Kerala’s lead over the other states in India on almost all social indicators is universally acknowledged. What is less known is that the spread of societal development is uniform throughout the state and not restricted to select cities. The benefits of social progression have been disseminated to the maximum number of people. Regional disparities are, more or less, non-existent.


Kerala has since long been a model state in many ways. It has some of the most excellent living conditions in India. It has been ranked number 1on Human Development Index in the United Nations Development Program. Kerala is also without doubt the most literate, most long lived and the most gender equitable state in the sub continent. Ranked the least corrupt state in India by the India Corruption Study 2005 by Transparency International, Kerala has also achieved the rank of being the number 1 state related on laws and order. In a study conducted by India Today in 2005, Kerala was ranked second in “Best State to Live-in’ and ‘Primary Education’.


Here are the core competencies of Kerala which makes it one of the most promising destinations for IT / ITES investment.


The Communications Advantage

• 100% digital telephone exchanges
  
• 98% of telephone exchanges connected by OFC to the National Internet Backbone (NIB)
  
• OFC backbones through out the state by Reliance, Bharti, Asianet .
  
• Highest telephone density; 20 per 100, double the national average
  
• 'SEA-ME-WE-3' and 'SAFE' submarine cable landings (1 of the 2 states in India to have two submarine cable landings)
  
• 15 GBps bandwidth support
  
• VSNL's primary international gateway in Kochi handles around two third of the country's data traffic.
  
  

• Highest density of science and technology personnel in India
  
• Lowest employee attrition rate in the country - <5%
  
• 87 engineering colleges in the state
  
• Sanctioned intake of over 23,000 engineering students
  
• Database of readily employable graduates enabling interested ITES companies to access the best of professional talent.
  
  

• A fully burdened cost of just $8 per hour when compared to the global average of $15
  
• Salaries - 1/5th of the international average
  
• Operational costs less than 50% when compared to the other major IT Parks
  
• Rentals lower by more than 60%
  
• Power and water tariff among the lowest in the country
  
• Sourcing bandwidth from VSNL's International Communication Gateway at Kochi provides significant savings vis a vis most other locations in the country
  
• Low cost of living.