ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Welcome offer lands Reliance Jio in 4G speed soup

    Welcome offer lands Reliance Jio in 4G speed soup

    MUMBAI: Even as Reliance Retail today launched 4G F1, the first device under the LYF brand outside the four elements branding, Reliance Jio seems to have received a setback with TRAI declaring its speed to be the poorest among five telecom operators. LYF F1 has been launched with advanced 4G for Reliance Jio at 13,399.

    Reliance Jio entered the telecom market with the aim of democratising Internet access in India. But, according to data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recently-launched My Speed website, the average pan-India 4G download speed by Reliance Jio stands at 6.2Mbps, making it only the fifth-fastest network in the country. TRAI data has found Reliance Jio 4G speed is the slowest in India. It is sixth in upload speed, and lags in internet speeds in all major markets. However, Jio has said that its Fair Usage Policy (FUP) policy has caused the average speed to come down

    In Delhi circle, for example, Jio’s ranking on the same parameter rises to third, but the speed decreases to 5.9Mbps. In Mumbai, a major market, Jio’s download speed goes up to 10.7Mbps and its position rises to second. In Karnataka circle, Jio fell out of the top 5 entirely, despite an average download speed of 7.5Mbps. Jio’s average download speed of 6.2Mbps, on the other hand, still makes it the fastest network in the country if the ‘technology’ on the TRAI website is set to ‘all’, which includes 2G and 3G networks as well.

    In a statement, Reliance Jio said that it has performed an internal analysis of its network and found that “the comparison of Jio speeds with other operators has an inherent bias against Jio data usage.”

    Statement from a Reliance Jio spokesperson:

    “With reference to statistics published TRAI’s analytics website, we have performed an internal analysis of the same. The nature of this skew is explained below. As you may be aware, under the Jio Welcome Offer, there is a daily fair usage policy (FUP) limit of 4GB data consumption per user. This limit has been setup with the express intention of preventing heavy data users from degrading the experience of other users.

    Before this FUP limit is reached, Jio customers enjoy unmatched 4G LTE speeds on the Jio network. However, after the FUP usage limit is reached, speeds are reduced to 256kbps. Full 4G LTE speeds are once again restored once the next 24-hour period begins. Historically, we have observed that a disproportionate number of speed tests are performed once the FUP comes into effect. This is so since most users don’t consider performing the test until they observe a deterioration of speed. Such users also tend to perform multiple tests until full speeds are restored.

    Given that data usage under Jio Welcome Offer is completely free, a higher proportion of Jio users run up against the FUP limit. In comparison, not all non-Jio users have FUP based plans (rather their usage is completely stopped, and they are entirely prevented from performing the speed test), and even those who have FUP based plans face this situation only once a month. Further, such customers tend to recharge quickly and restore full speeds.

    This difference in the offer structures, and associated customer behaviors, result in a large proportion of the speed tests being conducted on Jio network when the speeds are reduced via FUP to 256kbps. This has the effect of dragging the average far below the speeds experienced by Jio customers who are enjoying full 4G LTE speeds.

    Having said that, we continuously measure the speeds experienced by Jio customers – adjusting for factors such as FUP, and are proactively working to improve service levels for all our customers.”

  • Welcome offer lands Reliance Jio in 4G speed soup

    Welcome offer lands Reliance Jio in 4G speed soup

    MUMBAI: Even as Reliance Retail today launched 4G F1, the first device under the LYF brand outside the four elements branding, Reliance Jio seems to have received a setback with TRAI declaring its speed to be the poorest among five telecom operators. LYF F1 has been launched with advanced 4G for Reliance Jio at 13,399.

    Reliance Jio entered the telecom market with the aim of democratising Internet access in India. But, according to data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recently-launched My Speed website, the average pan-India 4G download speed by Reliance Jio stands at 6.2Mbps, making it only the fifth-fastest network in the country. TRAI data has found Reliance Jio 4G speed is the slowest in India. It is sixth in upload speed, and lags in internet speeds in all major markets. However, Jio has said that its Fair Usage Policy (FUP) policy has caused the average speed to come down

    In Delhi circle, for example, Jio’s ranking on the same parameter rises to third, but the speed decreases to 5.9Mbps. In Mumbai, a major market, Jio’s download speed goes up to 10.7Mbps and its position rises to second. In Karnataka circle, Jio fell out of the top 5 entirely, despite an average download speed of 7.5Mbps. Jio’s average download speed of 6.2Mbps, on the other hand, still makes it the fastest network in the country if the ‘technology’ on the TRAI website is set to ‘all’, which includes 2G and 3G networks as well.

    In a statement, Reliance Jio said that it has performed an internal analysis of its network and found that “the comparison of Jio speeds with other operators has an inherent bias against Jio data usage.”

    Statement from a Reliance Jio spokesperson:

    “With reference to statistics published TRAI’s analytics website, we have performed an internal analysis of the same. The nature of this skew is explained below. As you may be aware, under the Jio Welcome Offer, there is a daily fair usage policy (FUP) limit of 4GB data consumption per user. This limit has been setup with the express intention of preventing heavy data users from degrading the experience of other users.

    Before this FUP limit is reached, Jio customers enjoy unmatched 4G LTE speeds on the Jio network. However, after the FUP usage limit is reached, speeds are reduced to 256kbps. Full 4G LTE speeds are once again restored once the next 24-hour period begins. Historically, we have observed that a disproportionate number of speed tests are performed once the FUP comes into effect. This is so since most users don’t consider performing the test until they observe a deterioration of speed. Such users also tend to perform multiple tests until full speeds are restored.

    Given that data usage under Jio Welcome Offer is completely free, a higher proportion of Jio users run up against the FUP limit. In comparison, not all non-Jio users have FUP based plans (rather their usage is completely stopped, and they are entirely prevented from performing the speed test), and even those who have FUP based plans face this situation only once a month. Further, such customers tend to recharge quickly and restore full speeds.

    This difference in the offer structures, and associated customer behaviors, result in a large proportion of the speed tests being conducted on Jio network when the speeds are reduced via FUP to 256kbps. This has the effect of dragging the average far below the speeds experienced by Jio customers who are enjoying full 4G LTE speeds.

    Having said that, we continuously measure the speeds experienced by Jio customers – adjusting for factors such as FUP, and are proactively working to improve service levels for all our customers.”

  • Vodafone India announces roaming free from Diwali

    Vodafone India announces roaming free from Diwali

    MUMBAI: Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecom service providers, has announced free incoming calls while roaming nationally for all its customers. Starting this Diwali, all Vodafone India customers, travelling anywhere in the country, can continue to talk worry free without having to cut short their conversations.

    Vodafone India director – commercial said, “At Vodafone, the customer is at the heart of all that we do and it is an ongoing endeavour to come up with unmatched value and convenience for our customers. Even though outgoing charges while roaming had become comparable to home charges, consumer research has shown that incoming charges while roaming have been a hindrance to worry free usage.”

    “As part of our ongoing 200 million customer celebration, providing free incoming on national roaming will ensure that our customers do not think twice while traveling out of town. We hope that this Diwali gift will empower our customers to stay connected with their loved ones without worrying about roaming tariffs,” he added.

    “Along with our recently launched international roaming daily pack which makes international roaming worry free, we are now confident that Vodafone India customers will not be holding back conversations while travelling nationally or internationally on Vodafone SuperNet™,” he said.

    Vodafone India is a 100% fully owned subsidiary of the Vodafone Group Plc. with operations across the country serving over 200 million customers (over 107 million in rural areas). Commencing operations in 2007, Vodafone is today a robust, award winning business and committed for the long term. Vodafone Business Services serves the needs of enterprises and government by providing total telecommunications (Voice and Data) solutions across mobility and wireline platforms. Our mobile wallet, M-Pesa is a unique and innovative money transfer service from Vodafone that fosters financial inclusion.

  • Vodafone India announces roaming free from Diwali

    Vodafone India announces roaming free from Diwali

    MUMBAI: Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecom service providers, has announced free incoming calls while roaming nationally for all its customers. Starting this Diwali, all Vodafone India customers, travelling anywhere in the country, can continue to talk worry free without having to cut short their conversations.

    Vodafone India director – commercial said, “At Vodafone, the customer is at the heart of all that we do and it is an ongoing endeavour to come up with unmatched value and convenience for our customers. Even though outgoing charges while roaming had become comparable to home charges, consumer research has shown that incoming charges while roaming have been a hindrance to worry free usage.”

    “As part of our ongoing 200 million customer celebration, providing free incoming on national roaming will ensure that our customers do not think twice while traveling out of town. We hope that this Diwali gift will empower our customers to stay connected with their loved ones without worrying about roaming tariffs,” he added.

    “Along with our recently launched international roaming daily pack which makes international roaming worry free, we are now confident that Vodafone India customers will not be holding back conversations while travelling nationally or internationally on Vodafone SuperNet™,” he said.

    Vodafone India is a 100% fully owned subsidiary of the Vodafone Group Plc. with operations across the country serving over 200 million customers (over 107 million in rural areas). Commencing operations in 2007, Vodafone is today a robust, award winning business and committed for the long term. Vodafone Business Services serves the needs of enterprises and government by providing total telecommunications (Voice and Data) solutions across mobility and wireline platforms. Our mobile wallet, M-Pesa is a unique and innovative money transfer service from Vodafone that fosters financial inclusion.

  • Facebook updates architecture for India’s next billion coming online

    Facebook updates architecture for India’s next billion coming online

    GURGAON:  “We (Facebook) are now launching a new architecture so you can see less grey boxes, and more relevant stories quickly, regardless of your network connection. This new architecture of News Feed allows stories to be ranked on the client after being sent from the server. We avoid spinners and grey boxes by
    1) requiring stories to have all necessary media available before rendering them in News Feed and
    2) being able to optimize the stories in News Feed for each session, so you can see the most relevant stories even if you’re on slow internet connections,” Facebook VP product development Adam Mosseri said at “News Feed and Partnerships- News, Sports & Entertainment Press Roundtable” on 20 October in Gurgaon.

    “We deeply care about India as we focus on building for the next billion people coming online,” Mosseri said. “We are committed to learning about how people everywhere use our product, and making sure Facebook works for them. Connecting the next billion people on Facebook means understanding these differences and building better experiences to work on all connections, devices, and regions,” he added. Over the past many months, we’ve continued to focus on efforts to improve News Feed for everyone regardless of device or network connection, Mosseri said.

    Quick stats for India

    ·In India there are 155 million MAU, 77 million DAU, 147 million Mobile MAU and 73 million Mobile DAU (as of Q2 2016)

    ·Facebook is available in 12 Indian languages (22 official languages in India, and many more dialects)

    ·As of the end of Q2 2016, daily actives on Facebook in India had grown 22% year over year, compared to a *17%  increase in daily actives on Facebook worldwide.

    ·Not including Likes, more than 50% of the reactions used in India are Love, and more than 30% of Reactions *used in India are Haha

    Facebook Media explores how public figures and media organizations are using Facebook in extraordinary ways

    With 1.7 billion people globally and more than 150 million people in India using Facebook monthly, Facebook provides an essential audience platform for content creators and we are building fast and immersive media experiences to deliver the right content to the right people at the right time. People around the world are using Facebook to connect with news publishers, video creators, celebrities and sports.

    The rapid shift to mobile is fundamentally changing the way creators and publishers can reach and engage their audiences and Facebook is innovating on the types of content that publishers can use to tell stories. Across the globe, people are using mobile devices and adopting visual language to communicate. Social TV experience is a new trend given the new age digital audience who consume content on social media platforms. Facebook plays host to a global TV conversation in part because fans enjoy discussing shows with the people who matter most to them. Facebook has also become one of the best places for TV networks and show creators to connect with and build a community of fans.

    Networks and studios are now heavily relying on digital marketing pegged heavily on innovative/ engaging content. Globally 100 million hours of video are now watched daily on Facebook. Tools like Facebook Live and Mentions help celebrities express themselves authentically. Celebrities and entertainment publishers are using Facebook in creative ways, creating immersive experiences that draw people in and give them a deeper artistic experience. For example, through Facebook Live, everyone has a production studio with a built-in global audience in their pockets at all times. Similarly, Instant Articles, 360 video and autoplay video are new native surfaces that we are seeing creators and publishers embrace to build their audiences and businesses.

    Facebook always wants to learn from its partners, and is committed to building products and business models hand-in-hand that deliver value to people and publishers on Facebook.

    – 670 million people are connected to a News Publisher page on Facebook.
    – A recent Pew Survey said that more than 40% of American adults find news on Facebook.
    – The American Press Institute found that over 88% of millennials get news from Facebook, more than any other social network.
    – Facebook is now a widely-read source for news about government andpolitics. According to a recent Pew study, Facebook is the second most popular source where people online get their political news (48%), secondonly to local news outlets (49%).

    Entertainment

    – 1 billion people are connected to a public figure on Facebook.
    – 17 of the top 20 public figures (8 of the top 10) on Facebook are entertainers.
    – Today, thousands of public figures across verticals — sports,entertainment, news/media and more — use Facebook to easily connect with their fans and each other.
    – With the largest and most diverse community of entertainment fans in the world, Facebook is the best place for the entertainment industry to personalize and scale their campaigns to reach a global audience — from promoting a new movie or show, to releasing a music video or making an awards season push.

    Sports

    – Facebook brings together the world’s largest community of sports fans.
    – 650 million people around the world are connected to at least one sports Page (league, team, athlete, sports media) on Facebook.
    – Facebook is where the largest real-time social media audience comes together to talk about sports’ biggest moments.
    – 277 million people had 1.5 billion interactions on Facebook about the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
    – The most-discussed moment in the history of Facebook was a sporting event. FIFA World Cup.
    – 350 million people joined the conversation on Facebook, generating 3 billion interactions (posts, comments and likes) related to the
    tournament.
    – Facebook is also the largest cricket stadium and year after year , wehave found that more and more people are logging on to Facebook to keep abreast of key cricket events
    – This year there was exponential increase in match related content that was created exclusively for Facebook
    – During IPL 2016, over 30 million people generated 360 million acebook conversations
    – 46 million people interacted on Facebook during this year’s ICC World Twenty 20 2016
    – During Cricket World Cup 2015, 36 million people have generated 341 million interactions between January 1 and February 28
    – On Facebook, fans discover rich and immersive video that brings them closer to the sports, athletes and teams they love.
    – Innovations such as Facebook Live and Facebook 360 video give fans unprecedented access to the action, taking them on the field and in the locker room, and inviting them to interact directly with their favorite players.
    – Before his final race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps used Facebook Live to answer questions from fans and confirm his retirement from competitive swimming. With nearly 4 million views, it was the most-viewed live broadcast by an athlete during the games.
    – Facebook helps athletes, teams, leagues and media connect with a global audience of sports fans and achieve their business goals.
    – By leveraging Facebook Live and Facebook 360 video, partners can deliver complementary programming for the second screen and expand their reach.
    – Facebook helps partners achieve their business goals by growing and engaging their fan base; supporting current revenue drivers such as tune-in, subscriptions, sponsorship and ticket and merchandise sales; and providing new revenue streams such as branded content, Instan Articles and ad breaks in live video.

    News

    – For journalists and publishers, Facebook is a valuable place to engage with their readers.
    – We’re building fast and immersive media experiences to make news discovery better for people and publishers — from Instant Articles to Live and 360 video.
    – Facebook is a technology company.
    – We know that people are coming to Facebook to get their news and we take our role in the media ecosystem seriously.
    – We’re working closely with our media partners and listening to their feedback to help them monetize their content and build their businesses.
    – We have to make this work for publishers so we can deliver value to bthem and to everyone on Facebook.
    – Facebook is an open platform for all ideas.
    – We’re not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about. We are in the business of connecting people and ideas.The goal of News Feed is to show people the stories that are most relevant to them.
    – We’re committed to being transparent with publishers about the changes we make to News Feed — providing explanations of any ranking changes and sharing more about how we work.

  • Facebook updates architecture for India’s next billion coming online

    Facebook updates architecture for India’s next billion coming online

    GURGAON:  “We (Facebook) are now launching a new architecture so you can see less grey boxes, and more relevant stories quickly, regardless of your network connection. This new architecture of News Feed allows stories to be ranked on the client after being sent from the server. We avoid spinners and grey boxes by
    1) requiring stories to have all necessary media available before rendering them in News Feed and
    2) being able to optimize the stories in News Feed for each session, so you can see the most relevant stories even if you’re on slow internet connections,” Facebook VP product development Adam Mosseri said at “News Feed and Partnerships- News, Sports & Entertainment Press Roundtable” on 20 October in Gurgaon.

    “We deeply care about India as we focus on building for the next billion people coming online,” Mosseri said. “We are committed to learning about how people everywhere use our product, and making sure Facebook works for them. Connecting the next billion people on Facebook means understanding these differences and building better experiences to work on all connections, devices, and regions,” he added. Over the past many months, we’ve continued to focus on efforts to improve News Feed for everyone regardless of device or network connection, Mosseri said.

    Quick stats for India

    ·In India there are 155 million MAU, 77 million DAU, 147 million Mobile MAU and 73 million Mobile DAU (as of Q2 2016)

    ·Facebook is available in 12 Indian languages (22 official languages in India, and many more dialects)

    ·As of the end of Q2 2016, daily actives on Facebook in India had grown 22% year over year, compared to a *17%  increase in daily actives on Facebook worldwide.

    ·Not including Likes, more than 50% of the reactions used in India are Love, and more than 30% of Reactions *used in India are Haha

    Facebook Media explores how public figures and media organizations are using Facebook in extraordinary ways

    With 1.7 billion people globally and more than 150 million people in India using Facebook monthly, Facebook provides an essential audience platform for content creators and we are building fast and immersive media experiences to deliver the right content to the right people at the right time. People around the world are using Facebook to connect with news publishers, video creators, celebrities and sports.

    The rapid shift to mobile is fundamentally changing the way creators and publishers can reach and engage their audiences and Facebook is innovating on the types of content that publishers can use to tell stories. Across the globe, people are using mobile devices and adopting visual language to communicate. Social TV experience is a new trend given the new age digital audience who consume content on social media platforms. Facebook plays host to a global TV conversation in part because fans enjoy discussing shows with the people who matter most to them. Facebook has also become one of the best places for TV networks and show creators to connect with and build a community of fans.

    Networks and studios are now heavily relying on digital marketing pegged heavily on innovative/ engaging content. Globally 100 million hours of video are now watched daily on Facebook. Tools like Facebook Live and Mentions help celebrities express themselves authentically. Celebrities and entertainment publishers are using Facebook in creative ways, creating immersive experiences that draw people in and give them a deeper artistic experience. For example, through Facebook Live, everyone has a production studio with a built-in global audience in their pockets at all times. Similarly, Instant Articles, 360 video and autoplay video are new native surfaces that we are seeing creators and publishers embrace to build their audiences and businesses.

    Facebook always wants to learn from its partners, and is committed to building products and business models hand-in-hand that deliver value to people and publishers on Facebook.

    – 670 million people are connected to a News Publisher page on Facebook.
    – A recent Pew Survey said that more than 40% of American adults find news on Facebook.
    – The American Press Institute found that over 88% of millennials get news from Facebook, more than any other social network.
    – Facebook is now a widely-read source for news about government andpolitics. According to a recent Pew study, Facebook is the second most popular source where people online get their political news (48%), secondonly to local news outlets (49%).

    Entertainment

    – 1 billion people are connected to a public figure on Facebook.
    – 17 of the top 20 public figures (8 of the top 10) on Facebook are entertainers.
    – Today, thousands of public figures across verticals — sports,entertainment, news/media and more — use Facebook to easily connect with their fans and each other.
    – With the largest and most diverse community of entertainment fans in the world, Facebook is the best place for the entertainment industry to personalize and scale their campaigns to reach a global audience — from promoting a new movie or show, to releasing a music video or making an awards season push.

    Sports

    – Facebook brings together the world’s largest community of sports fans.
    – 650 million people around the world are connected to at least one sports Page (league, team, athlete, sports media) on Facebook.
    – Facebook is where the largest real-time social media audience comes together to talk about sports’ biggest moments.
    – 277 million people had 1.5 billion interactions on Facebook about the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
    – The most-discussed moment in the history of Facebook was a sporting event. FIFA World Cup.
    – 350 million people joined the conversation on Facebook, generating 3 billion interactions (posts, comments and likes) related to the
    tournament.
    – Facebook is also the largest cricket stadium and year after year , wehave found that more and more people are logging on to Facebook to keep abreast of key cricket events
    – This year there was exponential increase in match related content that was created exclusively for Facebook
    – During IPL 2016, over 30 million people generated 360 million acebook conversations
    – 46 million people interacted on Facebook during this year’s ICC World Twenty 20 2016
    – During Cricket World Cup 2015, 36 million people have generated 341 million interactions between January 1 and February 28
    – On Facebook, fans discover rich and immersive video that brings them closer to the sports, athletes and teams they love.
    – Innovations such as Facebook Live and Facebook 360 video give fans unprecedented access to the action, taking them on the field and in the locker room, and inviting them to interact directly with their favorite players.
    – Before his final race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps used Facebook Live to answer questions from fans and confirm his retirement from competitive swimming. With nearly 4 million views, it was the most-viewed live broadcast by an athlete during the games.
    – Facebook helps athletes, teams, leagues and media connect with a global audience of sports fans and achieve their business goals.
    – By leveraging Facebook Live and Facebook 360 video, partners can deliver complementary programming for the second screen and expand their reach.
    – Facebook helps partners achieve their business goals by growing and engaging their fan base; supporting current revenue drivers such as tune-in, subscriptions, sponsorship and ticket and merchandise sales; and providing new revenue streams such as branded content, Instan Articles and ad breaks in live video.

    News

    – For journalists and publishers, Facebook is a valuable place to engage with their readers.
    – We’re building fast and immersive media experiences to make news discovery better for people and publishers — from Instant Articles to Live and 360 video.
    – Facebook is a technology company.
    – We know that people are coming to Facebook to get their news and we take our role in the media ecosystem seriously.
    – We’re working closely with our media partners and listening to their feedback to help them monetize their content and build their businesses.
    – We have to make this work for publishers so we can deliver value to bthem and to everyone on Facebook.
    – Facebook is an open platform for all ideas.
    – We’re not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about. We are in the business of connecting people and ideas.The goal of News Feed is to show people the stories that are most relevant to them.
    – We’re committed to being transparent with publishers about the changes we make to News Feed — providing explanations of any ranking changes and sharing more about how we work.

  • Q2-17: Reliance: Jio busts records, organised retail grows 63 percent

    Q2-17: Reliance: Jio busts records, organised retail grows 63 percent

    BENGALURU: The Mukesh D Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) organized retail segment – Reliance Retail,  continued its growth momentum and profitability in the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q2-17, current quarter), while its digital services offering Jio has broken all records in terms of subscriber acquisition.

    The RIL earnings release for Q2-17 says that Jio has created a world record by crossing 1.6  crore (16 million) subscribers in its first month of operations (September 2016). RIL says that Jio has achieved this growth faster than any other telecom operator or start up in the world including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype.

    Ambani, said, “We are delighted and humbled by the enthusiastic adoption of Jio by India. Jio is built to empower every Indian with the power of data.”

    Further, RIL claims that Jio applications have been very popular on the network. In 1 week from launch, all the 12 Jio applications were ranked in the top 15 applications on Playstore and Appstore. All the Jio applications, including JioTV, JioCinema, JioMusic, JioMagazine, JioNews, which bouquet is worth Rs. 15,000 for an annual subscription, have been provided complimentary for all active Jio subscribers up to 31 December 2017.

    Organised Retail

    RIL’s Organised Retail segment revenue in the current quarter increased 63 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) to Rs 8,079 crore as compared to Rs 4,856 crore and increased 21.2 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 6,666 crore. 

    The segment’s EBIT increased 42.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 162 crore from Rs 114 crore and increased 9.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 148 crore.

    RIL says that during the quarter, Reliance Retail added 59 stores across various store concepts and strengthened its distribution network for consumer electronics. Omni commerce channel offerings www.footprint360.com and www.ajio.com gained traction during the quarter. As on 30September 2016, Reliance Retail operated 3,442 stores across 679 cities with an area of over 1.3 crore (13 million) square feet.

    RIL numbers

    RIL achieved a turnover of Rs 81,651 crore ($ 12.3 billion), an increase of 9.6 percent, as compared to Rs 74,490 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Increase in revenue is primarily on account of increase in volumes in refining, petrochemical and retail businesses.

    Operating profit before other income and depreciation (before exceptional item) increased by 20.2 percent on a y-o-y basis to Rs 11,176 crore ($ 1.7 billion) from Rs 9,301 crore in the previous year. Strong operating performance from refining and petrochemicals businesses was partially offset by lower contribution from Oil &  Gas business due to lower volumes and weak price environment says that company.

    Profit after tax excluding exceptional items was higher by 43.1 perc ent at Rs 7,206 crore ($ 1.1 billion) as against Rs 5,035 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. 

    Basic earnings per share (EPS) excluding exceptional items for the quarter ended 30th September 2016 was Rs 24.4 as against Rs 17.1 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

    Note:The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR).The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.Skype, www.footprint360.com, www.ajio.com, Q2-17

  • Q2-17: Reliance: Jio busts records, organised retail grows 63 percent

    Q2-17: Reliance: Jio busts records, organised retail grows 63 percent

    BENGALURU: The Mukesh D Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) organized retail segment – Reliance Retail,  continued its growth momentum and profitability in the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q2-17, current quarter), while its digital services offering Jio has broken all records in terms of subscriber acquisition.

    The RIL earnings release for Q2-17 says that Jio has created a world record by crossing 1.6  crore (16 million) subscribers in its first month of operations (September 2016). RIL says that Jio has achieved this growth faster than any other telecom operator or start up in the world including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype.

    Ambani, said, “We are delighted and humbled by the enthusiastic adoption of Jio by India. Jio is built to empower every Indian with the power of data.”

    Further, RIL claims that Jio applications have been very popular on the network. In 1 week from launch, all the 12 Jio applications were ranked in the top 15 applications on Playstore and Appstore. All the Jio applications, including JioTV, JioCinema, JioMusic, JioMagazine, JioNews, which bouquet is worth Rs. 15,000 for an annual subscription, have been provided complimentary for all active Jio subscribers up to 31 December 2017.

    Organised Retail

    RIL’s Organised Retail segment revenue in the current quarter increased 63 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) to Rs 8,079 crore as compared to Rs 4,856 crore and increased 21.2 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 6,666 crore. 

    The segment’s EBIT increased 42.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 162 crore from Rs 114 crore and increased 9.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 148 crore.

    RIL says that during the quarter, Reliance Retail added 59 stores across various store concepts and strengthened its distribution network for consumer electronics. Omni commerce channel offerings www.footprint360.com and www.ajio.com gained traction during the quarter. As on 30September 2016, Reliance Retail operated 3,442 stores across 679 cities with an area of over 1.3 crore (13 million) square feet.

    RIL numbers

    RIL achieved a turnover of Rs 81,651 crore ($ 12.3 billion), an increase of 9.6 percent, as compared to Rs 74,490 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Increase in revenue is primarily on account of increase in volumes in refining, petrochemical and retail businesses.

    Operating profit before other income and depreciation (before exceptional item) increased by 20.2 percent on a y-o-y basis to Rs 11,176 crore ($ 1.7 billion) from Rs 9,301 crore in the previous year. Strong operating performance from refining and petrochemicals businesses was partially offset by lower contribution from Oil &  Gas business due to lower volumes and weak price environment says that company.

    Profit after tax excluding exceptional items was higher by 43.1 perc ent at Rs 7,206 crore ($ 1.1 billion) as against Rs 5,035 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. 

    Basic earnings per share (EPS) excluding exceptional items for the quarter ended 30th September 2016 was Rs 24.4 as against Rs 17.1 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

    Note:The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR).The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.Skype, www.footprint360.com, www.ajio.com, Q2-17

  • Social media ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest starts

    Social media ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest starts

    NEW DELHI: A social media contest has been launched to celebrate the upcoming smash release of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,‘ a Bollywood feature starring Fawad Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

    Community-driven hospitality company Airbnb in its ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest gives participants a chance to live the ‘Ae Dil’ lifestyle by revisiting the characters’ on-screen journeys in London or Paris, including local recommendations from the stars such as Ranbir Kapoor’s favourite restaurant and Karan Johar’s preferred cafes and insider shopping spots.

    This curated access to two of the world’s most dynamic cities mirrors the central ethos of Airbnb, offering unique, local insight that lets you “Live like a local.”

    Dharma Productions head and director Karan Johar said: “London’s grandeur and the romance of Paris have always enticed Bollywood buffs from every generation. The contest is a great way for travelers and Bollywood aficionados to relive the romance of film. I am thrilled to see Airbnb recreate the ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ experience for fans by giving them a chance to win a transformative journey in two of the world’s most iconic cities.”

    Prospective participants have to create a dream ‘Wishlist’ of five Airbnb properties in London or Paris on the Airbnb platform (either website or app). Participants can make as many wishlists as desired and title them under a cinematic name to increase their chances of winning. Two lucky winners will be selected based on the most creative name for their Wishlist and will get the chance to travel to either London or Paris with a guest.

    The contest opened today and closes on 30 October 2016 at noon. Each of the two winners will receive (one winner for London and one winner for Paris) a 3 nights/4 days stay for the winner and one friend.

  • Social media ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest starts

    Social media ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest starts

    NEW DELHI: A social media contest has been launched to celebrate the upcoming smash release of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,‘ a Bollywood feature starring Fawad Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

    Community-driven hospitality company Airbnb in its ‘Ae Dil Lets Airbnb’ contest gives participants a chance to live the ‘Ae Dil’ lifestyle by revisiting the characters’ on-screen journeys in London or Paris, including local recommendations from the stars such as Ranbir Kapoor’s favourite restaurant and Karan Johar’s preferred cafes and insider shopping spots.

    This curated access to two of the world’s most dynamic cities mirrors the central ethos of Airbnb, offering unique, local insight that lets you “Live like a local.”

    Dharma Productions head and director Karan Johar said: “London’s grandeur and the romance of Paris have always enticed Bollywood buffs from every generation. The contest is a great way for travelers and Bollywood aficionados to relive the romance of film. I am thrilled to see Airbnb recreate the ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ experience for fans by giving them a chance to win a transformative journey in two of the world’s most iconic cities.”

    Prospective participants have to create a dream ‘Wishlist’ of five Airbnb properties in London or Paris on the Airbnb platform (either website or app). Participants can make as many wishlists as desired and title them under a cinematic name to increase their chances of winning. Two lucky winners will be selected based on the most creative name for their Wishlist and will get the chance to travel to either London or Paris with a guest.

    The contest opened today and closes on 30 October 2016 at noon. Each of the two winners will receive (one winner for London and one winner for Paris) a 3 nights/4 days stay for the winner and one friend.