The Tata group's tryst with mobile services, with either CDMA or GSM technology, did not really fly, forcing it to close operations and write off losses. Now the group is back in the big game, this time straddling the telecom equipment, network and technology space in India as well as the global market. To this end, it is leveraging the opportunities that flow from 5G technology through open radio access network, or O-RAN. Recently, the Tata Sons' subsidiary Panatone Finvest acquired 43.3 per cent in Bengaluru-based telecom equipment manufacturer Tejas Network for Rs 1,850 crore and announced it would buy another 26 per cent of the voting capital through an open offer.
Chinese equipment contracts had been given by many public sector undertakings and government companies for their networks, even in sensitive places such as the north east.
Move comes in view of big debt overhang in two sectors; companies unwilling.
Move comes in view of big debt overhang in two sectors; companies unwilling.
Akash Ambani's first big job as he takes over as chairman of Reliance Jio, the group's telecom arm, is a no-brainer - he has to get his company through the long-awaited 5G auctions that are a few weeks away. But his bigger job, analysts said, will be to lead the transformation of the telecom company into a tech giant, a process that is underway as it seeks to list in the US. Insiders said there has been plenty of debate within the company's top executives on the auction strategy.
Surajeet Das Gupta explains why Mukesh Ambani's target is by no means impossible.
Recently, world headlines buzzed with Elon Musk's announcement that he was shelving his audacious bid for social media platform Twitter. Away from the media spotlight, questions are being asked about the maverick billionaire's plans in India, too. A few days ago, a Reuters report said Musk's flagship Tesla had put on hold its plan to launch electric cars in India.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met over 40 CEOs across broad swathes of industry, ranging from makers of mobile devices, auto components, food products to telecom networking equipment and pharmaceuticals. The agenda: To discuss how to make India an integral part of the global supply chain. The focus of the discussion would be the much touted yet not so well understood production-linked incentive scheme (PLI), the centrepiece of the government's drive to massively boost the manufacturing sector. To do so, the government has created a war chest of over Rs 197,000 crore to be paid out as incentives to over 14 industries in five years. There are three objectives to the scheme, two explicitly stated, one implied.
Bharti Global is planning to put up more satellites and has set a stiff deadline to launch commercial Internet services by October in the UK, Alaska, northern Russia and northern Europe.
Welcome to India's medical devices companies which are successfully locking horns with global giants, whether in India or abroad.
Bajaj talks about the tribulations in following 'Make in India' call
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.
While smart boys like the Ruias of Essar, Ajay Piramal, Max India promoter Analjit Singh laughed all the way to the bank, the Tatas, Anil Ambani, Malaysian tycoon T Ananda Krishna of Maxis (which invested in Aircel), Sistema, and Norway's Telenor burnt their fingers, notes Surajeet Das Gupta.
While Reliance has the clout to negotiate prices with suppliers for its e-commerce, not to forget the cost advantage of integrated warehouse and supply chains, Amazon and Walmart are no pushovers, they too have deep pockets.
'In India, most funds have one or at most two platforms, but we are the only one which has four -- growth equity practice, real estate practice, a special situation and credit platform, and infrastructure.'
Production has crippled at Bajaj Auto's Chakan plant in Maharashtra following a labour strike which entered its third day today.
For debt-laden Jet Airways, bitter foe Tata may turn into timely saviour.
'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.'
Can the Bajaj-Triumph tie up overtake the beloved Royal Enfield?
The failure of big-budget Bollywood movies show that mega stars such as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma are struggling to impress the audience.
Companies like Amazon Prime Video are also temporarily lowering bit rates -- a measure of how much data is being transferred -- to ease pressure on telecom network infrastructure.
Despite the onslaught of international brands -- Coke and Pepsi -- the fizz has not gone out of India's very own cola brand, Surajeet Das Gupta.
Convergence of online and offline is the new mantra which is changing the education map of the country.
The resolution plan has to be put to work this month itself. Jet has a debt of over Rs 8,000 crore and needs to make repayments of up to Rs 1,700 crore by the end of March.
Netflix and Prime have decided that rather than only buying the rights to Bollywood blockbusters to expand their reach in India, producing original content would be a better idea.
The freebies are now over, but Jio will need to notch up subscriber numbers and margins to prove its sceptics wrong.
As a tech services company, Ola has never been in hardcore manufacturing. And unlike in ride hailing, which is a two-player market (Uber is the only other competitor), in two-wheelers it faces many entrenched players. But most of all, rivals say Ola's targets are out of sync with most, even ambitious, projections.
Ballooning debt forces more and more Indian promoters to sell out to global majors and PE players.
The Big Two telecom companies have accelerated their moves towards this next-gen technology, though they have chosen very different routes to getting there.
Cut-throat competition, high spectrum costs, and frequent flip-flops in government policies have made it difficult for Vodafone to make money in the country.
While moving towards the new technology is compelling and inevitable, powering 5G would also mean massive initial investments for telcos, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
But the road map of telecom will be decided by one thing: Whether Jio sticks to its ambitious plan and whether incumbents have enough financial muscle or ability to raise money every year to ensure that Jio does not reach its target, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
Star's maths is simple: It expects to make something close to Rs 40 billion from the two properties in the first year (2018) itself, which is pretty close to its break even point
Jio's disruptive strategy, including free voice services and data at throwaway rates, apart from offering all services free for six months, triggered a consolidation in the telecom sector.
The fear of another scam pushed the government into a rather long period of so-called 'policy paralysis'. To play it safe, the price of spectrum in all subsequent auctions was benchmarked to the high 3G rates, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
The proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, likely to be cleared by the Union Cabinet next week and introduced in Parliament in its current session, seeks to make Indian roads safer by imposing hefty penalties for violation of traffic rules.
Companies have activated a comprehensive pandemic response plan with requisite risk mitigation protocols for keeping networks working as telecom is an essential service.
'The huge amount of investments being made by telcos in India for telecom gear, there is no way this demand could be met only by Europeans.' 'The Chinese are quick in installation and offer great value for money.'
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