Seven years after it launched Seychelles into the Internet information age, service provider Atlas has said this new technology is growing from strength  to strength and has now attracted a wider range of users.

Atlas will be celebrating its seventh anniversary on Saturday September 27.

Internet service, Atlas' Systems Manager Muditha Gunatilake told Business Nation, was no longer merely an office tool, but was now much depended on by several households around the country.

Buying a computer with Internet access has become another essential household item, just as it is important to buy a television with a DVD player and VCR. The users, he said, were becoming more technically sophisticated everyday, with the majority of them having a good understanding of computers and Internet technology, more so among the younger generation. 

With all these achievements, Atlas, Mr Gunatilake said, was constantly upgrading its services, bringing in new technologies to meet public expectation and remaining ahead with new technologies in an environment which was becoming more competitive.

"We are working on new projects to be implemented soon. This will take us to the next phase of a higher technological development and service," he explained, adding that Atlas would be investing in new servers to expand existing network and offer more services and new communication systems to enhance the connection capacity for its increasing clientèle. 

Atlas has recently transferred its DNS server IP from Hong Kong to UK as part of efforts to boost the capacity of its Internet backbone and speed up the flow of information.

Mr Gunatilake said the ISP has been able to deal effectively with problems that had unexpectedly occurred during the transfer period and he commended the company's clientèle for being understanding and patient.

"It was through difficult periods such as this that the great dependence on Internet connection became more evident and customer loyalty was strongly felt," he said.

The recent experience has initiated Atlas to take action and introduce systems that will mitigate future downtime, Mr Gunatilake pointed out.

"We are going to put in place a total redundancy system that will ensure very minimum interruption in case of such occurrences in the future," he explained.

This, he added, would require substantial investment in terms of equipment but most importantly, the acquisition of international satellite bandwidth from multiple suppliers rather than remaining dependent on a single source.

With regards to the occurrences of viruses and spams, Mr Gunatilake said Atlas had already implemented certain measures like the setting up of filters to protect its users by reducing their incidence.

In a bid to boost its customer care and support services, Atlas is also planning to recruit more staff.

"We do listen to our customers because we believe that feedback is what makes us grow," Mr Gunatilake observed.

As part of the activities being organised to celebrate its seventh anniversary, Atlas is thanking its loyal customers by giving them five free extra hours whereas new customers will receive free registration and one-month free access. 

A squash tournament is also being planned and Paradise FM Radio will soon be running a series of adverts with exciting prizes for some lucky listeners. 

Meanwhile, the packages offered by Atlas include the Bronze package of 30 hours at R175 monthly, Silver for 60 hours at R225 monthly, Gold for 90 hours at R325 monthly and Platinum for 200 hours at R500. Atlas also offers a variety of prepaid packages.

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