Samreen Ahmad &Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Stories by Samreen Ahmad &Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Silver Lake's love affair with India continues

Silver Lake's love affair with India continues

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2020

The PE biggie has committed to pumping money into Jio Platforms, Byju's and Reliance Retail so far this year - all marquee names in their respective sectors.

Covid spurs matured-stage start-ups to advance their IPO plans

Covid spurs matured-stage start-ups to advance their IPO plans

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2020

In the past few days, many companies, including fashion e-tailer Nykaa, food delivery platform Zomato, logistics and delivery firm Delhivery, insurance discovery platform PolicyBazaar, eyewear retail chain Lenskart, and edtech and online tutoring firm Byju's, have openly spoken about their IPO plans.

Indian telcos' 5G rollout is mired in controversy

Indian telcos' 5G rollout is mired in controversy

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2020

The operators say that the move to have an India-specific standard will raise the costs not only of telecom networks but of chipsets for mobile devices because they will have to be made for the local market and, as such, will not enjoy global economies of scale.

How IT cos' WFH plan is turning the planet green

How IT cos' WFH plan is turning the planet green

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2020

Indirect emissions account for a major chunk of emissions by Indian IT firms. Business travel and commutation, together, are a key reason for it. If travel and daily commuting go down, so does carbon emissions.

Kia Sonet: Made in India, made for the world

Kia Sonet: Made in India, made for the world

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2020

The compact segment where Sonet will be launched is crowded with the Maruti Vitara and Brezza, which top the sales' list, and a bevy of models from Mahindra & Mahindra apart from Hyundai's offering. But volumes in this are slightly higher than those in the mid-segment, making it attractive, says Surajeet Das Gupta.

Telcos must fork out Rs 44,000 crore to replace expired spectrum

Telcos must fork out Rs 44,000 crore to replace expired spectrum

Rediff.com   21 Sep 2020

The figure is based on the base price of spectrum for the upcoming auction fixed by the TRAI and on the assumption that there will be no bidding war.

Brand Dhoni pads up for new innings

Brand Dhoni pads up for new innings

Rediff.com   21 Sep 2020

He has slashed his price by half after retiring. Now his rates are in line with Amitabh Bachchan or Ayushmann Khurrana. In 2012 he had 22 endorsements, now he has 40!

No plan to exclude Chinese firms from 5G infra projects: Minister

No plan to exclude Chinese firms from 5G infra projects: Minister

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2020

The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs.

Jio plans to roll out 100 million low-cost phones by December

Jio plans to roll out 100 million low-cost phones by December

Rediff.com   16 Sep 2020

To help 2G customers who have to buy a new phone to upgrade to 4G, the company had earlier introduced 4G feature phones, to make it affordable for them to make the switch.

Tiger Global, others invest $225 mn in parent of IPL title sponsor Dream11

Tiger Global, others invest $225 mn in parent of IPL title sponsor Dream11

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2020

The new round values the company at $2.5 billion, more than double the over $1 billion valuation Dream 11 enjoyed in April 2019 when it was declared the country's first gaming unicorn.

How Covid has triggered wave of innovations in India

How Covid has triggered wave of innovations in India

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2020

Some of these items of consumption include ultraviolet disinfectants and sanitising boxes, free-finger touch devices, do-it-yourself grooming kits, self-cleaning water bottles, smart tiffin boxes, hand-sanitizer wearables, antiviral fabrics, tiles, flooring and mattresses, and anti-fogging glasses.

With Ambani upping the ante, Jio looks to dial disruption 2.0

With Ambani upping the ante, Jio looks to dial disruption 2.0

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

Jio's global partnerships took shape this year when Jio Platforms, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Reliance Jio which has invested in various digital platforms, was able to woo a bevy of marquee investors: Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Intel, and a numerous PE funds.

Is this the best time for Amazon, Verizon to invest in Voda Idea?

Is this the best time for Amazon, Verizon to invest in Voda Idea?

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

In order to determine whether this would be sound strategy for them, one needs to look at two issues: One, on the alliances being built globally between telcos, on one hand, and cloud service firms, on the other, especially with the advent of 5G; and two, how their business strategies in India will blend into with such a deal.

Post sale of Future group, Biyani will keep home retailing biz going

Post sale of Future group, Biyani will keep home retailing biz going

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

Future's home retailing interests, including furniture and furnishings, are housed under Praxis Home Retail, which was created in FY18 when the group demerged the business from Future Retail.

PUBG Mobile sheds China link to woo Indian gamers

PUBG Mobile sheds China link to woo Indian gamers

Rediff.com   9 Sep 2020

Even though PUBG Corporation is a South Korean company with its headquarters in Seoul, Tencent Gaming, a subsidiary of Chinese investment and technology giant Tencent, holds the global franchise for the mobile version of the game.

Edtech start-up Eruditus gets funding from Zuckerberg duo

Edtech start-up Eruditus gets funding from Zuckerberg duo

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2020

Eruditus runs on a partnership model with top global universities such as MIT, Columbia, Harvard, Cambridge, INSEAD, Wharton, and UC Berkeley, offering courses in coding, data science, fintech, block chain, and entrepreneurship.

Can Gondal's FAU-G tackle PUBG's withdrawal pangs?

Can Gondal's FAU-G tackle PUBG's withdrawal pangs?

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2020

According to nCore Games, FAU-G will be based on real scenarios encountered by the Indian security forces to deal with both domestic and foreign threats, with its first level set against the Galwan Valley backdrop. The start-up is planning to monetise the venture through in-game purchase where people will be able to buy better items in the game like better armour for an enhanced gaming experience.

Wings clipped, ad body looks at a 'co-regulating' role with govt

Wings clipped, ad body looks at a 'co-regulating' role with govt

Rediff.com   2 Sep 2020

Newly formed CCPA will now regulate false and misleading advertising and also take action to punish offenders, whether through fines, discontinuance, alteration of the ad, or even jail. ASCI as a voluntary, self-regulatory body, had no legal powers to enforce its actions.

Pandemic brings windfall for e-pharma companies

Pandemic brings windfall for e-pharma companies

Rediff.com   27 Aug 2020

The online pharmacy market, which was worth about $512 million in 2018, is growing at a CAGR of 63 per cent and is expected to hit overall revenues of over $3.6 billion by 2022.

WhiteHat Jr making an aggressive bid to go global

WhiteHat Jr making an aggressive bid to go global

Rediff.com   24 Aug 2020

Next month, the edtech start-up, that teaches coding to kids online, is launching operations in five new markets - the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.