NEW DELHI: Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer Ericsson on Thursday said that the fourth generation (4G) services for wireless communication will not effect the existing 3G services and the two will grow parallelly in the country.
"4G will complement 3G with its data services. We are optimistic 4G will be a big market in India. In most cases, 3G and 4G would go parallelly," Mikael Back, vice president of product and portfolio management, business unit networks, Ericsson AB, told IANS.
Ericsson is working with many players in India on long term evolution (LTE) technology. The company has already conducted field trials of 4G LTE mobile technology with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Qualcomm and is in talks with other players as well.
LTE is the global standard for the fourth generation of mobile broadband and is being supported by all major players in India. LTE is expected to transform the mobile-broadband user experience by providing the ultra-high data speeds needed for services such as internet TV, mobile video-blogging, online video games and the mobile office environment.
RIL won pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) licence in the BWA spectrum auction last year, while Qualcomm acquired BWA licenses in four circles including Mumbai and Delhi. Aircel, Bharti, Tikona and Augre also won BWA licenses in select circles.
"The market in India is very good and we will be extremely strong," said Back.
Talking about the pricing of LTE devices, Back said that unlike 3G devices, LTE devices will be expensive in the initial phase, but prices will slide once there is a growth in demand.
The roll out of 3G services in India begun last year in a phased manner. However, the service has so far garnered lukewarm response from the price sensitive Indian market.
Success in my Habit
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Great Lakes Institute of Management to invest Rs 100 cr on new campus at Gurgaon
NEW DELHI: Great Lakes Institute of Management on Thursday said it will invest Rs 100 crore to set up a new campus at Gurgaon in the next two years.
The management institute, which on Thursday announced the launch of its working professional programme in the National Capital Region, currently runs one institute in Chennai.
"A new campus would be set up in Gurgaon with an investment of Rs 100 crore in the next two years," Great Lakes Institute of Management said in a statement.
The Gurgaon campus will offer programmes for working professionals as well as the full-time flagship one-year PGPM (Post Graduate Professional Programme in Management).
The Chennai campus, which has also been set up with an investment of around Rs 100 crore, has been offering programmes for working professionals including the 2-year PGWPM (Post Graduate Working Professional Program in Management) weekend programme and a new PGWPM (Energy).
"With this launch of our programmes in Delhi-NCR, we wish to bring the excellence in management education developed in Chennai over the past eight years closer to students and corporations in Delhi-NCR," Great Lakes Founder and Dean Bala V Balachandran said.
Great Lakes is led by Padma Shri awardee Bala V Balachandran, who is the J L Kellogg Distinguished Professor Emeritus at US-based Kellogg Business School, USA.
SCI to take up intra-industry complaints on fast track
NEW DELHI: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Monday said it will introduce a fast track redressal procedure, effective from September 1, 2011, for speedy resolution of intra-industry complaints.
For the purpose, the advertising industry watchdog has set up the Fast Track Complaints Council (FTCC), which is aimed at providing decisions regarding a complaint within seven days of registration.
"With the introduction of the fast track procedure, ASCI aims to provide a platform for member advertisers to quickly resolve intra-industry complaints against advertisement through industry self-regulation process instead of seeking expensive court litigation," ASCI Secretary General Alan Collaco said in a statement.
The FTCC is a 14-member panel, nominated from the existing 21 Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) members.
"The whole process from receiving the complaint to the decision of the FTCC is expected to take no more than seven working days...If the complaint is upheld then the advertiser will have to communicate the decision to withdraw the ad to the media concerned within two working days from notification of the FTCC's decision," the statement said.
The fast track procedure will be reviewed by the ASCI board for a period of 4 to 6 months of its commencement.
"Based on the results and experience, the Secretary General and the FTCC will make recommendations to the ASCI Board for making appropriate amendments, if any, to the Fast Track Procedure," the statement added.
For the purpose, the advertising industry watchdog has set up the Fast Track Complaints Council (FTCC), which is aimed at providing decisions regarding a complaint within seven days of registration.
"With the introduction of the fast track procedure, ASCI aims to provide a platform for member advertisers to quickly resolve intra-industry complaints against advertisement through industry self-regulation process instead of seeking expensive court litigation," ASCI Secretary General Alan Collaco said in a statement.
The FTCC is a 14-member panel, nominated from the existing 21 Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) members.
"The whole process from receiving the complaint to the decision of the FTCC is expected to take no more than seven working days...If the complaint is upheld then the advertiser will have to communicate the decision to withdraw the ad to the media concerned within two working days from notification of the FTCC's decision," the statement said.
The fast track procedure will be reviewed by the ASCI board for a period of 4 to 6 months of its commencement.
"Based on the results and experience, the Secretary General and the FTCC will make recommendations to the ASCI Board for making appropriate amendments, if any, to the Fast Track Procedure," the statement added.
L&T construction bags Rs 797 crore order
NEW DELHI: L&T Construction on Thursday said it has bagged Rs 797 crore orders in building and factories segment.
"A major order Rs 797 crore has been secured from a leading developer for mixed use construction comprising predominantly of residential, including retail and commercial developments at Mumbai," the company said in a statement.
The above order enhances orderbook of the company that has secured design and build contracts for airports, IT parks, commercial and residential space, it said.
Larsen & Toubro had last month bagged Rs 1,210 crore order from Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp for supply and construction of sub-stations. The order was for supply and construction of thirteen extra high voltage substations in Qatar.
"A major order Rs 797 crore has been secured from a leading developer for mixed use construction comprising predominantly of residential, including retail and commercial developments at Mumbai," the company said in a statement.
The above order enhances orderbook of the company that has secured design and build contracts for airports, IT parks, commercial and residential space, it said.
Larsen & Toubro had last month bagged Rs 1,210 crore order from Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp for supply and construction of sub-stations. The order was for supply and construction of thirteen extra high voltage substations in Qatar.
Cabinet approves 5 pc govt stake sale in BHEL
NEW DELHI: The union cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to sell 5 per cent of the government's stake in power gear maker Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), the government said in a statement.
The government will sell 5 per cent of its 67.7 per cent holding in BHEL through a follow-on public share offering. At current prices, the stake is valued at about $940 million.
The stake sale is part of the government's plan to raise 400 billion rupees ($8.7 billion) through stake sales in state-run firms in the current fiscal year to March 2012.
BHEL has shortlisted Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and two Indian banks to manage the share sale, sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters last month.
The government will sell 5 per cent of its 67.7 per cent holding in BHEL through a follow-on public share offering. At current prices, the stake is valued at about $940 million.
The stake sale is part of the government's plan to raise 400 billion rupees ($8.7 billion) through stake sales in state-run firms in the current fiscal year to March 2012.
BHEL has shortlisted Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and two Indian banks to manage the share sale, sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters last month.
ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to invest $ 1.5 bn in an Iraq oil block
NEW DELHI: ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), may invest over $ 1.5 billion in exploring for oil in a block that was awarded to it by the erstwhile Saddam Hussein regime.
"We are nearing finality on the contract for Block-8. It is likely to be signed in next six months," an official said.
Block-8, located in the western desert in southern Iraq bordering Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, was awarded to OVL in November 2000 by the then Saddam Hussein government. However, the government formed after the US invasion of the oil-rich country, sought re-negotiation of the contract which has now been concluded.
The post-Saddam Hussain regime had initially agreed to signing of a Production Sharing Contract (PSC), where OVL would have got ownership of the oil it produced from Block-8. But the success of post-war licensing rounds, where global majors committed to develop oilfields for a small fee, has seen Baghdad change track and offer a service contract to OVL.
The block already has a discovery and is estimated to hold 645 million barrels of in-place reserves, of which 54 million are recoverable, he said, adding OVL has committed investing $ 86 million in two phases of exploration and $ 1.45 billion in development of the reserves thereafter.
The contract would be a service contract wherein OVL will be paid about 18 per cent rate of return on its investment. The company holds 100 per cent interest in the block.
"We are currently agreeing on finer details of the contract," he said.
Exploration and development contract for Block-8, Western Desert, was signed by OVL with the Oil Exploration Company of Iraq, on November 28, 2000, at New Delhi.
As per the 2000 contract, OVL was to reprocess and interpret existing 2-D seismic data. It was also to acquire, process and interpret 1,000 km of 2D and carry out 300 sq km of 3D seismic survey besides drilling two wells.
The service contract now being drawn would be similar to the one China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) had signed recently for developing Al-Ahdad oilfield in central Iraq. "It will be a service contract wherein OVL will be paid about 18 per cent rate of return on the investment it makes in finding and producing oil from Block 8," the official said.
It would act as the operator of the field until it recoups all its costs and set up a joint operating company with the local operator to take over once development costs have been repaid.
Baghdad has, however, refused the Tuba oilfield, for which OVL, in consortia with Reliance Industries and Algeria's Sonatrach, were in negotiations before the US attack on Iraq.
Suzlon Energy planning $1.3 bn wind project to power Australian homes
MELBOURNE: Wind power company Suzlon Energy is planning a $ 1.3 billion project in regional South Australia to power 225,000 homes a year.
According to an ABC report today, Suzlon Energy Australia said the $ 1.3 billion wind farm will be built 20 kilometres South-West of Ardrossan, a small town on the East Coast of the Yorke Peninsula.
It said up to 180 turbines will generate 600 megawatts of energy and deliver power to 225,000 homes in Adelaide via an undersea cable.
The project is expected to create 500 construction jobs and 50 ongoing jobs will be completed by the end of 2015, it said.
Suzlon Energy Australia Commercial Director Chris Judd said the company was approached by local landowners last year to develop the project.
"It's basically been a landowner-developed project and this has been a dream of theirs for over seven years now, so the beauty of this project is that it does come with some seven years of homework and data, etc, behind it to help justify its economics," he said.
Suzlon is also involved with wind farm projects at Hallett, North of Adelaide.
Premier Mike Rann said the Yorke Peninsula proposal will add to South Australia's green credentials.
It was reported that Rann met with the company, the biggest wind turbine supplier in India and the world's fifth-largest, during a trade trip to the South Asian nation earlier this month, where he stated that Suzlon had "really been helping us in generating wind power".
Chief Ministers of 11 states to support an anti-tobacco campaign
PANAJI: Chief Ministers of 11 states in India have pledged their support to Voice of Tobacco Victims (VOTV), a national campaign against chewing tobacco in their states to root out the social evil, a national NGO said today.
General Secretary of National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), Shekhar Salkar stated that chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have pledged to do their best for oral cancer victims, doctors and tobacco control advocates of their states.
"The victims, along with oncologists met their respective chief ministers and urged them to protect the people of their states from the harmful effects of tobacco products by banning gutka, implementing stringent pictorial warnings on chewing tobacco products, putting an end to indirect advertising of chewing tobacco product, stopping sale of chewing tobacco products near educational institutions, increasing taxation on all tobacco products," Salkar stated.
"All the chief ministers assured the victims of their commitment by signing a pledge calling for a ban on gutka and khaini products," Salkar said.
"I will raise my voice against this issue and support all initiatives to rid India of this menace of gutka and khaini and help save millions of Indian lives," reads the pledge.
It is heartening that custodians of health of the state have pledged their support for tobacco control, said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Associate Professor, Head and Neck Department Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
"We salute all those CMs who have openly supported and urge those, whom we could not reach and those, who are still to decide about their stand on this issue, to support this initiative to get rid of this menace from India," he added.
VOTV is a national campaign to advocate against the chewing tobacco and other smokeless forms of tobacco. It has been conceptualised and initiated by the victims of oral cancer, who have come together to promote greater awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Numerous doctors and directors of regional cancer centres from across the country are supporting VOTV for the cause.
In March, directors of 17 regional cancer centres in India, including the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), had written letters to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ban gutka and other chewing tobacco products in India.
A recent report by experts of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) on the harmful effects of gutka informs that the number of oral cancer cases in India alone stands at 86 per cent of the oral cancer figures across the world.
India has the highest number of oral cancer patients in the world with 75, 000 to 80, 000 new cases of oral cancers a year. Shockingly, chewing tobacco and gutka contribute to 90 per cent of oral cancer cases in the country.
According to last year's Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2010), nearly 1/3 of Indian population is addicted to smokeless tobacco, including a large section of children and youth in India.
Depending upon the geographical areas, different names with different combinations of smokeless tobacco are marketed, such as mawa, khaini, gudakhu, panni etc. All these items essentially have tobacco.
"Despite the Supreme Court order banning gutka in plastic pouches, gutka, pan masala and other smokeless tobacco products are still widely sold in plastic pouches. The enforcement agencies need to take actions against the errants," Salkar said.
General Secretary of National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), Shekhar Salkar stated that chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have pledged to do their best for oral cancer victims, doctors and tobacco control advocates of their states.
"The victims, along with oncologists met their respective chief ministers and urged them to protect the people of their states from the harmful effects of tobacco products by banning gutka, implementing stringent pictorial warnings on chewing tobacco products, putting an end to indirect advertising of chewing tobacco product, stopping sale of chewing tobacco products near educational institutions, increasing taxation on all tobacco products," Salkar stated.
"All the chief ministers assured the victims of their commitment by signing a pledge calling for a ban on gutka and khaini products," Salkar said.
"I will raise my voice against this issue and support all initiatives to rid India of this menace of gutka and khaini and help save millions of Indian lives," reads the pledge.
It is heartening that custodians of health of the state have pledged their support for tobacco control, said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Associate Professor, Head and Neck Department Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
"We salute all those CMs who have openly supported and urge those, whom we could not reach and those, who are still to decide about their stand on this issue, to support this initiative to get rid of this menace from India," he added.
VOTV is a national campaign to advocate against the chewing tobacco and other smokeless forms of tobacco. It has been conceptualised and initiated by the victims of oral cancer, who have come together to promote greater awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Numerous doctors and directors of regional cancer centres from across the country are supporting VOTV for the cause.
In March, directors of 17 regional cancer centres in India, including the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), had written letters to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ban gutka and other chewing tobacco products in India.
A recent report by experts of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) on the harmful effects of gutka informs that the number of oral cancer cases in India alone stands at 86 per cent of the oral cancer figures across the world.
India has the highest number of oral cancer patients in the world with 75, 000 to 80, 000 new cases of oral cancers a year. Shockingly, chewing tobacco and gutka contribute to 90 per cent of oral cancer cases in the country.
According to last year's Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2010), nearly 1/3 of Indian population is addicted to smokeless tobacco, including a large section of children and youth in India.
Depending upon the geographical areas, different names with different combinations of smokeless tobacco are marketed, such as mawa, khaini, gudakhu, panni etc. All these items essentially have tobacco.
"Despite the Supreme Court order banning gutka in plastic pouches, gutka, pan masala and other smokeless tobacco products are still widely sold in plastic pouches. The enforcement agencies need to take actions against the errants," Salkar said.
KK Modi eyes 51% in Godfrey Phillips
NEW DELHI: The KK Modi group is set to wrest majority control in cigarette maker Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) from American tobacco major Philip Morris as the Indian business house leads the company's charge into noncigarette segments such as beedi and chewing pan masala , potentially to the discomfort of the foreign partner.
GPI, a Rs 3,000-crore publicly-listed company, is a joint venture between the Modis and Philip Morris who each held 36% stake originally. However, changing equations , and the new diversification plans-led by the Indian promoter-saw the Modis pick up an additional 11% stake from the foreign partner last year, taking up their holding to 47%.
Modi, chairman of Modi group, told TOI that as per an agreement between the partners, he has the "right" to take up his holding to 51% by buying further into Philip Morris' holding to get a majority control of the company, India's second-biggest cigarette maker that sells the "Four Square" brand and also distributes the iconic Marlboro brand (from Philip Morris stable).
This would bring down the stake of Philip Morris to 21%. Modi said the market was currently "too hot" for buying the additional stake from Philip Morris. "Whenever the market will come down, we will buy. We have the freedom and the agreement to go to 51% and they have agreed." The scrip of GPI closed at Rs 2,370 on the Bombay Stock Exchange , down 1.3%. Modi said the idea is to give one promoter management control to freely manage operations. "There was a great (deal of) uncertainty, even though by agreement we had the management control. But by shareholding , we were sharing the management control with Philip Morris. So, Philip Morris agreed that it is better for one person to control, because now we are diversifying into many areas like beedis and chewing tobacco... which are not their forte."
Sources, however, said the American tobacco major was not very comfortable with Modi's plans to diversify in noncigarette businesses. However , it had to give in considering the strength and experience of the Indian partner and its reach in the market. Philip Morris officials did not comment on the story despite several attempts.
Modi said his group will invest over Rs 2,000 crore in the coming years for expansion, and a majority of this will be pumped into GPI to fund its diversification plans as well as for a new factory in Mumbai. The cigarette business was not enough to sustain his group's vision of achieving a 30% growth in revenues and margins every year, he said. "The cigarette business is not growing at that rate. To achieve 30% growth, we cannot go with cigarette alone." While Modi's sons Lalit (the former IPL commissioner ) and Samir are on the company's board, his granddaughter Priyal (his daugther Charu's daughter) is helping him with the beedi business.
The company's beedi business is under the brand "Sona" while in chewing pan masala , it has the brand "Pan Vilas" which was launched early last year in some markets of the country. Modi said the agreement with Philip Morris also stipulates that if and when he decides to sell his holding, the American company will have the first right to buy it. "Only if they cannot buy will we have the right to sell it to someone else."
GPI, a Rs 3,000-crore publicly-listed company, is a joint venture between the Modis and Philip Morris who each held 36% stake originally. However, changing equations , and the new diversification plans-led by the Indian promoter-saw the Modis pick up an additional 11% stake from the foreign partner last year, taking up their holding to 47%.
Modi, chairman of Modi group, told TOI that as per an agreement between the partners, he has the "right" to take up his holding to 51% by buying further into Philip Morris' holding to get a majority control of the company, India's second-biggest cigarette maker that sells the "Four Square" brand and also distributes the iconic Marlboro brand (from Philip Morris stable).
This would bring down the stake of Philip Morris to 21%. Modi said the market was currently "too hot" for buying the additional stake from Philip Morris. "Whenever the market will come down, we will buy. We have the freedom and the agreement to go to 51% and they have agreed." The scrip of GPI closed at Rs 2,370 on the Bombay Stock Exchange , down 1.3%. Modi said the idea is to give one promoter management control to freely manage operations. "There was a great (deal of) uncertainty, even though by agreement we had the management control. But by shareholding , we were sharing the management control with Philip Morris. So, Philip Morris agreed that it is better for one person to control, because now we are diversifying into many areas like beedis and chewing tobacco... which are not their forte."
Sources, however, said the American tobacco major was not very comfortable with Modi's plans to diversify in noncigarette businesses. However , it had to give in considering the strength and experience of the Indian partner and its reach in the market. Philip Morris officials did not comment on the story despite several attempts.
Modi said his group will invest over Rs 2,000 crore in the coming years for expansion, and a majority of this will be pumped into GPI to fund its diversification plans as well as for a new factory in Mumbai. The cigarette business was not enough to sustain his group's vision of achieving a 30% growth in revenues and margins every year, he said. "The cigarette business is not growing at that rate. To achieve 30% growth, we cannot go with cigarette alone." While Modi's sons Lalit (the former IPL commissioner ) and Samir are on the company's board, his granddaughter Priyal (his daugther Charu's daughter) is helping him with the beedi business.
The company's beedi business is under the brand "Sona" while in chewing pan masala , it has the brand "Pan Vilas" which was launched early last year in some markets of the country. Modi said the agreement with Philip Morris also stipulates that if and when he decides to sell his holding, the American company will have the first right to buy it. "Only if they cannot buy will we have the right to sell it to someone else."
Foster's launches Art of Chilling global marketing campaign
MUMBAI: Beer brand Foster's, launched in 2001 in India, recently unveiled its Art of Chilling (AOC) global marketing campaign. The campaign was devised after studying how Indian audience relax and will associate with cricket, music, follow trends, travel or even simple everyday chilling activities like watching TV.
Foster's has also created events like Foster's Art of Chilling@Home Parties and Foster's LOL evenings. Mr. Deepaknath, category head, SABMiller India explains, "LOL Evenings allows consumers to chill out with friends by sharing of common interests, especially humour, which is core to the Australian essence of Foster's."
As part of the campaign Foster's has also setup Foster's AOC zones around the country. These AOC zones, which are essentially theme bars are currently present in 3 zones in Bangalore and the brand plans to roll them out to other markets as well.
Mr. Deepaknath claims the response to these outlets has been positive, "a few more outlets are asking us to replicate the zones in their outlets as well," he says. The brand is also engaging consumers in the digital medium through its newly launched web site, Facebook fan page and Twitter account.
Foster's has also created its created virtual characters called Chill Head who report about trends and topics touching consumers' interest covering gadgets, music and sports.
Foster's has also created events like Foster's Art of Chilling@Home Parties and Foster's LOL evenings. Mr. Deepaknath, category head, SABMiller India explains, "LOL Evenings allows consumers to chill out with friends by sharing of common interests, especially humour, which is core to the Australian essence of Foster's."
As part of the campaign Foster's has also setup Foster's AOC zones around the country. These AOC zones, which are essentially theme bars are currently present in 3 zones in Bangalore and the brand plans to roll them out to other markets as well.
Mr. Deepaknath claims the response to these outlets has been positive, "a few more outlets are asking us to replicate the zones in their outlets as well," he says. The brand is also engaging consumers in the digital medium through its newly launched web site, Facebook fan page and Twitter account.
Foster's has also created its created virtual characters called Chill Head who report about trends and topics touching consumers' interest covering gadgets, music and sports.
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