ITV

Tag: January

  • TRAI won’t withdraw call drops penalty, to carry another audit in Dec

    TRAI won’t withdraw call drops penalty, to carry another audit in Dec

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reiterated that the newly-introduced penalty for call drops slated to come into effect from January will not be withdrawn.

     

    In a meeting with the chief executive officers of Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to apprise them about the findings of the drive tests conducted recently in Delhi and Mumbai, TRAI said an audit of networks in Mumbai and Delhi had shown showed unsatisfactory network quality.

     

    TRAI, which had carried out special independent drive tests for Cellular Mobile Telephone Services in the Mumbai and Delhi in June and July and then in September this year, will carry out fresh audits in December to review the situation. There were no significant improvement in the performance of the TSPs.

     

    The findings of these tests along with a consolidated analysis of the reports were uploaded on TRAI website.

     

    The service providers had stated in their meeting with TRAI that they had taken and continue to take a number of steps to improve the quality of network in these areas and that the quality of service had improved.

     

    In the meeting, the findings of the test drive were discussed and the service providers were requested to take action for further improvement of the network conditions.

     

    TRAI officials agreed to share with service providers and other stakeholders the independent drive tests carried In other major cities – Surat, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad.

     

    The service providers had stated that there are a number of other issues affecting quality of service of the network resulting in call drops. The Authority assured it would extend whatever help possible to the telecom service providers.

  • TRAI asks telcos to compensate users for call drops from 1 January

    TRAI asks telcos to compensate users for call drops from 1 January

    NEW DELHI: Telecom service providers (TSPs) will henceforth have to compensate consumers for up to three dropped calls a day from 1 January, 2016.

     

    According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the calling consumer will be reimbursed by one rupee a call from midnight to midnight.

     

    A message will have to be sent within four hours to the consumer about the call drop and the amount credited, and this will be done in the bill for the post-paid customers.

     

    The mandatory provisions have been announced in the ninth amendment to the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations 2012 issued today.

     

    TRAI’s move will bring relief to the consumer and also encourage the TSP to improve their quality of service.

     

    TRAI will keep a close watch on the steps being taken by TSPs to reduce dropped calls following this mandatory provision and review the situation after six months.

     

    Call drop represents “the service provider’s inability to maintain a call once it has been correctly established, that is, calls dropped or interrupted prior to their normal completion by the user, the cause of the early termination being within the service provider’s network.”

     

    TRAI had issued a consultation paper on this issue last month and held an open house with stakeholders on 1 October before issuing the amendment.

     

    The regulator said the action was taken “after careful examination of the comments received from the stakeholders and further analysis” to provide relief to consumers by “mandating the following to every originating service provider providing Mobile Services for each call drop within its network.”

  • Indian thriller web-series collects Rs 9 lakh via crowd-funding

    Indian thriller web-series collects Rs 9 lakh via crowd-funding

    NEW DELHI: Indian crowd-funding thriller web series Hankaar, has successfully received Rs 9 lakh, which is more than a lakh of its initial target, with the help of 157 backers.

     

    Hankaar had set a target of Rs 8 lakh in 50 days. The series is slated for release in January next year.

     

    Set in Mumbai in the backdrop of drugs, real-estate dirty deals and prostitution, Hankaar is ‘realistic fiction’ content in the thriller and drama genre. It explores the stories of five ordinary people who go through extraordinary life changing experiences. 

     

    The cast includes Sanjay Bhatia, Rajesh Balwani, Ankur Vikal, Ram Menon, Sharda Nand Singh, Priyadarshi P and Yogini Chowk.

     

    The makers say they chose the Internet and not TV channels as these do not look beyond saas-bahu sagas. The content and theme of the series is realistic but not accepted as content to be viewed on mainstream television.

     

    Hankaar went live on Wishberry.in a month ago and surpassed their funding goal with the help of 157 backers who will now be named as co-producers and will also have the chance to give their inputs in the making of the series.

     

    Hankaar director and producer Ravi Iyer said, “We are overwhelmed by the support we got and hope to entertain the audience. We plan to make not one but three seasons of Hankaar.”

     

    With the average Indian spending more than eight hours on the internet and the majority of TV content being aimed at women over 35 years, Iyer felt the time was right to launch the first ever tech thriller web series.

     

    Writer Yogi Chopra said, “As producers we realise that Indian television is not ready for this kind of content. But we are keen to create not just one, but at least three seasons of this series. It is certain that the audience for this type of content is there, but because it is deemed non-commercial, it is difficult to find required funding.”

  • Kartik Sharma to take over from Ajit Verghese in January 2014

    Kartik Sharma to take over from Ajit Verghese in January 2014

    MUMBAI: GroupM and Maxus has announced the new managing director for Maxus South Asia, Kartik Sharma. Sharma takes over the reins from current managing director Ajit Varghese wef January 2014, as Verghese moves into a new regional role as CEO Maxus Asia-Pacific.

    Kartik moves up from Managing Partner, Maxus and will report into GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas and Verghese. He will also now be a part of the GroupM South Asia EXCO.

    Commenting on Sharma’s Appointment, CVL Srinivas said, “Kartik has done a stellar job as managing partner, Maxus, working closely with Ajit in shaping the Maxus brand, creating client delight, winning several new businesses and helping Maxus dominate industry awards. I wish him the very best and also welcome him to the GroupM South Asia EXCO which will benefit immensely from his product knowledge and experience.”

    On handing over the charge, Verghese added, “Kartik is an excellent choice for Maxus going forward especially considering his product strengths and client focus. A long standing employee of GroupM, he has the in-depth knowledge and insight of what is needed to take Maxus to the next level. Kartik has been the key architect in growing the Maxus Mumbai office 3 fold in the last 6 years and building up a collaborative culture of working across offices and between various teams inside GroupM.”

    With over 18 years of experience under his belt, Sharma said on his appointment, “The last six years at Maxus has been very exciting. What I love most is the passion & collaborative culture where every team member works hard to deliver on our 10/10 vision of delighting clients. Our focus on constantly improving the product and the ability to develop a unique work culture has helped us deliver winning solutions for clients. I look forward to my new journey and am confident it will be equally exciting & fulfilling.”