ITV

Tag: POP

  • Fintech POP appoints Navi’s Pancholi to head engineering

    Fintech POP appoints Navi’s Pancholi to head engineering

    MUMBAI: POP, the fintech startup targeting young Indian consumers, has appointed Chandresh Pancholi as its new head of engineering and product.

    Pancholi joins from Navi, where he served as director of engineering, leading a 90-person team that helped propel the company’s UPI payment application from 12th to 4th position in India’s competitive digital payments market.

    During his tenure at Navi, he oversaw several key initiatives including the development of a credit line on UPI with Karnataka Bank and a central abuse detection platform for UPI reward systems.

    Prior to Navi, Pancholi held technical leadership positions at Paytm and Flipkart, building considerable experience in India’s e-commerce and financial technology sectors.

    POP, founded in 2023 by former Flipkart executives, offers a rewards-based payment ecosystem where users earn “POPcoins” worth Rs 1 each for transactions made through its platform. The company is backed by India Quotient and several angel investors from the consumer internet sector.

    At POP, Pancholi will be responsible for scaling the company’s technical infrastructure and developing new product features as the startup attempts to challenge established players in India’s increasingly crowded digital payments market.

  • Earn, burn, repeat: The power of ‘Earn and Burn’ loyalty programs

    Earn, burn, repeat: The power of ‘Earn and Burn’ loyalty programs

    Mumbai: In an ever-evolving digital world, driving customer loyalty is crucial for business success. One effective strategy is the “earn and burn” loyalty program. This simple yet effective approach rewards customers with loyalty points for each purchase they make, which they can then redeem for exclusive rewards, discounts, and other perks.

    Also known as point-based transactional programs, Earn and Burn encourages repeat business by offering tangible benefits for customer engagement. From supermarkets and hotels to e-commerce and fitness centers, various industries have adopted this model to enhance customer retention, gather valuable data, and gain a competitive edge.

    To know more about this loyalty program, Indiantelevision.com has gained insights from some of the visionaries on:

    1   How has the concept of ‘Earn and Burn’ loyalty programs evolved and its difference from other loyalty program models such as tiered membership or cashback rewards?

    2   How has technology played a role in facilitating the earn and burn process today compared to earlier implementations?

    3   What challenges has your company faced in implementing and managing earn and burn programs, and how have they addressed these challenges?

    Thriwe co-founder and chief strategy officer Swati Sharma

    There has been a distinct change in the traditional ‘Earn and Burn’ loyalty program models, and today it offers more innovative benefits. Initially, these programs only awarded points for purchases. Today, they also reward actions like followings on social media and writing reviews, which fosters significant engagement.

    These programs promote quicker point redemption, benefiting businesses. Earn and Burn programs are simpler than tiered memberships that offer increased rewards based on spending levels – such as silver, gold, and platinum tiers. They emphasise personalisation, repeat visits, and quick point redemption with various options tailored to different demographics and regions, rather than cashback programs that merely return a percentage of spending with limited reward options.

    In short, the focus of Earn and Burn programs has shifted from merely earning points to enhancing engagement and incorporating gamification.

    Technology has transformed the ‘Earn and Burn’ programs. Purchases and activities are now tracked through digital transactions and apps, granting points instantly. Customers can even earn rewards for social media followings and reviews! With data, one can tailor promotions and rewards to the consumer preferences, and mobile apps make redeeming points easy. This transformation makes the entire process faster, smoother, and more personalised.

    I can tell you that implementing an ‘Earn and Burn’ program is an exciting act. The rewards must be appealing enough to drive point accumulation, but not so luxurious or exclusive that they go unused. Detailed customer data is crucial for optimizing the program and is required to be collected from the start. Simplicity is significant because a complicated program could be off-putting. Advanced security is also necessary to protect against hackers. By offering lucrative rewards, implementing clear communication, data analysis, and advanced security, an Earn and Burn program can be mutually beneficial for both the customers and the merchants.

    Tagglabs founder Hariom Seth

    The earn-and-burn loyalty program is the one with the little barrier to entry. This is one of the oldest loyalty programs that has existed. Initially, this was simple with customers receiving points for their purchases which could be later redeemed for a discount. Now it is not just used in retail but by airlines, and hotels and are customised to suit each sector. With the advent of data analytics loyalty programs have become extremely sophisticated. In the case of earn and burn this reward system is being made more interactive and easier to redeem using data analytics. This loyalty program is deepening the company’s customer relationship by individualising the reward system and making it more customer-centric.

    Earlier, spending money to earn points and to redeem them only once a threshold of points was achieved leading to low customer engagement. Also, in the age of instant gratification, this loyalty program was considered slow since the customers had to wait for a certain number of points to accumulate for them to redeem. Currently, data analytics, gamification, and AI is being used in various loyalty programs. This enables the creation of ecosystems for the customer where they can track and redeem their loyalty points across various platforms.

    POP founder Bhargav Errangi

    In a recent dive into my own Gmail, I uncovered a fascinating world of loyalty programs—38 to be exact. As a loyalty practitioner, I pondered on the dynamics that make these programs truly impactful.

    Surprisingly, despite a cumulative value of Rs 15K (and a potential unicorn status if we include CRED), the majority of these programs struggle to capture my attention. Why? The answer, in my humble opinion, lies in the challenge of redemption restrictions.

    Most programs tie redemption to their own brand, necessitating an intricate dance across 35 different brands for over 50 transactions worth Rs. 2.82Lacs(Hope my better half is seeing this ?) to maximize the value. A daunting task, to say the least! The true gems in my loyalty journey? Programs offering freedom to redeem across multiple brands.

    In this clutter of loyalty initiatives, I found myself an active participant in only three programs: my credit card provider, an airline, and a major e-commerce player—each sharing the common thread of flexible redemption options.

    The heart of the matter? Customers engage with what resonates and provides real value. The overload of transactions and the cognitive load of managing multiple programs are genuine hurdles. The lesson here is clear: simplicity, flexibility, and relevance are the cornerstones of a successful loyalty program.

    As a customer, I crave programs that align with my preferences and respect my bandwidth. Albert Einstein might have excelled at complex theories, but in the loyalty landscape, simplicity reigns supreme.

    At POP, we are not trying to keep things simple, be it the way customers earn and burn coins or the value comprehension of the program. Customers when shopping don’t have time or mental bandwidth to look for loyalty points, hence it’s important to ingest the program at various touchpoints so customers can easily understand the value of the program before they have made the buying decision. This is what can create impact rather than programs that integrate the redemption only once the customer has reached the checkout, where the decision to buy is already made and the delta in impact is much less.

    The journey of POP has been nothing less than a steep climb as not only are we battling the solutions from incumbents but also the bias that brands for their own currency rather than an ecosystem one. But we have been able to create strong inroads going brand by brand convincing them on the model and have been able to gather support from 150 brands including likes of Mcaffience, Myfitness, Adil Qadri, Bacca Bucci, Anveshan, Two Brothers Organic Farm, Powergummies, epigamia, etc.

  • POP to Introduce POPcoins for 500+ brands by March 2024

    POP to Introduce POPcoins for 500+ brands by March 2024

    Mumbai: E-commerce enabler POP has announced it will onboard about 500 brands by March 2024, allowing their shoppers to use its rewards coins and get discounts.

    Since its launch in early May this year, the company has already roped in 100 brands on its network, offering its rewards currency POPcoins and replacing traditional loyalty programs and points system. POP’s currency can be redeemed across various brands, similar to an alternate form of payment currency during shopping.

    With POPcoins, consumers can overcome the confusion of unstructured loyalty programs and earn and shop across brands on the POP network using POPcoins. This initiative simplifies and unifies loyalty programs across India’s brand and business ecosystem, providing consumers with a rewarding shopping experience.

    “At POP, we understand the challenges consumers face with multiple loyalty programs. POPcoins are designed to break down these barriers, providing a seamless experience for both brands and consumers,” said POP founder & CEO Bhargav Errangi.

    Errangi, a former senior director of Flipkart, leads a team of seasoned loyalty and growth professionals with a track record of success in scaling loyalty programs like Payback and Flipkart Supercoins.

    He said the POP network will grow to 500+ brands by March 2024. Leading D2C Brands such as Perfora, Slurrpfarm, Anveshan, and Khadi Essentials have joined the network, and their loyalty constructs are powered by POPcoins.

    Unlike traditional loyalty programs confined to a single brand, POPcoins transcend these boundaries. They act as an omnipresent currency, empowering users to earn and redeem across a vast network of brands. This unique feature positions POPcoins as a catalyst for creating a large and engaged community of online shoppers, fostering collaboration, and supporting India’s growing e-commerce ecosystem.

    In the evolving landscape of loyalty programs, POPcoins draw inspiration from successful models like Flipkart’s Supercoins and Tata Group’s NeuCoins. Unlike its predecessors, POPcoins stands out with its democratic approach with no boundaries, aiming to redefine loyalty programs and establish a new standard for customer retention and engagement in Indian retail.

    Since its beta launch in May 2023, POPcoins have garnered immense recognition, engaging over 1.5 million customers within the POP network, which is expected to grow to 10 million by March 2024.

    POPcoins, being the common link between a wide range of brands across sectors, can also act as a channel for brands to get new customers who are like-minded and have similar purchase histories.

    “POPcoins, hands down, has been a one-of-a-kind loyalty program. Since going live, our engagement rates have spiked, and working with the team has been an absolute joy. They leave no stone unturned and keep on delivering the results they commit. We’re beyond excited to keep this partnership rolling and offer our customers the true reward they deserve for their loyalty to our brand through POPcoins!” said Perfora growth head & D2C business Drishti Singhal.

    “Our journey with the POPcoins product and team has been truly outstanding. We’ve experienced remarkable results in our loyalty engagement, seeing an impressive 10X increase, and have observed a significant 15% boost in our returning customer numbers,” said Anveshan co-founder Aayushi Khandelwal.

  • Have a green “Ganesh Chaturthi” with Snapdeal

    Have a green “Ganesh Chaturthi” with Snapdeal

    MUMBAI: This Ganesh Chaturthi, Snapdeal is offering a choice of terracotta Ganesha idols, which are made of entirely of clay and have no paint-based embellishments. These idols dissolve in water without leaving any harmful residue.

    The commonly used idols are made of Plaster of Paris  (PoP) and are decorated with paints having high lead and mercury content. PoP chokes water bodies, while the toxic colors make the water acidic, disturbing the plants and marine life ecosystem.

    In addition to Green Ganeshas, Snapdeal’s Ganesh Chaturthi store also has all other festive requirements including Puja essentials, festive dresses, utensils for the feast, musical instruments and Ganesha merchandise. The curated store will offer a selection of over one-lakh products across 20 categories.

    This specially curated store will provide customers a wide range of unique products at an attractive price points with up to 80% discount on the selected range. HDFC and SBI Bank users will get an additional instant 10% discount.

    Here are some glimpses of the curated store:

    Puja Essentials: The curated store presents a wide range of puja essentials from Puja Thali set, Ganesha idols, Diyas, incense sticks and Dhoop all with discounts of up to 80%.

    For prayers and chants: – The online store offers unique range of musical instruments, speakers, microphones, flood lights etc. to make your homes and pandals reverberates with melodious devotional songs and Aarti dedicated to Lord Ganesha. All these at prices starting from Rs.299.

    For your taste buds: – Festivals brings opportunity to share sweets, delicacies with family and friends. Products like dry fruits, jaggery, modak, coconut flour etc. are easily available on Snapdeal Ganesh Chaturthi store at attractive discounts of up to 60%.

    Festive Attire: – The store offers widest range of traditional clothing at attractive price points and discounts upto 40% -70%.

    Gifting Options: The online store offers an extensive range of gifting options for your loved ones from starting range of Rs 299 along with attractive discounts of up to 70%.

  • “We expect to grow with the OTT ecosystem in India” – Verizon Digital’s Kyle Okamoto

    “We expect to grow with the OTT ecosystem in India” – Verizon Digital’s Kyle Okamoto

    The $132.1 billion US telecom giant Verizon Communications provides communications and entertainment services over mobile broadband and the US’ premiere all-fiber network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide. More than that that it operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 113.2 million retail connections nationwide.

    In his letter to shareholders in the latest annual report Verizon chairman & CEO Lowell McAdam wrote: “Our strategy for continued growth  and profitability is straightforward:  deliver great wireless and wireline  services over our superior networks, develop new business models in platforms such as video and the Internet of Things, and create incremental revenue opportunities in applications and  content.”

    And that’s exactly what its offshoot Verizon Digital Media Services, the next-generation digital media platform,  sought to do when it announced a partnership with Bharti Airtel Limited India’s largest telecommunications services provider. The partnership saw it launch points of presence (PoPs) in four cities in India: Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi, marking Verizon’s significant investment into expanding throughout the country, leveraging Airtel’s digital infrastructure as a gateway to India.

    Indiantelevision.com had a conversation with Verizon Digital Media Services VP of Technology, Kyle Okamoto, on what this partnership means, what it entails, and how Verizon will foray further into India.

    Excerpts:

    Why did you have to set up the four POPs in India? Why not three or two? And what is exciting you about the country? And what did you have to innovate on while setting up the POPs in India?

    We care about quality and performance. Given the infrastructure and network topology of India, only one or two or three POPs would not achieve the levels of performance that we want to provide to our customers.  The country is important to our customers and growing quickly. Innovation was mainly around performance optimizations regarding network routing utilizing Any case, in addition to the specific SSDs we used to maximize our cache efficiency for better quality.

    We want to be among the top three CDNs in India and for that we needed to invest. Which we have done.

    How much of an investment has gone in – into hardware and software?

    Millions. There was investment from a capital perspective, operational perspective, the data centre and in hardware  and software.  We had to do everything navigating keeping India’s infrastructure in mind.

    Over what period of time were the POPs set up? And who did the design, engineering and setting up? Who’s maintaining the POP now?

    Months of time was spent working out the arrangement with Airtel, while the physical provisioning of the POPs only took a couple of weeks. We did the design and engineering and worked with Airtel on the installation, configuration , testing and optimization.  Our engineers made multiple trips. And on the initial deployment which included the unboxing of the hardware and cabling.  Verizon Digital Media Serivces and Airtel work together on the maintenance and monitoring in terms of data center and network. Ours is a collaborative partnership.

    What does your partnership with Airtel entail from both sides? And what does it allow each of you to do? Airtel can sell your services to other content companies? Your other solutions?

    Verizon Digital Media Serivces and Airtel work together on the maintenance and monitoring in terms of data center and network. The four PoP installations mark Verizon Digital Media Services’ significant investment into expanding throughout the country, leveraging Airtel’s digital infrastructure as a gateway to India. This partnership will ensure that content on the Verizon Digital Media Services platform can be accessed by digital media consumers in a fast, seamless and reliable way and will improve the experience for users in India.

    The launch of these strategic PoPs marks the beginning of a strong partnership between Verizon and Airtel Business and further cements our commitment to providing consumers in India, one of the fastest-growing markets for digital media consumption, with exceptional services and quality. This also allows us to offer amazing quality to our customers and to the consumers in India.  Airtel enjoys network efficiencies, improved quality, lowered costs and the ability to monetize content traffic.

    And yes, we can have conversations with each other on sales too. If a customer comes to us to work in India, we can forward them to Airtel and likewise.

    What kind of capacity have you built up through your POPs? How much of it is being utilised?

    We have built a significant amount of capacity to serve our customers and have prepared for a significant amount of growth. Additionally, we have built our POPs to handle very large customer spikes without affecting any other customers, i.e. gaming or live events or sports or software downloads. We have overbuilt significantly as India is a fast growing market and we wanted to prepare for the future. We are currently using only 2-5 per cent of the capacity we have built so far.

    What benefits have the Verizon-AOL/Yahoo acquisitions brought to the company and how will Yahoo’s presence in India benefit you?

    As Verizon chairman &  CEO Lowell McAdam had previously mentioned, the AOL acquisition enhances Verizon’s strategy of providing a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers. The Yahoo acquisition will put Verizon in a highly competitive position as a top global mobile media company, while also helping to accelerate a revenue stream in digital advertising.  It also enables a wider stack and set of services to our digital media customers enabling creative monetization opportunities.

    How do you see your presence in India evolving?

    We expect to grow with our customers as they continue to offer amazing OTT experiences to their consumers.

    Will we see you offering your OTT end to end solutions in India? Do you see opportunity in this space in India?

    We already offer our customers a wide array of digital media solutions including our end-to-end Video Lifecycle Solution that covers the entire supply chain from content to consumer monetization. We do see India as a source of growth moving forward as more and more companies move to OTT and as infrastructure continues to improve. We also have a solution which allows us to build an OTT app in three days for our clients; and we have always met that challenge.

     

  • “We expect to grow with the OTT ecosystem in India” – Verizon Digital’s Kyle Okamoto

    “We expect to grow with the OTT ecosystem in India” – Verizon Digital’s Kyle Okamoto

    The $132.1 billion US telecom giant Verizon Communications provides communications and entertainment services over mobile broadband and the US’ premiere all-fiber network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide. More than that that it operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 113.2 million retail connections nationwide.

    In his letter to shareholders in the latest annual report Verizon chairman & CEO Lowell McAdam wrote: “Our strategy for continued growth  and profitability is straightforward:  deliver great wireless and wireline  services over our superior networks, develop new business models in platforms such as video and the Internet of Things, and create incremental revenue opportunities in applications and  content.”

    And that’s exactly what its offshoot Verizon Digital Media Services, the next-generation digital media platform,  sought to do when it announced a partnership with Bharti Airtel Limited India’s largest telecommunications services provider. The partnership saw it launch points of presence (PoPs) in four cities in India: Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi, marking Verizon’s significant investment into expanding throughout the country, leveraging Airtel’s digital infrastructure as a gateway to India.

    Indiantelevision.com had a conversation with Verizon Digital Media Services VP of Technology, Kyle Okamoto, on what this partnership means, what it entails, and how Verizon will foray further into India.

    Excerpts:

    Why did you have to set up the four POPs in India? Why not three or two? And what is exciting you about the country? And what did you have to innovate on while setting up the POPs in India?

    We care about quality and performance. Given the infrastructure and network topology of India, only one or two or three POPs would not achieve the levels of performance that we want to provide to our customers.  The country is important to our customers and growing quickly. Innovation was mainly around performance optimizations regarding network routing utilizing Any case, in addition to the specific SSDs we used to maximize our cache efficiency for better quality.

    We want to be among the top three CDNs in India and for that we needed to invest. Which we have done.

    How much of an investment has gone in – into hardware and software?

    Millions. There was investment from a capital perspective, operational perspective, the data centre and in hardware  and software.  We had to do everything navigating keeping India’s infrastructure in mind.

    Over what period of time were the POPs set up? And who did the design, engineering and setting up? Who’s maintaining the POP now?

    Months of time was spent working out the arrangement with Airtel, while the physical provisioning of the POPs only took a couple of weeks. We did the design and engineering and worked with Airtel on the installation, configuration , testing and optimization.  Our engineers made multiple trips. And on the initial deployment which included the unboxing of the hardware and cabling.  Verizon Digital Media Serivces and Airtel work together on the maintenance and monitoring in terms of data center and network. Ours is a collaborative partnership.

    What does your partnership with Airtel entail from both sides? And what does it allow each of you to do? Airtel can sell your services to other content companies? Your other solutions?

    Verizon Digital Media Serivces and Airtel work together on the maintenance and monitoring in terms of data center and network. The four PoP installations mark Verizon Digital Media Services’ significant investment into expanding throughout the country, leveraging Airtel’s digital infrastructure as a gateway to India. This partnership will ensure that content on the Verizon Digital Media Services platform can be accessed by digital media consumers in a fast, seamless and reliable way and will improve the experience for users in India.

    The launch of these strategic PoPs marks the beginning of a strong partnership between Verizon and Airtel Business and further cements our commitment to providing consumers in India, one of the fastest-growing markets for digital media consumption, with exceptional services and quality. This also allows us to offer amazing quality to our customers and to the consumers in India.  Airtel enjoys network efficiencies, improved quality, lowered costs and the ability to monetize content traffic.

    And yes, we can have conversations with each other on sales too. If a customer comes to us to work in India, we can forward them to Airtel and likewise.

    What kind of capacity have you built up through your POPs? How much of it is being utilised?

    We have built a significant amount of capacity to serve our customers and have prepared for a significant amount of growth. Additionally, we have built our POPs to handle very large customer spikes without affecting any other customers, i.e. gaming or live events or sports or software downloads. We have overbuilt significantly as India is a fast growing market and we wanted to prepare for the future. We are currently using only 2-5 per cent of the capacity we have built so far.

    What benefits have the Verizon-AOL/Yahoo acquisitions brought to the company and how will Yahoo’s presence in India benefit you?

    As Verizon chairman &  CEO Lowell McAdam had previously mentioned, the AOL acquisition enhances Verizon’s strategy of providing a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers. The Yahoo acquisition will put Verizon in a highly competitive position as a top global mobile media company, while also helping to accelerate a revenue stream in digital advertising.  It also enables a wider stack and set of services to our digital media customers enabling creative monetization opportunities.

    How do you see your presence in India evolving?

    We expect to grow with our customers as they continue to offer amazing OTT experiences to their consumers.

    Will we see you offering your OTT end to end solutions in India? Do you see opportunity in this space in India?

    We already offer our customers a wide array of digital media solutions including our end-to-end Video Lifecycle Solution that covers the entire supply chain from content to consumer monetization. We do see India as a source of growth moving forward as more and more companies move to OTT and as infrastructure continues to improve. We also have a solution which allows us to build an OTT app in three days for our clients; and we have always met that challenge.

     

  • TRAI amends internet directions in consonance with DoT’s broadband definition

    TRAI amends internet directions in consonance with DoT’s broadband definition

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed an amendment to its direction relating to internet services to bring it in consonance with the new definition of broadband given by the Department of Telecom.

     

    The Department on 18 July, 2013 said, “Broadband is a data connection that is able to support interactive services including Internet access and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 512 kbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service.”

     

    TRAI had on 27 July, 2012 directed the service providers to provide broadband services in a transparent manner.

     

    In order to ensure transparency in delivery of internet and broadband services and to protect interests of consumers of the telecom sector and to facilitate further growth of internet and broadband services in India, TRAI now intends to direct all telecom service providers providing broadband (wire-line or wireless) services to provide on their website and also in all advertisements published through any media, the following information in respect of all broadband tariff plans offered under Fair Usage Policy.

     

    TRAI has sought views of stakeholders by 1 February with counter comments, if any, by 8 February.

     

    For Fixed broadband service, TSPs should indicate data usage limit with specified speed; speed of broadband connection upto specified data usage limit; and speed of broadband connection beyond data usage limit.

     

    For Mobile broadband service, data usage limit with specified technology (3G/4G) for providing services; technology (3G/4G) offered for providing broadband services up to specified data usage limit; and technology (2G/3G/4G) offered for providing broadband services beyond data usage limit.

     

    TSPs should also provide information to both new and existing subscribers on their registered email address and through SMS on their mobile number registered with the service providers; and ensure that download speed of broadband service provided to the fixed broadband subscriber is not reduced below 512 kbps in any broadband tariff plan; provide alert to the subscriber when his data usage reaches 80 per cent of the data usage limit under his plan and ensure that such alert is provided to the fixed broadband subscriber at each login after data usage crosses the said limit of eighty percent; and send alert to the subscriber either through SMS or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) on his mobile number, registered with the service provider or to his registered email address, each time when the data usage by the subscriber reaches eighty per cent and hundred per cent of the data usage limit under his plan.

     

    The TSPs should also furnish compliance report by in a transparent manner.

     

    At the outset, TRAI says it has been entrusted with discharge of certain functions, inter alia, to regulate the telecommunication services, protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector, lay-down the standards of quality of service to be provided by the service providers and ensure the quality of service and conduct the periodical survey of such service provided by the service providers so as to protect interest of the consumers of telecommunication services.

  • TRAI amends internet directions in consonance with DoT’s broadband definition

    TRAI amends internet directions in consonance with DoT’s broadband definition

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed an amendment to its direction relating to internet services to bring it in consonance with the new definition of broadband given by the Department of Telecom.

     

    The Department on 18 July, 2013 said, “Broadband is a data connection that is able to support interactive services including Internet access and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 512 kbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service.”

     

    TRAI had on 27 July, 2012 directed the service providers to provide broadband services in a transparent manner.

     

    In order to ensure transparency in delivery of internet and broadband services and to protect interests of consumers of the telecom sector and to facilitate further growth of internet and broadband services in India, TRAI now intends to direct all telecom service providers providing broadband (wire-line or wireless) services to provide on their website and also in all advertisements published through any media, the following information in respect of all broadband tariff plans offered under Fair Usage Policy.

     

    TRAI has sought views of stakeholders by 1 February with counter comments, if any, by 8 February.

     

    For Fixed broadband service, TSPs should indicate data usage limit with specified speed; speed of broadband connection upto specified data usage limit; and speed of broadband connection beyond data usage limit.

     

    For Mobile broadband service, data usage limit with specified technology (3G/4G) for providing services; technology (3G/4G) offered for providing broadband services up to specified data usage limit; and technology (2G/3G/4G) offered for providing broadband services beyond data usage limit.

     

    TSPs should also provide information to both new and existing subscribers on their registered email address and through SMS on their mobile number registered with the service providers; and ensure that download speed of broadband service provided to the fixed broadband subscriber is not reduced below 512 kbps in any broadband tariff plan; provide alert to the subscriber when his data usage reaches 80 per cent of the data usage limit under his plan and ensure that such alert is provided to the fixed broadband subscriber at each login after data usage crosses the said limit of eighty percent; and send alert to the subscriber either through SMS or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) on his mobile number, registered with the service provider or to his registered email address, each time when the data usage by the subscriber reaches eighty per cent and hundred per cent of the data usage limit under his plan.

     

    The TSPs should also furnish compliance report by in a transparent manner.

     

    At the outset, TRAI says it has been entrusted with discharge of certain functions, inter alia, to regulate the telecommunication services, protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector, lay-down the standards of quality of service to be provided by the service providers and ensure the quality of service and conduct the periodical survey of such service provided by the service providers so as to protect interest of the consumers of telecommunication services.

  • The Daytime Emmy Awards return; Michael Levitt to produce broadcast

    The Daytime Emmy Awards return; Michael Levitt to produce broadcast

    MUMBAI: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and Pop, a newly rebranded television network seen in more than 80 million homes (formerly TV Guide Network), announced that the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be nationally broadcast live on 26 April on Pop. In addition, the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards gala will take place on 24 April at the Universal Hilton in Los Angeles.

     

    Televised from the legendary Warner Bros. Studios lot on Stage 16 – the location of countless iconic Hollywood films such as Casablanca, Jurassic Park and Ghostbusters – the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards show will be executive produced by Michael Levitt, one of the industry’s most acclaimed producers of live events and awards shows.

     

    “Our new partnership with the Pop network is an ideal platform to present our signature gala. With the Warner Bros Studios as our venue, where so many great films and television shows have been made, coupled together with Michael Levitt, our executive producer, who created the TV Land Awards, and has produced numerous live event specials including The Producers Guild Awards, The Billboard Music Awards, and E! Live from the Red Carpet shows for the Golden Globes and Oscars, this promises to be a very special telecast of the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” said NATAS president Bob Mauro.

     

    “As a network that celebrates talent, we are thrilled to bring the Daytime Emmy Awards back to television for the fans. Daytime audiences are some of the most amazing and passionate in all of television, and we are proud to honor the greatest works and achievements of daytime. Adding premium live events to our schedule is just another exciting way we are building Pop. We’re going to have a lot of fun with this,” said Pop president Brad Schwartz.

     

    “As a fan of daytime television, I couldn’t be more honored to be producing this landmark special. The daytime community consistently generates quality programming and has so much to be proud of. I’m thrilled to be able to produce this ceremony that will celebrate the best of daytime in a memorable, fun and reverential way,” said Levitt.

     

    The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast during the 2014 calendar year. The Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards gala honors the crafts behind the many shows that grace the Daytime genre.

     

    The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is a presentation of NATAS in cooperation with the Television Academy. The show will be produced by Michael Levitt of Michael Levitt Productions with Gary Tellalian and Mike Rothman also serving as executive producers.

  • Ranveer Singh to host the fourth edition of the Gionee Star GiMA Awards

    Ranveer Singh to host the fourth edition of the Gionee Star GiMA Awards

    MUMBAI: The fourth edition of Gionee Star Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) Awards powered by Reliance 3G will see the ever dynamic Ranveer Singh take centre stage to once again host music’s premiere awards.

     

    Ranveer also hosted the second edition of the awards, which proved to be a hit among the audiences enthralling with an opening rap. Seeing the very best of India’s musical talent on one platform, the ground event will take place on 20 January, 2014 and be held at the newly inaugurated National Sports Club of India (NSCI) stadium in Mumbai.

     

    Speaking on hosting the awards, actor Ranveer Singh said: “It is a huge honour to be invited back to host an awards ceremony of this caliber celebrating Indian Music. The last time around was thrilling as I got to interact with the best musicians and singers this country has on offer. The Gionee Star GiMA is such a great platform and I am happy to celebrate an integral part of the Indian culture with the biggest names in music today.” 

     

    Gionee Mobiles partner and India head Arvind Rajnish Vohra added, “Music is a genre which has a universal appeal and it cuts across all the age groups and geography and in India music is part and parcel of the culture. We can’t even imagine our culture without music. Gionee is excited to partner GIMA which allows the brand to connect with TG by celebrating the spirit of music and recognising the magic created by the artists.” 

     

    Commenting on the roping in Ranveer Singh as host, Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph said: “Ranveer is one actor known for his spirited persona. The last time he hosted, we received such an overwhelming reception that we just had to get his infectious energy back on the GiMA stage. So I am confident the appreciation will be two-fold as the Gionee Star GiMA commemorates the spirit of the Indian music industry in its 4th year and Ranveer Singh joins in on the celebration.”

     

    GiMA provides a unified platform to celebrate and recognise those who push the boundaries of Indian Music, across a wide range of film and non-film music genres. This year, for the first time, GiMA has included new categories across pop, indie and EDM, making it a total of 13 awards in the Non-Film music categories and 11 awards for Film music. With greater representation of Indie artistes, GiMA has incorporated more contemporary music this year.