Jio's Broadband Plans may leave DTH Firms Vulnerable: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Reliance Jio's bundled broadband services plans may leave DTH firms "most vulnerable", and work out to be "neutral to slight negative" for Bharti Airtel, as it raises competitive heat in corporate and home internet space, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report said on Tuesday.

The view comes after Reliance Industries on Monday revealed its plans for fixed line broadband services 'Jio Fiber' that will offer optical fibre-based ultra high-speed internet bundled with HD television viewing at less than one-tenth of global rates.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said that direct-to-home (DTH) companies could be "most vulnerable" to Reliance Industries' bundled broadband and cable services as they are unlikely to offer dual services. It did not anticipate a direct impact on broadcasters but said that indirect impact on subscription revenue could be felt if DTH/MSOs (multiple-system operator) revenue are affected.

"Long-term impact would be on ad spends if advertisers focus more on advertising on Over The Top (OTT) and spend more on producing quality content to compete with Amazon, Netflix etc," it said.

The report did not rule some pressure on Bharti's broadband revenue triggered by Jio's entry in the space. However, it said, impact is likely to be limited as overall fixed broadband penetration remains low (at less than eight per cent) and large greenfiled opportunities remain.

Bharti Airtel did not respond to an e-mail query on the issue.

Jio with over 340 million mobile subscribers has become the country's largest operator in revenue terms within three years of launching its mobile services, and now hopes to pull off the feat in fixed-line broadband services.

Jio Fiber will offer free voice calls for life from landlines, 100 mbps minimum broadband speed at subscription starting from Rs 700 a month and free HD TV set on a commitment to an annual plan. It has declared that the landline rates for international calling will be the "lowest", and its plans will come bundled with subscriptions to most leading premium OTT applications.

Jio Fiber's plans will be priced between Rs 700-10,000 per month.

HSBC, however, said RIL seemed to be targeting only a gradual addition of subscribers.

"In its wireless offering, it was easier for subscribers to switch operator but given the low penetration of wireline internet in India, RIL will have to attract new subscribers," it said.

The report further said that Hathway, Den, GTPL Hathway (owned or investee companies of RIL) also offer home broadband at price of Rs 350-400 per month but offering lower speeds of 50Mbps, whereas RIL is promising a minimum speed of 100 Mbps at a minimum rate of Rs 700.

"We expect the adoption of this offering to be gradual with a long term view of 4-5 years," the report said.

Compared to wireless where prices were at a discount to prevelent rates, Jio Fiber consumers will have to pay more for new technologies, it added.

"On Cable TV, RIL has opened a platform for collaboration with LCOs (Local Cable Operators) rather than announcing any disruptive pricing," the brokerage report said. PTI MBI

Govt to Release Ranking of States based on 'Broadband Readiness Index' Every Year

The telecom department plans to release ranking of states this year based on their readiness to build digital infrastructure and help them attract investments.

"This (Broadband readiness) index will help states in creating digital and high quality communication infrastructure, attract investments for creating next generation communication infrastructure, create institutional mechanism between Centre, state, local bodies and other stakeholders," Minister of state for telecom Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre told reporters.

He was speaking at an event, where the Department of Telecom (DoT) signed memorandum of understanding with Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) to develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) for states and Union Territories (UT).

The first estimate will be made in 2019 and subsequently every year until 2022.

"This is expected to give a big fillip because for the first time we are assessing what is the status of digital infrastructure and what is their readiness to roll out digital infrastructure in states.

"Its a very major step. We are looking at nine important parameters and none of these have been earlier assessed in a scientific manner. We never had a state-wise break up," telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said.

The broadband readiness index (BRI) consists of two parts. Part one will focus on infrastructure development based on the measurement of nine parameters including availability of state policy on right of way and towers, adoption of national building code, percentage of mobile towers connected with fibre etc.

"Fibre is fundamental for extending broadband services and to make 5G a success story for India. Today, there are only about 20-25 per cent of mobile towers that are fiberised while 75-80 per cent of mobile towers are fiberised in countries like USA and Japan etc," mobile infrastructure industry body Taipa Director General T R Dua said.

The second part of the index will cover demand side parameters, which will be captured through primary surveys.

ICRIER Director and Chief Executive Rajat Kathuria said the broadband index will make states competitive as well as enhance cooperation.

At 16%, Internet Penetration In Rural India Lags Behind Many Countries: Report

PM Modi’s Digital India might not be progressing as well as he had anticipated. According to the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) IMC-Deloitte report released at the recently held ‘India Mobile Congress 2017,’ the overall Internet penetration in the country stands at a disappointing 33 per cent. In fact, what’s more discouraging is the fact, the figure is just 16 percent in the rural areas of the country.

The report revealed that the Indian subcontinent currently occupies the 36th rank, globally, when it comes to internet inclusion based on factors such as availability, affordability, relevance and readiness.

With only 23 per cent, the South Asian country is several miles behind many countries in broadband penetration. As of August this year, India, which has a population of about 1.324 billion, has just around 310 million broadband subscribers.

For the uninitiated, a country’s broadband penetration can be considered a key element in achieving a country’s socio-economic objectives. In fact, a rise in broadband penetration to 60 per cent can result into a potential 5-6 percent increase in the country’s GDP.

Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI believes that the Indian telecom industry has been contributing significantly to the Indian economy. He affirms that the industry has in fact ensured that the Modi government’s Digital India programme is able to reach the farthest corners of the country. He further said, “With the lowest call rates in the world and affordable access to data, the industry truly is at the cusp of a revolution.”

Adding to what Mathews said, PN Sudarshan, Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP said, “Telecom is redefining mobility, work, governance, etc. and will promote geographical, financial and social inclusion and enable the interplay of technologies and industries for exponential growth propelling India towards a $5 trillion economy.”

The COAI IMC-Deloitte report also highlighted the need and tracking the implementation status of smart cities, smart healthcare, smart money, smart energy and smart agriculture.

In fact, some of the recommendations mentioned in the report regarding building internet connectivity-infrastructure for areas with billions of people included ‘setting aspirational goals,’ ‘increasing planned budgetary allocation and effective usage of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)’ and ‘implementing policies and guidelines to standardise deployment of infrastructure.’

This development was first reported in Bgr.

[Image: MediaLabs]

Nokia, IIT-Madras Ties Up To Offer Last Mile Broadband Connectivity in Rural India

It's no hidden news that the now almost two years old Modi government is focused on transforming India into a digital haven, where the wealthiest of the wealthiest and poorest of the poorest are connected to the internet.

In its efforts to extend a helping hand to the Indian government, two of the greatest names in the country, The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) and Nokia, have come together and joined hands. The two will work towards creating technological solutions that will increase the current broadband connectivity situation in the rural India.

Under the terms agreed in the 3-year partnership deal between the two, Nokia will responsible for providing funds and technological expertise for research at the prestigious IIT-M’s Center of Excellence for Wireless Technology (CEWiT).

The project is aimed at evaluating the option of making use of unlicensed spectrum that will make cost-efficient, last-mile broadband connectivity a reality for the remote rural communities in India. The project, which complements the government’s National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) initiative well, can help in bridging the connectivity divide currently present in the country by increasing the reach of broadband in its rural areas.

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras is one of the premier institutes of the country, providing higher technological education, basic and applied research. Nokia, on the other hand, is a global leader in the technological world connecting people and things all around the world.

According to Nokia, India as a country is on the edge of a digital revolution. With the successful implementation of this project, Nokia's prime social development objective for the country will be met.

Nokia, IIT-Madras Ties Up To Offer Last Mile Broadband Connectivity in Rural India

It's no hidden news that the now almost two years old Modi government is focused on transforming India into a digital haven, where the wealthiest of the wealthiest and poorest of the poorest are connected to the internet.

In its efforts to extend a helping hand to the Indian government, two of the greatest names in the country, The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) and Nokia, have come together and joined hands. The two will work towards creating technological solutions that will increase the current broadband connectivity situation in the rural India.

Under the terms agreed in the 3-year partnership deal between the two, Nokia will responsible for providing funds and technological expertise for research at the prestigious IIT-M’s Center of Excellence for Wireless Technology (CEWiT).

The project is aimed at evaluating the option of making use of unlicensed spectrum that will make cost-efficient, last-mile broadband connectivity a reality for the remote rural communities in India. The project, which complements the government’s National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) initiative well, can help in bridging the connectivity divide currently present in the country by increasing the reach of broadband in its rural areas.

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras is one of the premier institutes of the country, providing higher technological education, basic and applied research. Nokia, on the other hand, is a global leader in the technological world connecting people and things all around the world.

According to Nokia, India as a country is on the edge of a digital revolution. With the successful implementation of this project, Nokia's prime social development objective for the country will be met.

Railway Broadband To Touch 5 Lakh Homes In Digital India Within 2 Years

Carving a niche for itself in Connected India -2020 project, Railtel Corporation's broadband will reach 500,000 households through its Railwire network providing a host of services at block levels in the next two years, a top Railway official said.

The Broadband Highway will involve a three-layer network – State capitals to District headquarters, District to sub-divisional and then to gram panchayats which will be joined to the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN), Mr Pradeep Kumar, Executive Director (East) of Railtel Corporation of India told a Global Communication Conclave held in Kolkata over the last weekend.

The Conclave, 10th in a series organised by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), conducted a knowledge forum with the theme – Digital Now- What Next.

Mr Kumar said Railwire network architecture provides the answer for ‘what next’ as it will empower the people at village level with knowledge, skill development and core competencies. This will lead to good governance and transparent, corruption-free governments.

Railtel’s pan-India optic fibre network covers 4,400 plus railway stations across 44,300 km.

Railwire has also begun to tap the local cable operators focusing on pure play broadband and VPN services, content and application-driven network. “Our aim is to become a hub of local information and tool for rendering communication, infotainment, education, health and community services to the masses," Mr Kumar said.

In Eastern India alone, Railtel seeks to cover 36,000 gram panchayats and the broadband services include emails, online newspapers, online passport application, telemedicine, examination results and netsurfing for students with a minimum 2 Mpbps speed. The company’s pilot projects at Panisagar and Girania in Tripura have aroused a lot interest and enthusiasm, he said.

For the Railways itself, Railtel provides mission critical services such as computerized passenger reservation and ticketing system.

Ms Sashi Panja, West Bengal Women welfare and child development minister, who inaugurated the two-day conclave, focused on communicators role in ensuring the safety of women and children. In this context, she appreciated PRCI for setting up an internal compliance cell as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act makes it mandatory for all organizations to have such cells.

Explaining the significance of the conclave theme - Digital Now – What Next – PRCI national president and veteran media professional B N Kumar pointed out that it was important for communication professionals to keep themselves updated with the latest technology trends to be able to meet ever increasing challenges.

PRCI also focuses on skill development for communication professionals by expanding its operations and network not only across India but globally as well, he said.

PRCI chairman emeritus and chief mentor M B Jayaram said it was high time that the PR professionals thought big, embraced emerging challenges and convert them into opportunities and move towards a digital-first approach. The organization will soon initiate collaborative programmes with various business and technology forums to help the professionals upgrade their skills.

He pointed out that PRCI has come out with a unique e-magazine called PRapport which is becoming increasingly popular among global communication professionals due to its unique content being updated on a 24x7 basis.

Ms Geetha Shankar, chairperson of PRCI’s young communicators club (YCC), said the organizations emphasise on training mass communication students with practical aspects of media functioning to make them industry-ready. “In this regard, we are working with various universities and colleges teaching mass communication,” she said.

PRCI felicitated national achievers from among communication professionals with its coveted Chanakya awards, inducted senior practitioners into PR Hall of fame and presented a host of collateral awards at the conclave. Ujjivan Financial Services won the Corporate Citizen award, while Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals was given the innovative leadership award. Dainik Bhakskar Bhopal was given the excellence in social leadership award while and Businessworld fortnightly was adjudged the magazine of the year.

Railway Broadband To Touch 5 Lakh Homes In Digital India Within 2 Years

Carving a niche for itself in Connected India -2020 project, Railtel Corporation's broadband will reach 500,000 households through its Railwire network providing a host of services at block levels in the next two years, a top Railway official said.

The Broadband Highway will involve a three-layer network – State capitals to District headquarters, District to sub-divisional and then to gram panchayats which will be joined to the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN), Mr Pradeep Kumar, Executive Director (East) of Railtel Corporation of India told a Global Communication Conclave held in Kolkata over the last weekend.

The Conclave, 10th in a series organised by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), conducted a knowledge forum with the theme – Digital Now- What Next.

Mr Kumar said Railwire network architecture provides the answer for ‘what next’ as it will empower the people at village level with knowledge, skill development and core competencies. This will lead to good governance and transparent, corruption-free governments.

Railtel’s pan-India optic fibre network covers 4,400 plus railway stations across 44,300 km.

Railwire has also begun to tap the local cable operators focusing on pure play broadband and VPN services, content and application-driven network. “Our aim is to become a hub of local information and tool for rendering communication, infotainment, education, health and community services to the masses," Mr Kumar said.

In Eastern India alone, Railtel seeks to cover 36,000 gram panchayats and the broadband services include emails, online newspapers, online passport application, telemedicine, examination results and netsurfing for students with a minimum 2 Mpbps speed. The company’s pilot projects at Panisagar and Girania in Tripura have aroused a lot interest and enthusiasm, he said.

For the Railways itself, Railtel provides mission critical services such as computerized passenger reservation and ticketing system.

Ms Sashi Panja, West Bengal Women welfare and child development minister, who inaugurated the two-day conclave, focused on communicators role in ensuring the safety of women and children. In this context, she appreciated PRCI for setting up an internal compliance cell as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act makes it mandatory for all organizations to have such cells.

Explaining the significance of the conclave theme - Digital Now – What Next – PRCI national president and veteran media professional B N Kumar pointed out that it was important for communication professionals to keep themselves updated with the latest technology trends to be able to meet ever increasing challenges.

PRCI also focuses on skill development for communication professionals by expanding its operations and network not only across India but globally as well, he said.

PRCI chairman emeritus and chief mentor M B Jayaram said it was high time that the PR professionals thought big, embraced emerging challenges and convert them into opportunities and move towards a digital-first approach. The organization will soon initiate collaborative programmes with various business and technology forums to help the professionals upgrade their skills.

He pointed out that PRCI has come out with a unique e-magazine called PRapport which is becoming increasingly popular among global communication professionals due to its unique content being updated on a 24x7 basis.

Ms Geetha Shankar, chairperson of PRCI’s young communicators club (YCC), said the organizations emphasise on training mass communication students with practical aspects of media functioning to make them industry-ready. “In this regard, we are working with various universities and colleges teaching mass communication,” she said.

PRCI felicitated national achievers from among communication professionals with its coveted Chanakya awards, inducted senior practitioners into PR Hall of fame and presented a host of collateral awards at the conclave. Ujjivan Financial Services won the Corporate Citizen award, while Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals was given the innovative leadership award. Dainik Bhakskar Bhopal was given the excellence in social leadership award while and Businessworld fortnightly was adjudged the magazine of the year.

Amid Digital India Programme, India Slips Down in UN's Broadband Ranking

At a time when the Government of India is pushing the Digital India initiative, the recent statistics revealed by the United Nations in its broadband penetration ranking is not encouraging.

India's broadband penetration ranking has slipped to 155 from 113, according to the State of Broadband 2015 report by the UN.

However, the report also had some good news. The number of people with broadband access on mobile phones has gone up to 5.5 per cent of the population when compared with 3.2 per cent figure in the year 2013.

According to some sources, currently, the total number of unique mobile subscribers is between 3.7-5 billion.

According to the report by the UN, some experts are considering this as an indication that the digital divide that is currently prevalent in the world might soon be bridged.
Though the situation is slowly improving but digital divide is still persistent in terms of access to broadband internet, including the challenges of extending last-mile access to infrastructure and facilities to rural and remote communities.

Only 43% of the world’s population is currently online with some form of regular access to the internet revealed the recent data released by International Telecommunication Union's (ITU). This automatically means that 57% or some 4.2 billion of the world's people still do not have regular access to the internet.

Hence, an initiative like Digital India is surely the need of the hour. How successful will the initiative be is something that we will have to wait and watch. Keep checking this space as we keep a close watch on the story.