Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Ishita Ayan Dutt

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Ishita Ayan Dutt

Apple seeks more time to comply with EU norm in older iPhones

Apple seeks more time to comply with EU norm in older iPhones

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

Apple Inc has requested the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) to give it 18 to 24 months' exemption to comply with the European Union (EU) regulation of putting an USB charging port in all its older smartphones, mainly iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, which are assembled, exported and also sold in the domestic market. Apple's stance is different from that of Samsung, which has been pushing for an immediate implementation of the EU regulation. All smartphones by the South Korean giant already comply with the EU rules.

Rural push helps Bharti Airtel close in on Reliance Jio in AGR share

Rural push helps Bharti Airtel close in on Reliance Jio in AGR share

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2023

Bharti Airtel has quietly narrowed its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) market share gap with Reliance Jio, the country's largest player in the game, in the last three years. Despite Jio's aggressive entry into 4G and now into 5G, Airtel's gap with Jio, which was 6.4 percentage points in Q1 of FY21 and went up to 7.2 percentage points in Q1 of FY22, has fallen to only 4.4 percentage points in Q1 of FY24. Currently, Reliance Jio's AGR market share is 41.6 per cent while Airtel's is at 37.2 per cent.

Mobile Download Speeds May Surpass...

Mobile Download Speeds May Surpass...

Rediff.com   29 Nov 2023

Most telcos say the speed will surpass fixed broadband as the 5G roll out, which is currently on 360,000 towers, crosses 400,000.

India's Share Of Global FDI Inflow Climbs To 4.2% in Q1 of FY23

India's Share Of Global FDI Inflow Climbs To 4.2% in Q1 of FY23

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2023

This is despite the fact that total FDI into India has fallen by 22 per cent from $58 billion in FY22 to $46 billion in FY23, according to the Reserve Bank of India.

Coming Soon: More Auto Exits From India

Coming Soon: More Auto Exits From India

Rediff.com   23 Nov 2023

Of the 15 car manufacturing companies in India, eight have a market share of below 2 per cent, raising questions about their long-term future in a competitive market that has already seen Ford Motors and General Motors slam the door on India.

Will Tata Steel's global stride with new deal aid profitability?

Will Tata Steel's global stride with new deal aid profitability?

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

It was August 2007. Tata Steel was turning 100. Jamshedpur, its hometown, had an air of celebration. The line-up for the special event included the launch of Air Deccan's commercial flight connecting Kolkata and Jamshedpur, and release of Russi Lala's new book, Romance of Tata Steel. There was also the screening of The Spirit of Steel, a 20-minute documentary directed by Zafar Hai showcasing Tata Steel's legacy, and a corporate anthem penned by Javed Akhtar and composed by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.

Japanese investment giant SoftBank may partially exit Ola, Swiggy, FirstCry

Japanese investment giant SoftBank may partially exit Ola, Swiggy, FirstCry

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2023

Japanese investment giant SoftBank is looking to partially exit from three startups which are aiming at an IPO next year - Ola Electric, Swiggy and First Cry. But its decision will depend on the size of the offer for sale pool in each of the companies. According to sources aware of the strategy, Softbank invested over $850 million collectively in these companies whose value conservatively would go up more than 4.3 times to around $3.7 billion, based on preliminary estimates of their projected valuation when they go public next year.

Indians Work Harder Than Chinese, Americans

Indians Work Harder Than Chinese, Americans

Rediff.com   15 Nov 2023

But Indians work less than smaller countries with small populations like Bhutan, the Congo, Lesotho and Gambia.

Wistron Deal: Tata Gets Global Reach, Apple Gets to Hedge Geopolitical Bets

Wistron Deal: Tata Gets Global Reach, Apple Gets to Hedge Geopolitical Bets

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2023

The government's target of hitting $52 billion to $58 billion in mobile phone exports in FY26 has been faltering; an Indian corporate group with financial muscle will help.

Will Made In India Google Pixel Phones Sell Better?

Will Made In India Google Pixel Phones Sell Better?

Rediff.com   30 Oct 2023

Making the Pixel 8 in India will not necessarily bring the price down -- witness iPhones made in India that are more expensive than those in the US and Dubai.

North trails South in electric scooter sales

North trails South in electric scooter sales

Rediff.com   26 Oct 2023

The state is also the biggest market for TVS, another incumbent player, and together with Bajaj Auto, they accounted for 88 per cent of Maharashtra's total electric scooter sales last month. As many as 8,417 units were sold in Maharashtra in September. Bajaj Auto's contribution was 4,048 vehicles and that of TVS was 3,389, according to model- and state-wise data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

Crisis Brews In Darjeeling's Tea Gardens

Crisis Brews In Darjeeling's Tea Gardens

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

In the last three years, 20 gardens have changed hands, and 90 per cent of the buyers are from non-tea background.

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

"Lady candidates need not apply." So read the postscript in a job notice from Telco (now Tata Motors) on a notice board in the corridors of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (now Bengaluru), in 1974. Irked, Sudha Murty, who was then pursuing her masters in computer science at the institute, wrote a postcard to JRD Tata, expressing her surprise at this gender discrimination, especially since the Tata Group were pioneers on many fronts. Shortly, Murty became the first woman on the firm's shop floor.

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Corporate India is busy restructuring - through mergers, demergers and splits. That seems to be the new normal as CXOs and boards brainstorm on how to create assets and value. The pitch rose significantly during the third quarter of this financial year (FY24), translating into $32.9-billion worth of such deals - the highest quarterly total since the HDFC Bank-HDFC merger announced in FY22 Q2.

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'

Alternatives to China: Vietnam, India slug it out for semiconductor investments

Alternatives to China: Vietnam, India slug it out for semiconductor investments

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2023

India and Vietnam are vying with each other to woo semiconductor companies to their country. With the tension between the US and China escalating, and Taiwan getting vulnerable both countries are trying to present themselves as alternative destinations for global players. Vietnam, which started the effort as early as 2010, has got a leg-up after US President Joe Biden's visit last month.

Strong domestic demand, raw material cost, pushing up steel prices

Strong domestic demand, raw material cost, pushing up steel prices

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2023

Strong demand in the domestic market, coupled with an increase in raw material prices, is pushing up steel prices. According to SteelMint, a market intelligence and price reporting firm, the list price of flat steel has seen an increase of Rs 750-2,000 per tonne for October deliveries. The long steel price witnessed an increase of Rs 1,500 per tonne towards the end of September.

How Zetwerk is shaking up India's smart TV market

How Zetwerk is shaking up India's smart TV market

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Zetwerk is not exactly a household name, but this unicorn, boasting revenues of Rs 11,450 crore as of last year, is among the top four electronics manufacturers in India. The startup is capitalising on a notable trend in smart TV sales - fall in collective shipments from top brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and an uptick in the market share of smaller, regional, and online brands. Emerging as a key Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) player, Zetwerk operates a plant in Haryana that caters to 10 per cent of the country's overall smart TV production capacity.

E-motorcycles: Bhavish Aggarwal Riding High

E-motorcycles: Bhavish Aggarwal Riding High

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Can Bhavish Aggarwal upend the electric two-wheeler market, which is now overwhelmingly in favour of scooters?

Two-wheeler Majors TVS, Bajaj Auto Close the Gap With Startups in EV Game

Two-wheeler Majors TVS, Bajaj Auto Close the Gap With Startups in EV Game

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Bajaj Auto has virtually closed the gap with Ather Energy in September, notching up 6423 EV registrations compared to 6466 registrations by Ather.