Neha Alawadhi &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Stories by Neha Alawadhi &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Airtel takes a leaf out of Jio as telecom battle intensifies

Airtel takes a leaf out of Jio as telecom battle intensifies

Rediff.com   13 Sep 2021

When, recently, Bharti Airtel announced a Rs 21,000 crore rights issue, analysts pointed out that its structure was similar to that of Reliance's issue in June 2020. One similarity is that shareholders in both companies have to pay only 25 per cent of the money on application. The rest is to be paid in two tranches. In Bharti Airtel's case, it is within 36 months; in Reliance Jio's, it is within 17 months.

HOTTEST Skills At Campus Placements

HOTTEST Skills At Campus Placements

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2021

'We are anticipating that the hiring trend will continue to see double-digit growth at least for the current financial year.'

'Made in India' iPhones make Apple's 70% India sales

'Made in India' iPhones make Apple's 70% India sales

Rediff.com   6 Sep 2021

In a major push towards 'Make in India', Apple Inc is manufacturing 70 per cent of the mobile phones, in value terms, that it sells in the domestic market, in India, according to sources aware of the development. This is a sharp rise from the figure of 30 per cent just two years ago and marks a major shift in Apple's strategy following the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme that kicked off in FY'21. One of Apple's three vendors here, Foxconn, is currently manufacturing the best-selling model, the Apple 11, along with the Apple 10 and the Apple 12. Another contract manufacturer, Wistron, makes the Apple SE 2020. (The third, Pegatron, has yet to start production). The only models that are imported (they have limited volumes but high value) are the Apple 12 Pro and Pro Max.

Snapdeal plans $350-400 million IPO, eyes $2.5 billion valuation

Snapdeal plans $350-400 million IPO, eyes $2.5 billion valuation

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2021

JM Financial, Axis Bank, and Bank of America have been roped in as the bankers to run the mandate, say sources.

Twitter testing feature to auto block abusive accounts

Twitter testing feature to auto block abusive accounts

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2021

With this feature, tweets found by the microblogging platform's technology to be harmful or uninvited will be autoblocked. This implies that that such profiles will temporarily be unable to follow an account, see their tweets, or send them direct messages.

China's tech crackdown may be good news for Indian start-ups

China's tech crackdown may be good news for Indian start-ups

Rediff.com   2 Sep 2021

The Chinese government is imposing severe restrictions on their tech companies - whether it is on data security, marketing practices or floating an IPO. Should this be music to the ears of Indian start-ups and home-grown private equity (PE) funds? Ask Indian start-ups and the answer is a resounding "yes".

WhatsApp banned 3m Indian accounts, says 2nd compliance report

WhatsApp banned 3m Indian accounts, says 2nd compliance report

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2021

Indian accounts, identified by the "+91" in their mobile numbers, were actioned through WhatsApp's prevention and detection methods, for violating either the laws of India or the company's Terms of Service, the firm said in its compliance report.

What if Vodafone Idea shuts shop?

What if Vodafone Idea shuts shop?

Rediff.com   21 Aug 2021

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have enough capacity to absorb over 113.9 million Vodafone Idea subscribers who are on 4G if Vodafone Idea has to shut operations.

Govt stands to lose whether it saves debt-laden Vodafone Idea or not

Govt stands to lose whether it saves debt-laden Vodafone Idea or not

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2021

The government will have to make substantial payments, as well as forego revenues in FY'23, if it wants to work on the survival of Vodafone Idea because it will have to extend the same incentives to the entire telecom sector. According to estimates, the industry has to spend around Rs 21,000-Rs 25,000 crore for spectrum which it bought on a deferred payment basis. Vodafone Idea has asked for a moratorium for another year (FY23). If granted, the government will have foregone the instalment payout for a third year in a row as it has already provided a moratorium for two years, giving telcos Rs 42,000 crore worth of relief.

Ed-tech giant Byju's eyes $1 billion revenue in US by 2024

Ed-tech giant Byju's eyes $1 billion revenue in US by 2024

Rediff.com   11 Aug 2021

Byju's has quietly moved into other global markets such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It recently launched operations in Latin America.

Hindujas sell health care unit to Baring Private Equity for $1.2 billion

Hindujas sell health care unit to Baring Private Equity for $1.2 billion

Rediff.com   11 Aug 2021

Hinduja Group's business process management entity, Hinduja Global Solutions Limited (HGS) said on Wednesday that it has entered into definitive agreements to divest its Healthcare Services business to funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA), at an enterprise value of $1.2 bilion. The deal is subject to closing adjustments, and is expected to complete within 90 days, subject to shareholder and other regulatory approvals. "The cash that will come in as a result of this transaction will be deployed to growing the business as well as looking at buying some capabilities...where capabilities are important for being able to do a good job of customer experience transformation.

How Tatas plan to grab the $100 billion-plus global 5G market

How Tatas plan to grab the $100 billion-plus global 5G market

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2021

The Tata group's tryst with mobile services, with either CDMA or GSM technology, did not really fly, forcing it to close operations and write off losses. Now the group is back in the big game, this time straddling the telecom equipment, network and technology space in India as well as the global market. To this end, it is leveraging the opportunities that flow from 5G technology through open radio access network, or O-RAN. Recently, the Tata Sons' subsidiary Panatone Finvest acquired 43.3 per cent in Bengaluru-based telecom equipment manufacturer Tejas Network for Rs 1,850 crore and announced it would buy another 26 per cent of the voting capital through an open offer.

Meet C Vijayakumar, Shiv Nadar's successor at HCL Tech

Meet C Vijayakumar, Shiv Nadar's successor at HCL Tech

Rediff.com   9 Aug 2021

C Vijayakumar, the reticent chief executive of HCL Technologies, India's third-largest IT services firm, was recently appointed managing director, succeeding the founder, Shiv Nadar. Back in October 2016, when CVK, as he is popularly called within and outside of HCL, was named CEO, it had been somewhat of a surprise - his elevation being the result of his predecessor, Anant Gupta, suddenly stepping down to "pursue personal interests". CVK, 53, has since taken the firm from under $7 billion to over $10 billion in revenue.

IMD may deploy cutting-edge tech to forecast weather accurately

IMD may deploy cutting-edge tech to forecast weather accurately

Rediff.com   3 Aug 2021

IMD has decided to increasingly use cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in forecasting, both to avoid such glitches and to counter the disruption of normal seasonal patterns as a result of climate change. It has formed various internal sub-groups of senior officials and meteorologists to decide on how best to use AI and ML in predicting cyclone intensity, and in making short-range weather forecasts (those valid for up to three hours) as well as long-range forecasts.

Private Equity Funds toy with Exit via SPACs

Private Equity Funds toy with Exit via SPACs

Rediff.com   3 Aug 2021

Discussion has started between blank check companies in the US and Indian PEs on possible deals in certain key sectors.

Sachin Tendulkar invests $2 mn in JetSynthesys

Sachin Tendulkar invests $2 mn in JetSynthesys

Rediff.com   30 Jul 2021

Sachin Tendulkar has recently made an equity investment of $2 million in digital entertainment and technology company JetSynthesys. The investment further strengthens Tendulkar's relationship with JetSynthesys, as the two already have an existing joint venture for a digital destination for all things cricket, called 100MB, and immersive cricket games Sachin Saga Cricket Champions and Sachin Saga VR. With this investment, Tendulkar joins the bandwagon of existing shareholders of JetSynthesys, who include Adar Poonawalla, Kris Gopalakrishnan, and the multi-billion-dollar family offices of the promoters of Thermax, Triveni Group, Yohan Poonawalla Group and DSP Group.

A peek into Mukesh Ambani's big retail push

A peek into Mukesh Ambani's big retail push

Rediff.com   26 Jul 2021

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance group has struck acquisition deals worth $4.2 billion with a dozen companies in just two years to expand its retail business. The latest purchase was of a majority stake in Justdial for Rs 3,497 crore. Elaborating on his acquisition strategy a few weeks ago during the AGM, Ambani stated that one of the key planks would be to acquire businesses that enhanced Reliance's offerings and experiences to customers and that they would be both physical and digital.

Indians more vulnerable to tech support scams, says Microsoft report

Indians more vulnerable to tech support scams, says Microsoft report

Rediff.com   23 Jul 2021

Indians are more vulnerable to technology support-related scams compared to the global average, and lost over Rs 15,000 on average in such scam, a Microsoft research has found. According to the 2021 Global Tech Support Scam Research report, which looks at tech support scams and their impact, consumers in India experienced a relatively high scam encounter rate of 69 per cent during the past 12 months, close to the 70 per cent rate experienced in 2018. In contrast, there was an overall five-point drop in scam encounters globally with a rate of 59 per cent over the same period. The survey was conducted in Spring 2021 and asked consumers to share their experiences with tech support scams for the year prior (January 2020 to present).

How face-off with Indian govt has boosted Twitter

How face-off with Indian govt has boosted Twitter

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2021

Political controversies aside, Twitter's business in India is expanding, and creating opportunities for Indians, reports Neha Alawadhi.

'IPO won't change how Zomato operates'

'IPO won't change how Zomato operates'

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2021

'We work with a very large restaurant base, we make sure that we're doing the right thing by them, and we're helping them grow because we'll grow only when they do.'