TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY: K. K. Singh (left), Chairman and Managing Director, Rolta India, with Bruno Rambaud, Senior Vice-President, Thales Land and Joint Systems Division, at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday. — Photo: Shashi Ashiwal

MUMBAI: Rolta India, a leading provider and developer of information technology based GeoSpatial Information Systems (GIS), engineering design automation solutions and eSecurity services worldwide, has announced the formation of a joint venture with Thales, France.

The new venture will leverage the broad spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, systems and solutions from Thales and Rolta's leadership position in the Indian market. The joint venture will be owned 51 per cent by Rolta and 49 per cent by Thales. It will develop Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Trget Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) information systems, for domestic and international markets.

The joint venture will be between Rolta and one of the six divisions of Thales — Land & Joint Systems division.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, K. K. Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Rolta India, said the joint venture would be incorporated on receipt of necessary approvals in the next two to three months. It would share best practices through transfer of technology and bring in state-of-the-art products into India. The joint venture would bring in technology from Thales made relevant to the Indian environment, he added.

Bruno Rambaud, Senior Vice President, Thales, Land and Joint Systems Division, said his company was also looking forward to setting up two more joint ventures in India over the next two years in the areas of aerospace and securities.

The joint venture with Rolta will be headquartered out of Mumbai — from Rolta's Centre of Development. The initial authorised capital of the joint venture will be Rs. 50 crore and, according to Mr. Singh, the venture will have 40-50 people to begin with in technology transfer but this will go up significantly. The venture will have a seven-member board with four being from Rolta and three from Thales. "We expect to achieve a few hundred million dollars of business in the first four to five years and the profits will be shared on the basis of the joint venture (51:49).''

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