Category: Telecom

Prime minister Narendra Modi assures all villages to be connected with optical fibre in 1000 days

NEW DELHI: Marking the beginning of the 74th year of independence from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Saturday, prime minister Narendra Modi announced his plans to connect all villages in India with optical fibre cables in the next 1000 days. Lakshadweep too would be connected with submarine optical fibre cable.

Modi had recently inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre cable project for Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He noted that only five dozen panchayats in the country were connected with optical fibre cable before 2014 and in the last five years, 1.5 lakh villages have been provided the facility.

He took the opportunity to announce a new policy on cyber security, which will soon be unveiled.

August 17, 2020
Airtel-AWS partner to offer cloud services to M&E firms

MUMBAI: It’s hoping to take Indian companies further into the cloud. Telco Bharati Airtel has signed a multi-year, strategic collaborateon agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS.) to deliver a comprehensive set of innovative cloud solutions to large enterprise and small and medium enterprise (SME) customers in India. The duo will offer industry-specific solutions to customers across different sectors including banking and financial services, manufacturing, IT/ITeS, and media and entertainment.

Airtel serves over 2500 large enterprises and more than a million emerging businesses and companies with an integrated product portfolio, including Airtel Cloud, a multi-cloud product and solutions business.

Airtel Cloud will build an AWS Cloud Practice supported by AWS Professional Services, as well as develop differentiated Airtel Cloud products and capabilities leveraging AWS services, Airtel’s data center capabilities and its network and telecom offerings. Airtel customers will benefit from an integrated sales, consulting, and support approach from both companies and improved security, scalability, and cloud management capabilities.

Airtel Cloud will offer customers a range of AWS services including Windows on AWS, SAP on AWS, VMware Cloud on AWS, database migration, and security and risk governance solutions. In addition, it will leverage AWS’s innovation and transformation services across analytics, data warehousing, internet of things (IoT), and machine learning (ML) to help customers adopt new services and migrate to the cloud from legacy infrastructures.

“At Airtel, our endeavour is to enable enterprise customers to stay focused on their core businesses while we drive end-to-end digital transformation for them. As part of their cloud adoption journey, enterprises are looking for agility, faster migration from legacy systems, and want to work with trusted partners who have the experience and depth in doing this. This collaboration brings AWS, the world’s leading cloud platform, together with Airtel’s deep reach and proven expertise in handling network, data centers, security, and cloud as an intergrated solution,” said Bharti Airtel CIO & head-cloud and security business Harmeen Mehta.

Additionally, Airtel leverages AWS services for development of its digital applications. Airtel is also an AWS Direct Connect Delivery Partner. AWS Direct Connect is a cloud service solution that makes it easy to establish a dedicated network connection from a customer’s premises to AWS, providing customers with increased bandwidth throughput, consistent network performance, and private connectivity.

“I am delighted with the expansion of our relationship with Airtel. Indian companies are using the cloud to innovate, and in order to operate at an increased scale and speed. Many need partners like irtel, with deep cloud expertise and an industry-focused approach to support them,” said Amazon Internet Services president commercial business, India & south Asia Puneet Chandok. “This collaboration gives customers a single point of contact when dealing with complex migrations or custom-built solutions. Airtel has demonstrated a strong commitment to our shared customers, and we look forward to continue working with them to bring innovative solutions to market.”

August 6, 2020
Google to invest Rs 33,737 cr in Jio Platforms for 7.7% stake

KOLKATA: Putting an end to the speculations floating around, Jio has welcomed Google as its new strategic partner. At the 43rd annual general meeting of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), CMD Mukesh Ambani made the announcement.

The business tycoon said that Google will invest Rs 33,737 crore for 7.7 per cent stake in Jio Platforms. The giants have signed a binding partnership and an investment agreement.

“We are delighted to welcome Google as a strategic investor in Jio Platforms. We have signed a binding partnership and an investment agreement under which Google will invest Rs 33,737 crore for a 7.7 per cent stake in Jio Platforms,” Ambani stated.

Google becomes the latest US tech giant to back Jio Platforms. Facebook started the series of investment by with a Rs 43,573.62 crore deal in April. Intel invested Rs 1,894.50 crore earlier this month.

He also stated that the company has fully kickstarted five accelerators of growth of digital connectivity: mobile broadband, JioFiber, Jio’s enterprise broadband, broadband for SMEs, and Jio’s Narrowband internet-of-things.

Notably, Ambani has announced a significant development on the traditional side of Jio’s business. Jio has designed and developed a complete 5G solution from scratch. It will be ready for trials as soon as 5G spectrum is available and can be ready for field deployment next year.

July 15, 2020
5G remote production: Need of the hour or call of the future

Broadcast to mobile is a fascinating concept which came into light in the early 2000s. The mobile networks were busy with offering GPRS based services. The early days saw a variety of mobile broadcast solutions including DVB-H, DMB, DAB-IP, ISDB-T and MediaFLO. The success of such solutions would depend on availability of compatible handsets and broadcasters could not justify huge investment into alternate/parallel network just to deliver content to mobile users.

As 5G infrastructure garners pace into 2020, the response from media and entertainment industry has been very encouraging in terms of testing and potential adoption of 5G technology. Broadcasters are looking at ways to leverage and capitalize on this next-generation mobile technology. As the internet takes centre stage in content delivery and distribution, 5G will play the role of a catalyst in the growth of both, broadcasters and technology providers.

Almost 92 per cent of broadcasters are planning to adopt 5G in the next two years(IBC report) and remote production has been identified as a major application of 5G wireless technology. As broadcasters continue to realize the potential of 5G, 65 per cent would imbibe it for remote production and 61 per cent of the broadcasters are willing to adopt 5G for distribution as an alternative to satellite, DTT or cable (OnePoll, Nevion).

With its unique qualities like mobility, flexibility and reliability, remote production has emerged as the most vital application of 5G technology and could forever change the production workflows of live content such as events, sports and news. 5G has great potential to enable broadcasters to enhance coverage and streamline production by allowing multiple cameras and microphones. 5G will help in managing multiple live events from a central broadcast facility.

Having said that, the transition to 5G will not be an easy one. It will take immense effort and courage to completely replace centralised production studios and widely popular OB vans with cloud-based workflows. Also, migration from SDI to IP will define the near future production techniques and it will be very interesting to see how 5G merges with these new techniques.

Ultimately, adoption of 5G will hugely depend on the efficiency of the business model around which it will be built. The revenue-generating power of 5G is yet to be tested and broadcasters must be facing a dichotomy about migrating from the existing model which has been tried and tested for years. Change is the only constant but coexistence is nature’s amazing trait which could possibly lead to 5G complementing existing technologies and create an enhanced ecosystem for the growth of all the relevant stakeholders of the media and entertainment industry.

(The author is founder and executive director, Planetcast Media Services. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

July 6, 2020
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to invest Rs 11,367 cr in Jio Platforms

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries Limited (“Reliance Industries”) and Jio Platforms Limited (“Jio Platforms”), India’s leading digital services platform, today announced an investment of Rs 11,367 crore by The Public Investment Fund (“PIF”). This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. PIF’s investment will translate into a 2.32 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised Rs 115,693.95 crore from leading global investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG and L Catterton, since April 2020.

With the addition of PIF’s investment, Jio Platforms has established partnerships with a marquee set of global financial investors, who will contribute to establishing the Digital Society vision for India. Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is a next-generation technology company focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with more than 388 million subscribers.

Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain. Jio Platforms’ vision is to enable a Digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small merchants, microbusinesses and farmers, so that all of them can enjoy the fruits of inclusive growth.

PIF is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and as part of its mandate to diversify its economy, has made its largest investment into the Indian economy to-date. This investment is in line with PIF’s strategy and mandate of investing in sectors and companies that generate long-term commercial returns to drive Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation as part of Vision 2030 objectives. This investment supports PIF’s mandate of building strong global investment partnerships to further Saudi Arabia’s investment reach and exposure.

Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, “We at Reliance have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for many decades. From Oil Economy, this relationship is now moving to strengthen India’s New Oil (Data-driven) Economy, as is evident from PIF’s investment into Jio Platforms. I have greatly admired the defining role PIF has played in driving the economic transformation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I welcome PIF as a valued partner in Jio Platforms and look forward to their sustained support and guidance as we take ambitious steps to accelerate India’s digital transformation for enriching and empowering the lives of 1.3 billion Indians.”

His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF governor, commented: “We are delighted to be investing in an innovative business which is at the forefront of the transformation of the technology sector in India. We believe that the potential of the Indian digital economy is very exciting and that Jio Platforms provides us with an excellent opportunity to gain access to that growth. This investment will also enable us to generate significant long-term commercial returns for the benefit of Saudi Arabia’s economy and our country’s citizens, in line with our mandate to safeguard and grow the national wealth of the Kingdom.”

The transaction is subject to Indian regulatory and other customary approvals. Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries and AZB and Partners and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels.

June 18, 2020
Airtel acquires strategic stake in ed-tech startup Lattu Kids

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) has acquired a strategic stake in Edtech startup Lattu Media Pvt Ltd (“Lattu Kids”) as part of the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program. Mumbai based Lattu Kids specializes in digital learning tools for children. Its highly popular Lattu Kids app focuses on improving English vocabulary, English reading and Maths skills for children under the age of 10 years through entertaining, fun learning animated videos and games.

At over 500 mn, India has the second largest number of internet users in the world, driven by affordable smartphones and the lowest 4G data tariffs globally. This deep penetration of internet has also led to wide adoption of online learning tools. The COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools has further accelerated the adoption of virtual classrooms and digitally enabled learning. It is estimated that in India Edtech will become a USD 2 bn plus industry by 2021.

The investment will enable Airtel to add Edtech to its premium digital content portfolio and give distribution scale to quality learning material from Lattu Kids. Airtel already has over 160 mn monthly active users across its digital platforms – Airtel Thanks app, Airtel Xstream app and Wynk Music.

Bharti Airtel product officer Adarsh Nair said: “At Airtel, we aspire to support the growth of the start-up ecosystem through our digital platforms. And now more than ever, online education is a critical need for millions of young children who do not have access to regular classrooms. We believe that Lattu Kids can make a positive impact in the space of online education and are excited to have them in our accelerator and partner in their growth.”

Lattu Kids co-founder and CEO Vivek Bhutyani said: “Our Vision with Lattu Kids is to impact learning outcomes for young children in Nursery to Grade 2 and lead this category in India by using Digital content, Gamification and Technology. With Airtel, we have found an equally passionate partner and our synergies in this space will allow us to scale Lattu to millions of kids in India across classes and make it a much-loved home grown EdTech brand.”

Lattu Kids becomes the fourth company to join the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, which allows start-ups to leverage Airtel’s robust ecosystem, including its core strengths in data, distribution, networks and payments. This includes access to a vast online and offline distribution network that touches 300m+ customers, deep market understanding and platform of global strategic partners. Further, start-ups also get access to advisory services from Airtel’s executive team.

June 17, 2020
Jio Platforms attracts two new global investors TPG, L Catterton

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries Limited’s biggest bet for future, Jio, has attracted ten investors in the last two months. Two more global investors TPG and L Catterton have acquired stakes in Jio Platforms on Saturday. With these two investments, Jio Platforms has raised Rs 104,326.95 crore from leading global investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG and L Catterton since 22 April.

Global alternative asset firm TPG will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. The investment will translate into a 0.93 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis for TPG.

Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, “Today, I am happy to welcome TPG as valued investors in our continued efforts towards digitally empowering the lives of Indians through the creation of a digital ecosystem. We have been impressed by TPG’s track record of investing in global technology businesses which serve hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses, making the societies we live in better.”

“We are excited to partner Reliance to invest in Jio. As an investor in growth, change, and innovation for over 25 years – and with a longstanding presence in India — we are excited to play an early role in Jio's journey as they continue to transform and advance India's digital economy. Jio is a disruptive industry leader that is empowering small businesses and consumers across India by providing them with critical, high-quality digital services. The company is bringing unmatched potential and execution capabilities to the market, setting the tone for all technology companies to come,” TPG co-CEO Jim Coulter said.

L Catterton will invest Rs 1894.50 crore in Jio and the investment will translate into a 0.39% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis.

“I am delighted to welcome L Catterton as a partner in our journey to unleash the power of digital for India while providing a consumer experience that is among the best in the world. I particularly look forward to gaining from L Catterton’s invaluable experience in creating consumer-centric businesses because technology and consumer experience need to work together to propel India to achieving digital leadership,” Ambani said.

Global Co-CEO of L Catterton global co-CEO Michael Chu said, “Over our more than 30 year history, we have established a track record of building many of the most important brands across all consumer categories and geographies, from retailers, omni-channel and digitally native brands. We are strong supporters of fostering growth through product development, enhanced digital capabilities and strategic alliances. We look forward to partnering with Jio, which is uniquely positioned to execute on its vision and mission to transform the country and build a digital society for 1.3 billion Indians through its unmatched digital and technological capabilities.”

June 14, 2020
Thailand PM leads national committee to promote 5G development

MUMBAI: A 26-member national 5G committee has been formed with Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as chairman to coordinate the 5G development and boost the digital economy in the country.

The committee is also tasked with mitigating obstacles regarding the recall of unused spectrum, from state agencies for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), in exchange for compensation. It is expected to enhance cooperation between related agencies for 5G development support.

Deputy prime ministers Somkid Jatusripitak, Prawit Wongsuwon and Wissanu Krea-ngam serve as the deputy chairmen of the committee. The minister of finance, minister of tourism and the minister of education are also part of the committee.

The permanent secretary for the digital economy and society ministry serves as the director and secretary of the committee.

This committee is formed to promote vertical 5G development, ensuring optimum benefits of 5G adoption for the economy and end users. It will promote a clear roadmap for 5G adoption and infrastructure development by ensuring the participation of representatives from key ministries, said Thailand NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith.

The Covid2019 pandemic has prompted Thailand's major telecom operators to rev up deployment of 5G technologies. The country's top mobile operators are racing to deploy 5G networks at hospitals to support doctors and medical personnel to fight the virus.

“Application of 5G to public health demonstrates how digital infrastructure can have a significant impact on people's health during a major emergency,” said Buddhipongse Punnakanta, Thailand digital economy and society minister.

The digital economy and society ministry, together with Huawei Technologies Thailand, are providing AI-assisted solutions with 5G technology to hospitals in the country with the aim of enabling output diagnosis results more efficiently through a high-speed network.

Industrial organizations such as GSMA pointed out that 5G technologies are crucial in the fight against the pandemic and will be a “backbone” for the economic recovery. It is increasingly accepted in the industry that ICT and digital economy will be a major push as work resumes post pandemic.

May 21, 2020
Airtel digital TV revenue up 16.9% in Q4

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel on Monday posted its fourth quarter results for the fourth quarter of financial year 2019-20. While revenue was up seven per cent at Rs 23,723 crore on a quarter-on-quarter basis, it has registered a consolidated loss of Rs 5,237 crore year-on-year. Mobile services revenue has increased 21.8 per cent YoY and 16 per cent quarter to quarter.

Airtel's journey as a digital business continued strongly in Q4’20. The company has over 160 million Monthly Active Users across digital assets – Airtel Thanks, Wynk and X Stream. It has over 1.1 million retailers transacting and making payments every day on our Mitra App.

Today over 60 per cent of its entire business goes through digital channels, and with share of AirtelThanks platform growing strongly to now become the second largest platforms for user payments online.

Digital TV revenue witnessed strong growth of 16.9 per cent YoY on an underlying basis, on the back of strong customer additions.

While overall customer base stood at 423 million across 16 countries, EBITDA stood at Rs 10,326 crore, up 51.7 per cent YoY.

Voice usage per customer increased to 965 million against 898 million for the telecom service operator, showing an increase of 7.5 per cent quarter to quarter.

The mobile ARPU in India business was at Rs 154 against Rs 135 QoQ, a growth of 14 per cent.

The company had posted a profit of Rs 107.2 crore in the same period a year ago. It registered a consolidated revenue of Rs 23,722.7 crore during the reported quarter against Rs 20,602.2 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19.

The company has undertaken a capex investment of Rs 25,359 crore on a consolidated basis during the year to ensure superior customer experience besides front ending some investment to ensure seamless services during the ongoing pandemic.

Airtel Business witnessed a double digit revenue growth of 12.4 per cent YoY led by increased focus on connecting large enterprises, SMEs besides providing innovative solutions. Homes business continues to remain resilient and shows significant long-term promise in the wake of the new normal of work from home and social distancing established post the Covid2019 situation.

Gopal Vittal, MD-CEO, India & South Asia, said: “These are unprecedented times for every one across the world as we battle the impact of Covid2019 and its consequent impact on livelihoods. Even in this difficult time, it is our investments in network technologies coupled with our culture of customer obsession that has allowed us to keep the nation connected and serve our customers. It is abundantly clear today that telecom has played an essential role in keeping the country going. We are therefore hopeful that the government will implement the recommendations of the TRAI and the intent of the New Telecom Policy and bring down the high levels of regulatory levies and taxes that the sector is subjected to. The quarter gone by saw healthy revenue growth of 14.4 per cent YoY with mobile business growing at 21.8 per cent. This was driven by two factors – sustained momentum of 4G customer additions of over 12.5 million coupled with improved tariffs. We continue to witness strong data traffic growth of 74.1 per cent YoY. Going forward we remain committed to delivering a best in class customer experience even as we leverage our platform to build new revenue streams.”

May 19, 2020
Silver Lake to invest Rs 5,655.75 cr into Jio Platforms

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries Ltd and Jio Platforms Ltd announced today that Silver Lake will invest Rs 5,655.75 crore into Jio Platforms. This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.90 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.15 lakh crore and represents a 12.5 per cent premium to the equity valuation of the Facebook investment announced on 22 April.

Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is a next-generation technology company building a digital society for India by bringing together Jio’s leading digital apps, digital ecosystems and India’s #1 high-speed connectivity platform under one umbrella. Reliance Jio Infocomm, which provides connectivity platform to over 388 million subscribers, will continue to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms.

Jio’s vision is to enable a digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses throughout India, especially small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers. Jio has brought transformational changes in the Indian digital services space and propelled India on the path towards becoming a global technology leader and among the leading digital economies in the world.

In the wake of the severe economic disruptions caused by the Covid2019 pandemic, globally and especially within India, this partnership with one of the most renowned tech-investors globally, Silver Lake, has special significance. Comprehensive digitisation will be a vital component of the revitalisation of the Indian economy. It is our strong conviction that no one should be deprived of the tremendous new opportunities, including those for new employment and new businesses, embedded in India’s 360-degree digital transformation.

With approximately $40 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a singular focus on the world’s great tech and tech-enabled opportunities, Silver Lake is the global leader in large-scale technology investing. Its mission is to build and grow great companies by partnering with world-class management teams. Its investments have included Airbnb, Alibaba, Ant Financial, Alphabet’s Verily and Waymo units, Dell Technologies, Twitter and numerous other global technology leaders.

This investment by Silver Lake is further testament to the world-class digital platform that Jio has built, powered by leading technologies, such as broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, internet of things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain.

Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake, Reliance Industries Ltd chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, “I am delighted to welcome Silver Lake as a valued partner in continuing to grow and transform the Indian digital ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians. Silver Lake has an outstanding record of being a valuable partner for leading technology companies globally. Silver Lake is one of the most respected voices in technology and finance. We are excited to leverage insights from their global technology relationships for the Indian digital society’s transformation.”
Commenting on the investment, Silver Lake Co-CEO and managing partner Egon Durban said, “Jio Platforms is one of the world’s most remarkable companies, led by an incredibly strong and entrepreneurial management team who are driving and actualizing a courageous vision. They have brought extraordinary engineering capabilities to bear on bringing the power of low-cost digital services to a mass consumer and small businesses population. The market potential they are addressing is enormous, and we are honoured and pleased to have been invited to partner with Mukesh Ambani and the team at Reliance and Jio to help further the Jio mission.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries and AZB & Partners and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels.

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May 4, 2020