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Tag: Skype

  • How to tackle lockdown woes the Schbang way

    How to tackle lockdown woes the Schbang way

    NEW DELHI: It can’t be said enough that the ongoing COVID2019 crisis has impacted the business of creative and media agencies severely. From mainline to digital, every business is facing serious problems in functioning. However, creativity has seen no dearth in its virtue during the crisis. 

    Mumbai-based integrated solutions agency Schbang has been one of the top performers during the term, helping its clients with out-of-the-box creative solutions, helping them stay relevant during this time of dip in sales. 

    They have got people growing their hair for BBlunt #GrowOutChallenge, promoting Tinder’s free passport services, and also shot a virtual commercial for Pillsbury Atta that will go live soon. The whole video has been shot virtually and directed via Hangouts, Whatsapp video, Skype etc. 

    Schbang founder-MD Harshil Karia shares, “8 actors from across the country are a part of this video. While the actors are chosen basis their acting capabilities, we are also keeping in mind their respective kitchen aesthetics too as this is being shot from home in their own kitchens.”

    But how has the team managed to create so much of good work despite the many restrictions that the lockdown has come with? The credit can be given to a detailed work-from-home policy that Schbang created for its teams, which consists of not just work but also play. 

    According to Karia, the agency was quick in adapting to the work-from-home situation. “We started acting even before the lockdown was announced and sent to our employees’ homes their computer systems in advance. We also charted out rules, and also introduced several interesting activities and challenges to keep the team engaged.”

    He also shared the detailed WFH Guidelines with us. The document mentions three general tips: maintaining disciplined work hours, reiterating those working hours to clients if needed, and take scheduled breaks. 

    Schbang has also guided its team leads to minimising the number of places they contact with members and sticking primarily to emails for coordination. They are also scheduling daily meetings to brainstorm and has limited the number of participants in those, keeping in mind people spend time on only important things. 

    They have also created a model for sharing feedbacks. 

    This has helped the agency in streamlining its processes better and work effectively in set timelines. 

    Apart from this, the teams across Mumbai and Bengaluru have created several WhatsApp groups to come together for certain activities such as cooking, working out (sessions in the morning and/or evening), photography, trivia/quiz, a jamming team called Schband and some indulgence into groups playing Ludo too online.  

    Karia shares, “These groups are buzzing daily keeping the energy and momentum going. The cooking group called Schefs of Schbang seems to be a bigger hit and we soon will be launching an Instagram page dedicated to that.”

    They also have two tracks for workouts, one for the morning and one for the evening. Karia noted, “The teams come together online and workout or mediate together using some subscriptions we have from Mindhouse and cure.fit. Or just motivate each other to get out there and stay fit.”

    Additionally, a live thematic quiz experience is undertaken every Sunday on various topics like Harry Potter, Friends, The world of Disney & Marvel, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, among others. 

    Karia concluded, “While work has not been easy and everyone's had their fair share of highs and lows in terms of energy, these team activities are helping people to stay motivated, connected, and happy. Being in a creative space, people interaction, and feeding off each other's energies is what we enjoy the most. So keeping that going even virtually is a step in the right direction for the team.”  
     

  • TRAI may introduce lighter form of regulation on OTT communication services

    TRAI may introduce lighter form of regulation on OTT communication services

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may impose a lighter form of regulation on over-the-top (OTT) players such as Skype and WhatsApp. While there have been several debates on the issue, the regulatory body has scheduled its first open house session on Monday, 1 April 2019. According to media reports, the recommendations are expected to come out by May.

    “There is a need for a light-touch regulation. A final decision will be taken after discussion in the open house. By May, TRAI should be able to come out with its views,” a senior TRAI official said as quoted by DNA Money.

    TRAI released a new consultation paper last November on OTT services seeking to expand the definition of the sector and also the regulator’s jurisdiction over the sector. However, the present consultation paper is more focussed on OTT voice or communications services (OTTs) like WhatsApp, Facebook’s Messenger and similar Indian products like Hike.

    The consultation paper mainly revolves around the topic of level playing field between telecom service providers and OTTs. With the fall in data prices, OTT communication services have emerged as important mediums of communication. While TSPs are highly regulated, the main point of the debate is whether there is regulatory imbalance.

    In response to the paper, major broadcasters, as well as OTT platforms, did not favour any further regulatory intervention on OTTs. Most of the players clearly depicted their view that OTTs should not be seen as a substitute to Television Service Providers (TSPs). However, some of the cable operators and DTH platforms spoke in favour of the regulation.

  • TRAI, telco chiefs to meet in December over OTT regulation

    TRAI, telco chiefs to meet in December over OTT regulation

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is scheduled to meet top executives of telcos in the month of December. The meeting is being lined up in order to discuss plans for 2019. The regulator may also issue a consultation paper next week on whether over-the-top (OTT) apps such as Skype, WhatsApp and Google Duo should be regulated.

    Speaking to Economic Times, TRAI chairman Ram Sewak Sharma said, “We are going to call chief executives of telecom service providers in the month of December to actually finalise the agenda and roadmap for the next year.”

    The regulator will also separately meet the Indian broadcasting industry stakeholders and multiple system operators, informed Sharma.

    As these apps are already being regulated under the Information Technology Act, telcos have demanded that OTT communication apps should be brought under a regulatory regime similar to theirs since they provide comparable services without the liabilities associated with being a licence holder.

    TRAI chairman confirmed that they were coming out with a consultation paper next week as the final document was almost ready.

  • Jio extends HNY free data offer up to 31 March ’17

    Jio extends HNY free data offer up to 31 March ’17

    MUMBAI: Taking a significant lead over the incumbent telecom operators, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani today showed some more `datagiri’ while announcing a slew of new offers and initiatives that all had an underline themes of Digital 2017 and Happy New Year (HNY).

    Ambani, while addressing RIL employees and stakeholders in a meeting, revealed that starting 4 December 2016, every new Jio user will get data, voice, video and the full bouquet of Jio applications free till 31 March, 2017. He also added that all the existing customers will get extended benefits of Jio Happy New Year offer on the existing SIMs.

    Speaking about Jio’s success, India’s richest man said that it was the fastest-growing technology company in the world. He said that the e-KYC (know your customer or the customer verification process) allowed the activation of SIM within five minutes — the fastest experience for SIM activation in the world.

    Ambani said that Jio successfully rolled out e-KYC across 200,000 outlets in India, which is nearly equal to ATMs in India. “We are in the process of doubling this network to 400,000 digitally enabled outlets by March of 2017,” he added.

    RIL CMD also mentioned that, in the first three months, Jio has grown faster than Facebook, Whatsapp or Skype. “In 83 days, Jio added 50 million customers on its 4G LTE all-IP wireless broadband network.”

    However, swelling subscriber numbers are also a burden on the infrastructure; especially when 50 million+ customers vie to take full advantage of the free Jio `Welcome Offer.”
    On an average, a Jio customer, as per claims, is using 25 times more data than the average Indian broadband user. And, Jio signed up over 600,000 customers every day for the past three months. According to Ambani, a Jio customer today is consuming data “on par” with and, in many cases, “more” than sophisticated users anywhere in the world.

    Still, admitting that Reliance has found out few issues with data speed on Jio network, Ambani said that about eight per cent of Jio towers experienced “congestion” due to “abnormally high data usage, which resulted in customers served by such telecom towers experienced lower data speeds.

    “While 92 per cent of our base stations and customers have been experiencing consistently high data speeds, we are working to de-congest these eight per cent towers, so that impacted customers go back to experiencing true-4G speeds. On the whole, Jio is not only delivering four times more data than all other Indian telecom operators combined, but also much faster throughputs than any other mobile network in India.”

    Reliance Jio, which has been at loggerheads with other telecom operators and also the telcos’ apex industry body COAI, is now playing the customer card having announced expansions and new initiatives like digital wallet/money.

    Dwelling on indifferent to bad voice services on Jio network, Ambani took a pot-shot at competition: “While customers have shown unprecedented love for Jio services, we have not received the required support from existing operators. In the last three months, nearly 9000 million voice calls from Jio customers to the networks of our three largest competitors were blocked… We thank the government and regulator for enforcing the licence conditions.”

    Targeting the high-end customers, who, probably, don’t have time to go to a Jio store to acquire a SIM card and want to retain their existing phone numbers, Reliance is offering SIM delivery at home and full number portability. “I am happy to inform that Jio now fully supports mobile number portability,” Ambani said, adding free home delivery and e-KYC features were being launched across India through the MyJio application to be available in the top 100 cities by 31 December 2016.

  • Jio extends HNY free data offer up to 31 March ’17

    Jio extends HNY free data offer up to 31 March ’17

    MUMBAI: Taking a significant lead over the incumbent telecom operators, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani today showed some more `datagiri’ while announcing a slew of new offers and initiatives that all had an underline themes of Digital 2017 and Happy New Year (HNY).

    Ambani, while addressing RIL employees and stakeholders in a meeting, revealed that starting 4 December 2016, every new Jio user will get data, voice, video and the full bouquet of Jio applications free till 31 March, 2017. He also added that all the existing customers will get extended benefits of Jio Happy New Year offer on the existing SIMs.

    Speaking about Jio’s success, India’s richest man said that it was the fastest-growing technology company in the world. He said that the e-KYC (know your customer or the customer verification process) allowed the activation of SIM within five minutes — the fastest experience for SIM activation in the world.

    Ambani said that Jio successfully rolled out e-KYC across 200,000 outlets in India, which is nearly equal to ATMs in India. “We are in the process of doubling this network to 400,000 digitally enabled outlets by March of 2017,” he added.

    RIL CMD also mentioned that, in the first three months, Jio has grown faster than Facebook, Whatsapp or Skype. “In 83 days, Jio added 50 million customers on its 4G LTE all-IP wireless broadband network.”

    However, swelling subscriber numbers are also a burden on the infrastructure; especially when 50 million+ customers vie to take full advantage of the free Jio `Welcome Offer.”
    On an average, a Jio customer, as per claims, is using 25 times more data than the average Indian broadband user. And, Jio signed up over 600,000 customers every day for the past three months. According to Ambani, a Jio customer today is consuming data “on par” with and, in many cases, “more” than sophisticated users anywhere in the world.

    Still, admitting that Reliance has found out few issues with data speed on Jio network, Ambani said that about eight per cent of Jio towers experienced “congestion” due to “abnormally high data usage, which resulted in customers served by such telecom towers experienced lower data speeds.

    “While 92 per cent of our base stations and customers have been experiencing consistently high data speeds, we are working to de-congest these eight per cent towers, so that impacted customers go back to experiencing true-4G speeds. On the whole, Jio is not only delivering four times more data than all other Indian telecom operators combined, but also much faster throughputs than any other mobile network in India.”

    Reliance Jio, which has been at loggerheads with other telecom operators and also the telcos’ apex industry body COAI, is now playing the customer card having announced expansions and new initiatives like digital wallet/money.

    Dwelling on indifferent to bad voice services on Jio network, Ambani took a pot-shot at competition: “While customers have shown unprecedented love for Jio services, we have not received the required support from existing operators. In the last three months, nearly 9000 million voice calls from Jio customers to the networks of our three largest competitors were blocked… We thank the government and regulator for enforcing the licence conditions.”

    Targeting the high-end customers, who, probably, don’t have time to go to a Jio store to acquire a SIM card and want to retain their existing phone numbers, Reliance is offering SIM delivery at home and full number portability. “I am happy to inform that Jio now fully supports mobile number portability,” Ambani said, adding free home delivery and e-KYC features were being launched across India through the MyJio application to be available in the top 100 cities by 31 December 2016.

  • Microsoft and Facebook to build an innovative new subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean

    Microsoft and Facebook to build an innovative new subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean

    MENLO PARK, Calif. and REDMOND, Wash., May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ –Today, Microsoft (NASDAQ “MSFT” @microsoft) and Facebook(NASDAQ:FB) announced an agreement to build a new, state-of-the-art subsea cable across the Atlantic. The new “MAREA” cable will help meet the growing customer demand for high speed, reliable connections for cloud and online services for Microsoft, Facebook and their customers. The parties have cleared conditions to go Contract-In-Force (CIF) with their plans, and construction of the cable will commence in August 2016 with completion expected in October 2017.

    Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating on this system to accelerate the development of the next-generation of Internet infrastructure and support the explosion of data consumption and rapid growth of their respective cloud and online services. MAREA will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic – eight fiber pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160Tbps. The new 6,600 km submarine cable system, to be operated and managed by Telxius, Telefónica’s new telecommunications infrastructure company, will also be the first to connect the United States to southern Europe, from the data hub of Northern Virginia to Bilbao, Spain and then to network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This route is south of other transatlantic cable systems, thereby helping ensure more resilient and reliable connections for customers in the United States,Europe, and beyond.

    Microsoft and Facebook designed MAREA to be interoperable with a variety of networking equipment. This new “open” design brings significant benefits for customers: lower costs and easier equipment upgrades which leads to faster growth in bandwidth rates since the system can evolve at the pace of optical technology innovation.

    Microsoft and Facebook are working with Telxius to build upon Telefónica’s longstanding experience in subsea cables on this innovative new system. Telxius will serve as the operator of the system and sell capacity as part of their wholesale infrastructure business.

    “As the world is increasingly moving toward a future based on cloud computing, Microsoft continues to invest in our cloud infrastructure to meet current and future growing global demand for our more than 200 cloud services, including Bing, Office 365, Skype, Xbox Live and the Microsoft Azure platform,” said Christian Belady, General Manager, Datacenter Strategy, Planning & Development, Microsoft Corp. “The MAREA transatlantic cable we’re building with Facebook and Telxius will provide new, low-latency connectivity that will help meet the increasing demand for higher-speed capacity across the Atlantic. By building the cable along this new southern route, we will also increase the resiliency of our global network, helping ensure even greater reliability for our customers.”

    “Facebook wants to make it possible for people to have deep connections and shared experiences with the people who matter to them most — anywhere in the world, and at any time,” said Najam Ahmad, Vice President of Network Engineering at Facebook. “We’re always evaluating new technologies and systems in order to provide the best connectivity possible. By creating a vendor-agnostic design with Microsoft and Telxius, we can choose the hardware and software that best serves the system and ultimately increase the pace of innovation. We want to do more of these projects in this manner — allowing us to move fast with more collaboration. We think this is how most subsea cable systems will be built in the future.”

    “Working with Facebook and Microsoft in this project will reinforce Telxius’ position as a worldwide leading infra company not only expanding on-net capabilities to Spain and the USA but also allowing us to capture market opportunities in Western Europe and new emerging routes in Northern Africa and other regions,” said Rafael Arranz, Chief Operating Officer of Telxius Cable.

  • Microsoft and Facebook to build an innovative new subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean

    Microsoft and Facebook to build an innovative new subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean

    MENLO PARK, Calif. and REDMOND, Wash., May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ –Today, Microsoft (NASDAQ “MSFT” @microsoft) and Facebook(NASDAQ:FB) announced an agreement to build a new, state-of-the-art subsea cable across the Atlantic. The new “MAREA” cable will help meet the growing customer demand for high speed, reliable connections for cloud and online services for Microsoft, Facebook and their customers. The parties have cleared conditions to go Contract-In-Force (CIF) with their plans, and construction of the cable will commence in August 2016 with completion expected in October 2017.

    Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating on this system to accelerate the development of the next-generation of Internet infrastructure and support the explosion of data consumption and rapid growth of their respective cloud and online services. MAREA will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic – eight fiber pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160Tbps. The new 6,600 km submarine cable system, to be operated and managed by Telxius, Telefónica’s new telecommunications infrastructure company, will also be the first to connect the United States to southern Europe, from the data hub of Northern Virginia to Bilbao, Spain and then to network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This route is south of other transatlantic cable systems, thereby helping ensure more resilient and reliable connections for customers in the United States,Europe, and beyond.

    Microsoft and Facebook designed MAREA to be interoperable with a variety of networking equipment. This new “open” design brings significant benefits for customers: lower costs and easier equipment upgrades which leads to faster growth in bandwidth rates since the system can evolve at the pace of optical technology innovation.

    Microsoft and Facebook are working with Telxius to build upon Telefónica’s longstanding experience in subsea cables on this innovative new system. Telxius will serve as the operator of the system and sell capacity as part of their wholesale infrastructure business.

    “As the world is increasingly moving toward a future based on cloud computing, Microsoft continues to invest in our cloud infrastructure to meet current and future growing global demand for our more than 200 cloud services, including Bing, Office 365, Skype, Xbox Live and the Microsoft Azure platform,” said Christian Belady, General Manager, Datacenter Strategy, Planning & Development, Microsoft Corp. “The MAREA transatlantic cable we’re building with Facebook and Telxius will provide new, low-latency connectivity that will help meet the increasing demand for higher-speed capacity across the Atlantic. By building the cable along this new southern route, we will also increase the resiliency of our global network, helping ensure even greater reliability for our customers.”

    “Facebook wants to make it possible for people to have deep connections and shared experiences with the people who matter to them most — anywhere in the world, and at any time,” said Najam Ahmad, Vice President of Network Engineering at Facebook. “We’re always evaluating new technologies and systems in order to provide the best connectivity possible. By creating a vendor-agnostic design with Microsoft and Telxius, we can choose the hardware and software that best serves the system and ultimately increase the pace of innovation. We want to do more of these projects in this manner — allowing us to move fast with more collaboration. We think this is how most subsea cable systems will be built in the future.”

    “Working with Facebook and Microsoft in this project will reinforce Telxius’ position as a worldwide leading infra company not only expanding on-net capabilities to Spain and the USA but also allowing us to capture market opportunities in Western Europe and new emerging routes in Northern Africa and other regions,” said Rafael Arranz, Chief Operating Officer of Telxius Cable.

  • Aidem restructures as Co-founder & Director, Vikas Khanchandani takes on a mentor’s role

    Aidem restructures as Co-founder & Director, Vikas Khanchandani takes on a mentor’s role

    MUMBAI Aidem Ventures & Zirca Digital Solutions co-founder and director Vikas Khanchandani has decided to pursue other interests while he continues to mentor across the group’s investments in the media space.

    Moving forward, Alok Rakshit and Nikhil Sheth will take on the responsibility for the TV monetisation services and Joydeep Ghosh will spearhead IMD Cloud (eBus) business. 

    Sheth and  Rakshit are integral members spearheading the TV verticals at Aidem. Ghosh has been instrumental in growing the IMD Cloud (eBus) digital delivery service – a pioneer and leader in its space with its self-serve capabilities. The company’s digital business had been spun out into a separate entity viz. Zirca Digital Solutions and has Neena Dasgupta heading the business. ZDS represents some of the largest global publishers and technology firms in the digital media space viz. MSN, Skype, Economist and Outbrain amongst others. 

    The management team has been strengthened with active participation of Karan Gupta, director at Aidem and MD at Zirca over the last couple of years. Gupta has been working closely with the entire management team charting the growth for the group making significant investments in India as well as South East Asia.

    “While Vikas steps away from his day-to-day role, he will continue to stay involved with the company as a mentor. He will be actively involved with the media technology projects that Aidem is already invested in. Having been part of the organisation since its inception, Vikas has been responsible for driving phenomenal growth for the company and has successfully navigated the business through challenging times” said  Aidem Ventures & Zirca Digital Solutions chairman Ashok Gupta .
     

     

  • Aidem restructures as Co-founder & Director, Vikas Khanchandani takes on a mentor’s role

    Aidem restructures as Co-founder & Director, Vikas Khanchandani takes on a mentor’s role

    MUMBAI Aidem Ventures & Zirca Digital Solutions co-founder and director Vikas Khanchandani has decided to pursue other interests while he continues to mentor across the group’s investments in the media space.

    Moving forward, Alok Rakshit and Nikhil Sheth will take on the responsibility for the TV monetisation services and Joydeep Ghosh will spearhead IMD Cloud (eBus) business. 

    Sheth and  Rakshit are integral members spearheading the TV verticals at Aidem. Ghosh has been instrumental in growing the IMD Cloud (eBus) digital delivery service – a pioneer and leader in its space with its self-serve capabilities. The company’s digital business had been spun out into a separate entity viz. Zirca Digital Solutions and has Neena Dasgupta heading the business. ZDS represents some of the largest global publishers and technology firms in the digital media space viz. MSN, Skype, Economist and Outbrain amongst others. 

    The management team has been strengthened with active participation of Karan Gupta, director at Aidem and MD at Zirca over the last couple of years. Gupta has been working closely with the entire management team charting the growth for the group making significant investments in India as well as South East Asia.

    “While Vikas steps away from his day-to-day role, he will continue to stay involved with the company as a mentor. He will be actively involved with the media technology projects that Aidem is already invested in. Having been part of the organisation since its inception, Vikas has been responsible for driving phenomenal growth for the company and has successfully navigated the business through challenging times” said  Aidem Ventures & Zirca Digital Solutions chairman Ashok Gupta .
     

     

  • Skype partners YRF & ErosNow to develop custom Bollywood Mojis

    Skype partners YRF & ErosNow to develop custom Bollywood Mojis

    MUMBAI: Skype has partnered with Indian filmed entertainment companies namely Yash Raj Films and Eros International’s over the top (OTT) platform ErosNow to develop custom Bollywood specific mojis for its users.

     

    Mojis are short clips from movies and TV shows that Skype users can put directly into a Skype chat.

     

    In addition to the existing worldwide Mojis content, now users can react to Skype messages with clips from Bollywood movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Ra.One, Dhoom 2, Dhoom 3, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Devdas; and actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya RaiBachchan, Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh.

     

    Yash Raj Films vice president digital Anand Gurani said, “Sometimes when words aren’t enough, a popular film dialogue often fills in. YRF has a rich library of films and content that caters to a wide audience base. The introduction of Skype Mojis is an extremely innovative addition to instant messaging that should get instant traction!”

     

    Eros Digital CEO Rishika Lulla added, “We are delighted to join hands with Skype and tap their massive consumer base in this ever evolving digital landscape. With Eros’ vast film content library, we are equipped to provide the best in entertainment for Skype users on their smart phones, tablets, laptops or any internet-enabled devices.”

     

    Skype has also created new emoticons highlighting some of the food, gestures and daily expressions honouring the Indian culture Bollywood stems from.

     

    “We’re hugely excited about our partnership with Yash Raj Films and Eros International studios to bring more exciting content to our users. Our goal is to provide the best possible messaging experience on Skype, and tapping into India’s extremely active and vibrant film culture is a perfect way to do that,” added Skype corporate vice president Gurdeep Pall.