Kolkata: Samsung , Sony and Nokia have emerged as the most attractive brands in the eastern part of the country, according to a study by Trust Research Advisory (TRA).
These brands have also been found to be top three most attractive in the country, India’s Most Attractive Brands 2013, noted.
According to Sachin Bhosle, Research Head, TRA, a brand insight company, the “report will be released annually, beginning this year.”
While ITC emerged as the 13th most attractive brand in Kolkata and 17th in East; Tata, Lux, Hero MotoCorp, Bata, Godrej, Philips, Britannia, Airtel, and Vodafone were among the top 20 attractive brands in the region.
Meanwhile, asked if Aditya Birla Group-owned brands would be impacted with Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla’s name being dragged into the coal block allocation scam, Bhosle said: “I don’t actually think so because there are several brands which carry residual trust with them. I don’t see that it will impact the attractiveness quotients of the brands under the group immediately.”
He added: “There are several things that determine trust in a particular brand” and it should not be hurt due to “any such situation”.
Success in my Habit
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre, National Instruments to develop high-impact medical devices
Chennai: Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), a research and development centre established through a joint initiative of IIT, Madras and the department of biotechnology, will partner with National Instruments (NI), a US company that produces automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software, to develop affordable and high-impact medical devices.
HTIC director Mohanasankar S signed a memorandum of understanding with Jayaram Pillai, managing director of National Instruments, India, Russia and Arabia, for the collaboration. The collaboration will extend to fields like patient monitoring, cardiovascular screening, surgical oncology and neonatal care.
NI will fund and provide software and hardware. Mohanasankar said, "NI's design and development platforms will allow us to shorten the time from idea to prototype, and quickly move the device for field testing and validation, which is crucial in med-tech R&D."
Jayaram Pillai of NI said, "We will support HTIC's initiatives with NI's graphical system design platform for product development and large scale deployment of affordable healthcare devices for emerging countries."
HTIC director Mohanasankar S signed a memorandum of understanding with Jayaram Pillai, managing director of National Instruments, India, Russia and Arabia, for the collaboration. The collaboration will extend to fields like patient monitoring, cardiovascular screening, surgical oncology and neonatal care.
NI will fund and provide software and hardware. Mohanasankar said, "NI's design and development platforms will allow us to shorten the time from idea to prototype, and quickly move the device for field testing and validation, which is crucial in med-tech R&D."
Jayaram Pillai of NI said, "We will support HTIC's initiatives with NI's graphical system design platform for product development and large scale deployment of affordable healthcare devices for emerging countries."
Govt allows Chinese power gear firms to set up service centres
New Delhi: The Cabinet on Thursday has cleared a proposal to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China that allows Chinese power equipment manufacturers to set up service centres in India.
Chinese equipment gained popularity because of low costs and cheap financing. Companies such as Reliance Power, Jindal Steel and Power, Haryana Power Generation Corporation, and JSW use Chinese equipment in their plants. Indian power developers have purchased equipment for nearly 61,000 MW from Chinese companies.
During the 11 {+t} {+h} Five-Year Plan (2007-12), equipment for 18,000 MW were already sourced from Chinese suppliers, while another 43,000 MW are under various stages of commissioning during the 12 {+t} {+h} Plan (2012-17) with equipment from China.
“There have been cases where power plants were shut for months due to lack of service network in the country. There have been instances where equipment had to be sent to China for repair and power plants shut for 10 months,” a Power Ministry official said.
Though, currently the law does not restrict foreign equipment providers from setting up a manufacturing and service base here, not many have used this opportunity, as guidelines were not in place.
“The Power Ministry and China’s National Energy Administration are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) soon to facilitate setting up Power Equipment Service Centres (PESCs) in the country,” a senior Government official told Business Line.
The MoU could be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China starting October 22.
In September, India and China held talks to improve business ties between the countries. During the meet, India spoke about the need for service maintenance backup for Chinese equipment installed here.
The MoU will only define general ways of co-operation between the parties to establish PESCs. “These will be set up on commercial terms. At the same time, costs and terms of servicing power equipment will be decided by the service centres and the users,” he said while adding that the pact will be valid for five years.
However, setting up a service centre in India would not qualify Chinese companies to supply equipment to the ultra mega power projects (UMPPs).
In August, an Empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) headed by Defence Minister A. K. Antony decided that those bidding for UMPPs will have to source equipment from domestic manufacturers. This move is bound to help companies such as BHEL, L&T and Bharat Forge-Alstom, as all of them are suffering from lack of fresh orders.
Chinese equipment gained popularity because of low costs and cheap financing. Companies such as Reliance Power, Jindal Steel and Power, Haryana Power Generation Corporation, and JSW use Chinese equipment in their plants. Indian power developers have purchased equipment for nearly 61,000 MW from Chinese companies.
During the 11 {+t} {+h} Five-Year Plan (2007-12), equipment for 18,000 MW were already sourced from Chinese suppliers, while another 43,000 MW are under various stages of commissioning during the 12 {+t} {+h} Plan (2012-17) with equipment from China.
“There have been cases where power plants were shut for months due to lack of service network in the country. There have been instances where equipment had to be sent to China for repair and power plants shut for 10 months,” a Power Ministry official said.
Though, currently the law does not restrict foreign equipment providers from setting up a manufacturing and service base here, not many have used this opportunity, as guidelines were not in place.
“The Power Ministry and China’s National Energy Administration are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) soon to facilitate setting up Power Equipment Service Centres (PESCs) in the country,” a senior Government official told Business Line.
The MoU could be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China starting October 22.
In September, India and China held talks to improve business ties between the countries. During the meet, India spoke about the need for service maintenance backup for Chinese equipment installed here.
The MoU will only define general ways of co-operation between the parties to establish PESCs. “These will be set up on commercial terms. At the same time, costs and terms of servicing power equipment will be decided by the service centres and the users,” he said while adding that the pact will be valid for five years.
However, setting up a service centre in India would not qualify Chinese companies to supply equipment to the ultra mega power projects (UMPPs).
In August, an Empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) headed by Defence Minister A. K. Antony decided that those bidding for UMPPs will have to source equipment from domestic manufacturers. This move is bound to help companies such as BHEL, L&T and Bharat Forge-Alstom, as all of them are suffering from lack of fresh orders.
Hungary and India Sign Agreement for Promotion of Traditional Medicines
New Delhi: In an important initiative taken by India, Republic of Hungary has signed a bilateral agreement with India for promotion and development of traditional systems of medicine. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on behalf of India by Smt. Santosh Chowdhary, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Mr. Zolton Banog, Minister of National Resources of Hungary in the presence of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India and Mr. Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, at Hyderabad House, here today.The Republic of Hungary has considerable interest in Indian traditional systems of medicine especially Ayurveda.
The main objective of this MoU is to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefits. The MoU encourages and promotes cooperation to enhance the use of traditional systems of medicine, exchange of regulatory information on operational licensing to practice traditional medicine and on marketing authorization of medicines in both countries, promote the exchange of experts for training of practitioners, para-medics, scientists, teaching professionals and students in traditional systems of medicine. The signing of MoU will give boost to bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional medicines which will open new vistas for exploring the potential of economic, commercial and tourism development in both the countries.
Smt. Santosh Chowdhary has expressed hope that signing of such bilateral agreements, India will be able to establish the Indian systems of medicines namely Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy, Siddha, Homeophathy and Sowa-Rigpa (Namchi) that will help in establishing the global recognition of India’s well established systems in the world over. It may be mentioned that India has already signed such agreements with Malaysia and Trininad and Tobago and is in the process of signing agreements with Russia, Nepal, Srilanka, Serbia and Mexico in near future.
The main objective of this MoU is to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefits. The MoU encourages and promotes cooperation to enhance the use of traditional systems of medicine, exchange of regulatory information on operational licensing to practice traditional medicine and on marketing authorization of medicines in both countries, promote the exchange of experts for training of practitioners, para-medics, scientists, teaching professionals and students in traditional systems of medicine. The signing of MoU will give boost to bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional medicines which will open new vistas for exploring the potential of economic, commercial and tourism development in both the countries.
Smt. Santosh Chowdhary has expressed hope that signing of such bilateral agreements, India will be able to establish the Indian systems of medicines namely Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy, Siddha, Homeophathy and Sowa-Rigpa (Namchi) that will help in establishing the global recognition of India’s well established systems in the world over. It may be mentioned that India has already signed such agreements with Malaysia and Trininad and Tobago and is in the process of signing agreements with Russia, Nepal, Srilanka, Serbia and Mexico in near future.
Zydus Cadila, Pieris join hands for drug development
Ahmedabad: Pharmaceutical firm Zydus Cadila and Germany-based Pieris AG on Wednesday announced an alliance for development and commercialisation of multiple novel Anticalin-based protein therapeutics.
The collaboration combines Pieris’ drug discovery and early development capabilities with Zydus’ expertise in biologics development, regulatory affairs and biologics manufacturing.
Under the terms of the agreement, Zydus will take the lead in advancing Anticalin drug candidates through formal pre-clinical development and into clinical development, undertaking drug development in accordance with the ICH guidelines.
Zydus has been granted exclusive marketing rights in India and several other emerging markets, while Pieris retains exclusive marketing rights in key developed markets, according to a press statement.
Pieris CEO, Stephen Yoder, said: “this collaboration will allow Pieris to unlock value on a global scale in a cost-effective manner, significantly expanding the number of proprietary Anticalin programmes we can advance into clinical trials.
The collaboration combines Pieris’ drug discovery and early development capabilities with Zydus’ expertise in biologics development, regulatory affairs and biologics manufacturing.
Under the terms of the agreement, Zydus will take the lead in advancing Anticalin drug candidates through formal pre-clinical development and into clinical development, undertaking drug development in accordance with the ICH guidelines.
Zydus has been granted exclusive marketing rights in India and several other emerging markets, while Pieris retains exclusive marketing rights in key developed markets, according to a press statement.
Pieris CEO, Stephen Yoder, said: “this collaboration will allow Pieris to unlock value on a global scale in a cost-effective manner, significantly expanding the number of proprietary Anticalin programmes we can advance into clinical trials.
Prism Cement first to get Italian quality certification
Mumbai: Prism Cement Ltd has become the first Indian company to get the Quality Council of India’s (QCI) certification for its ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant in Kochi, Kerala. The unit has a production capacity of 1.08 lakh cubic metres a year.
The company received the certification from ICQM (Institute for Certification and Quality Mark) , a leading Italian certification body authorised to oversee QCI compliance.
The QCI audit for ready-mix concrete was launched in May in consultation with the Central Public Works Department, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and the Ready-Mixed Concrete Manufacturers’ Association.
Venugopal Panicker, Executive Director (RMC Readymix division), told Business Line the QCI scheme was an independent third-party audit that would instil confidence on the quality of RMC being used by customers.
“We are now preparing to implement the scheme at all our 88 plants across the country. The audit is made in every six months to ensure the quality process is embedded in the system.”
The QCI audit includes a check on plant and machinery, testing facilities, the control mechanism , the properties of concrete ingredients and technical skill sets of the manpower at the units, besides a test on the final product quality.
Prism’s RMC production capacity stands at 70 lakh cubic metres per annum. While globally 70 per cent of the cement produced is sold in the form of RMC, it is just 10 per cent in India.
Moving away from the general mix of cement, sand and water, companies have adopted various technological innovations to enhance the quality of RMC to cater to the needs of construction companies. Right from lightweight concrete to coloured concrete to temperature control concrete, companies have used chemicals to alter the nature of concrete.
Though established cement companies such as ACC, Ambuja Cements, UltraTech Cement and Prism Cement have all-India presence, nearly 60 per cent of the RMC market is controlled by unorganised players.
Unlike ISI mark on steel bars, it is not mandatory for RMC units to comply with any quality certification.
The company received the certification from ICQM (Institute for Certification and Quality Mark) , a leading Italian certification body authorised to oversee QCI compliance.
The QCI audit for ready-mix concrete was launched in May in consultation with the Central Public Works Department, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and the Ready-Mixed Concrete Manufacturers’ Association.
Venugopal Panicker, Executive Director (RMC Readymix division), told Business Line the QCI scheme was an independent third-party audit that would instil confidence on the quality of RMC being used by customers.
“We are now preparing to implement the scheme at all our 88 plants across the country. The audit is made in every six months to ensure the quality process is embedded in the system.”
The QCI audit includes a check on plant and machinery, testing facilities, the control mechanism , the properties of concrete ingredients and technical skill sets of the manpower at the units, besides a test on the final product quality.
Prism’s RMC production capacity stands at 70 lakh cubic metres per annum. While globally 70 per cent of the cement produced is sold in the form of RMC, it is just 10 per cent in India.
Moving away from the general mix of cement, sand and water, companies have adopted various technological innovations to enhance the quality of RMC to cater to the needs of construction companies. Right from lightweight concrete to coloured concrete to temperature control concrete, companies have used chemicals to alter the nature of concrete.
Though established cement companies such as ACC, Ambuja Cements, UltraTech Cement and Prism Cement have all-India presence, nearly 60 per cent of the RMC market is controlled by unorganised players.
Unlike ISI mark on steel bars, it is not mandatory for RMC units to comply with any quality certification.
Gamesa India signs order for 54 MW wind power project in Andhra Pradesh
Chennai: Wind Power company Gamesa Wind Turbines has won an order to set up a 54 MW wind power project for a power & utility development company in Andhra Pradesh.
Under this contract Gamesa would be supplying 27 units of 2 MW turbines at Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh. The commissioning is scheduled to be completed by May 2014. Gamesa would be responsible for site development, supply & commissioning of the turbines. The agreement also includes a comprehensive Operations & Maintenance (O&M) agreement for 10 years, a statement from the company said.
"With the GBI (generation based incentives scheme) now in place, we look forward to a very promising future," said Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and Managing Director of Gamesa India.
Gamesa is also working on setting up a 46 MW wind power project in the same district of Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh for ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division.
The orders come at a time when the wind power market in India is tepid with capacity additions last year falling to 1700MW compared with 3200MW in 2011.Capacity additions, however, are expected to pick up over the next few months after the central government recently reinstated the GBI scheme where companies will be paid an incentive of 50paise for every unit of wind power they generate.
Gamesa India has so far installed more than 900 MW along with managing the operation and maintenance services on these turbines. It also has on hand orders for about 1000 MW, about 600 MW of which will be commissioned this year and the rest carried forward for next year. The company also manages capacity of more than 800 MW under O&M agreements.
Under this contract Gamesa would be supplying 27 units of 2 MW turbines at Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh. The commissioning is scheduled to be completed by May 2014. Gamesa would be responsible for site development, supply & commissioning of the turbines. The agreement also includes a comprehensive Operations & Maintenance (O&M) agreement for 10 years, a statement from the company said.
"With the GBI (generation based incentives scheme) now in place, we look forward to a very promising future," said Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and Managing Director of Gamesa India.
Gamesa is also working on setting up a 46 MW wind power project in the same district of Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh for ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division.
The orders come at a time when the wind power market in India is tepid with capacity additions last year falling to 1700MW compared with 3200MW in 2011.Capacity additions, however, are expected to pick up over the next few months after the central government recently reinstated the GBI scheme where companies will be paid an incentive of 50paise for every unit of wind power they generate.
Gamesa India has so far installed more than 900 MW along with managing the operation and maintenance services on these turbines. It also has on hand orders for about 1000 MW, about 600 MW of which will be commissioned this year and the rest carried forward for next year. The company also manages capacity of more than 800 MW under O&M agreements.
Germany eyes skilled talent from India
Pune: Germany is looking to attract skilled talent from India. In the near future, the country would face a dearth of skilled human resources, especially in manufacturing and engineering sectors, its core strength.
The reason? In the next few years, half the German population would be aged more than 60.
Speaking to Business Standard, Michael Siebert, consul general of the German Consulate in Mumbai, said, “Due to demographic issues, half the German population would be aged more than 60. We need at least 40,000 skilled employees for various sectors, especially engineering. India has a lot of job opportunities in Germany. It has a lot of quality young people who would have a lot of opportunities, not only in manufacturing and automobiles, but also in service sectors such as finance, insurance, information technology, entertainment, publication and emerging sectors such as hospitality.”
Initially, German companies are eying local talent for their Indian subsidiaries. They plan to relocate the hired lot to Germany for a few years, in due course of time. The companies also have a similar policy for markets such as Poland and Brazil. A few German universities are attracting Indian students for research-based or doctoral studies. However, Germany does want to turn itself into an education market like the UK or Australia. This is because it seeks to enroll only quality students.
Germany is organising job fairs in India under the programme ‘Trained in GermanY’. In this, it is aided by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune, and Alumniportal Deutschland, the German ministry for economic cooperation and development and the federal foreign office.
Siebert said research departments in Germany were affected by the shortage of skilled employees. Also, in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, there was increasing demand and competition for young and educated people. German companies located in BRICS nations valued local employees who had studied or been trained in Germany, particularly because they were familiar with the German economy, culture and language, he said.
Currently, trade between India and Germany stands at euro 18 billion. Also, there is a lot of technology and knowledge transfer between the two countries. So far, German companies have invested euro 3 billion in India and provided employment to about 5,00,000 Indian nationals.
Zubin Kabraji, regional director, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune, said about 300 German companies had set up businesses in Pune. The total investment by these companies here stood at about euro 1 billion. The city also accounts for about 175 joint ventures between Indian and German entities. Most investments are in the manufacturing and automobile sectors.
Alumniportal Deutschland is an online community for people who have studied, conducted research, worked or received training in Germany or at a German institute abroad. On this portal, members can create and maintain professional profiles, take part in discussions and apply for job vacancies. Organisations and companies can create and maintain their profiles, put up job vacancies and scout for candidates for vacancies.
The reason? In the next few years, half the German population would be aged more than 60.
Speaking to Business Standard, Michael Siebert, consul general of the German Consulate in Mumbai, said, “Due to demographic issues, half the German population would be aged more than 60. We need at least 40,000 skilled employees for various sectors, especially engineering. India has a lot of job opportunities in Germany. It has a lot of quality young people who would have a lot of opportunities, not only in manufacturing and automobiles, but also in service sectors such as finance, insurance, information technology, entertainment, publication and emerging sectors such as hospitality.”
Initially, German companies are eying local talent for their Indian subsidiaries. They plan to relocate the hired lot to Germany for a few years, in due course of time. The companies also have a similar policy for markets such as Poland and Brazil. A few German universities are attracting Indian students for research-based or doctoral studies. However, Germany does want to turn itself into an education market like the UK or Australia. This is because it seeks to enroll only quality students.
Germany is organising job fairs in India under the programme ‘Trained in GermanY’. In this, it is aided by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune, and Alumniportal Deutschland, the German ministry for economic cooperation and development and the federal foreign office.
Siebert said research departments in Germany were affected by the shortage of skilled employees. Also, in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, there was increasing demand and competition for young and educated people. German companies located in BRICS nations valued local employees who had studied or been trained in Germany, particularly because they were familiar with the German economy, culture and language, he said.
Currently, trade between India and Germany stands at euro 18 billion. Also, there is a lot of technology and knowledge transfer between the two countries. So far, German companies have invested euro 3 billion in India and provided employment to about 5,00,000 Indian nationals.
Zubin Kabraji, regional director, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune, said about 300 German companies had set up businesses in Pune. The total investment by these companies here stood at about euro 1 billion. The city also accounts for about 175 joint ventures between Indian and German entities. Most investments are in the manufacturing and automobile sectors.
Alumniportal Deutschland is an online community for people who have studied, conducted research, worked or received training in Germany or at a German institute abroad. On this portal, members can create and maintain professional profiles, take part in discussions and apply for job vacancies. Organisations and companies can create and maintain their profiles, put up job vacancies and scout for candidates for vacancies.
Centre eases eligibility criteria for UMPPs
New Delhi: Power sector investors have raised queries ranging from eligibility criteria to availability of clearances for two coming ultra-mega power projects (UMPPs) in the first pre-application conference held here on Tuesday.
Assuaging the concerns, the power ministry informed the corporates of the relaxation granted in the new bidding norms. “The total capital cost requirement, in order to qualify for setting up the plant, has been brought down to five per cent. Also, keeping the economic slowdown in mind, the expenditure incurred by the companies on projects in the past seven years will be counted,” said a senior power ministry official on the sidelines of the conference, organised by Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the nodal agency that conducts bidding for UMPPs.
PFC has issued requests for qualification for Odisha and Tamil Nadu UMPPs, whose financial bids will be opened in December. The projects would be awarded in February next year.
Earlier, the capital cost requirement for UMPPs used to be 10 per cent of the overall project cost. Also, the earlier norms took into account expenditure by prospective developers over five years.
PFC told the investors that in the new UMPPs, fuel risk is not with the developer and coal supply is assured in the Odisha project.
Apart from corporate heads, Tuesday’s meeting was attended by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, equipment manufacturers, financial institutions and consultants.
PFC told the investors that in the new UMPPs, fuel risk is not with the developer and coal supply is assured in the Odisha project. Also, land and water clearances are already in place for both the UMPPs. In addition, the investors sought details of norms on eligibility for qualification and sourcing of equipment from indigenous manufacturers.
Assuaging the concerns, the power ministry informed the corporates of the relaxation granted in the new bidding norms. “The total capital cost requirement, in order to qualify for setting up the plant, has been brought down to five per cent. Also, keeping the economic slowdown in mind, the expenditure incurred by the companies on projects in the past seven years will be counted,” said a senior power ministry official on the sidelines of the conference, organised by Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the nodal agency that conducts bidding for UMPPs.
PFC has issued requests for qualification for Odisha and Tamil Nadu UMPPs, whose financial bids will be opened in December. The projects would be awarded in February next year.
Earlier, the capital cost requirement for UMPPs used to be 10 per cent of the overall project cost. Also, the earlier norms took into account expenditure by prospective developers over five years.
PFC told the investors that in the new UMPPs, fuel risk is not with the developer and coal supply is assured in the Odisha project.
Apart from corporate heads, Tuesday’s meeting was attended by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, equipment manufacturers, financial institutions and consultants.
PFC told the investors that in the new UMPPs, fuel risk is not with the developer and coal supply is assured in the Odisha project. Also, land and water clearances are already in place for both the UMPPs. In addition, the investors sought details of norms on eligibility for qualification and sourcing of equipment from indigenous manufacturers.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Reliance Jio Infocomm to offer fixedline & wireless network services
Mumbai: Reliance Industries-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm will offer fixed and wireless broadband Internet connections when it launches services, the parent said in its quarterly earnings release on Monday.
The objective of offering fixed-line services comes with additional capital expenditure to connect locations with cables.
A person familiar with developments said the company has obtained local authority permissions to lay nearly 100 kilometres of optic fibre cables every day in Mumbai and Delhi. The company did not confirm this.
The release did say that Reliance Jio has been rapidly increasing staffing.
Its employee base over the last year has risen to 4,000 from 700. "The key leadership positions required to execute the project are in place," the company said. "RJIL has finalised the key vendor and supplier partnerships that are required for the launch of our services, and is making rapid progress in building the critical infrastructure needed to launch its services." Reliance Jio is the only company to have high-speed wireless broadband spectrum across the country.
The airwaves were bought for around Rs 13,000 crore in May 2010, at a significant discount to 3G acquired by operators such as Bharti AirtelBSE 1.17 %, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
Earlier this year, the company entered into two deals with Anil Ambani-run Reliance CommunicationsBSE -0.56 % to lease national optic fibre connectivity and 45,000 towers.
The objective of offering fixed-line services comes with additional capital expenditure to connect locations with cables.
A person familiar with developments said the company has obtained local authority permissions to lay nearly 100 kilometres of optic fibre cables every day in Mumbai and Delhi. The company did not confirm this.
The release did say that Reliance Jio has been rapidly increasing staffing.
Its employee base over the last year has risen to 4,000 from 700. "The key leadership positions required to execute the project are in place," the company said. "RJIL has finalised the key vendor and supplier partnerships that are required for the launch of our services, and is making rapid progress in building the critical infrastructure needed to launch its services." Reliance Jio is the only company to have high-speed wireless broadband spectrum across the country.
The airwaves were bought for around Rs 13,000 crore in May 2010, at a significant discount to 3G acquired by operators such as Bharti AirtelBSE 1.17 %, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
Earlier this year, the company entered into two deals with Anil Ambani-run Reliance CommunicationsBSE -0.56 % to lease national optic fibre connectivity and 45,000 towers.
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