Surajeet Das Gupta, Thomas K Thomas In New Delhi

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta, Thomas K Thomas In New Delhi

Rupee hits automakers' export drive

Rupee hits automakers' export drive

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2007

Hyundai Motors India hopes to export over 250,000 cars next year from India, twice this year's number. Yet, Managing Director H S Lheem said this performance will not be without its problems. In fact, ebullient exports may end up denting the company's bottom line.

No need for Noida airport, DIAL tells govt

No need for Noida airport, DIAL tells govt

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2007

Responding to a cabinet proposal to build a new airport in Jewar, Noida, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the joint venture that operates Delhi airport, has told the ministry of civil aviation that the expanded capacity of the modernised airport will take care of the entire traffic requirement in the 150-km catchment area around Delhi for the next 20 years. Jewar is 68 km from Delhi airport.

ICICI Venture to float $2 bn real estate fund

ICICI Venture to float $2 bn real estate fund

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2007

The fund, which will be launched next month, will have a tenure of ten years and the money will be invested in projects within three years. The fund from the country's largest private equity fund (it manages assets of over $2.5 billion in a diversified portfolio) comes just 18 months after it launched a real estate fund of $500 million. Of this, it has already invested 70 per cent in various projects.

New mobile licence: Who are in the lead?

New mobile licence: Who are in the lead?

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2007

Going by application dates, companies like Spice, Birla-promoted Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications (through Swan and Cheetah) and Hindustan Futuristic are in the lead for licences in different circles. The only new player in the list is the little-known ByCell.Several incumbents like Idea Cellular, Maxis-Aircell, owned by a Malaysian promoter, and Vodafone-Essar lead the list of applicants for initial spectrum allocation since they already hold licences.

Pitroda among telecom licence applicants

Pitroda among telecom licence applicants

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2007

The rush to enter the world's fastest-growing mobile services market has attracted a wide range of applicants for telecom licences with the Department of Telecommunications.

Govt against bids for allotting rural mobile tower

Govt against bids for allotting rural mobile tower

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2007

These towers will be offered in the second phase of a scheme, launched in July this year, to provide subsidy to companies who want to build towers in various clusters and run mobile services in rural areas.

Naukri.com creates SC/ST database

Naukri.com creates SC/ST database

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2007

Naukri.com, which voluntarily started gathering data about caste from registered job seekers from May 2006, said 19 per cent of them were women, 3.4 per cent OBCs, 0.8 per cent SCs and 0.2 per cent STs. There are over 130,000 OBCs, 38,000 SCs and STs, 760,000 women, and 8,000 physically challenged job seekers registered on the job portal.

DLF, AT&T in talks for mobile services

DLF, AT&T in talks for mobile services

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2007

AT&T has also applied for a universal access service licence (UASL), which allows operators to offer services in both GSM and CDMA technology, with the Mahindra & Mahindra group, for 22 circles. The US company, however, has stipulated that it wants a majority equity stake in the mobile venture.

Private telecom players, govt on war path

Private telecom players, govt on war path

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2007

It was discovered that state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited was given additional spectrum of up to 10 MHz for GSM technology services in over 16 circles even as private competitors have been waiting to be allotted spectrum by the DoT.

BSNL gets spectrum, private telcos cry foul

BSNL gets spectrum, private telcos cry foul

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2007

Tensions between private telecom players and the government ratcheted up a notch after it was discovered that state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd was given additional spectrum of up to 10 MHz for GSM technology services in over 16 circles even as private competitors have been waiting to be allotted spectrum by the Department of Telecommunications since December 2006.

Anil Ambani has retail on mobile in mind

Anil Ambani has retail on mobile in mind

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2007

Branded Mobi-Retail, this service will be offered to the 35 million subscribers of Reliance Communications, who will be able to use their handsets to buy over 100,000 products ranging from fresh vegetables to groceries, readymade garments, toys etc.

DoT's licence norms may be tougher

DoT's licence norms may be tougher

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2007

Among the new guidelines under discussion, DoT is looking at raising the net worth criterion of companies applying for a pan-India UASL licence from Rs 1,380 crore to Rs 1,500 crore.

Hutchison-Essar to be rebranded Vodafone

Hutchison-Essar to be rebranded Vodafone

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2007

No hybrid name, exercise to begin this week.

TV18 Group & movie rights purchases

TV18 Group & movie rights purchases

Rediff.com   6 Sep 2007

Raghav Bahl-promoted media company Television Eighteen Group is paying over Rs 340 crore to buy out the rights of films in two of Bollywood's biggest movie deals.

Trai proposals may make M&As tough

Trai proposals may make M&As tough

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2007

The 40 per cent market share cap suggested by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is likely to make mergers between existing telecom operators extremely tough.

Big retail gets negligible FDI: Commerce ministry

Big retail gets negligible FDI: Commerce ministry

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2007

Despite the controversy over the entry of foreign retail giants, the government has cleared foreign direct investment worth only $3.1 million in retail between February 2006 and May 2007.

ADAG to invest Rs 500 cr to produce 40 movies

ADAG to invest Rs 500 cr to produce 40 movies

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2007

ADAG's push in film production will be through a new subsidiary of Reliance Entertainment, named Big Motion Pictures Ltd.

R-ADAG to launch first telecom tower exchange

R-ADAG to launch first telecom tower exchange

Rediff.com   13 Aug 2007

The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group is setting up TowerX, a tower tenancy exchange platform, through which mobile operators

Defence, DoT lock horns again over spectrum fee

Defence, DoT lock horns again over spectrum fee

Rediff.com   11 Aug 2007

Defence officials contend that the services do not use spectrum for 'commercial purposes' and therefore do not need to pay for it.

Spectrum dearth prompts licence scramble

Spectrum dearth prompts licence scramble

Rediff.com   8 Aug 2007

Some 74 applications for these licences for mobile services are pending with the Department of Telecom.