Tag: India

  • India to have a billion unique mobile subscribers by ’20; Delhi talent favourite

    India to have a billion unique mobile subscribers by ’20; Delhi talent favourite

    MUMBAI: The contribution of mobile industry to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) amounts to approximately US$140 billion (Rs 9,60,783 crore), the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Department of Telecom recently reported. India’s current GDP employs over four million people. At present, at 6.5 per cent, the government of India has stated that the mobile industry’s contribution is likely to rise to 8.2 per cent by 2020.

    According to the report, India is expected to cross the one billion unique mobile phone subscribers mark by 2020. India will also see an increase in adoption of 4G services with number of 4G connections estimated to grow to 280 million by 2020 from just three million in 2015. Further, the report claimed that the mobile industry is expected to add 800,000 more jobs.

    A survey by human resource (HR) solutions company PeopleStrong suggested that Delhi has emerged as the most preferred region for hiring in telecom and allied sectors. Hiring intent in this sector is expected to increase from 16% in 2016 to 20% in 2017.

    In 2011-12, telecom sector contributed about 2.1 per cent of GDP with revenue of Rs 1,85,930 crore while, due to the increase in revenue next year to Rs 2,07,498 crore, the net contribution came down to 2.07 per cent. The revenue generated by the telecom sector in 2014-15 was Rs 2,42,900 crore, making it a contribution of 1.94 per cent to GDP.

    Vodafone tops the list of investments with Rs 10,299 crore ($1,500.79 million) followed by Videocon International Electronics with Rs 4924 crore ($719.76 million). At third position stands Telenor at $573.15 million followed by Sistema Shyam Teleservices $451.83 million, Bharti Infratel $240.37 million, and Idea Cellular $123.22 million.

    PeopleStrong CEO Pankaj Bansal said Delhi’s emergence for hiring could be attributed to the availability of the engineering and general graduate talent pool in this area or to the fact that many telecom and allied industries are headquartered in Delhi NCR.

  • India suitably poised for data, analytics interplay, says GE chairman

    India suitably poised for data, analytics interplay, says GE chairman

    MUMBAI: ET NOW, a leading business news channel, organised the 3rd India Economic Conclave themed, ‘The Big Leap’ in partnership with Bennett University and Boehringer Ingelheim, in New Delhi on Friday. The event will be made into a series of episodes that will air on ET NOW.

    The eventful evening saw top minds debating and conversing about topics like, ‘The Quick Fix’ – where India’s top bureaucrats deliberated on the top 10 quick fixes for the economy; ‘Putting India First – The 10 Point Agenda’ – a power packed panel comprising of India’s policymakers and corporate India; ‘The Plenary Sesion – The Big Leap’ – A fireside chat between Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO, GE and Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group.

    Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand said, “The historic changes in the global and national socio-economic environment demanded some really deep discussion and our speakers were probably the best, being key decision makers themselves.”

    Finance minister Arun Jaitley said, “When a currency replacement takes place, inconvenience is bound to happen at the start. And every honest man felt he had no reason to worry because of demonetisation. India is becoming aspirational day by day. For job creation, we will have to create a blend of manufacturing sector with the informal sector. We are making India a global manufacturing hub. Recently we made GST look small and that are the kind of reforms India is going towards.”

    MoS power, coal and renewable energy Piyush Goel said, “We have to create an ecosystem where people are happy to make new investments. Demonetidation is providing equal opportunity to all people.”

    MoS (independent charge), ministry of commerce & industry Nirmala Sitharaman said, “We are talking about creating space in logistics, and government is investing in developing skilled employment.”

    GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, “From a business point of view, the future lies in the interplay of data and analytics, and India is suitably poised to ride that wave in the next five to 10 years.”

    Other eminent speakers included Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, Infosys chairman R Seshasayee, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, power secretary P K Pujari, Coal secretary Anil Swarup, DIPP secretary Ramesh Abhishek, and Department of Economic Affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das.

  • India suitably poised for data, analytics interplay, says GE chairman

    India suitably poised for data, analytics interplay, says GE chairman

    MUMBAI: ET NOW, a leading business news channel, organised the 3rd India Economic Conclave themed, ‘The Big Leap’ in partnership with Bennett University and Boehringer Ingelheim, in New Delhi on Friday. The event will be made into a series of episodes that will air on ET NOW.

    The eventful evening saw top minds debating and conversing about topics like, ‘The Quick Fix’ – where India’s top bureaucrats deliberated on the top 10 quick fixes for the economy; ‘Putting India First – The 10 Point Agenda’ – a power packed panel comprising of India’s policymakers and corporate India; ‘The Plenary Sesion – The Big Leap’ – A fireside chat between Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO, GE and Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group.

    Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand said, “The historic changes in the global and national socio-economic environment demanded some really deep discussion and our speakers were probably the best, being key decision makers themselves.”

    Finance minister Arun Jaitley said, “When a currency replacement takes place, inconvenience is bound to happen at the start. And every honest man felt he had no reason to worry because of demonetisation. India is becoming aspirational day by day. For job creation, we will have to create a blend of manufacturing sector with the informal sector. We are making India a global manufacturing hub. Recently we made GST look small and that are the kind of reforms India is going towards.”

    MoS power, coal and renewable energy Piyush Goel said, “We have to create an ecosystem where people are happy to make new investments. Demonetidation is providing equal opportunity to all people.”

    MoS (independent charge), ministry of commerce & industry Nirmala Sitharaman said, “We are talking about creating space in logistics, and government is investing in developing skilled employment.”

    GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, “From a business point of view, the future lies in the interplay of data and analytics, and India is suitably poised to ride that wave in the next five to 10 years.”

    Other eminent speakers included Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, Infosys chairman R Seshasayee, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, power secretary P K Pujari, Coal secretary Anil Swarup, DIPP secretary Ramesh Abhishek, and Department of Economic Affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das.

  • India poised to emerge as lucrative market for UHD STBs

    India poised to emerge as lucrative market for UHD STBs

    MUMBAI: The growing inclination of people towards ultra-high definition video viewing can be attributed as a major reason for the 4K Set-Top Box’s (STB) market growth. According to a report by Grand View research, the global 4K STB market size is projected to reach US$7.18 billion by 2024.

    The demand for media-rich home entertainment services among consumers is increasing and is anticipated to fuel market growth. Improved standard of living owing to increased purchasing power is positively impacting the industry growth. The growth is further fostered by favorable government initiatives, large-scale digitization programs, and mandatory installation of set top boxes.

    Valued at at over US$ 50 million in 2015, the is projected to witness high growth over the next eight years, especially in countries such as Korea, Taiwan, and China.

    India is poised to emerge as a lucrative market for UHD STBs with the country expected to witness a CAGR substantially higher than the regional average. DTH operators like Tata Sky, Videocon, Airtel, etc have launched UHD STBs and are attempting to achieve a higher rural penetration with affordable regional packages.

    The increasing penetration of 3D and 4K TVs and escalating demand for large screen displays are fueling the demand for Ultra High-Definition (UHD) STBs. Smart features such as STB operability through voice commands given by Remote Control Unit (RCU) is garnering high potential.

    Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) 4K STBs accounted for over 20 per cent of the market share in 2015 and are expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period. Increasing broadband penetration can be attributed as the major reason for the rise in the market share of IPTV 4K Set-top Box devices. The IPTV set top box product segment is projected to gain traction owing to benefits such as integration of TV, PC, home phone, and wireless devices offering a high quality of viewing experience to the end-users.

    Key industry participants include ZTE Corporation, SAGEMCOM, Arion Technology, Roku Inc., and Infomir LLC. Manufacturers are emphasizing on UHD STBs incorporated with interactive 4K content to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

    Technology giants such as Apple Inc. have managed to make their mark in this competitive industry. The Apple TV device aids the streaming of OTT content and other videos over the internet. The launch of advanced OTT devices such as Google Inc.’s Chromecast media streaming device and Amazon’s Fire TV STBs have opened up new avenues in the industry.

  • India poised to emerge as lucrative market for UHD STBs

    India poised to emerge as lucrative market for UHD STBs

    MUMBAI: The growing inclination of people towards ultra-high definition video viewing can be attributed as a major reason for the 4K Set-Top Box’s (STB) market growth. According to a report by Grand View research, the global 4K STB market size is projected to reach US$7.18 billion by 2024.

    The demand for media-rich home entertainment services among consumers is increasing and is anticipated to fuel market growth. Improved standard of living owing to increased purchasing power is positively impacting the industry growth. The growth is further fostered by favorable government initiatives, large-scale digitization programs, and mandatory installation of set top boxes.

    Valued at at over US$ 50 million in 2015, the is projected to witness high growth over the next eight years, especially in countries such as Korea, Taiwan, and China.

    India is poised to emerge as a lucrative market for UHD STBs with the country expected to witness a CAGR substantially higher than the regional average. DTH operators like Tata Sky, Videocon, Airtel, etc have launched UHD STBs and are attempting to achieve a higher rural penetration with affordable regional packages.

    The increasing penetration of 3D and 4K TVs and escalating demand for large screen displays are fueling the demand for Ultra High-Definition (UHD) STBs. Smart features such as STB operability through voice commands given by Remote Control Unit (RCU) is garnering high potential.

    Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) 4K STBs accounted for over 20 per cent of the market share in 2015 and are expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period. Increasing broadband penetration can be attributed as the major reason for the rise in the market share of IPTV 4K Set-top Box devices. The IPTV set top box product segment is projected to gain traction owing to benefits such as integration of TV, PC, home phone, and wireless devices offering a high quality of viewing experience to the end-users.

    Key industry participants include ZTE Corporation, SAGEMCOM, Arion Technology, Roku Inc., and Infomir LLC. Manufacturers are emphasizing on UHD STBs incorporated with interactive 4K content to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

    Technology giants such as Apple Inc. have managed to make their mark in this competitive industry. The Apple TV device aids the streaming of OTT content and other videos over the internet. The launch of advanced OTT devices such as Google Inc.’s Chromecast media streaming device and Amazon’s Fire TV STBs have opened up new avenues in the industry.

  • Digital India: IITians to coach students via free DTH

    Digital India: IITians to coach students via free DTH

    MUMBAI: It is not just for entertainment. It’s for education too. Professors from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will be giving coaching classes to engineering aspirants through four DTH channels from January 1, taking the concept of Digital India to another level and reducing the dependency on coaching institutes.

    These channels will be available free of cost through Doordarshan’s FreeDish DTH platform, and the aspirants will only have to secure a Set-Top Box to watch these channels, PTI has reported.

    IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning) initiative will reduce dependence on coaching centres and also reach out to the students who are living in rural areas and cannot afford to pay the fee for expensive crash courses.

    IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said that a team of 40 professors from various IITs had compiled 200-hour lectures for each subject covering the entire syllabus of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). There were several coaching institutes claiming to be providing easy tricks to crack the exam and not every aspirant could afford to join them, he added.

    He added that the faculty members would be joined by teachers from various Kendriya Vidyalyas in imparting these lessons to the aspirants and the focus will be more on concepts.

  • Digital India: IITians to coach students via free DTH

    Digital India: IITians to coach students via free DTH

    MUMBAI: It is not just for entertainment. It’s for education too. Professors from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will be giving coaching classes to engineering aspirants through four DTH channels from January 1, taking the concept of Digital India to another level and reducing the dependency on coaching institutes.

    These channels will be available free of cost through Doordarshan’s FreeDish DTH platform, and the aspirants will only have to secure a Set-Top Box to watch these channels, PTI has reported.

    IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning) initiative will reduce dependence on coaching centres and also reach out to the students who are living in rural areas and cannot afford to pay the fee for expensive crash courses.

    IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said that a team of 40 professors from various IITs had compiled 200-hour lectures for each subject covering the entire syllabus of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). There were several coaching institutes claiming to be providing easy tricks to crack the exam and not every aspirant could afford to join them, he added.

    He added that the faculty members would be joined by teachers from various Kendriya Vidyalyas in imparting these lessons to the aspirants and the focus will be more on concepts.

  • Leo Burnett India shines at WARC Prize 2016

    Leo Burnett India shines at WARC Prize 2016

    MUMBAI: The Leo Burnett Group has shone at 2016 edition of the WARC Prize for Asian Strategy. Leo Burnett India and Orchard Advertising (a Leo Burnett agency) pick up an award each. The WARC awards uphold and celebrate breakthrough strategic thinking that drives businesses, in Asia, and have awarded a total of 17 cases this year.

    Orchard Advertising (a part of the Leo Burnett Group) brought home a well-deserved Silver for its campaign for Amazon ‘Show Me More’ (Aur Dikhao). Additionally, Leo Burnett brought in a Bronze for its revolutionary campaign for the Bajaj V’s ‘The Nation’s Bike’ campaign.

    Leo Burnett south Asia chief strategy officer Dheeraj Sinha said, “Our work for Amazon has emanated from truly Indian insight of seeking more choices whether it’s the process of selecting a groom through arranged marriage or buying consumer products. The campaign has helped Amazon, a global brand, build local familiarity and connect.

    The work on Bajaj V stands out because the marketing idea is embedded in the product. The bike is a symbol of pride for the youth of the country, especially in a context when so much is under question in the country. And it’s not just an ad campaign, it’s a real product. That’s what makes it stand out.”

    Leo Burnett south Asia chief creative officer Raj Deepak Das expressed his elation thus, “Both the award-winning campaigns are stellar examples of work that upholds our Humankind philosophy. That Amazon and Bajaj make for wonderful, supportive clients is a very vital plus and speaks of the great client-agency relationship we share.”

  • Leo Burnett India shines at WARC Prize 2016

    Leo Burnett India shines at WARC Prize 2016

    MUMBAI: The Leo Burnett Group has shone at 2016 edition of the WARC Prize for Asian Strategy. Leo Burnett India and Orchard Advertising (a Leo Burnett agency) pick up an award each. The WARC awards uphold and celebrate breakthrough strategic thinking that drives businesses, in Asia, and have awarded a total of 17 cases this year.

    Orchard Advertising (a part of the Leo Burnett Group) brought home a well-deserved Silver for its campaign for Amazon ‘Show Me More’ (Aur Dikhao). Additionally, Leo Burnett brought in a Bronze for its revolutionary campaign for the Bajaj V’s ‘The Nation’s Bike’ campaign.

    Leo Burnett south Asia chief strategy officer Dheeraj Sinha said, “Our work for Amazon has emanated from truly Indian insight of seeking more choices whether it’s the process of selecting a groom through arranged marriage or buying consumer products. The campaign has helped Amazon, a global brand, build local familiarity and connect.

    The work on Bajaj V stands out because the marketing idea is embedded in the product. The bike is a symbol of pride for the youth of the country, especially in a context when so much is under question in the country. And it’s not just an ad campaign, it’s a real product. That’s what makes it stand out.”

    Leo Burnett south Asia chief creative officer Raj Deepak Das expressed his elation thus, “Both the award-winning campaigns are stellar examples of work that upholds our Humankind philosophy. That Amazon and Bajaj make for wonderful, supportive clients is a very vital plus and speaks of the great client-agency relationship we share.”

  • Netflix ties up with PTCL as Amazon woos India

    Netflix ties up with PTCL as Amazon woos India

    MUMBAI: As the world’s leading video-streaming network Netflix and e-commerce giant Amazon take different routes to reach out to the Indian audience while they expand globally, the former is partnering with a top-ranking company in India’s neighbourhood Pakistan, thus strengthening its hold in the sub-continent.

    While Amazon is relying on going local with its video streaming service, Netflix is depending on its global programming.Amazon meantime has commissioned “Baahubali: The Lost Legends,” a new animated series in India based on a local blockbuster movie.

    Pakistani telco PTCL has signed a partnership agreement with Netflix. The two companies will use their respective resources for a symbiotic relationship, maximising the viewing experience and penetration of Netflix services in the Islamic state. This pact will serve as the way forward for both Netflix and PTCL to provide digital content. PTCL will promote and aid original Netflix content in Pakistan.

    Amazon Studios chief Roy Price frequents India scouting for locally appealing programming for Amazon’s forthcoming video service.

    Though Netflix made its India debut around 10 months ago, it makes content-buying decisions out of Los Angeles, even for regional shows, to ensure they have global appeal. For example, the deal with Indian producer Phantom Films for its new Indian original series, based on the internationally acclaimed Mumbai crime novel “Sacred Games.”

    In Pakistan however PTCL became the only service provider with advanced caching servers and technical pairing with Netflix to offer the superior viewing experience since Netflix’s global launch in January 2016. The Netflix Pakistan website says users can start using services starting $7.99 a month, with a free month offer.

    Netflix made the announcement during a keynote by Co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings: “Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network.” Members with a streaming-only plan will be able to watch instantly through the Netflix service. The movies and TV shows that are available to stream may vary by location, and will change from time to time.

    India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia were among the major countries where the service was launched, Hastings said at a Consumer Electronics Show keynote in Las Vegas.

    The company recently said it was exploring options for providing its services in China. The company said in July that plans to enter China in 2016 could be delayed. However, Netflix added simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it already supports.

    PTCL’s chief commercial officer Adnan Shahid described digital entertainment as PTCL’s “key priority”. Netflix, which has expanded into some 190 countries following a near-global launch in January, doesn’t believe in a physical presence in every market.

    Amazon has been selective internationally, pushing Prime Video into some European markets, Japan, and now India. Its bet is that homegrown programming will win over Indian audiences, a strategy analysts say could also help increase Amazon shoppers’ loyalty.

    Netflix is generally reviewed as a stand-alone streaming business, with 87 million subscribers, while Amazon’s video operations are part of the giant’s much larger e-commerce business, with 60 million global Prime members, according to Morgan Stanley estimates.