Applications

TRAI’s second activation ruling to hit providers by 40 per cent

Published

13 years ago

July 20, 2013

MUMBAI: Like a callertune you heard recently? But wait now you will have to be doubly sure if you want it. Yes, you heard it correct. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said that any value added service (VAS) will be activated only after receiving a second confirmation from the customer.

Techzone managing director Naveen Bhandari says VAS revenues will take a beating

Speaking on the order, Huawei Telecommunications (India) PR and brand – head Suresh Vaidyanathan matter-of-factly says, “One needs to understand why this ruling was done. Of course, nobody wants unwanted calls or smses. Therefore, I think, it is a welcome move.”

TRAI made the ruling after it observed that there are various complaints regarding value added services offered by telecom service providers. According to it, the first offer of a service was on the service providers‘ platform and a second confirmation from the customer was through a dedicated consent gateway owned by a third party and not by the service provider.

Vaidyanathan feels that the Indian telecom industry is grown-up enough to understand it. He adds, “I‘m sure, it is only going to have a short term impact, if there would be any. On the contrary, it will only help structure the VAS economy.”

SpiceDigital director & head of
business development and
alliances Shehzad Azad feels the
ruling may create problems
for users in understanding the
usage of VAS services

Similarly, OnMobile Global, chief commercial officer, Sanjay Bhambri feels that double consent with clear communication of price points us in the larger interest of consumers and industry and gives the industry a clearer picture on the way forward. “We feel that the revised directive (which mandates second confirmation from customers through a consent gateway managed by the operator) is a positive step from TRAI compared to the earlier one which mandated activation of services post confirmation from customers through SMS, fax or email.”

But he is quick to point out that the ruling does have its downfall. “There could be transitional technology issues in connectivity of two consent systems resulting in poor consumer experience and drop outs, in the interim. Thus, the interconnecting multiple systems and changed user experience may result in consumers taking time to adapt to the new experience,” adds Bhambri.

One of the biggest players of the Rs 26,000 crore industry feels that there will be an almost 50 per cent an erosion in revenues and that it it expected a ruling of this sort.

Shotformats Digital Productions, managing director and CEO, Niyati Shah points out, “It is likely to affect each and every company by as much as 30 to 40 per cent. And to control the damage, the telecom providers are very actively working towards new methods of consumer acquisition, engagement and also ensuring the best quality product to retain consumers.”

Shotformats Digital Productions, managing director and CEO, Niyati Shah
says the ruling will hit the market
by close to 30-40 per cent

Suburban and rural India contributes to more than 65 per cent of Mobile VAS revenues. Industry professionals say that it is not surprising that more than 30 per cent of people are unable to correctly follow even the simple one step keyword instructions for Person to Application (P2A) based media services like polls and contests. Now that there‘s an additional gateway being introduced, it would take at least one to two quarters for the platforms to stabilise which would result in further dip in revenue.

SpiceDigital director & head of business development and alliances Shehzad Azad adds, “Not many have the knowledge or the skill about VAS services. Therefore, there are chances of people not sending second conformations within the given timeline.”

He states an example of the service SpiceDigital offers for railway enquiries and believes that there are many who don‘t know how to send SMSes. “Customers will face problems even if they need any information with this ruling coming into place,” he opines.

Talking about the future of the industry after the ruling Techzone managing director Naveen Bhandari says, “A large portion of the core VAS revenues are generated from subscription based services which already has an existing subscriber base.”

For example caller ring back tones (CRBT) which is a subscription based product contributes to approximately a fourth (varies from 20 per cent to 25 per cent depending on the operator) of the total core VAS revenue and is the largest contributor to the revenue.

“A product like that is typically composed of almost 70 per cent renewal revenue and 30 per cent new acquisition. Hence, in a window of two to three months, it‘s the new acquisition revenue that would get hit. But without proper steps the effect would be stable over the total kitty in four to six months period, considering average customer lifetime for VAS products is not more than three months.”

So what is it that will lower the impact of TRAI‘s new ruling and provide some succor to the industry? Most telecom providers say that there is a need to have mobile handsets which can support local languages so that it becomes easy to educate the consumer. And from the telecom operator‘s side, there is a need for a more focused marketing approach which will result in a better understanding of the customer‘s need and help create and supply the right content to the right target audience in a form that is easier to use and consume.

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Applications

Moltbook, the AI-only social network, sparks hype, doubt and fear

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Moltbook, a Reddit-style social platform built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has emerged as the latest obsession in Silicon Valley, drawing intense attention for its explosive growth and surreal bot-driven interactions.

The platform hosts more than 100 communities where AI agents post, argue and joke about topics ranging from governance theory to esoteric “crayfish debugging” concepts. Within days of launch, Moltbook recorded tens of thousands of posts, nearly 200,000 comments and more than 1 million human visitors observing the activity.

Yet the numbers and the autonomy are under scrutiny, as per media reports. A security researcher has suggested as many as 500,000 accounts may trace back to a single address, raising doubts about Moltbook’s membership claims. Many posts could also be the result of humans instructing their AI tools to publish content, rather than bots acting independently.

The platform runs on agentic AI, powered by an open-source tool called OpenClaw, formerly known as Moltbot. Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, these agents are designed to perform tasks on users’ devices, from sending messages to managing calendars, with minimal human input. Once authorised, they can interact freely on Moltbook.

Some tech figures have hailed the platform as a glimpse of a post-human internet. Head of crypto custody firm BitGo Bill Lees, called it evidence that “we’re in the singularity”.

Academics are less convinced. Petar Radanliev, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Oxford, said the idea of agents acting independently was “misleading”, describing Moltbook instead as automated coordination within human-set constraints. Columbia Business School assistant professor David Holtz, dismissed the spectacle as “thousands of bots yelling into the void and repeating themselves”.

Beyond hype, security worries loom large. ESET global cybersecurity advisor Jake Moore, warned that granting AI agents access to emails, private messages and files risks prioritising efficiency over privacy. Andrew Rogoyski of the University of Surrey said high-level system access could lead to serious damage, from erased data to compromised company accounts.

Even OpenClaw’s founder Peter Steinberger, has felt the darker side of attention, with scammers hijacking his old social media handles after the platform’s rebrand.

For now, Moltbook remains a strange digital zoo: part experiment, part spectacle, where AI agents banter about philosophy, productivity and, occasionally, their fondness for their human operators.

Applications

Apple appoints Avtar Ram Singh as head of international marketing

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Apple has handed a bigger global brief to a long-time insider. Avtar Ram Singh has taken over as head of international marketing for the App Store, Apple Arcade and the Apple Games app, deepening his remit across one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as head of international marketing, App Store, Apple Arcade and Games App at Apple,” Singh said while announcing the move.

The promotion crowns nearly seven years at Apple, where Singh has led services marketing across Southeast Asia and India and previously served as head of marketing for Southeast Asia content and services, business lead for Apple Podcasts in the region and interim marketing lead for the App Store internationally.

His new portfolio spans three pillars of Apple’s services push. The App Store, which Apple positions as a safe and trusted discovery platform, now attracts more than 850 million average weekly users globally. Since 2008, developers have earned over $550 billion on the platform.

Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming subscription service, offers unlimited access to a catalogue ranging from brain teasers to big-name franchises. The recent addition of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition brings a AAA PC title to iPhone, iPad and Mac from 5 February.

Then there is the Apple Games app, unveiled at WWDC as a unified destination for games from the App Store and Arcade. It aggregates titles in one place, surfaces personalised recommendations, tracks events and achievements, and lets users compete with friends or connect controllers for a console-like experience.

Singh arrives with a hybrid background in strategy, data and creativity. His career spans digital and social media marketing, business intelligence, content, editorial and analytics across culturally diverse markets. He has worked on brands including P&G, Accor, Audi, UBS, Nikon, Samsung, Sony, Pizza Hut, HBO and Singapore Airlines-linked businesses such as Scoot.

Before Apple, Singh led strategy at Falcon Agency, focusing on performance marketing and ROI-driven digital frameworks. He earlier ran the social practice at Publicis Singapore, where he oversaw operations, business development and regional social strategy for multinational clients. His career also includes roles at Ogilvy-linked Circus Social, Rocket Internet ventures Lazada and Zalora, and research firm IDC in Bangkok, where he analysed technology markets and won early awards for collaboration and client retention.

At Apple, he has been close to several service launches and expansions, including Apple Fitness+ in Singapore, Apple Creator Studio, global podcast subscriptions and new App Store marketing tools.

The timing is notable. Apple’s services business has posted record years, and gaming is becoming a sharper battleground as platforms chase engagement and recurring revenue. Singh’s brief sits at the intersection of content, community and commerce.

In a market where attention is scarce and loyalty scarcer, Apple is betting that sharper storytelling and smarter marketing can keep users inside its ecosystem. Singh now holds the megaphone. The real test will be how loudly the world listens.

Applications

Cloud nine in the capital Bharathcloud plugs Delhi into its AI plans

Published

2 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Bharathcloud is bringing its cloud closer to power. The Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider has opened its Delhi office, marking its formal entry into North India and setting the stage for its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as India’s digital transformation fuels rising demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure, driven by wider adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and data-heavy applications. With the new office, Bharathcloud plans to onboard more than 100 employees in 2026, strengthening its workforce to support customers across government, enterprises, MSMEs and social sectors.

The Delhi presence is expected to sharpen the company’s engagement with organisations seeking secure, scalable and cost-efficient cloud platforms that comply with India’s data sovereignty requirements. It also positions Bharathcloud closer to policy, public sector and enterprise decision-makers in the region.

Founded in Hyderabad, Bharathcloud offers AI-ready cloud infrastructure including Kubernetes-as-a-Service, zero-trust security architecture and multi-level data protection frameworks. Its platform supports AI and ML workloads, blockchain application migration from hyperscalers and distributed data management, with an emphasis on reliability, low latency and operational continuity.

“With the Delhi expansion, we are positioning Bharathcloud to engage more closely with AI-driven enterprises and technology hubs in North India,” said Bharathcloud co-founder Rahul Takallapally. He added that the move would help nurture local cloud and AI talent while accelerating the adoption of secure and resilient AI infrastructure across sectors.

The company currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, employing over 200 people and serving more than 1,500 clients across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, IT and media. Aligned with national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India, Bharathcloud continues to focus on building indigenous AI-cloud infrastructure to support data localisation and the country’s growing appetite for next-generation digital solutions.

With its Delhi office now live, the company is signalling a clear intent: to make sovereign, AI-ready cloud infrastructure not just an alternative, but a mainstream choice for India’s north as well as its tech capitals.