News for 'Next Billion Users'

'We were a show of force to the enemy'

'We were a show of force to the enemy'

Rediff.com3 Oct 2022

'Not a single bullet was fired, but we were warning the enemy not to continue with their antics!' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe finds out how the Light Combat Helicopter, which will be inducted into the IAF on October 3, was designed, developed and flown.

Musk 'not super worried' as hundreds quit Twitter post his 'ultimatum'

Musk 'not super worried' as hundreds quit Twitter post his 'ultimatum'

Rediff.com18 Nov 2022

Twitter fell into a pitless chaos after several employees appeared to have departed the company, which sent messages that it was closing its 'office buildings' for the next few days.

Reliance is 1st Indian co to cross $100 bn annual revenue

Reliance is 1st Indian co to cross $100 bn annual revenue

Rediff.com6 May 2022

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday reported a 22.5 per cent rise in net profit for the quarter ended March on the back of bumper oil refining margins, steady growth in telecom and digital services and strong momentum in the retail business. The oil-to-retail-to-telecom conglomerate's consolidated net profit rose to Rs 16,203 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2022 from Rs 13,227 crore, the firm said in a statement. Net profit, however, fell 12.6 per cent sequentially -- breaking a six-quarter chain of quarter-on-quarter improvement.

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Rediff.com21 Jun 2022

'We're seeing major Bollywood celebrities, fashion icons, and even movie studios all wanting to build Metaverse experiences'

How Airtel took a long call on profit by focusing on costs and customers

How Airtel took a long call on profit by focusing on costs and customers

Rediff.com20 Jun 2022

Six consecutive profitable quarters after an equal number of losses - for Bharti Airtel, the turnaround has been quick. But it is not a result of higher tariffs or absence of exceptional items alone. Execution and strategy are playing a part, too. Bharti Airtel's chief executive officer Gopal Vittal summed it up in a post-result conference call last month. "We track the profit in each of our 237,500 (cell) sites.

Sachin Tendulkar invests $2 mn in JetSynthesys

Sachin Tendulkar invests $2 mn in JetSynthesys

Rediff.com30 Jul 2021

Sachin Tendulkar has recently made an equity investment of $2 million in digital entertainment and technology company JetSynthesys. The investment further strengthens Tendulkar's relationship with JetSynthesys, as the two already have an existing joint venture for a digital destination for all things cricket, called 100MB, and immersive cricket games Sachin Saga Cricket Champions and Sachin Saga VR. With this investment, Tendulkar joins the bandwagon of existing shareholders of JetSynthesys, who include Adar Poonawalla, Kris Gopalakrishnan, and the multi-billion-dollar family offices of the promoters of Thermax, Triveni Group, Yohan Poonawalla Group and DSP Group.

'Next decade to be golden era of entrepreneurship in India'

'Next decade to be golden era of entrepreneurship in India'

Rediff.com13 May 2014

Hundreds of Indian companies are expected to go big, issue public issues and even acquired by top global IT firms.

Software startup Postman's valuation tops $5.6 bn after $225 mn fundraise

Software startup Postman's valuation tops $5.6 bn after $225 mn fundraise

Rediff.com19 Aug 2021

Postman, a leading application programming interface platform, has secured $225 million in a Series D round, placing its valuation at $5.6 billion. With this, Postman has emerged as the most-valued software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm started by Indian founders, overtaking web and mobile testing firm BrowserStack, which was valued at $4 billion in June. The valuation of the San Francisco-headquartered firm with offices in Bengaluru, where it was founded, has almost trebled in just about one year and risen multi-fold since 2019. Postman, with team members spread across four continents, had secured $150 million in a Series C investment round led by Insight Partners at a $2-billion valuation last summer.

How Walmart plans to triple sourcing from India

How Walmart plans to triple sourcing from India

Rediff.com27 Aug 2021

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is tripling its sourcing from India to about $10 billion a year by 2027, said Judith McKenna, president, and chief executive officer of Walmart International, the segment which includes the company's operations outside the US. "To achieve this, we are growing our sourcing team in India," said McKenna, during a fireside chat with YourStory founder Shradha Sharma at Converge@Walmart, the flagship event of Walmart Global Tech India. "Walmart has a 20-year history of sourcing from India and already exports more than $3 billion worth of Made-in-India goods each year to 14 markets worldwide." McKenna said the company has expertise in processes such as international standards and demand forecasting that businesses need to get ready to export.

Tata Motors launches Nexon EV MAX at Rs 17.74 lakh

Tata Motors launches Nexon EV MAX at Rs 17.74 lakh

Rediff.com11 May 2022

Tata Motors on Wednesday expanded its electric vehicle range in the country with the launch of Nexon EV MAX, priced between Rs 17.74-19.24 lakh (ex-showroom). Equipped with a 40.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Nexon EV Max offers 33 per cent higher battery capacity than the Nexon EV, delivering ARAI certified range of 437 km (under standard testing conditions), ensuring uninterrupted inter-city travel. ARAI refers to Automotive Research Association of India. The model produces 105 kW (143 PS) of power and delivers a torque of 250 Nm, resulting in 0 to 100 sprint times in under 9 seconds.

How Amazon plans to reach 500 million Indians

How Amazon plans to reach 500 million Indians

Rediff.com4 Sep 2018

According to industry studies, the Hindi Internet user base is likely to outgrow the English user base by 2021 and along with Marathi and Bengali users, will drive volume growth.

Microsoft's cheapest Internet phone with battery that lasts 29 days!

Microsoft's cheapest Internet phone with battery that lasts 29 days!

Rediff.com8 Jan 2015

Microsoft Devices Group has unveiled the Nokia 215, its most affordable Internet-ready phone.

Microsoft to set up largest data centre in Hyderabad

Microsoft to set up largest data centre in Hyderabad

Rediff.com7 Mar 2022

Tech giant Microsoft will set up its largest and fourth data centre in India at Hyderabad with an investment outlay of over Rs 15,000 crore over a period of 15 years. "I am very happy to say today that Hyderabad will be the destination for Microsoft's largest Data Centre investment in India with an investment of over Rs 15,000 crore over a period of 15 years. "This will be one of the largest FDIs that Telangana has attracted," Telangana Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao on Monday said at an event marking the announcement of Microsoft's latest data centre region in Hyderabad.

8 supremely successful services that almost didn't take off

8 supremely successful services that almost didn't take off

Rediff.com21 Nov 2014

Would you believe if I were to tell you that YouTube was conceived as a video-dating platform?

Diwali extravaganza for buy-now, pay-later biz

Diwali extravaganza for buy-now, pay-later biz

Rediff.com17 Nov 2021

The 'buy-now, pay-later' (BNPL) juggernaut continued to roll on during the festive season with multiple players seeing disbursals grow by more than 100 per cent compared to Diwali last year. LazyPay, the BNPL platform of Prosus-owned payments major PayU, witnessed a credit demand increase of 300 per cent over the festive season last year, especially in segments like travel, food & beverages and entertainment. "We also saw an uptick of 70 per cent in user acquisition in the last two months.

How long will OTTs survive?

How long will OTTs survive?

Rediff.com8 Oct 2020

The argument that the pandemic has given a boost to streaming video is fallacious. Only three OTTs saw a rise in viewership; the others fell.

What Indian brands don't understand

What Indian brands don't understand

Rediff.com13 Jun 2019

'Indian creative and digital agencies seem to be completely missing the mark,' says advertising and media veteran Sandeep Goyal.

'5G is a long haul'

'5G is a long haul'

Rediff.com16 Jun 2022

'We showcased about 20 use cases in 5G trials in Pune and Gandhinagar and some of them were interesting and innovative.' 'However, which ones will take off and which ones would not be relevant, we don't know yet.'

With new RBI move, M-wallets face tough fight

With new RBI move, M-wallets face tough fight

Rediff.com20 Oct 2018

While mobile wallets are still busy exploring the multiple facets of interoperability, experts believe that bringing in new customers would be costly affair and the numbers of new wallet users might not see a major hike anytime soon.

Love your music? Read this about Spotify

Love your music? Read this about Spotify

Rediff.com6 Nov 2020

About 18 months after its entry in India, a Spotify listener spent an average of 97 minutes on the app, almost ten times more than any other streaming music brand.

WhatsApp Pay gets nod, eyes lion's share of market

WhatsApp Pay gets nod, eyes lion's share of market

Rediff.com8 Feb 2020

Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has secured regulatory approval for launching its digital payment platform -- WhatApp Pay -- in a phased manner, close to two years after the US-based company's pilot run.

Reliance buys controlling stake in Just Dial for Rs 3497 cr

Reliance buys controlling stake in Just Dial for Rs 3497 cr

Rediff.com16 Jul 2021

RRVL will make an open offer to acquire up to an additional 2.17 crore equity shares of Just Dial, representing 26 per cent stake, in accordance with Sebi Takeover Regulations, a regulatory filing said.

Google to invest Rs 75,000 crore in India over 5-7 years: Pichai

Google to invest Rs 75,000 crore in India over 5-7 years: Pichai

Rediff.com13 Jul 2020

Pichai said a whole new generation of technologies are happening in India first, and that people in the country no longer have to wait for technology to come to them. Investments, he said, will focus on four areas key to India's digitisation, including enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, be it Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi or any other.

Facebook buys 9.99 % stake in Jio for Rs 43,574 cr

Facebook buys 9.99 % stake in Jio for Rs 43,574 cr

Rediff.com22 Apr 2020

The latest deal would give Facebook deeper access to India, the second largest internet market after China.

Modi calls for 'repair and prepare' as India emerges from pandemic

Modi calls for 'repair and prepare' as India emerges from pandemic

Rediff.com16 Jun 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for focus on 'repair and prepare' as the nation emerges out of a devastating pandemic. "Over the past year, we have witnessed a lot of disruption in different sectors. Much of it is still there. Yet, disruption does not have to mean despair," he said at VivaTech Summit. "Instead, we must keep the focus on the twin foundations of repair and prepare," he said referring to the need to augment healthcare infrastructure in the country as well as prop up the economy.

Ahead of mega-IPO plans, Indian unicorns eye new business

Ahead of mega-IPO plans, Indian unicorns eye new business

Rediff.com8 Oct 2020

A slew of Indian firms, including Flipkart, Byju's and Zomato, is building a path to profitability and diversifying into newer business segments ahead of mega-IPO plans.

India needs 3 private players in telecom: Airtel CEO

India needs 3 private players in telecom: Airtel CEO

Rediff.com4 Aug 2021

Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal on Wednesday asserted that a large nation like India needs three private players in the telecom sector, and hoped the government would take measures to offer relief to the industry that is facing "serious financial stress". The comments assume significance in the backdrop of Vodafone Idea's desperate struggle to stay afloat. Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla had in June this year offered to hand over the group's stake in debt-laden Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) to the government or any other entity to ensure that the company remains a going concern.

Google's new Play Store policy making app developers nervous

Google's new Play Store policy making app developers nervous

Rediff.com13 Nov 2020

Google is going ahead with a policy revision mandating 30% charge on in-app purchases across all apps on Play Store. This has left developers' community worried about tighter squeeze on their earnings, says Yuvraj Malik.

Why Facebook honoured this Indian engineer

Why Facebook honoured this Indian engineer

Rediff.com12 Jun 2019

Zonel Sougaijam, a 22-year-old civil engineer discovered a WhatsApp bug that violated the privacy of a user.

Start-up Inc urges policy push, focus on smaller towns for sector's growth

Start-up Inc urges policy push, focus on smaller towns for sector's growth

Rediff.com17 Jan 2022

While welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Saturday to celebrate January 16 as National Start-up Day, six years after the Start-up India Action Plan was launched by the government, stakeholders in the ecosystem say that more needs to be done at the policy level to unleash the next phase of growth in the sector. "The Start-up India programme's launch in 2016 was a turning point - that is when the promoter came to be known as the founder in the country and the word 'entrepreneur' entered the common lexicon. "But now we need a Start-up India 2.0 now for the next phase of growth of the ecosystem", said Siddarth Pai, managing partner of venture capital (VC) firm 3one4 Capital. Pai says that Startup India 2.0 must look at promoting Startups headquartered in tier II,III & IV cities and solving the problems of Bharat.

iPhone 12 comes with 5G, but no headphones, charger

iPhone 12 comes with 5G, but no headphones, charger

Rediff.com14 Oct 2020

The new phones, launched at a virtual event broadcast from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, include the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 Pro Max and a new, smaller, iPhone 12 mini.

Love in the time of social distancing

Love in the time of social distancing

Rediff.com29 May 2020

No one knows when the lockdown will end and people will get to meet in person, but hopes of finding their 'soulmates' is keeping the lights burning amid all the gloom and doom.

India has only 3% share in world mobile revenue

India has only 3% share in world mobile revenue

Rediff.com12 Aug 2016

India has average monthly spends of $4 per user; it is over $20 in other Asian markets

Parag Agrawal's 11-month tenure as Twitter CEO ends

Parag Agrawal's 11-month tenure as Twitter CEO ends

Rediff.com28 Oct 2022

When Parag Agrawal was appointed CEO of Twitter in November 2021, the IIT graduate joined a steadily growing club of executives from India rising to the top of global corporations, but the 38-year-old executive's brief tenure at the helm of the social media giant was challenging and chaotic.

What exactly happened at RBL Bank?

What exactly happened at RBL Bank?

Rediff.com21 Jan 2022

RBL Bank is no Yes Bank. It's not fraught with fraud. It's a story of limitless ambition and greed for growth under a leader who doesn't want to give up, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

How Amazon Prime Video is pushing the envelope

How Amazon Prime Video is pushing the envelope

Rediff.com18 Jan 2021

From convincing film-makers to do shows for online, to having a slate with some of the best films and shows, Amazon Prime Video has come a long way since it came to India four years ago.

COVID-19 to accelerate digital adoption in India: Morgan Stanley

COVID-19 to accelerate digital adoption in India: Morgan Stanley

Rediff.com27 May 2020

India's total online shopper base at 30 per cent of its internet population is low when compared with 78 per cent in China and 70-plus per cent in the US.

Startup mania: Are we looking at the next internet bubble?

Startup mania: Are we looking at the next internet bubble?

Rediff.com14 Oct 2014

E-commerce is awash in money, raising concerns about whether this is just another unsustainable internet trend headed for a bust.

Modi launches 5G mobile services, calls it dawn of new era

Modi launches 5G mobile services, calls it dawn of new era

Rediff.com1 Oct 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 6th India Mobile Congress at Pragati Maidan in Delhi and launched 5G services. The 5G telecom services seek to provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency and highly reliable communications system. The three major telecom operators of the country demonstrated one use case each in front of the prime minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India.

India's Internet base to touch 730 mn by 2020: Nasscom

India's Internet base to touch 730 mn by 2020: Nasscom

Rediff.com17 Aug 2016

75 per cent of new Internet users will come from rural areas