Rajesh S Kurup &Amp; Nevin John In Mumbai

Stories by Rajesh S Kurup &Amp; Nevin John In Mumbai

India is only hope for WiMAX in South Asia

India is only hope for WiMAX in South Asia

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2009

The only hope for WiMax operations in South Asia will be India, according to the Yankee Group, since even in countries like the US and other advanced nations, the technology "cannot be rated as successful".

Grupo Mexico counters Sterlite, again

Grupo Mexico counters Sterlite, again

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2009

The takeover battle for United States copper miner Asarco continues to rage, as its estranged parent Grupo Mexico has offered $1.3 billion to counter Sterlite Industries' offer for the second time.

How Larsen & Toubro got it wrong

How Larsen & Toubro got it wrong

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2009

"The price quoted by L&T (Rs 45.90) in the financial bid is fairly decent, compared with the share price of Satyam in the last three months. The team of (L&T chairman) A M Naik never expected that anybody could quote 10 per cent above their price, as there was no clarity on Satyam's liabilities. Even if somebody had quoted less than 10 per cent of what L&T quoted, the company could have raised the bid in the open bidding round," said a source in L&T.

New telcos to invest $2 bn

New telcos to invest $2 bn

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2009

Firming up their rollout plans, the new telecom licensees will invest around $2 billion in the next four months for the rollout of their services.

RIL to sell fuel in US, Europe

RIL to sell fuel in US, Europe

Rediff.com   10 Apr 2009

A company executive said unlike India, the price of petrol changed on a daily basis in the US. "In India, we don't have a level playing field, since the government gives public sector oil marketing companies subsidies. Since the RIL refineries operate on better refining margins, we could earn more revenue from free markets," he said. "We have better understanding beyond a theoretical knowledge about the US and European markets after our long experience in these markets."

Telcos look to join the IPL

Telcos look to join the IPL

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2009

New services will bring the IPL to mobile phone screens.

The war over mobile tariffs

The war over mobile tariffs

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2009

The initial euphoria over reduction in mobile termination charges (MTC) seems to be dying down, with telecom service providers now alleging that the process is completely "flawed".

Stake sale for new telecom licensees may be eased

Stake sale for new telecom licensees may be eased

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2009

But half the 'profit' should be ploughed back into the company, says Trai.

Internet connections get 20 times faster

Internet connections get 20 times faster

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2009

CDMA operators are launching services that offer speeds of up to 3.1 mbps. On a comparative basis, this is faster by over 20 times than the existing wireless broadband connections, and 10 times faster than average broadband connections in the country. However, the upload and download speeds do not match the advertised speeds, which can be misleading for users.

Dual-SIM patent-holder demands royalty

Dual-SIM patent-holder demands royalty

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2009

Customs officials have been directed to stop shipments of such phones. Industry experts expect the move to hit the sales of dual-SIM handsets, which are imported into the country by companies including Nokia, Samsung, Meridian Mobile and Spice. More importantly, this could also affect the plans to manufacture these handsets in the country. It is estimated that around 100,000 dual-SIM phones are sold in the country every month.

A shot in the arm for India's auto industry

A shot in the arm for India's auto industry

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2009

Part of government strategy to push demand.

Narayana Murthy to be comic book hero

Narayana Murthy to be comic book hero

Rediff.com   6 Mar 2009

Murthy's life story is to be the content of a new comic to be brought out by Amar Chitra Katha, the popular comic book series, making him the first living person to be featured in the Amar Chitra Katha series, which mostly focuses on popular Indian myths and legends.ACK Media, the publisher, will follow this up with stories of famous personalities like cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and former Indian President and Bharat Ratna award winner, APJ Abdul Kalam.

Delay in WiMax auction to cost India $2.2 bn

Delay in WiMax auction to cost India $2.2 bn

Rediff.com   2 Mar 2009

A delay would also result in a loss of opportunity to add at least 10 million broadband customers per year, which would have helped increase broadband penetration. India had a total of 5.65 million broadband connections as on January 31, 2009, way below the 9-million subscriber target set by the DoT for 2007. The meagre growth -- the country is adding around 1 million subscribers per annum -- will make it difficult to meet the government's target of 20 million users by 2010.

Tata group faces FCCB problems

Tata group faces FCCB problems

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2009

After the rechristening of Telco to Tata Motors in 2003, one of the auto-maker's earliest decision was to settle its high-cost debts of around Rs 500 crore with the proceeds from foreign currency convertible bonds, or FCCBs. The company had raised $100 million and repaid the debt.

Reliance Retail struggles to beat slowdown blues

Reliance Retail struggles to beat slowdown blues

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2009

Reliance Retail has added 485 stores in the last one year, taking the total count to 950 and the footprint is now spread across 77 cities (58 in the last one year) across India. While his critics say Ambani may have lost the plot as the progress of his retail plans are nowhere near what he had sought to achieve, others feel the Reliance chief is just being pragmatic given the not-so-conducive environment for expansion in retail.

Want to reach somewhere quickly? Use your mobile

Want to reach somewhere quickly? Use your mobile

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2009

Reliance Communications has decided to launch a call centre to help its subscribers locate a particular destination. It will give information on the shortest route to a destination, important places to visit while travelling to another city, location of theatres, hospitals and ATMs. The information, if required, will also be texted to user. The service, currently in its pilot phase, will be launched across the country within a fortnight.

Anil Ambani puts channel plans on hold

Anil Ambani puts channel plans on hold

Rediff.com   18 Feb 2009

A company executive said that the Anil Ambani group is still keen on foraying into television broadcasting business. The top-line of broadcasters was shrinking in the December-ended quarter on the back of economic slowdown and the consequent slowdown in advertising revenues, said the latest Ficci & KPMG report.

Vodafone blocks Netcore's free SMS

Vodafone blocks Netcore's free SMS

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2009

Netcore offers the service 'MyToday' to 3.8 million mobile phone users in the country. Jain was the founder of IndiaWorld Communications, a small start-up, which was acquired in 1999 by IT major Sify Technologies for around Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion).

BIG TV walks out of IPL deal after spat with Sony

BIG TV walks out of IPL deal after spat with Sony

Rediff.com   13 Feb 2009

Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group-controlled BIG TV has withdrawn from partnering the Indian Premier League, alleging discrimination by the league's broadcast rights-holder Sony Entertainment Television.BIG TV has communicated its decision to IPL CEO Sundar Raman, alleging that SET has decided to offer the contract to competitor Airtel DTH, though it quoted a lower price for on-air partnership, sources said. When contacted, a BIG TV spokesperson declined to comment.

GSM foray to have limited impact on competitors

GSM foray to have limited impact on competitors

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2009

With the existing operators garnering the high-average revenue per user subscriber, new service providers like RCom has to look at new customers," Gartner principal research analyst Naresh Singh said.