Rajesh S Kurup In Mumbai

Stories by Rajesh S Kurup In Mumbai

Telecom firms ring in web ambassadors

Telecom firms ring in web ambassadors

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2009

Idea joins Vodafone to use the fun route on the Net.

How Indian firms kept Net alive when Taiwan rocked

How Indian firms kept Net alive when Taiwan rocked

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2009

This was the most serious cable disruption since 2001, when a submarine cable connecting the mainland with the US was cut off.

Multiple SIMs weigh heavy on operators

Multiple SIMs weigh heavy on operators

Rediff.com   26 Aug 2009

For example, Idea Cellular posted a 0.7 per cent decline in the average minutes of use per subscriber in the first quarter of the current financial year, partly because of the increasing use of multiple SIM cards. So, too, with Vodafone-Essar. The company admits a fall in usage per subscriber, as an increasing number utilised SIMs of more than one operator, particularly in the new circles.

Android phones call on Indian consumers

Android phones call on Indian consumers

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2009

Samsung Electronics and Motorola are gearing up to launch handsets based on Google's Android operating system in India.

3G guidelines not viable for foreign players

3G guidelines not viable for foreign players

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2009

The restrictions may include an additional licence fee a foreign operator has to foot on, infrastructure hurdles and lack of a brand identity in the country, unlike in the case of a 2G operator.

Wipro close to Rs 1,500-crore IT deal with Etisala

Wipro close to Rs 1,500-crore IT deal with Etisala

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2009

If the deal goes through, this would be the second largest deal for Wipro in the telecom space. Earlier in April, the IT major bagged a Rs 2,500-crore (Rs 25 billion) contract from another new operator, Unitech Wireless. Importantly, Wipro will be pipping seven other IT vendors, including IBM and Tech Mahindra, who were also in discussions with Etisalat, according to sources.

Boeing to replicate US biz structure in India

Boeing to replicate US biz structure in India

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2009

The US-based aircraft manufacturing giant will expand its manufacturing presence, launch subsidiaries and strengthen research and development (R&D) programmes in the country. Jeppesen, a subsidiary of Boeing, is close to setting up an office in Hyderabad, while another, Aviall, the company's spare parts subsidiary, already has operations from Noida.

Telcos dial hard for Africa

Telcos dial hard for Africa

Rediff.com   30 Jul 2009

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd chairman Kuldeep Goyal has been trying to get a foothold in Africa since February this year when the government allowed the state-owned giant to pursue business opportunities in that continent. The five-month old search continues; Goyal says BSNL is looking at acquiring stakes or licences in African markets as and when they are put up for sale.

BSNL-MTNL merger best option for both: Goyal

BSNL-MTNL merger best option for both: Goyal

Rediff.com   21 Jul 2009

A merger between state-run telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd is the best option because it would create the country's largest telecom company, said Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing director of BSNL.

Navi Mumbai real estate prices rise

Navi Mumbai real estate prices rise

Rediff.com   30 Jun 2009

During the past 30 days, prices of medium residential apartments rose by Rs 300-500 per square feet across various nodes in the city. The present prices range at Rs 2,500-3,000 per square foot across nodes like Kamothe, Panvel, Kharghar, Khandeshwar and CDB Belapur, said Srikanth Puduval, a real estate agent.

Airtel allowed to 'unlock' Apple's iPhone

Airtel allowed to 'unlock' Apple's iPhone

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2009

Apple has authorised Bharti Airtel to 'unlock' its 3G iPhones, launched earlier, enabling the Indian company to sell it through their stores to any user, not necessarily only an Airtel subscriber.

MNP may eat into telcos' profits: Study

MNP may eat into telcos' profits: Study

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2009

According to a study by analyst firm Angel Broking, once the MNP facility is operational, mobile operators' average revenues per user, the benchmark of a telecom operator's financial strength, would get adversely impacted by around 5 per cent. Telecom companies' margins would also drop by 100-150 basis points and even earnings per share estimates would be pruned by 9-21 per cent.

India to miss iPhone price cut

India to miss iPhone price cut

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2009

Apple's decision to slash its entry-level iPhone (8 GB version) in the US market will not trickle down to India anytime soon.

Satellite piracy sends strong signals to India

Satellite piracy sends strong signals to India

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2009

A pirate can assemble a system -- including a dish, a receiver and a decorder (together called an STB) for as low as Rs 900-1,000. This, tuned into different frequencies, can steal signals of most of the DTH operators. According to IMI, which represents over 50 companies including big labels like Saregama, Tips, Venus and Sony Music, the music industry derives a substantial amount of their revenues from TV and Internet rights.

RCom, Alcatel-Lucent close to Rs 3,000-crore deal

RCom, Alcatel-Lucent close to Rs 3,000-crore deal

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2009

In what could be one of the largest outsourcing deals in the Indian telecom space, Reliance Communications is close to awarding a $500-600 million (Rs 2,500-3,000 crore) operations and maintenance contract to Foprench telecom infrastructure provider Alactel-Lucent.

PE activity increases: Markets gain

PE activity increases: Markets gain

Rediff.com   5 Jun 2009

While a number of players invested more in Indian companies, another set exited the market, making profits after March. The companies that invested included Saif Partners, which made a $24 million investment in Network18, and Times Private Treaties, which acquired 12 per cent in Jiny & Jony (for an undisclosed sum), according to data with analysts and brokerage firms.

3 firms shortlisted for BSNL's Rs 30,000-cr deal

3 firms shortlisted for BSNL's Rs 30,000-cr deal

Rediff.com   14 May 2009

Three telecom companies - Spanco Telesystems and Solutions, TVS Interconnect Systems (a TVS group firm) and Acme Tele Power - have emerged as the front-runners for state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's (BSNL) Rs 30,000-crore infrastructure contract.

FinMin backs Sebi demand to access phone call data

FinMin backs Sebi demand to access phone call data

Rediff.com   13 May 2009

Move aimed at strengthening Sebi's powers to investigate market-related offences.

Airtel DTH, Big TV cut home movie rates

Airtel DTH, Big TV cut home movie rates

Rediff.com   11 May 2009

Watching movies on direct-to-home has become cheaper, with two major DTH operators, Airtel DTH and Big TV, slashing pay-per-view (PPV) prices of premiere (new) movies. While Airtel DTH has reduced prices of paid movie services by 33 per cent, Big TV has cut prices by around 50 per cent.

Indian firms may fall short of web addresses soon

Indian firms may fall short of web addresses soon

Rediff.com   7 May 2009

According to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority -- the body allocating IP addresses -- there were only 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses of which, 68 per cent have been already allocated and 13 per cent are unavailable due to technical issues. All IP4 addresses will run out by April 2010. This makes it necessary for users to move over to IPv6, or the next version that supports a total of 16 billion IP addresses.