Applications

Arguments on appeals against Tariff Order conclude

Published

13 years ago

September 21, 2012

NEW DELHI: Arguments over appeals challenging the Trai Tariff Order concluded before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (Tdsat) on Friday.

Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has agreed to provide on Monday some clarifications that have been sought by Tdsat Chairman S B Sinha and Member P K Rastogi. After Trai gives the clarifications ,which order of the tribunal will be awaited on the appeals by multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) against the Tariff Order.

The Tariff Order has also prescribed the revenue sharing ratio between (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs), and MSOs and broadcasters.

Counsel for MSOs and LCOs contended in their counter arguments that the Tariff Order and Regulations were aimed at helping the television broadcasters and the direct-to-home (DTH) platforms while TRAI counsel said detailed study had gone into the Tariff Order and the regulations.

Counsels Rajan Bakshi on behalf of United Cable Operators Welfare Association and C S Vaidyanathan on behalf of MSO Digicable Networks said they were not opposed to introduction of digital addressable systems (DAS) but some infirmities had to be corrected. They also alleged that the broadcasters were deliberately not revealing their retail tariff per channel, which was essential before the switch to digital delivery of television channels from 1 November.

Counsel Bakshi claimed that Trai‘s Reference Interconnect Offer document showed that the rates of popular channels had gone up by an average of up to 315 per cent per channel from the rate of Rs 5.45 set initially by TRAI.

Both Bakshi and Vaidyanathan in separate arguments wondered why TRAI had not chosen the formula worked out for the conditional access systems in 2006, which had even been approved by the Supreme Court, and instead opted for amending the Tariff Order of 2010, which was challenged before the apex court and the court had order a status quo.
Vaidyanathan said TRAI could have used any of three other options – the 2004 Order, the 2006 Order, or the 2010 Order which also applied to DTH and was pending in court – but chose the option of 2004 relating to non-addressable systems with some elements of the 2010 order for reasons not explained in the Explanatory Memorandum.

He said there was no rationale for not taking the order for conditional addressable systems, which had even been upheld by the apex court. By not doing this, TRAI has also equated MSOs and DAS with DTH. If it had to take the DTH model, then it should not have set a revenue sharing ratio between MSOs and LCOs and should have let market forces decide. It was also odd that while DAS was regulated, DTH got away scot-free.

He added that while laying down the mandate for building a capacity for 500 channels, TRAI had made no study and it was clear that there was no need for so many channels since most viewers saw 15 to 20 channels. He said that while the capacity building for 250 channels had cost Rs 30 million, MSOs will have to spend around Rs 120 million for building the capacity for 500 channels even if they decide to keep only 200 or so, on their network.

He read out various paragraphs of the 2006 Order to say that the Tariff for CAS could easily have been applied to DAS since most of the criteria were the same.

He said basically all this is being done because Trai does not want to regulate the broadcasters. He read from a page on the TRAI website that one channel on Golf cost around Rs 750.

He argued that one reason why the 2004 order was not applicable here was that there was no concept of ala carte channels at that time, with all channels coming in bouquets.

He also wondered why TRAI wanted to ‘micro-manage‘ the choice of the consumer, who should have been left to make his own choices. The whole scheme was disproportionate to public interest.

He also pointed out that the 2006 Order amended in 2007 had fixed city-wise tariffs, which had not been done here.
Earlier, counsel Gopal Jain for intervener NDTV said the appeals would prove to be an impediment to a system that appeared very good as Trai had taken a forward-looking approach. In any case, TRAI had the power of periodic revision.

He also claimed that the resistance from MSOs and LCOs was only because of the undue advantages inherent in the analogue system, and not the abolition of placement fee or restrictive carriage fee. The earlier system was skewed in favour of the MSOs.

Mr Tejvir Bhatia, counsel for Times Global and India TV, wanted the ‘must carry‘ clause to be enforced.

At one stage, TDSAT member P K Rastogi (sitting with Chairman Justice S B Sinha) observed that the broadcaster was interested in his advertisement revenue and so paid carriage fee, while the aggregator could only earn through subscription.

Applications

Moltbook, the AI-only social network, sparks hype, doubt and fear

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Moltbook, a Reddit-style social platform built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has emerged as the latest obsession in Silicon Valley, drawing intense attention for its explosive growth and surreal bot-driven interactions.

The platform hosts more than 100 communities where AI agents post, argue and joke about topics ranging from governance theory to esoteric “crayfish debugging” concepts. Within days of launch, Moltbook recorded tens of thousands of posts, nearly 200,000 comments and more than 1 million human visitors observing the activity.

Yet the numbers and the autonomy are under scrutiny, as per media reports. A security researcher has suggested as many as 500,000 accounts may trace back to a single address, raising doubts about Moltbook’s membership claims. Many posts could also be the result of humans instructing their AI tools to publish content, rather than bots acting independently.

The platform runs on agentic AI, powered by an open-source tool called OpenClaw, formerly known as Moltbot. Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, these agents are designed to perform tasks on users’ devices, from sending messages to managing calendars, with minimal human input. Once authorised, they can interact freely on Moltbook.

Some tech figures have hailed the platform as a glimpse of a post-human internet. Head of crypto custody firm BitGo Bill Lees, called it evidence that “we’re in the singularity”.

Academics are less convinced. Petar Radanliev, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Oxford, said the idea of agents acting independently was “misleading”, describing Moltbook instead as automated coordination within human-set constraints. Columbia Business School assistant professor David Holtz, dismissed the spectacle as “thousands of bots yelling into the void and repeating themselves”.

Beyond hype, security worries loom large. ESET global cybersecurity advisor Jake Moore, warned that granting AI agents access to emails, private messages and files risks prioritising efficiency over privacy. Andrew Rogoyski of the University of Surrey said high-level system access could lead to serious damage, from erased data to compromised company accounts.

Even OpenClaw’s founder Peter Steinberger, has felt the darker side of attention, with scammers hijacking his old social media handles after the platform’s rebrand.

For now, Moltbook remains a strange digital zoo: part experiment, part spectacle, where AI agents banter about philosophy, productivity and, occasionally, their fondness for their human operators.

Applications

Apple appoints Avtar Ram Singh as head of international marketing

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Apple has handed a bigger global brief to a long-time insider. Avtar Ram Singh has taken over as head of international marketing for the App Store, Apple Arcade and the Apple Games app, deepening his remit across one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as head of international marketing, App Store, Apple Arcade and Games App at Apple,” Singh said while announcing the move.

The promotion crowns nearly seven years at Apple, where Singh has led services marketing across Southeast Asia and India and previously served as head of marketing for Southeast Asia content and services, business lead for Apple Podcasts in the region and interim marketing lead for the App Store internationally.

His new portfolio spans three pillars of Apple’s services push. The App Store, which Apple positions as a safe and trusted discovery platform, now attracts more than 850 million average weekly users globally. Since 2008, developers have earned over $550 billion on the platform.

Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming subscription service, offers unlimited access to a catalogue ranging from brain teasers to big-name franchises. The recent addition of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition brings a AAA PC title to iPhone, iPad and Mac from 5 February.

Then there is the Apple Games app, unveiled at WWDC as a unified destination for games from the App Store and Arcade. It aggregates titles in one place, surfaces personalised recommendations, tracks events and achievements, and lets users compete with friends or connect controllers for a console-like experience.

Singh arrives with a hybrid background in strategy, data and creativity. His career spans digital and social media marketing, business intelligence, content, editorial and analytics across culturally diverse markets. He has worked on brands including P&G, Accor, Audi, UBS, Nikon, Samsung, Sony, Pizza Hut, HBO and Singapore Airlines-linked businesses such as Scoot.

Before Apple, Singh led strategy at Falcon Agency, focusing on performance marketing and ROI-driven digital frameworks. He earlier ran the social practice at Publicis Singapore, where he oversaw operations, business development and regional social strategy for multinational clients. His career also includes roles at Ogilvy-linked Circus Social, Rocket Internet ventures Lazada and Zalora, and research firm IDC in Bangkok, where he analysed technology markets and won early awards for collaboration and client retention.

At Apple, he has been close to several service launches and expansions, including Apple Fitness+ in Singapore, Apple Creator Studio, global podcast subscriptions and new App Store marketing tools.

The timing is notable. Apple’s services business has posted record years, and gaming is becoming a sharper battleground as platforms chase engagement and recurring revenue. Singh’s brief sits at the intersection of content, community and commerce.

In a market where attention is scarce and loyalty scarcer, Apple is betting that sharper storytelling and smarter marketing can keep users inside its ecosystem. Singh now holds the megaphone. The real test will be how loudly the world listens.

Applications

Cloud nine in the capital Bharathcloud plugs Delhi into its AI plans

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Bharathcloud is bringing its cloud closer to power. The Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider has opened its Delhi office, marking its formal entry into North India and setting the stage for its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as India’s digital transformation fuels rising demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure, driven by wider adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and data-heavy applications. With the new office, Bharathcloud plans to onboard more than 100 employees in 2026, strengthening its workforce to support customers across government, enterprises, MSMEs and social sectors.

The Delhi presence is expected to sharpen the company’s engagement with organisations seeking secure, scalable and cost-efficient cloud platforms that comply with India’s data sovereignty requirements. It also positions Bharathcloud closer to policy, public sector and enterprise decision-makers in the region.

Founded in Hyderabad, Bharathcloud offers AI-ready cloud infrastructure including Kubernetes-as-a-Service, zero-trust security architecture and multi-level data protection frameworks. Its platform supports AI and ML workloads, blockchain application migration from hyperscalers and distributed data management, with an emphasis on reliability, low latency and operational continuity.

“With the Delhi expansion, we are positioning Bharathcloud to engage more closely with AI-driven enterprises and technology hubs in North India,” said Bharathcloud co-founder Rahul Takallapally. He added that the move would help nurture local cloud and AI talent while accelerating the adoption of secure and resilient AI infrastructure across sectors.

The company currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, employing over 200 people and serving more than 1,500 clients across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, IT and media. Aligned with national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India, Bharathcloud continues to focus on building indigenous AI-cloud infrastructure to support data localisation and the country’s growing appetite for next-generation digital solutions.

With its Delhi office now live, the company is signalling a clear intent: to make sovereign, AI-ready cloud infrastructure not just an alternative, but a mainstream choice for India’s north as well as its tech capitals.