Bangalore: Beating market expectations, IT major Wipro today (Oct 15, 2004) posted a 79 per cent jump in net profits at Rs 411.70 crore and 44 per cent rise in revenue at Rs 1978.50 crore for the second quarter ended September.

The Bangalore-based Wipro had reported profit of Rs 266.70 crore and revenues of Rs 1374.50 crore during the same period last year.

"The strong results clearly demonstrate that Wipro is winning in a market where customers are seeking higher value. We continue to benefit from the investments made over the last few years. We have good business momentum across our businesses," Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said in a statement.

The NYSE-listed Wipro forecast a revenue of $ 347 million for the third quarter between October and December stating that the firm was confident of long term prospects with its compelling portfolio of services.

Wipro added 5,546 employees during the second quarter, including 3,282 in IT services and 2,264 people in its BPO operations. The firm now has a total of 37,063 employees including 24,050 people in IT services and 13,013 in BPO.