ITV

Tag: 4G

  • Airtel’s 4G girl is back in a new avatar at ICC World T-20 Cup

    Airtel’s 4G girl is back in a new avatar at ICC World T-20 Cup

    MUMBAI: The ubiquitous Airtel 4G girl is back in a new avatar starting today as she goes on a vacation with her friends. Airtel’s new campaign around its 4G services starring Sasha Chhetri goes on air today during the India-New Zealand match of the ICC World T-20 Cup.

    Airtel has led the proliferation of 4G services in India and has the widest 4G footprint in the industry with services available in over 350 cities and towns across the country. The new campaign, which has been conceived by Taproot Advertising, is positioned on Airtel being the widest 4G network in the country with unmatched coverage.

    The campaign will have a total of 5 films, each one different from the other in terms of the visual beauty of the location. It will have support legs in outdoor, print and digital mediums which will play a big role in delivering the message to the online audience, in particular the youth.

    Since August 2015, when Airtel’s disruptive 4G ‘Challenge’ went on air, Sasha Chhetri has become the synonymous with 4G in India and has established herself as the confident go-getter who can deliver the brand’s message with panache.  

    On the new campaign, Bharti Airtel (India & SA) CBO Rajiv Mathrani says, “Airtel’s 4G campaigns have redefined communication around high speed mobile data services and the brand has powerfully surged ahead. With the expansion of Airtel’s 4G network across India, the campaign showcases the network in some of the most picturesque locations and is delivered in a casual yet persuasive tonality. We will see Sasha in a refreshingly new avatar as she continues to build a strong youth connect for Brand Airtel”

    Taproot-Dentsu’s Agnello Dias says, “The Airtel 4G girl has built a powerful 4G association with Airtel. For this campaign, we have taken a different spin on her character while driving home a strong network message”

    India is witnessing explosive growth in the mobile data category. As the 4G device ecosystem matures, and 4G enabled handsets are available at affordable price points, high speed data services are expected to see considerable uptake across India.

  • Airtel’s 4G girl is back in a new avatar at ICC World T-20 Cup

    Airtel’s 4G girl is back in a new avatar at ICC World T-20 Cup

    MUMBAI: The ubiquitous Airtel 4G girl is back in a new avatar starting today as she goes on a vacation with her friends. Airtel’s new campaign around its 4G services starring Sasha Chhetri goes on air today during the India-New Zealand match of the ICC World T-20 Cup.

    Airtel has led the proliferation of 4G services in India and has the widest 4G footprint in the industry with services available in over 350 cities and towns across the country. The new campaign, which has been conceived by Taproot Advertising, is positioned on Airtel being the widest 4G network in the country with unmatched coverage.

    The campaign will have a total of 5 films, each one different from the other in terms of the visual beauty of the location. It will have support legs in outdoor, print and digital mediums which will play a big role in delivering the message to the online audience, in particular the youth.

    Since August 2015, when Airtel’s disruptive 4G ‘Challenge’ went on air, Sasha Chhetri has become the synonymous with 4G in India and has established herself as the confident go-getter who can deliver the brand’s message with panache.  

    On the new campaign, Bharti Airtel (India & SA) CBO Rajiv Mathrani says, “Airtel’s 4G campaigns have redefined communication around high speed mobile data services and the brand has powerfully surged ahead. With the expansion of Airtel’s 4G network across India, the campaign showcases the network in some of the most picturesque locations and is delivered in a casual yet persuasive tonality. We will see Sasha in a refreshingly new avatar as she continues to build a strong youth connect for Brand Airtel”

    Taproot-Dentsu’s Agnello Dias says, “The Airtel 4G girl has built a powerful 4G association with Airtel. For this campaign, we have taken a different spin on her character while driving home a strong network message”

    India is witnessing explosive growth in the mobile data category. As the 4G device ecosystem matures, and 4G enabled handsets are available at affordable price points, high speed data services are expected to see considerable uptake across India.

  • Wipro & Verveba join hands to improve mobile radio network

    Wipro & Verveba join hands to improve mobile radio network

    NEW DELHI: Global IT service provider Wipro has entered into a partnership with telecom network engineering company Verveba Telecom to improve mobile radio network among other fields.

    The partnership brings together Wipro’s expertise in telecom sector and Verveba’s Mobile Radio Network Optimisation technology with services, intellectual property and solutions of both organisations.

    The companies will offer solutions to address industry challenges in generating measurable economic value from fast growing, mobile network technology deployments and optimisation especially in 4G and single RAN technologies.

    It will also provide the opportunity to combine the skills and talents of two great network services organisations. Verveba and Wipro will work together on business development activities and expanding solutions to the Telecom Service Providers globally.

    “Verveba’s solution augments our Telecom Network Services portfolio for the communications industry by delivering better business outcomes through cost reduction, improvement in turnaround time & process simplification, across the multi technology Radio Network Optimisation field. This aligns well with Wipro’s goal of offering comprehensive, cutting-edge customer experience solutions to our clients,” said Wipro senior vice president & global business head – communications business unit Anil Kumar. 

    “We are pleased and excited about this partnership with Wipro. This partnership increases the reach of Verveba’s services and solutions. Wipro’s reach in global markets complements Verveba’s capabilities to deliver incremental business value to the Communication Service Providers,” added Verveba CEO Manik Arora.

  • Wipro & Verveba join hands to improve mobile radio network

    Wipro & Verveba join hands to improve mobile radio network

    NEW DELHI: Global IT service provider Wipro has entered into a partnership with telecom network engineering company Verveba Telecom to improve mobile radio network among other fields.

    The partnership brings together Wipro’s expertise in telecom sector and Verveba’s Mobile Radio Network Optimisation technology with services, intellectual property and solutions of both organisations.

    The companies will offer solutions to address industry challenges in generating measurable economic value from fast growing, mobile network technology deployments and optimisation especially in 4G and single RAN technologies.

    It will also provide the opportunity to combine the skills and talents of two great network services organisations. Verveba and Wipro will work together on business development activities and expanding solutions to the Telecom Service Providers globally.

    “Verveba’s solution augments our Telecom Network Services portfolio for the communications industry by delivering better business outcomes through cost reduction, improvement in turnaround time & process simplification, across the multi technology Radio Network Optimisation field. This aligns well with Wipro’s goal of offering comprehensive, cutting-edge customer experience solutions to our clients,” said Wipro senior vice president & global business head – communications business unit Anil Kumar. 

    “We are pleased and excited about this partnership with Wipro. This partnership increases the reach of Verveba’s services and solutions. Wipro’s reach in global markets complements Verveba’s capabilities to deliver incremental business value to the Communication Service Providers,” added Verveba CEO Manik Arora.

  • Reliance Jio to raise Rs 15,000 crore via rights issue

    Reliance Jio to raise Rs 15,000 crore via rights issue

    MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani’s telecom company Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd is planning to raise a sum of Rs 15,000 crore via a rights issue. The company’s board has approved the plan for the same.

    According to the information given in a regulatory filing, the company will issue 15 billion equity shares of Rs 10 each totalling up to a whopping amount of Rs 15,000 crore to its existing shareholders.

    As of yet, the company has not given any further clarification for raising such a large amount.

    As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Reliance Jio also inked a spectrum sharing and trading agreement with Reliance Communications to strengthen its indoor coverage and voice services.

    Further, the company also plans to offer 4G services at a monthly charge of Rs 300 – 500 and will also provide 4G mobile phones at a low price of Rs 4000 per unit.

     

  • ErosNow ties up with Idea to provide Bollywood content on 4G

    ErosNow ties up with Idea to provide Bollywood content on 4G

    NEW DELHI: Eros International’s OTT (over-the-top) platform ErosNow has entered into a content deal with telecom company Idea Cellular to provide a platform for its 4G users.

     

    The partnership offers Idea 4G subscribers access to ErosNow’s premium bundled services including movies, music, TV content and ErosNow originals.

     

    Eros Digital CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said, “With the growing penetration of data services across India, content consumption is surging across consumers. ErosNow’s association with a leading telecom player like Idea provides us the ideal platform to reach a larger subscriber base and offer a very compelling array of Bollywood and regional content. This strategic association with Idea is the beginning of a long term relationship we intend to build in the future.”

     

    Idea Cellular CMO Sashi Shankar added, “With Idea’s foray into 4G services, we are strengthening our 4G portfolio and digital presence through an assortment of digital content in partnership with leading content aggregators, handset manufacturers, and e-commerce retailers. ‘Movies and Videos’ is the highest consumed service category by data consumers on the Idea network, and I’m confident that our association with ErosNow will provide an enriching experience to our 4G customers.”

     

    Idea had recently announced the launch of 4G services across five southern states of India, and plans to expand to 750 towns in 10 service areas by June 2016.

     

    The association with ErosNow will enable Idea 4G customers in these markets to enjoy the content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49. Idea is also offering a special subscription price of Rs 29 per month for its new 4G customers till 31 March, 2016.

  • Reliance Jio touches 70 mbps download speed during trials

    Reliance Jio touches 70 mbps download speed during trials

    NEW DELHI: The download speed on Reliance Jio’s 4G network during its beta-test phase peaked at 70 megabit per second but remained in 15-30 mbps range on most occasions, as per field trial report by brokerage firm Credit Suisse.

     

    “We experienced peak download speed of 70 mbps during our trials, and on most occasions in the 15-30 Mbps range, even on the move,” said the report by Credit Suisse Research Analysts Sunil Tirumalai and Chunky Shah.

     

    At 70 mbps download speed, a Bollywood movie size video can be downloaded in about half a minute while at 15-30 mbps, the same can be downloaded in about three minutes.

     

    The report compared the commercially launched 4G service of telecom major Airtel and beta network of Reliance Jio and found “Airtel 4G giving 10-20 mbps, often slower than Jio, and 3G network speeds of sub 2 mbps (peak 7 mbps).”

     

    Analysts found urban coverage of RJio network at par with incumbents but remarked rural coverage as “poor.”

     

    During trials analysts experienced call drop-free RJio network in Mumbai but lost signal three – four times when they entered on village roads.

     

    Analysts said that they experienced seamless phone call experience between Reliance Jio and network of other telecom operators.

     

    “Overall, our take away is that the Reliance Jio network is turning out to be as strong a threat to incumbents as we had feared. Next focus would be on pricing and marketing execution,” the report said.

     

    The conglomerate is planning to do a soft launch of the 4G services on Dhirubhai Ambani’s birth anniversary this year, which falls on 28 December.

     

    Credit Suisse analysts said that the speeds will fall once a commercial launch happens and more users get on to the network but globally 4G has delivered better speed than 3G services.

     

    The company has matched up with incumbents on coverage in urban area but there is not much rural focus.

     

    “Until the rural network is fixed, RJio could enter into roaming agreements with other operators. We suspect Jio would use sub-1GHz spectrum for rural coverage,” the report said.

     

    Commenting on handset availability for Reliance Jio’s 4G service, the report said that ZTE is making Reliance Jio’s LYF branded 4G handset and some handsets of Samsung, LG, Lenovo and ZTE also supported VoLTE calls.

     

  • Gamification, localization and monetisation way forward for #fame

    Gamification, localization and monetisation way forward for #fame

    MUMBAI:  Fame Digital Private Limited (FDPF) is fundamentally focusing on three objectives for its online entertainment app, #fame – gamification, localisation and monetisation.

     

    When it comes to gamification, #fame talent league (FTL) is the first step in that direction. FTL is a path breaking initiative that will encourage and enable content creators to test their popularity with audiences in real time. FTL will start on December 5, 2015. As may be recalled, #fame launched the country’s live video app in May this year and in a short span of time this has emerged as the largest live video platform. 

     

    Localisation -#fame is also planning to launch more of regional and local versions on the app to differentiate the sections over the next couple of quarters. The company is also looking at launching south Indian version of the app, as well as planning to launch in Indonesia and Thailand

     

    Speaking with Indiantelevision.com about the three fundamental plans, #fame CEO Saket Saurabh said, “There are three plans for #fame, one is that we have launched #fame talent league, also over the next couple of quarters we are planning to launch more of a regional and local versions to differentiate the sections of our app. Apart from this, we will be looking for monetisation also. Therefore gamification, localization and monetisation are the core components in building the name of #fame.”

     

    Commenting monetisation potential of video, Saurabh said, “Within digital, video is the fastest growing section. We believe that access with 4G is coming and the hardware is becoming cheaper; video is becoming the new language of the consumer internet. Revenue will follow consumption. In two years we have brought on board 20 to 25 top brands in India across categories like FMCG, automobile, durables and telecom. We are planning to bring more traction now. In the next six months, we are planning to reach out to 60 to 65 brands. Therefore, we feel that video has tremendous monetisation potential and great monetisation flexibility. Video monetisation is moving beyond pure play inventory.”

     

    Saurabh added, “We had launched the first live video app in the country in May. We have seen more than 30,000 people going live using our ap. That gave us the confidence that there is clearly an opportunity to discover the digital talent and that is why we started building a tech feature in our app, which in a sense is an innovation, because it has the kind of real time global audience looking at the live app.”

     

    Since May, #fame has seen 20 lakh downloads, with more than 30,000 performers going live and over 30,000 watch hours of content. 

     

    Earlier, #fame had launched its first digital singing competition Web Singer with Pritam in November, 2014. “The experience with Web Singer has been great. This is why we call ourselves as #fame, because there is an opportunity for a talent to really emerge and connect directly with the audiences. All our initiatives are designed to allow talent to come forward whether it’s our live video app or the launch of #fame talent league which is on the top of the app,” he added.

     

    India has 35 crore internet users and in couple of years India will have half of its people using internet and we are already a one of the largest market in the world. 

     

    India’s inherent advantage is that it is already a mobile ready country.  “There are three fundamental trends that are making it big; one is that hardware access is getting cheaper as you get mobile phones now in Rs 6000-7000 price range, which makes video access easier. Another factor is the Indian population and the demographics which play an important role as we have a whole generation of youngsters who have grown up not with television as their first screen, but with mobile phones. The third factor is that digital will be seen as the support medium by content creators and networks over time. The rise of OTT in couple of years is a great reflection that brands have realized that digital requires original content.  In the next couple of years we will see a tremendous growth in digital medium,” Saurabh predicted.

     

    #fame is spending about 30 to 40 per cent of its investments in user acquisition and user engagement. Speaking about the competition Saurabh informed, “I think there is space for everybody, in the case of live video, we are the pioneers in India and we are trying to build that category. In digital, there are all kinds of players. We have OTT, content creators, YouTube and Facebook, hence it’s a fairly a vibrant place. Also, live video space and digital space are all in their early stages. I don’t see competition is really an issue right now.  Here we need to have more innovations.”

     

    4G is creating a lot of buzz in the country. Saurabh said, “I think 4G will take another 6-8 months as it is not in the mainstream in India and is only available in some major cities.  The entry of more players and alliances will make an impact and there will be more, in combination with cheaper hardware manufacture. There will be a lot of cooperative marketing which will help mainstream 4G.”

  • Viacom18 christens VOD platform as VOOT

    Viacom18 christens VOD platform as VOOT

    MUMBAI: The digital space in India is going through a revolution of sorts. Broadcasters as well as content companies are firming up their plans to provide content to consumers on the go. The latest to join the bandwagon is Viacom18 Digital Ventures, which has christened its new digital video-on-demand (VOD) platform as VOOT, going by the popular expression used by today’s digital generation to express happiness, enthusiasm and triumph.

     

    Besides being the singular and exclusive destination for Viacom 18 network’s content portfolio, VOOT will also have an aggressive original programming strategy.

     

    The brand identity for VOOT, which is expected to go live in the coming months, has been created by Brand Gym and Elephant Design.

     

    Over the past few months, Viacom18 Digital Ventures has been working with a set of strategic partners on the brand design and logo with the aim of keeping it distinctive, differentiated and in-sync with the brand mission to create a fun filled world of entertainment.

     

    In July, Viacom18 appointed IndiaCast Media Distribution group COO Gaurav Gandhi as the chief operating officer of Viacom18 Digital Ventures. The company also recently mandated Monika Shergill to drive content and programming strategy as content head for the digital business.

     

    Viacom 18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “As one of the fastest growing media companies in the country, for us at Viacom18, digital content creation, delivery and access are essential focus areas for driving growth. With VOOT, we set out to leverage an already digitally engaged audience with our content offerings. VOOT will not only be the singular and exclusive destination for Viacom18’s content portfolio, but will have an equally strong focus on original programming created especially for the platform. The brand mission of VOOT is to create a whole new world of entertainment, filled with happy discoveries and addictive content.”

     

    Gandhi added, “The idea of creating this new brand VOOT comes from our desire to create a new, alternate and differentiated world of entertainment for audiences in the digital space. The core essence of the brand is ‘infectious fun’ and ‘happiness’, and this is something that not only flows through in our bright and colourful logo, but will also resonate in our content philosophy. Just like the expression VOOT, the entire philosophy and experience of the service promises to be joyous and celebratory in nature. The digital video market, both in terms of audiences and revenues, is set to explode over the coming years. VOOT will not only target to gain a sizeable share of this market over the years, but also lead the way and set new trends in original content creation in this space.”

     

    Working with technology, content and branding partners in India and across the globe, VOOT will deliver high quality content to consumers on a wide variety of connected devices over Wi-Fi, 4G, 3G and 2G networks.

  • Q2-2016: Reliance Jio to ramp beta program; organized retail on growth path

    Q2-2016: Reliance Jio to ramp beta program; organized retail on growth path

    BENGALURU: The Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) organised retail segment – Reliance Retail, continued its growth momentum and profitability in the quarter ended 30 September, 2105 (Q2-2016, current quarter).

     

    RIL chairman and managing director Ambani said, “Reliance Retail achieved a milestone of Rs 5,000 crore quarterly turnover mark for the first time, reflecting continuing growth momentum in physical retailing. In Digital Services, we have substantially completed the network roll-out across the country and initiated the process of beta testing of our network and platforms.”

     

    “We achieved record levels of EBITDA and profits for the quarter, underscoring our ability to optimally utilise our assets across the value chain to leverage favourable market conditions. Refining business performance was notable, as it benefited from a combination of high utilisation levels, advantageous crude market opportunities and strong global fuels demand. Petrochemicals segment performance reflects strong volume growth, product mix improvement and lower energy costs,” he said.

     

    “We maintained a rapid pace of construction activity during the quarter. The company’s world-scale petroleum coke gasification facility and ethylene cracker complex remains on track for its planned 2016 start-up,” added Ambani.

     

    Revenues for Q2-2016 grew by 22 per cent Yo-Y to Rs 5,091 crore from Rs 4,167 crore and 8.4 per cent QoQ from Rs 4698 crore. RIL says that all format sectors grew through store additions as well as like for like growth ranging up to 16 per cent. The business delivered PBDIT growth of 12.9 per cent at Rs 210 crore in Q2-2016 as against Rs 186 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, and PBIT growth of 3.4 per cent from Rs 203 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    Further, Reliance Retail expanded its reach with a net addition of 110 stores during the quarter. As on 30 September, 2015, Reliance Retail operated 2,857 stores across over 250 cities in India.

     

    The company says that Reliance Retail 2.0 initiatives encompassing fashion and lifestyle e-commerce, development of market place platform and building distribution ecosystem for Reliance Jio devices are on track and gearing up for rollout in a staged manner.

     

    Reliance Retail would soon launch its own brand of 4G LTE smartphones under the brand LYF. The brand built on the premise of unmatched user experience will offer high performance handsets that deliver a true 4G experience comparable to the best in the world. LYF range of smartphones with features like Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-FI), HD Voice and HD quality video calling will enable users to experience a new digital life.

     

    LYF phones will reach consumers across the country through one of the widest distribution and retail network for smartphones. The devices will soon be available at multi-brand outlets (MBOs) and modern trade including Reliance Retail stores across India.

     

    RIL numbers

     

    For Q2-2016, RIL achieved a turnover of Rs 75,117 crore, a decrease of 33.8 per cent, as compared to Rs 113,396 crore in Q2-2015 and 9.6 per cent lower than the Rs 83064 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    However, RIL’s net profit after tax (PAT) increased 12.5 per cent in Q2-2016 to Rs 6720 crore as compared to the Rs 5972 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 8 per cent as compared to the Rs 6222 crore in the previous quarter.

     

    Sale of Network18 shares

     

    In July 2015, RIL sold 3.25 crore shares of Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (representing 3.10 per cent of the equity capital of NW18) to bring down the aggregate shareholding of the promoter and promoter group to 75 per cent and increase the public shareholding to 25 per cent as mandated by Clause 40A of the listing agreement pursuant to Securities Contract (Regulation) Rules, 1957.

     

    Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited

     

    Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), a subsidiary of RIL, has substantially completed its network roll-out across the country. The network is currently being tested and optimised. Most of the business platforms have been rolled out and are being tested in a limited use environment. Large number of testers have been employed by the company across the country to facilitate extensive testing of network and business platforms.

     

    The company expects to ramp up its beta program over the next few weeks to further optimise the network, prior to commercial launch of operations. Financial year 2016-17 is projected to be the first year of commercial operations for RJIL.

     

    RJIL has launched Wi-Fi hot spots across several locations in the country and has entered into agreements with some of the State and Local Authorities to provide Wi-Fi services. RJIL has also started rolling out last-mile connectivity for its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) business.