen by consumers and our service partners to give all the services available on demand in the hands of consumer, especially the large unbanked Indian population who do not have access to these services.• Do you think that the entry of four-five new national level players would help Oxigen?Competition always brings efficiencies and cost reduction, leading to expansion of market and benefits to consumers at large. This case will be no different.• When do you plan to start prepaid for power and gas?Currently, we are conducting tests and trials for integration of Prepaid Power, in a way similar to Telecom. It would be brought to the market very soon post the trial and integration effort.• What is the status of your plans to provide railway tickets through your payment system?We have already got approval to enable our web-based retailers to conduct IRCTC ticketing and are currently rolling it out to our retail network. It is our endeavour to extend it to entire transport segment for fulfilling payment needs as and when unified prepaid card-based systems are introduced between rail, bus and road toll payments. We are also targeting fulfilling the needs of unreserved rail ticket consumers.• What has happened to Bugzy, your value added service initiative? It has not been in the news for a long time. What are your plans on providing value added services?Bugzy has been re-branded as MobiBuzz and would offer vas and application services on web and mobile, including innovative services like prepaid voice conferencing, chat, and photo fun. Our focus is video-based content, fun applications and games. Mobibuzz is powered by our production house and repurposing center based in Mumbai and would provide an open interface to all third party content. We would extend this service to all telecom operators and ISPs. MobiBuzz services can also be availed using OxiCash.
