Cover Story
- Though voice still remains the money spinner, telecom operators and handset makers are betting big on services to acquire the next 400 million customers. Kushan Mitra goes into the details.Broadband betGlobal downturn?The handsets pieThe new boys of telecomIndia epicentreBroadband for 99% IndiansThe crown jewel
- The handset manufacturing leviathan is innovating for India and from India.
- Just past the 17 rows of machines that build the printed circuit boards and affix microphones, speakers and cameras into a steady stream of mobile handsets, a crude cardboard instrument resembling a clock catches your eye. It’s the most low-tech thing at Nokia’s manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur near Chennai. Nokia’s success in India is not restricted to the market—it has set up a world-class production facility, too.
- A clutch of new players is marking its presence in the crowded telecom space. Although, they all are aware of of the gigantic size of the established players and know that just innovation may not work when the big players fight back, they are dreaming of getting blockbuster user bases. Tejeesh N.S. Behl and Anusha Subramanian report.
- If the world’s fastest-growing telecom market is drawing service providers by the dozen, then it is also a honey pot for a host of new handset manufacturers. Several new players, big and small, therefore, see the Indian handset market as their new playground.
- While the Indian mobile market grows at a furious pace, the global market for handsets isn’t faring too well.
- Qualcomm is betting on its Kayak phonecum-computer device and Snapdragon chip to engineer a broadband revolution In India. Will it work?
From The Editor
The common link in all the mobile phone advertisements today from Idea, Airtel, Aircel, LG and Vodafone is that none emphasises what most customers think to be the core value of the product: making and receiving calls. Pay phone!
A survey by a mobile commerce solutions company says Indians are finally using their mobile phones to pay bills and buy movie tickets. The month of March saw signs of corporate India battling back to nullify the gloom of global recession with announcements of new product launches and merger activity.'Companies should be process-driven'
In Hyderabad recently, Dipak C. Jain, Dean of the Kellogg School of Management in the US, spoke to E. Kumar Sharma on innovative management practices, corporate governance in India and how B-Schools need to come to terms with the reality of a slowdown. In the length of an average lifetime, the field of aviation had gone from being barely able to fly an aircraft for 100 feet to landing on the moon. The Indian School of Business has extended its placement season after many students fail to get offers. A glut of foreign channels is now available on cable and DTH platforms, targeting the expatriate community. Despite the slowdown, many Indian firms are confident of achieving double-digit growth, says an E&Y survey. India’s rank among 223 countries in terms of average Internet connection speed (772 Kbps compared to the global average of 1.5 Mbps) While industrial output figures are grim, growth across some sectors suggests that the worst may be over. The fortnight’s burning question is will the stock market buoyancy last? With election season in full swing, how would our politicians, used to creature comforts, keep up with the news from their election wagon or “rath”? Caught in the fog of the global recession, India's retails players are looking for survival strategies as the odd footfall echoesin empty malls. “In life, there are no guarantees, and in economics, there are no guarantees. I have no doubt, though, that the steps that have been taken are critical to preventing us sliding into a depression. Whether they’re sufficient, we’ve got to wait and see,” says Barack Obama, US President. How to sell your product without a single ad
The success of Swave-boards in many countries represents one of the most successful examples of “Diffusion of Innovation” and many companies can learn from it. 3G services could go a long way in driving broadband penetration in India. But the challenge is to ensure that the common man can afford the services. There is a helping hand for the IMF and some progress has been made on trade. The G-20 summit managed to forge a consensus on some thorny issues after a brainstorming session. Bordeaux meets China
Does the arrival of Lafite Rothschild in China herald a turnaround in a country where the most popular brand, called Great Wall, is reminiscent of rocket fuel? We associate Mercedes-Benz with big, luxury cars, but the ML320 CDI breaks that image with its diesel engine and serious off-road gear. A treatment for skin conditions has evolved into a ticklish pedicure that leaves your skin looking and feeling like new. Namaste Dear Readers! Hot isn’t it? It seems that spring has walked out on us, without so much as a goodbye, and now summer is glowering down on our precious metros, making them sweatier, stickier and generally less bearable. Waltz with Bashir is a brilliant investigation into the nature of guilt and memory. Why carry two devices when one does the job just fine? That’s the logic of Sony Ericsson’s Walkman and Nokia’s XpressMusic phones. We talk to John Hooks, Giorgio Armani’s #2, about luxury, India’s commonality with Italy, and how he’s not really a stylish person at all. (And even if he was, he would never admit it.) The Rolls Royce 200EX may be an experimental model, but it points the way for the much-awaited RR4 next year. What’s new and what’s happening this month. Every issue we ask a prominent businessman about the books that made them the people they are today. This month: Sudip Bandyopadhyay, CEO, Reliance Money. India’s original pin-up boy, Milind Soman, tells us how he keeps fit and runs marathons at the age of 44. To win requires breaking out of that comfort zone and pushing oneself to be the very best one can be. It really is, as the cliché goes, all in the head. There’s only one way to survive summer in the metros and that’s to get the hell out. Run for the hills! Where the air is clean and the breeze is crisp and the snow crunches underfoot. Over the next few pages, we show you where to go, where to stay and what to do when you get there. From the spectacular Himalayan states of India to farther jaunts like Bhutan, Sweden and even South Africa. It’s time to get out of town! Raised in Delhi, Jesse moved to Mumbai a decade ago to become a ramp model and actress (she appeared in Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal). She’s now dating Sandip Soparrkar, her dance teacher, and is a fan of pre-marital sex. Once upon a time, two very evocative words came together to form the ultimate licentious cocktail. The hottest new restaurants in the metros. Chef Morimoto’s landmark restaurant Wasabi will soon complete a year in New Delhi. We go behind the scenes to see what makes this temple of gastronomy tick. A new season calls for a brand new you. From watches to handsets to clothes, and even make-up, transform yourself with the hottest buys of the month. Bagged, appointed, failed and voted!
Ratan Tata is voted as ‘India Inc.’s Most Powerful CEO’ by The Economic Times Corporate Dossier’s Most Powerful CEOs Survey. MagCloud
Know about this new service from HP which allows anyone and everyone to print their very own magazine. Even if they want a single copy! How to end poverty in India
TeamLease’s India Labour Report 2008 presents a practical, well-thought-out and measurable way to cut unemployment and poverty.Are you losing the good people?
The often unseen cost of attrition, voluntary and involuntary, can be staggering for organisations. Here's your primer on good and bad leavers. IT, ITES worst-hit; Healthcare and Pharma in welcome uptick. The ultimate storage device
With a capacity to store 16,000 songs or 70 DVD quality movies,SanDisk’s new flash drive is an alluring monster. World Wide Worm
The slowdown is fuelling the explosive growth of malware or malicious software and both India Inc. and Indian consumers are in the firing line. Solar power goes megawatt, as promoters rush to tap government incentives. The regional film industry is set to get a corporate makeover with the entry of big production houses. From shortage to surplus—bordering on glut—government actions and policies yet again play havoc with India’s food grain economy. The Internet giant wants to leverage its India R&D teams to explore new growth avenues. The success of Tata Tea’s Jaago Re campaign may inspire many more companies to elevate their advertising to an intellectual plane. Banking on India
While financial services giants have posted huge losses overseas, they are either making substantial profits or planning ambitious expansions in India. Jeez, it's cheese
Top quality Italian cheese is being produced in rural Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Tejeesh N.S. Behl feeds on mozzarella, scamorza and other varieties to unravel the secret of this success. Keep the standard flying high
When business the world over is being walloped by the economic crisis, India’s Mini Global Champs (BT, April 19) offers grounds for hope. In looking for bright spots when many American and European MNCs are on the ropes, these select Indian companies are able to build on their growth acceleration stories. Bowled over
Few know of his passion for cricket, but 42-year-old Ajay Bijli, CMD, PVR, is doing everything to offer a sporting experience—in whatever form. Pulling out of the debt trap
The financial slowdown has set back many households on their debt repayments. BT examines some of the options and how you can bridge the gap. A SEBI committee moots physical settlement in derivatives. But the markets may not be ready for the transition yet. Oxygen for fertiliser industry
The commencement of gas supply from RIL’s finds is set to re-energise India’s fertiliser industry, hitherto hobbled by costly feedstock and subsidies. Can the credibility—and the prospects—of the Maytas companies improve if Ramalinga Raju’s sons continue to be at the helm of their operations? Political parties have made tall promises in their manifestos, unmindful of the high cost of fulfilling them later borne by the voters who were once lured by the promises.Does KYC = Kick Your Customer?
‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) was an initiative meant to curb the misuse of funds. Instead, it is keeping large numbers out of the banking system and impeding business activity. The world of online gaming is changing— and how! Not so long ago it was restricted to only a few broad categories— action, sports, puzzles and adventure games. Today, that universe is rapidly expanding. Burgeoning internet usage in India is giving a fillip to the online gaming industry as well. Manu Kaushik reports. For three decades, the three Ks—Kothari, Kampani and Kotak—ruled The Street. Today, Kothari has hung up his gloves, Kampani is in the eye of a storm and Kotak is building a bank—ending an era of home-grown dealmakers. Rachna M. Koppikar goes into the details. Leading from the front
Nusli Wadia is still fighting his battles and emerging stronger from them. His latest victory, after three years of sparring: a separation from French major Groupe Danone, which had a 25.48 per cent stake in foods major Britainnia, with Wadia holding another 25.48 per cent. Wadia now has sole control over Britannia. 'Asia needs to change its growth model'
Stephen Roach, Chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia, is widely recognised as one of the most seasoned economists in the world. Known for his bearish forecasts, Roach’s research covers a broad range of topics, with particular emphasis on globalisation and the emergence of China. From rivals to partners
A book on India and China—and not on India vs China—that is practical and incisive. 
