Business
Voice and Data
Vodafone registered nearly one year of traffic growth in first week of lockdown
As India moves towards the second phase of nation-wide lockdown, the increased demand for the internet seems to have stabilized after the sudden surge—over 45%— during the first week beginning 25 March 2020, when the whole country started working from home and education went nearly 100% online. According to industry sources, the data traffic of the three private-sector players jumped from 250 petabytes per day in December 2019 to nearly 365 petabytes per day end of March 2020. This has kept the telcos and their technology heads on their toes and Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) CTO Vishant Vora is no exception. In an email interview with Shubhendu Parth, he shared details of the initiatives taken by VIL in ensuring uninterrupted voice and data services, and how its investments in cutting-edge technologies helped in meeting the surge in demand.
4 min |
April 2020
Voice and Data
COLLABORATED WE STAND
While we had the technology to create a mesh of remote workers, COVID-19 pushed its adoption at an unprecedented scale. Here is how companies in India are dealing with it
10+ min |
April 2020
Voice and Data
Business continuity amidst work-from-home
Being FY closing, it was critical that all departments at Apollo Tyres were able to work together seamlessly. It was also important to ensure that the company continued to service its partners without disruption
4 min |
April 2020
Voice and Data
Rx For Financial Health Of Telcos
Telecom companies in India have gone through a phase of consolidation and are still reeling under the financial stress triggered by the disruption in the market, low ARPU despite the recent tariff hike by the telcos, and last but not the least, the AGR payment crisis that is threatening to create a duopoly market in the country. The TLF panel discussion deliberated on what ails the industry, the available financial options and how the government can support the industry to make it healthier. The key participants in the discussion moderated by Voice&Data Consulting Editor Shubhendu Parth included Bharti Enterprises Vice-Chairman and Bharti Infratel Executive Chairman Akhil Gupta, Broadband India Forum President TV Ramachandran, and COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews. Excerpts:
5 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
“Telecom data network is the superhighway of all future services”
It has been a long 40-year journey for him—from leading the HR function at DCM Shriram Group in 1979, to steering India’s wireless telecom industry as the Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises Limited, and then his five-year stint as executive chairman of SB Energy, a joint venture between Softbank, Bharti and Foxconn. The Voice&Data Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2019 and Softbank India’s Country Head Manoj kohli talks with Shubhendu Parth about the challenges and opportunities of the telecom sector in India. Excerpts:
8 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
“Technology is our middle name”
As a passionate engineer, he considers himself fortunate to be leading a technology company at a time when digital advancement is transforming everyday lives. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and University of California, Berkeley, he completed his PhD in Materials Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA before joining Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) in 1995. The winner of Voice&Data Pathbreaker of the Year Award for 2019 and STL CEO Dr. Anand Agarwal shares his views with As a passionate engineer, he considers himself fortunate to be leading a technology company at a time when digital advancement is transforming everyday lives. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and University of California, Berkeley, he completed his PhD in Materials Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA before joining Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) in 1995. The winner of Voice&Data Pathbreaker of the Year Award for 2019 and STL CEO Dr. Anand Agarwal shares his views with Shubhendu Parth on the company’s journey, new business opportunities and Make in India. Excerpts: on the company’s journey, new business opportunities and Make in India. Excerpts:
8 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
“A CDO is often asked to enhance digital revenue of the company”
Tata Communications Chief Digital Officer C R Srinivasan is responsible for the overall digital and security strategy and execution for the company. As technologist and a business leader, he also heads the company’s global business for cloud and security, enabling digital transformation initiatives for customers. He is also responsible for creating industry standards in cloud computing solutions for customers coupled with solidifying the internal digital processes and delivering technical solutions to enhance business growth and productivity. In an interaction with Thomas George, he talked about emerging technology trends, different aspects of digital transformation, and the emerging role of a CDO. Excerpts from the interview:
7 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
“5G will create more opportunities for the operators”
The 1978-batch IAS officer with a master’s degree in mathematics from IIT-Kanpur and another in computer science from the University of California brings an amazing mix of technology and bureaucracy that allowed him to make a difference at every stage of his civil services—as a District Collector in Begusarai, Purnea, and Dhanbad or as UIDAI Director General, Jharkhand Chief Secretary and IT, and Communications Secretary. The Voice&Data Telecom Person of the Year for 2019 and TRAI Chairman Ram Sewak Sharma touches upon his role as a regulator, the changing business model of telecom service providers (TSPs) and opportunities that the 5G is likely to bring in. Excerpts from an interview with Shubhendu Parth:
10+ min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
Unlocking manufacturing growth in India
The panel discussion on Unlocking Manufacturing Growth in India at the TLF 2020 was moderated by Infomo Global Pte Ltd Strategic Advisor & Group COO Sukanta Dey.
3 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
The game-changer for telecom
Delivering the industry keynote at the TLF 2020, on Service Orchestration and Close Loop Assurance in 5G, HPE CMS Solution Specialist for OSS/BSS and Orchestration Azad Singh said that the company can help with service orchestration and close loop assurance in 5G.
4 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
Leveraging digital era growth
There was a panel discussion on Leveraging Digital Era Growth at the TLF India 2020.
3 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
Indian telecom's winter of discontent
Is a spring of revival now a dream or still a strong possibility?
6 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
Building the internet for the future
At the Voice&Data Telecom Leadership Forum (TLF) 2020, Cisco Systems Asia Pacific and Japan, and Service Provider Business President Sanjay Kaul presented on ‘building the internet for the future.’
5 min |
March,2020
Voice and Data
Will The Golden Era Return?
Regulatory reforms, in conjunction with a widespread network transformation, could make the sector a bedrock of digital revolution
6 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
TECH FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH
Tech for good–a topic done to death or the tip of an iceberg? Well it is both
4 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
SETTING TELECOM TRENDS
Telecos will emerge from being the underlying vessel of delivery to become the front runner digital content provider
6 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
SATELLITE NETWORKS PLAYED A PIVOTAL CORNERSTONE
India missed an opportunity in cellular satellite technologies like HTS and needs to make up by accelerating adoption of LEO satellites
3 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
A suitable policy framework and regulator for the broadband are essential to enable private players contribute to the projects of national importance
6 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
IT'S A LEAPFROG MOMENT
India can combine its software prowess with massive telecom reach to lead technology creation and deployment at scale
6 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED
The governments push on BharatNet could be a game changer if we can dovetail sustainable business models with the infrastructure
4 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
CHANGING DC DYNAMICS
The new role of telcos is less about being data center service providers and more about interconnecting data centers and clouds
5 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
A MODEL ROADMAP FOR A SMARTER WORLD
The Gurugram smart city project is a model roadmap in the making for other smart cities to adapt and deploy
4 min |
February,2020
Voice and Data
Twenty for 2020
As more enterprises adopt the mobile-first strategy, data privacy will become a strategic differentiator to establish trust. Here is a list of trends that will happen and some others that may disappoint you.
5 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
Regenerating consumer electronics industry
Manufacturers are adopting groundbreaking technologies to meet the growing demands of the digital natives and new-era customers, thanks to AI and data connectivity.
4 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
No respite to telecom sector woes
With the AGR dues overweighing green shoots of deleveraging and restoration of pricing power, the Indian telecom industry will continue to reel under pressure
4 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
India should use PPP model to scale up telecom infrastructure
He specializes in greenfield telecom ventures and loves building businesses from zilch. The head of convergence business at Sterlite Power, NK Panda is also working towards creating a nationwide fibre optic network primarily on power utility infrastructure. In an interaction with Anusha Ashwin he talks about the strengths of the company, its efforts to make India digitally empowered, and fibre optic connection plans. Excerpts:
6 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
Dawn of the digital decade
5G is expected to have a deep and lasting impact on the country’s economy and open up a plethora of business possibilities. Here is what you can look forward to during the year
7 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
Blockchain makes real-time intel sharing possible
Subex, a leading telecom analytics solutions provider, has joined hands with the Risk & Assurance Group (RAG) to provide a Blockchain-based fraud management solution to its customers. As part of this alliance, Subex becomes part of the RAG Wangiri Blockchain Consortium, which seeks to use the technology to gather real-time industry threat intelligence about fraudsters. The consortium includes some of the world’s leading Communications Service Providers (CSPs) from North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. In an interaction with Voice&Data’s Pradeep Chakraborty, Subex Products and Strategy head Rohit maheshwari shares more details about the partnership. Excerpts:
2 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
Before the party begins
The 5G device ecosystem is bound to develop well, not just in anticipation of new radio rollouts but also in preparation of applications such as edge AI, VR, and AR
3 min |
January 2020
Voice and Data
A checklist for extraordinary success
How the service provider can address the growth market and move beyond the traditional subscriber-driven revenue model
4 min |