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 VSNL
in Rs 1,300 crore broadband plan
The Tatas-controlled VSNL will invest Rs 1,300 crore in broadband
infrastructure for its proposed long distance foray. VSNL
chairman Ratan Tata said that of this amount, Rs 500 crore
will be invested in the current fiscal, while the balance
will be made in 2003-04. VSNL would follow a build-and-buy
model for its national long distance telephony (NLD) foray,
which would mean it would set up the infrastructure in some
areas and would acquire broadband infrastructure businesses
of other companies.
The NLD move would be part of the overall telecom strategy
of the Tata group which involves presence across the entire
telecom spectrum.
Business
Standard
ESC sights $2B software exports to Japan by 2006
Indian
software exports to Japan has the potential to touch $2 billion
by 2005-06 from $450 million in 2001-02, according to the
Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council
(ESC). Japan IT services market is estimated to grow from
$124 billion in 2002 to $150 billion in 2004. According to
an ESC release, major segments in software that could register
growth in Japan are data processing, system maintenance and
database services apart from software development.
Financial
Express
SAP India signs deal with ONGC
SAP
India, the Indian arm of Europe’s biggest software maker
SAP AG, has signed a $19 million deal with Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation for implementing enterprise resource planning
package. The deal, the ERP major’s largest-ever in the
country, is aimed at consolidating the IT efforts at ONGC.
SAP will implement various solutions of its e-business solution,
mySAP.com, over the next 30 months across five regions of
ONGC for over 8,500 users.
Business
Standard
India, UK tie up for ubiquitous computing
The
UK government has allocated approximately 70,000-80,000 pounds
for the Indo-UK ‘ubiquitous computing.’ Both the
governments has earlier this year signed an agreement to collaborate
on science and technology. The current initiative is part
of this agreement. The project aims to help Indian businesses
and universities to understand the possibilities of ubiquitous
computing.
Financial
Express
Epicenter raises over $2.5 m in round two
Mumbai-based Epicenter has closed its second round of funding
by raising over $2.5 million from GW Capital. With this, in
all the company has raised $4 million as part of its second
fund, as Infinity Ventures recently pumped $1.5 million into
the company. GW Capital will pick up a stake of 10 percent
in the company, following which the equity stake of other
investors will proportionately reduce. At present, Infinity
has 10 percent, Epicenter CEO Vijay Rao holds 32 percent,
Kalyani Group has 43-45 percent and the founder of Ariba,
Ken Eldrad, owns the remaining 14 percent.
Financial
Express
BSA hardsells WIPO to India
In
addition to its anti-software privacy activities, Business
Software Alliance (BSA), will also now lobby with the Indian
government to sign the
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) copyright
treaty. BSA, which is a global agency backed by major software
vendors like Microsoft and Adobe, will also put pressure on
the Indian government officials to strengthen the enforcement
of the existing copyright legislation to bring down software
privacy.
Financial
Express
Cellular industry losses mount to Rs 7,700 cr in 02
The
financial performance of mobile service operators continues
to flag. Accumulated losses of the cellular industry have
risen by Rs 800 crore from Rs 6,900 crore in fiscal April
‘01 to Rs 7,700 crore in fiscal April ‘02. On a
more optimistic note, the total number of cellular subscribers
is expected to touch 10 million by December ‘02, up from
eight million as of date, according to the Cellular Operators’
Association of India (COAI).
Economic
Times
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