ABSTRACT
The year 1996 was a landmark for India’s information technology (IT) industry. That year, the industry exported computer software worth US$1 billion (see Table 9.1), and Bangalore, a region referred to in the international press by terms such as Silicon Plateau (Fineman, 1991) or India’s Silicon Valley (IDG, 2001), was the dominant center for production. While this attracted much attention, an equally significant event gave little to cheer about: 1996 was also the year when the Bangalore-based ITI (formerly Indian Telephone Industries), India’s leading telecommunications equipment manufacturer, suffered the biggest loss in its history (see Table 9.2).
