Wednesday, April 30, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

Alibaba ventures into Indian market, in partnership with Network 18

Posted: 30 Apr 2008 02:44 AM CDT

AlibabaWorld’s largest B2B portal Alibaba.com has tied up with India’s largest yellow pages company, Infomedia India (owned by Network 18 Fincap) to officially foray into the lucrative Indian market and cater the needs of 80 lakh small and medium Indian businesses.

Globally, Alibaba has 27 million users across 200 countries, out of which 0.4 million users are situated in India which are mainly trading in textiles, jewellery, auto parts and chemicals. For Alibaba, India is among the top three markets along with US and South-East Asia and represents represents 8% of its total business.

Alibaba connects buyers and sellers globally and earn revenues through online advertising and paid subscriptions from sellers. With this partnership, Alibaba expects to double its Indian membership through a combinations of offline and online models.

Infomedia would provide direct customer support to Alibaba’s Indian users and create awareness about Alibaba’s products to its listed 750,000 businesses through is 650 salespeople.

The venture may prove to be successful as Alibaba has a global credential and a fare reputation for transactions. It also guarantee supplier’s credibility through its verification systems called GoldSupplier pass (available only in Chinese provinces) and TrustPass (for suppliers outside China).

The venture may even gain further strength, if indeed Microsoft takes over Yahoo! as latter holds a 39% stake in Alibaba.com. In such as scenario, Microsoft would be able to use its global clout to establish its business presence.


Alibaba ventures into Indian market, in partnership with Network 18 - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

What happens next after Bajaj Auto demerger?

Posted: 16 Apr 2008 06:55 AM CDT

Bajaj AutoPost demerger of Reliance industries Ltd., the next demerger to happen in Indian corporate is the demerger of Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL).

The record date fixed for demerger was March 25, 2008 as a consequence of which shareholders of the Bajaj Auto will receive shares of the three demerged new companies in the ratio of one share each for every one share held in Bajaj Auto.

The 3 new companies formed as a consequence of the merger are along with their business activities and individual acquisition costs are as under:

1. Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) - auto business (22.1%)
2. Bajaj Finserv Ltd (BFSL) - wind energy generation, insurance, consumer finance (21.4%)
3. Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd (BHIL) - investments and new business opportunities (56.5%)

Also the name of listed Bajaj Auto Ltd has been changed to Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd.

The shares of the newly formed companies is expected to list around end of April and there would be no tax implication for shareholders on receiving the new shares.

The only tax liability that would arise for shareholders is when these shares are sold and that would depend on the time period of holding of the original Baja Auto shares.

After calculating the acquisition cost of individual shares according to the percentage mentioned above, the capital gains tax would be calculated. If period of holding is more than 1 year, then all gains would be tax free. If shares are sold within one year of purchase of Baja Auto shares, then shareholder would have to pay 15% short term capital gains tax.

Historically, demerger has led to creation of wealth for shareholders as has been recently seen in two successful cases of demeger of Reliance Industries and Indiabulls.

Though it remains to be seen how the Bajaj management approaches with the new companies as in this the demerger has not gone well with market as can be seen from the share price trends of Bajaj Holdings Ltd. Link


What happens next after Bajaj Auto demerger? - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

What does entry of Virgin Mobile means to Indian consumers?

Posted: 16 Apr 2008 04:28 AM CDT

Virgin Mobile IndiaFor the last one month, there has been lot of buzz created around with the launch of Virgin Mobile into the Indian market, and many people have been comparing it with the likes of another UK telecom major, Vodafone.

However Virgin Mobile does not have neither the network nor the spectrum to start its mobile operations. It is just an agreement with Tata Teleservices wherein Virgin Group has a brand franchise arrangement targeted primarily at the youth segment.

Neither is the arrangement under MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) format. Under this format, companies buy airtime in bulk from service providers for resale to consumers. Virgin Mobile is just using Tata’s distribution network and complement its existing brand Tata Indicom.

According to a Morgan Stanley report, the offerings of Virgin Mobile are cheaper by 25-30% than similar schemes of competitors. Also, it has launched innovative schemese such as paying customers 10 paise for every minute of incoming calls they receive, contrary to olden days when you had to pay for an incoming call.

Even the TV advertisiements of Virgin Mobile have struch a cord with viewers owing to its smart placements and humour.

The Virgin Mobile service is currently available in select cities only and has been strategically focussed on high street stores and malls where there is more orientation towards youth.

In future, the offering may widen to cover more cities but the scale of operations and offers may be limited such as to have a niche customer base and also not to overlap with existing setup of Tata Indicom services.


What does entry of Virgin Mobile means to Indian consumers? - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

ICICI Bank raises balance requirement to maintain a Savings A/c

Posted: 15 Apr 2008 10:19 PM CDT

ICICI BranchICICI BranchIn a move which would affect 15% of its total savings banks account, ICICI Bank has increased the minimum quarterly average balance required for its savings accounts from current Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 w.e.f. July 1, 2008.

The revision has been made after a long gap and according to the bank is due to rise in infrastructure costs. However, this may also be a part of the company's change in strategic focus as it would have fulfilled its targeted customer base and would have wanted to switch to accounts with higher deposits.

As the cost of maintaining a low and high balance amount works out to be the same for the bank, the bank would have thought it's better to serve high value accounts rather than regular accounts.

Although, zero balance and special accounts like salary, senior citizens and no-frills accounts would continue to enjoy the same privilege as earlier.

With this rise, ICICI Bank joins Kotak Mahindra Bank to become the most expensive bank to maintain a Saving Bank A/c. Other private sector banks continue like HDFC, Axis continues to have Rs.5000 as minimum average quarterly balance.

On the other hand, PSU banks still have Rs.500 / Rs.1000 as balance requirements while most foreign banks require Rs.10000 as minimum QAB.

The current penalty for non-maintenance of QAB for ICICI Bank customer is Rs.750 + 12.36% service tax. And with rise in QAB, the penalty amount is also expected to rise proportionally, considering ICICI penchant for levying charges on non-fulfillment of bank requirements.


ICICI Bank raises balance requirement to maintain a Savings A/c - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Your mobile number is going to change

Posted: 15 Apr 2008 01:25 AM CDT

Mobile DIgitsCome next year, and you may have to update all your mobile and phone directories as all mobile numbers will then have 11 digits instead of current 10 digits with ‘9′ being prefixed to all mobile numbers and thus ‘99′ will become the first two digits of every mobile number.

The above plan is another testimony to growing mobile market in India with 8 million mobile subscribers being added each month and total subscribers to soon overtake that of US subscribers becoming the second  largest mobile market in the world.

However, the fixed line phone numbers would continue to remain as is it is. While all GSM and CDMA subscribers whether old or new, would now have 11 digit numbers.

All the new telephone operators like Unitech, Shyam Telelink, Videocon among others would be alloted series of number starting with 90 and 91.

Apart from India, China and UK follow 11-digit numbers, while USA has a more integrated pattern of common numbering plan with similar numbers for mobile as well as landline numbers, much like Tata ‘Walky’ and Reliance ‘Hello’. via


Your mobile number is going to change - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Vodafone Bringing Apple iPhone to India in September 2008

Posted: 15 Apr 2008 12:44 AM CDT

iphone vodafone india It’s time for unlocked iPhone sellers in India to close shop as cell operator Vodafone is officially bringing the much awaited iPhone to the country in September this year. The price of iPhone in India will be around 28k.

Steve Jobs hinted last month that iPhone launch in India would happen sometime in 2008 and that Apple may not restrict the iPhone distribution deal to just one operator like they do in the US where AT&T is the exclusive distributor.

According to BS, Apple could make iPhone accessible though other telecom carriers in India like Reliance or Airtel. Earlier reports suggested that iPhone in India could debut at Reliance Retail - that obviously didn’t happen but the Vodafone - Apple deal suddenly makes lot of sense.


Vodafone Bringing Apple iPhone to India in September 2008 - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Thursday, April 10, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

DCB merging with larger bank - impending action

Posted: 10 Apr 2008 07:02 AM CDT

DCB LogoAfter the recent Centurion Bank of Punjab merger with HDFC Bank, there are talks that Development Credit Bank, a mid-sized private sector bank may merge with a larger private sector or a foreign bank before 2009.

Though the move has been denied by the company’s management, but one thing that emerges out is that they are looking to scale up their operations and without consolidation, same would be almost impossible to achieve.

To carefully put it, the bank says is would like to ‘merge’ rather than ‘get acquired’. By this they would mean that they can acquire few small banks to enter into big league bank.

But for a bank which broke even just last year, it would be a tough task to achieve its aim and take on big league banks who already have a formidable presence across the country.

There were even talks of HDFC acquiring DCB, which has been denied strongly saying that HDFC 2.32% stake in the bank is just financial investment and not a strategic one.

Earlier, Tata Capital had picked up a stake in DCB fuelling speculation of a takeover.

But post 2009, with big stakeholders in DCB like The Aga Khan Fund, Citibank, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch having substantial stake in the bank, the interest in bank would certainly increase giving rise to possibility of a merger.


DCB merging with larger bank - impending action - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

MAGLEV TRAIN

China tests new magnetic-levitation train

First maglev train to be locally made can travel up to 100 mph
BEIJING - China successfully tested a locally made magnetic levitation train, the first time the
country has achieved the feat without using foreign technology, state media reported Monday.
The 20-ton test maglev train ran steadily Sunday on a 1,400-foot experimental line in the
provincial capital of Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan province, the official Xinhua
News Agency said Monday.
The test train can hold 60 people and travel up to 100 mph, Xinhua reported, citing Zhang
Kunlun, deputy director of the School of Electrical Engineering at the Southwest Jiaotong
University in Chengdu.
The maglev train was developed by a research team at the university, one of China's key
engineering schools, Xinhua reported. The technology uses powerful magnets to suspend a train
above a track and propel it at high speeds.
The cost of the Chinese maglev train is low, and it is suitable for urban traffic, Zhang said.
"The successful test of the train shows that China has mastered the technology of
low-to-medium speed maglev trains," he was quoted as saying.
China is home to the world's first commercially operating maglev train, which links one of
Shanghai's airports with the city's financial district.
The rail line was built with German technology. Japan had lobbied China to use its Shinkansen
bullet train technology for the line, while France pitched its TGV system.
The Chinese government said earlier that work will begin this year on a second maglev line
linking Shanghai and the resort city of Hangzhou, a $4.4-billion, high-speed line that can run
trains at up to 280 mph.
The new line, due to launch by 2010, will cut travel time from Shanghai to Hangzhou to a
half-hour from the current two hours.

FACTS TO MAKE EVERY INDIAN PROUD

Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard (hp) ?

A. Rajiv Gupta


Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?

A. Vinod Dahm


Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6 th position now.

Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?
A. Sabeer Bhatia

Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?

A. Arun Netravalli

Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?

A. Sanjay Tejwrika




Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?

A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.


Q. We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives.
There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.


Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now k! nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.

9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53.
10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.

11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

13. Chess was invented in India .
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .
15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation).
16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.



Quotes about India .
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Albert Einstein.




India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition.
Mark Twain.

If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India .
French scholar Romain Rolland.

India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
Hu Shih
(former Chinese ambassador to USA )


ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.
BUT, if we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that we see today, it clearly means that we are not working up to our potential; and that if we do, we could once again be an evershining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow.
I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA .


Say proudly, I AM AN INDIAN.

mobile satellite systems

Mobile Satellite Systems
• Like cellular systems, except that the base
stations (i.e., satellites) move as will as
mobile devices
• Satellite coverage attractive for areas of world
not well served by existing terrestial
infrastructure: ocean areas, developing
countries

• Interesting aspects of the satellite link:
– 270 ms propagation delay (geosync)
– Transmission cost independent of distance
– Very high bit rates are possible; can avoid bandwidth
limitations of terrestrial links
– An inherently broadcast medium
– Dynamic assignment of channels between geographically
dispersed users
– A transmitting station can receive its own transmission;
can be exploited for transmission control


• Assigned Frequencies
– P Band: 0.225-0.39 GHz
– J Band: 0.35-0.53 GHz
– L Band: 0.39-1.55 GHz
– S Band: 1.55-5.2 GHz
– C Band: 3.9-6.2 GHz
– X Band: 5.2-10.9 GHz
– K Band: 10.9-36.0 GHz
– Ku Band: 15.35-17.25 GHz
– Q Band: 36-46 GHz
– V Band: 46-56 GHz
– W Band: 56-100 GHz
• Antenna gain proportional to Æ’2, free space loss to 1/Æ’2
• Counterbalanced by noise and absorption issues
Earlier satellites, interference
with terrestrial microwave links
(4/6 GHz)
Newer generation satellite
systems (14/16 GHz)
Also interest in 20/30 GHz
systems (Ka Band, NASA ACTS)

Thursday, April 3, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration


Google India Brings Voice Search to Hyderabad

Posted: 03 Apr 2008 10:56 AM CDT

google voice search Google India has introduced phone based local search in Hyderabad where you can call a toll free number to learn about restaurants, movie halls and other businesses in your vicinity.

The number is 1 800 41 99 99 99.

For example, you can call Google on this toll-free number to get details about restaurants that serve Mexican cuisine and then ask Google itself to forward your call to a particular restaurant so you can book a table.

Syed Abbas who is based in Hyderabad and experienced the service first hand writes - "This service is not any different from Just Dial, but as its new expect the unexpected. For example when I called for some information I received 4 SMS messages after I hung up."

Syed also adds that Google local search cannot be used by Vodafone customers in Hyderabad as they do not allow calls to 1-800 numbers.

Related: Find a Good Restaurant in your City


Google India Brings Voice Search to Hyderabad - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS























Wednesday, April 2, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

Real estate sector scenario in India – slowdown is the buzz word

Posted: 02 Apr 2008 12:31 PM CDT

Real Estate SlowdownThe unending euphoria of real estate sector in India witnessed during the last few years is finally starting showing signs of ebbing. The talks of new malls, complexes, residential projects being built are all now being kept under bags.

There is an overall slowdown in demand across India as has been experienced by industry players. Property prices and rentals are correcting which have led to the erosion in market capitalisation of many listed players like DLF and Unitech.

The slowdown is aided by the fall in stock markets as wealth creation does not happen and there is lack of capital among investors to invest in real estate projects. Also, to adjust their share market losses, many investors are forced to sell off their real estate properties.

Other factors that have led to the slowdown is the increase in interest rates leading to higher costs. Also income levels have not risen in proportion to the increase in property prices thus forcing many potential buyers out of the market.

Also with rising input costs of steel, iron and building material, it has become unviable for builders to construct properties at agreed prices. As a result, there may be a delay in project completion leading to financial constraints.

Many residential buyers are waiting a price correction before buying a property, which can affect development plans of builders.

Also with IT industry continuously experiencing a slowdown, there may be further constraints on residential as well as commercial demand since IT/ITES segment accounts for 70% of the total commercial demand.

So real estate players may continue to face liquidity concerns in future due to rising costs and unfavourable stock market conditions for further capital raising.

Only those players who have achieved substantial revenues from past deals could expect to rise against the tide. But the scenario may get worsen if the upcoming properties are not sold off as it may lead to a financial crisis in the property market.


Real estate sector scenario in India – slowdown is the buzz word - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Another business news channel coming to dethrone CNBC-TV18

Posted: 02 Apr 2008 11:32 AM CDT

UTV ABCUTV has announced the launch of its new business channel UTVi which is expected to hit the air in a month.

And continuing its partnership with Disney, UTV has also tied up with Disney-ABC International Television (Asia Pacific), the international TV distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company, for programming and services.

Till date CNBC-TV18 holds 80% market share in English business news space with the rest being shared by NDTV Profit. So there is lot of potential for new entrants due to lack of healthy competition.

UTVi claims to report in simple business terms and cover all business areas much more than shares and stocks.

This gives us an excellent opportunity to provide our reporting to the people of South Asia as well as to enhance our coverage of news in the region.

The collaboration with ABC News offers UTVi audiences a global perspective and international programming.

The partnership with ABC will help it to get international perspective as well as get hold of quality content. UTVi will also air ABC's shows such as 'World News' and 'Good Morning America'.

ABC will provide news from US and it would get news and analysis from Indian markets. It will also get its presence felt in South Asian markets to widen its reach.

The deal marks entry of another global news channel into the market. Earlier TV18 was the first to partner CNBC while NDTV has inked a deal with NBC.


Another business news channel coming to dethrone CNBC-TV18 - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

India Inc. at Digital Inspiration

Videocon looks to buy Motorola handset biz to derive telecom synergy

Posted: 01 Apr 2008 11:10 AM CDT

Motorola StoreVideocon Group is doing what it knows best, buying out global electronic giants. After Thomson, Electrolux and a failed Daewoo attempt, it is now eyeing world's third largest mobile maker (after Nokia and Samsung) Motorola's handset business.

Motorola a week back had decided to dispose its loss making handset division as its flagship Razr model has been losing sales to Apple's iPhone, RIM's Blackberry and Samsung's BlackJack.

But for Videocon, the deal may mean that it gets to expand its value chain since it already retails consumer durables and has acquired licence to offer mobile phone service in 22 circles through its subsidiary Datacom.

Videocon also has a retail network of 1000 shops through Next and recently acquired Planet M stores.

With India expected to become second biggest wireless market in world, Videocon can expect to win substantial number of customers.

As per Merrill Lynch valuations, Motorola’s handset business may be worth about $3.8 billion which is more than twice the market value of Videocon Industries Ltd. With stock market witnessing a bearish phase, it will be difficult for Videocon to get appropriate funding for the deal.

Videocon also lacks in having expertise in mobile phone software which is much needed for bringing the Motorola's handset business back to profitability.

If indeed the deal materialises, due to growing financial constraints, it may not go down well for Videocon's share price as has been recently witnessed in Tata Motors and Jaguar-Land Rover deal.


Videocon looks to buy Motorola handset biz to derive telecom synergy - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

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