Category: Technology

The white coloured device cliams to be be the first in the data devices segment to offer style and dual purpose of CDMA USB Modem and 1 GB data storage.

The vLink comes with all the drivers (no CD installation required) and one month free unlimited data usage. Virgin Mobile youth customers who do not want a cap on their data usage can now surf the internet anywhere with Virgin Mobile’s unlimited monthly data plan of Rs 801.

The company claims that this is the most economical package available in the market offering a speed of up to 153 kbps. vLink is aimed at meeting the wireless connectivity needs of Indian youth who own laptops as well as PCs.

Under the agreement, SME will expand its service capabilities to the independent label community with its distribution subsidiary Red.

Red and IODA will build on their complementary technologies enabling increase in sales and promotional opportunities. Both companies will also leverage the global marketing and financial strength of SME to continue expanding their businesses.

These include the Kambakkht Ishq mobile game and a mobile voice Vas service by Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor.

The Kambakkht Ishq mobile game allows users to play the role of Akshay Kumar and highlights the bitter-sweet gender wars between the two protagonists of the movie. The user has to complete various stunts and collect objects in the racing game to complete the game.

Meanwhile, in the mobile voice Vas service, Akshay Kumar reveals a few of his stunt tips and Kareena Kapoor advices women on beauty tips.

The DTH service provider has also rolled out a new option of including one free top up pack with the basic packs – Shine Pack (North, Bengali and Oriya).

As part of the initiative, a customer can choose any one of the top up packs – Marathi top up (ETV Marathi and Zee Marathi), Gujarati top up (ETV Gujarati) and Hindi Movie (Zee Cinema) along with their basic packs at no extra cost.The two new channels and the free top up packs will be available across the Sun Direct platform from 1 July.

MUMBAI: Univision Communications has inked a multi-year distribution agreement with cable television company Cox Communications.

The agreement includes continued distribution of Univision‘s broadcast networks – Univision and TeleFutura and cable network Galavision. It also includes carriage of affiliated stations owned and operated by Entravision Communications Corp and Equity Media Holdings Corp.

Income from bandwidth (placement and carriage fees) charges has grown to Rs 1.69 billion for FY ‘09, compared to Rs 937.3 a year ago.

“Carriage comprises 55 per cent of our total revenues for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009,” says a source in the company. For FY‘08, carriage fee accounted for 35 per cent of WWIL‘s income.

WWIL has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 311.98 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2009, as against a loss of Rs 814.40 million in the prior year period.

However, during this period, the income from operations came down marginally to Rs 710.85 million, as compared to Rs 755.45 million a year ago.

Expenses reduced to Rs 784.94 million (from Rs 865.63 million) for the quarter under review.

For the full fiscal, WWIL‘s net loss reduced to Rs 941.63 million, as against Rs 1.53 billion in the previous fiscal.

Income from the operations in the fiscal grew to Rs 3.08 billion, as compared to Rs 2.71 billion a year ago. Expenses decreased to Rs 3.38 billion from earlier year’s Rs 3.20 billion.

MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra-promoted direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV plans to invest Rs 14 billion over the next two years as it plans to ramp up its subscriber base.

The company has already received Rs 4.05 billion as part of the proceeds in the second tranche of the Rs 11.40 billion rights issue.

“Dish TV has already exhausted the Rs 3.10 billion it raised in the first tranche. The promoters have agreed that the second tranche can be given an early call. We plan to pump in Rs 14 billion over two years,” says a source in the company.

Dish TV is also planning to raise between $100 to $150 million through foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs), though it has taken an enabling resolution from the board to raise up to $200 million.

The leading DTH market leader plans to add six million subscribers over the next two years.

“A major chunk of the investments will be towards customer acquisition. The subscriber acquisition cost is Rs 2600 and is likely to stay there in FY‘10 unless the rupee appreciates strongly. Our target is to add 2.5 million subscribers in FY‘10 and 3.5 million in FY‘10,” the source adds.

The company will provide offerings which incorporate solutions customised to meet the requirements of the sector.

3i Infotech has partnered with global technology players such as Apple, VSN, Kramer Electronics, Mhatre Electronics (authorised distributor of JVC), Harris and Comsat, as system integrator.

For media and broadcasting, the services include:

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  Media Consultancy Services (MCS): Offering television channels an automated workflow by integration of numerous components and related services.
  

  
  
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  Media System Integration Services (MSIS): Utilising products from global broadcasting solution vendors to develop a customised solution.
  

  
  
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  Integrated Media Solutions (IMS): Ensuring optimisation of the workflow across various phases and facets of broadcasting operations.

  
  

  3i Infotech executive director and president – South Asia Anirudh Prabhakaran said, “We are delighted to venture into the media and broadcasting space which needs intensive IT and System Integration support.”

Earlier, large TV stations were broadcasting analog and digital signals simultaneously. The shift is in the wake of the order from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which said that the transition will free the analog frequencies which can be used by public safety agencies to improve communication.

The digital TV transition has been in the planning for years in the US. However, the changeover may still cause disruption and confusion for millions of viewers. As per Nielsen estimates, even after publicising the switch for the last two years, around 2.8 million households (2.5 per cent of the country) were unprepared for the transformation.

According to the figures released by the National Association of Broadcasters, around 2.2 million households have to still buy the convertors to make their equipments compatible for this transition. Around 440,000 of them have, however, started taking some steps in the digital direction that includes applying for vouchers.

There are 1,760 full power TV stations across US, out of which half of them switched to digital even before the 12 June deadline. They mainly were located in the rural areas.

The transition from analog to digital was scheduled for 17 February. However, President Barack Obama delayed the switch after a Commerce Department voucher scheme offering $40 subsidies for converter boxes suffered heavy backlogs.