Modernising communication systems

MEET YOUR ENTREPRENEUR/GYAN CHAND JAIN

It takes guts to leave a prestigious (and well paying) job to enter the uncertain world of business. And if the person concerned tastes success early, thanks to his entrepreneurial skills, he definitely needs to be recognised.

Fifty seven year-old Gyan Chand Jain left his job as head of the Video and Image Processing Engineering Department (IPED) at the Ahmedabad Space Application Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up Modern Communication and Broadcast Systems Private Ltd (MCBSPL) in 1985.

The company is engaged in the manufacture of satellite communication and cable television products for broadcast applications. It reported a turnover of Rs 17 crore for the financial year 2002-2003.

The company has a unit in Gandhinagar with a capacity to manufacture 20,000 antennas and 10,000 set top boxes per month. MCBSPL also provides broad band network solutions to corporates like Reliance.

The company has also ventured into turnkey projects in the field of satellite communication, broadband networking and security systems. It has developed set top boxes with financial assistance from the Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India.

"With the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS) and the rising demand for set top boxes, the company expects good business." said Jain, managing director of MCBSPL. "We expect to end the current financial year with a turnover of Rs 15 crore. We hope to achieve a turnover of over Rs 20 crore in the next financial year as a few turnkey projects have been postponed for the next financial year," said Jain.

Jain completed his masters of engineering in advanced electronics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1971 and joined the ISRO unit. He is married to Ashadevi and has two sons and a daughter. Both his sons are BE, MBAs, while the daughter is studying for MCA. Jain likes reading and writing technical papers.

The MCBSPL managing director is socially active and believes in contributing to society. He attributes his success to his mother and wife.