Category: Software

New Delhi: The Government today reiterated its decision that it will not award UAS licences linked with spectrum and all future licences will be Unified Licences and allocation of spectrum will be delinked from the licence.

Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora informed Rajya Sabha that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), in its 11 May 2010 recommendations on Spectrum Management and Licensing Framework, had said that future licences should be unified licences and that spectrum should be delinked from the licence.

The Minister said the decision to delink spectrum allocation from licences had been taken after a Government – constituted committee under the Chairmanship of Member (Technology) Telecom commission to examine the above Trai recommendations had submitted its recommendations and they were considered by Telecom Commission.

NEW DELHI: The demand for mobile handsets in the country was 180 million in 2011 as against 150 million the previous year, signifying a growth of 20 per cent.

In value terms, this stands at Rs 382 billion in 2011 as compared to Rs 345 billion in 2010, a growth of 11 per cent, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora told Rajya Sabha today.

Indian Cellular Association (ICA) estimates say the demand will reach 200 million in volume term at a rate of growth of 11 per cent in the year 2012, while in value terms it will stand at Rs 430 billion, a growth of 13 per cent.

The demand of mobile handsets in 2009 had been 130 million at a value of Rs 301 billion.

The projected growth is 225 million, or Rs 482 billion in value, in 2013. This is expected to climb to 250 million in 2014, or Rs 540 billion in value.

MUMBAI: Yebhi.com, a home, lifestyle and fashion e-retailer, has bought out the fashion jewellery e-retail company Stylishyou.in.

Yebhi.com has acquired the merchandising team also as a part of this deal.

According to the company all the products available on Stylishyou.in will now be available on Yebhi.com.

Stylishyou.in was founded by Shraddha Danani in 2011. Danani will be joining Yebhi.com as head of jewelry.

Bigshoebazaar is the parent company of Yebhi.com. Bigshoebazaar India CEO Manmohan Agarwal said, “Jewellery e-retailing as a category is very nascent category right now and we would like streamline our efforts in making it the next big thing! Yebhi.com with its largest logistics and delivery network can provide Stylishyou within Yebhi the deepest reach. We at Yebhi, make constant efforts to improvise on the basis of people’s feedback and now is the demand is highest for jewellery and thus we will ensure that along with lifestyle, Yebhi will also be India’s largest online jewellery store.”

Danani added, “Yebhi.com has been synonymous with offering a wide array of products to its discerning customers and delivering the best of the products at the shortest time ever. I am excited to have joined the team and I look forward to an interesting journey with the basic intent of leading the jewellery category in the country and participation across existing and new products.”

In July 2011, Bigshoebazar raised Rs 400 million in a series-B funding round from Nexus Venture Partners and Catamaran Ventures, which is an investment company backed by Infosys chairman NR Narayana Murthy. Prior to that, Bigshoebazar had raised Rs 100 million from Nexus Venture Partners.

MUMBAI: Netflix, US video-on-demand service provider, and Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, have signed a multi-year licensing agreement that will soon make a host of great TV series and films available for Netflix members to instantly watch in Latin America and Brazil.

All past seasons of 24, Prison Break and How I Met Your Mother will be available for viewing in July, as well as current and past seasons of Glee and Bones. Episodes of The X-Files and Arrested Development will be available starting January 2013.

In addition, Twentieth Century Fox classic films including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Wall Street and Office Space, will come to Netflix on 1 July, with more films and TV series to be added over the next few years.

“We are thrilled to be bringing such favorites as How I Met Your Mother and Glee to our members in Latin America and Brazil. Our partnership with Twentieth Century Fox continues to grow and benefit Netflix members around the world,” said Netflix VP Content Acquisition Jason Ropell.

“Because Latin America is such an important territory for the fan base of our shows, our partnership with Netflix serves as a vital opportunity to link that fan base with the characters and shows that they have come to know and love,” said Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution EVP Worldwide Pay Television and Subscription Video on Demand Gina Brogi.

Netflix launched in 43 countries and territories in Latin America, including Brazil, in September 2011. Since then, the number of movie and TV shows available to watch instantly has more than doubled.

Additionally, the number of devices members can use to enjoy Netflix continues to expand in the region and now includes a wide range of game players, Smart TVs, tablets, smart phones and Apple TV.

MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based Ybrant Digital has agreed to purchase three Internet brands in the United States – PriceGrabber, LowerMyBills, and ClassesUSA.com – for a consideration of $175 million.

The acquisition will add a business of $283 million and employee strength of over 300, says Ybrant. It will also allow the digital marketing company to nearly double its current revenues.

Ybrant believes it can become the leader in many key digital marketing areas worldwide through these acquisitions.

“By adding these established brands to Ybrant, we will offer interesting new products and a world class generation platform,” said Ybrant Digital chairman and CEO Suresh Reddy.

PriceGrabber, owned by Experian, is a price comparison shopping business which powers Yahoo! and MSN shopping. LowerMyBills.com is a one-stop destination that offers savings through relationships with more than 500 service providers across multiple categories. ClassesUSA.com is the leading online higher-education portal with two million visitors and 300 accredited college and university partners.

Steve Krenzer who is president of Experian Interactive, will continue to lead the new group by joining the Ybrant Digital family. “I am very excited to join the Ybrant team. With Ybrant’s global footprint and our leading sites, the combined group will make us the pacesetter globally,” said Krenzer.

Experian Interactive is currently one of the top five Internet advertisers in the US and will give Ybrant a foothold in the US market. This is Ybrant’s second successful foray into acquiring premium destination sites. The company successfully acquired Lycos.com in 2010.

Both Experian and Ybrant are committed to completing this transaction as quickly as possible, subject to various conditions and events by Ybrant, including the initiation in trading in Ybrant Digital Limited shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

NEW DELHI: A dedicated website of the Lok Sabha TV was launched by Lok Speaker Meira Kumar who expressed the hope that the initiative would bolster the inclusive image of Parliament and reach out to a wider, younger audience.

Kumar recalled the efforts of former Speaker Somnath Chatterjee who envisaged the idea of a dedicated TV Channel for the Lok Sabha – the first of its kind in the world.

Lok Sabha Secretary-General T. K. Viswanathan, while lauding the recent initiatives of LSTV to bring people closer to Parliament, hoped that this initiative would help LSTV to achieve its targets with regard to the desirable standards of convergence of technologies. He also felt that the website would empower Members of Parliament to connect with their electors in a better and efficient way.

Speaking on the occasion, LSTV’s CEO Rajiv Mishra said the simple act of shifting the delivery of television to the Internet radically increases the content choices and the way advertising is delivered. He hoped that the website would help in achieving this target as it would also webcast the programmes of the LSTV channel. The website is available at www.loksabhatv.nic.in.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has released a Consultation Paper on ‘Review of the Telecommunication Interconnection (Port Charges)’.

The written comments on the issues raised in the Consultation Paper are invited from the stakeholders by 8 June 2012 and counter-comments by 18 June 2012.

The comments and counter-comments may be sent, preferably in electronic form.

MUMBAI: BroadcastAsia 2012, the leading exhibition and knowledge platform for the Asian broadcasting industry, will focus on the Over The Top (OTT) technology.

The event, which is slated to take place in Singapore from 19–22 June, will showcase a global array of the latest technologies, applications, equipment and solutions in Film, Audio and TV with a spotlight on Multi Streaming Technologies, Playout Services, Pro-Audio Technology, OTT Technology, Cloud Broadcasting and Digital Radio.

As cloud-based technologies and services are increasingly being adopted to deploy the appropriate hardware and software solutions, broadcasters are being pushed to support ever-increasing distribution platforms. Multi-screen connectivity will become the norm, with new portable devices enabling flexible personalisation of multimedia content.

Companies who will be part of the limelight at BroadcastAsia2012 include ATG, Blackmagic, Evertz, Envivio, Fortis, Grass Valley, Harmonic, Harris, Miranda, Nevio, Plisch, Quantel, SalzbrennerStagetec, Sennheiser, Snell, Tektronix and Thomson Video Networks to name a few. Visitors can also look forward to nine international group pavilions on the show floors.

BroadcastAsia2012 will welcome new Indian exhibitors like Broadcast Automation Systems and Dejerolive, and returning exhibitors like Canara Lighting & Sconce, EsselShyam Communication Limited, Monarch Innovative Technologies, Rudraksha Technology, WASP3D and more.

BroadcastAsia Senior Project Manager Calvin Koh said, “India today is a power to reckon with in the global economy, holding tremendous growth and future opportunities in the broadcast technology sector. The Indian audiences today are ready to explore newer frontiers. Through BroadcastAsia, the Indian broadcast industry will get the opportunity to showcase their latest technologies and also get access to the ideal platform for networking, interaction and business procurement of the highest international quality.”

Backed by an international panel of speakers and industry veterans, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference and Creative Content Production Conferences return this year with a behind-the-scenes look at the latest technologies and techniques currently deployed. With the growing momentum behind Smart TVs, Cloud Broadcasting, Multi-screen platform and OTT delivery and the challenges of managing an effective Pay TV model as well as digital asset management, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will offer more sessions to address the latest needs and technologies in the broadcasting industry.

In its third successful edition, the Creative Content Production Conference will comprise a mix of topical issues, case studies and hands-on sessions to address the evolving challenges faced by production professionals from new media and visual effects, to editing and IP rights.

Summit complements CommunicAsia2012 with contemporary tracks

CommunicAsia2012 Summit will offer distinctly titled forums and workshops that address compelling issues and challenges for the ICT industry with the spotlight on mobile-driven trends. Extended sessions dedicated to mobile-focused topics encompassing m-Commerce, Mobile VAS, and Mobile Security issues will be added to the conference, alongside the latest tracks on Mobile Payments, Mobile Health, Customer Experience Management (CEM), and OTT Business Models. Companies speaking at the Summit will include Amazon Web Services, Google, Pacnet, RIM, Tata Communications, Telstra, VMware, Vodafone and many others.

Following the success of last year’s event, which attracted a total of over 53,000 professional attendees from more than 100 countries, attendees to this year’s shows can look forward to a myriad of new technologies, products and solutions from 2,000 companies.Being the region’s largest international digital multimedia technology and ICT showcase, the shows continue to be the industries’ event of choice for product launches, expertise sharing and networking.

MUMBAI: AOL‘s net revenue for the first quarter ending 31 March 2012 fell four per cent to $529.4 million, but beat analysts‘ forecast of $526.5 million.

Advertising revenue during the quarter grew five per cent to $330.1 million compared to the year-ago period, while susbcription revenues witnessed a 15 per cent decline posting $182.1 million.

The ad growth showed improved performance in third-party network ads and international display ads. However, revenue from display ads – big splashy ads on Web pages that command high prices – in the United States showed weakness, falling one per cent. Facebook and Yahoo also reported a drop in display ads from the US, where Google is gaining.

AOL‘s display and third party network revenue grew 10 per cent, totalling $240.5 million for the quarter.

Net income rose to $21 million from $4.7 million a year earlier, representing a change of 349 per cent.

The company has increased its adjusted Oibda guidance to $350 million for the current year due to improved revenue & expense trends.

“AOL is a much stronger company today than a year ago and began 2012 by growing advertising revenue, lowering expenses and improving Adjusted OIBDA trends,” said AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong. “In 2012 and beyond we are simultaneously focused on the continued successful execution of our strategy and on creating and unlocking value for our shareholders.”

AOL has agreed to sell over 800 of its patents and patent applications to Microsoft and grant Microsoft a non-exclusive license to its retained patent portfolio for aggregate proceeds of $1.056 billion in cash.

AOL has acquired several media properties including the Huffington Post and TechCrunch, and has invested heavily into a network of neighbourhood news sites called Patch.

MUMBAI: Reebok, the sportswear company, has launched the first ever online flash mob, ‘Flex a Move’.

With this initiative, Reebok aims to leave a lasting impression in the web space. ‘Flex a Move’ is a dancing feat created for the fans, by the fans and from the fans.

It is an engagement platform to encourage fans to usher fitness into their lives with rhythm and RealFlex. While ‘natural movement perfected’ is the philosophy behind RealFlex, the USP of the RealFlex range of shoes and apparel is their flexibility. Through this application, Reebok has merged the RealFlex philosophy with the products’ key attribute, asking fans to showcase their flexibility through the medium of dance and get rewarded, the company said.

In order to execute the plan, Reebok fans on Facebook were asked to follow five pre-defined steps. They were asked to upload their own dancing videos over a period of a month.

The company said that the application created a never before buzz and has gained a cult status within the brand’s Facebook community. Reebok India has grown by more 100,000 fans and has collected more than 250-plus dance videos in just three weeks.

Reebok aired the synchronised repertoire of all the videos on Reebok India Facebook page, giving birth to the first-ever online flash mob.