IT Hubs in India

IT has made possible information access at gigabit speeds. It has created a level playing field among nations like India, China, Taiwan, etc. and has made positive impact on the lives of millions. The pioneering spirit behind the IT revolution has certainly been the Internet. With most people having access to the Internet in one form or the other, software developers, web site development and web application development companies have benefited and profited tremendously.

The IT and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) sector in India has continued to perform its role as the most consistent growth driver for India's economy. Service, software exports and BPO remain the mainstay of the sector. Over the last five years, the IT & ITES industry has grown at a remarkable pace. Consider some of the significant indicators for these remarkable achievements.

Recognizing the importance of IT and its role in the development of India, various Central and state government agencies have given sops for the industry. This impetus has resulted in the emergence of a few important IT hubs in the country.

While Bangalore continues to lead the IT sector in India, several other cities are coming up as IT Hubs in their own rights. Some of these cities include Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Gurgaon.

Bangalore undoubtedly leads the pack when the top IT hubs in India are discussed. A pleasant climate, an international airport and availability of local talent has made Bangalore a popular IT destination. The first IT Park in India was built at Bangalore; many cities now emulate this model.

Recently though, traffic snarls and other bottlenecks have become to affect further growth of the city as an IT hub.

Pune is similar to Bangalore in many ways. Salubrious climate, progressive local community and the presence of many educational institutes have attracted many multinational IT companies to Pune. Two suburbs of Pune - Hinjewadi and Magarpatta city at Hadapsar offer world class IT facilities and are the IT hubs of the city. Being an educational hub, and being an industrial city also adds to its advantage. Pune is located next to Mumbai, the economic capital of India, and offers accommodation at reasonable rates. The lack of an international airport has hampered its further growth as the IT hub of India.

Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu. According to one estimate, about 15% of India's software exports are contributed by Chennai alone. Chennai is next to Bangalore as far as a software export is considered. Many software and software services companies have development centers in Chennai.