Harris to demonstrate power efficiency with transmitter range at BroadcastAsia 2012

Harris will demonstrate the latest Flexiva™ air-cooled FM solid-state transmitter at BroadcastAsia 2012 (stand no. 4R2-01 on second floor of Suntec Singapore, June 19-22 2012). An FM transmitter, Flexiva provides radio broadcasters with a single platform to support analogue and global digital standards.

This range of quad-mode, solid-state transmitters in low-to-mid power models, boasts a single, highly power-efficient platform to support analogue and global digital standards. At BroadcastAsia the company will introduce two new high-power models (30kW and 40kW) for broadcasters that need to minimize operating costs while covering large areas — including analogue FM and high-power HD Radio via elevated sideband levels. 

TRAI chief defends 2G spectrums pricing at JPC

The new Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on 29 May 2012 defended its 2G spectrum proposals at a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee. 

Telecom Commission has asked TRAI to give an analysis on the impact of its pricing proposal. Telecom companies, which are protesting against the TRAI proposals, were hoping for a review. 

Hungama Digital develops Satyamev Jayate app on ITunes

Hungama digital has developed an app for Aamir Khan's latest television show - Satyamev Jayate on ITunes. The application is the No.1 entertainment app and in Top 25 Apps on the Appstore. Its current rank is 17, beating Instagram which is on 18.

CCI approves Reliance Industries' stake buy in TV18

Competition Commission of India has approved Reliance Industries' acquisition of stake in Raghav Bahl's media companies Network 18 and TV18 Broadcast.

The Independent Media Trust, a trust set up for the benefit of Reliance Industries Limited, acquired the stake by subscribing to the optionally convertible debentures of companies controlled by Bahl.

TRAI withdraws complaints against Airtel, Idea and Loop Mobiles

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on May 26th 2012 withdrew its complaint against three major telecom tycoons - Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Loop Mobiles - for violation of its regulations from a Delhi court.

The TRAI had filed the complaint against the firms for rejecting number portability requests from their subscribers in violation of the TRAI regulations.

Sun18 assigned Amit Arora as national head – affiliate sales

Sun18 North, the distribution alliance between Network18 and Sun TV Network, has appointed Amit Arora as national head – affiliate sales. 

Prior to Sun18, Arora was with Media Pro Enterprises as Sr VP - Business Development & Strategy. 

Time traveler launched by Yahoo!: iPad application

Yahoo! is set to launch Time Traveler, an application for iOS-based (iPhone operating system) mobile devices. The application will help travellers with little time on hand to hop around various destinations within a particular city. 

Petition of TV Vision refused by TDSAT

Broadcast tribunal TDSAT has refused the plea of TV Vision, promoters of the music channels 'Mastiii', to stay the Direct-to-Home operator TataSky from adding any new channel to its platform.

TDSAT's interim order came over a petition filed by TV Vision requesting the tribunal to direct TataSky to distribute its channel through its DTH platform. TV Vision had also requested that till the pendency of its plea, TataSky should be injuncted from adding any new channel and a slot for 'Mastiii' should be kept.

Set-top boxes may soon be available in BEE

BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) is considering certifying Set-top boxes for their star ratings based on power consumption.

The boxes, which are used by DTH service providers and multi-system operators, generally are imported from China and South Korea which do not have any specifications and certification for their energy efficiency levels.

DoT approved the Auction of 10 MHz spectrum

The Telecom Commission (TC), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)'s highest decision-making body, on 24 May 2012 approved the auction of 10 MHz of spectrum across all circles in the 1,800 MHz band, which is used for 2G services.

Bharti Airtel get hold of 49% in Qualcomm India for Rs 907 cr

Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest mobile operator, on 24 May 2012 announced the acquisition of 49 per cent stake in US telecom major Qualcomm Inc’s broadband wireless access (BWA) company in India for an initial investment of $165 million (Rs 907 crore).

With this move, Bharti Airtel will become a key player in the 4G LTE market, with a presence in eight of the 22 circles in the country. The acquisition of Qualcomm’s licence is crucial, as it will give Bharti an entry into four key circles: the lucrative Delhi and Mumbai markets as well as Haryana and Kerala. Bharti, on its own, has 4G spectrum in four circles, including Kolkata, where it has already launched services, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra.

ClickSoftware Sparks Evolution in Business Mobility with its New ClickAppStore

ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd. announced on 24 May 2012, the release of the new ClickAppStore, offering a rich variety of business apps and a visual development studio to integrate discrete apps into composite apps, sharing context and running streamlined workflows. Its built-in integrationwith organizational back-office systems and business-grade mobility infrastructure, establishes ClickAppStoreas the most complete platform for enterprise mobility, and overcomes many of the limitations of contemporary consumer-level AppStores. Now every mobile worker, from field-service technicians to insurance agents, from healthcare workers to public safety providers, from sales representatives to bankers and business executives, can boost their productivity with a device of their choice. 

TV9: S Divaakar reappointed as VP

S Divaakar has started his second innings with Associated Broadcasting Company Limited (ABCL), the company that runs the TV9 Network. He has joined as Vice President – Advertisements and National Sales. 

Qamar Waheed Naqvi, News Director of TV Today retires this month

May 31 is the last working day at the organisation for Q W Naqvi. Output heads of all four channels will now report to Kalli Purie/Aroon Purie. 

Editorial head and News Director of TV Today, Qamar Waheed Naqvi will retire on 31 May 2012. 

Big Magic will be on Reliance Digital TV

Big Magic, the regional entertainment channel from the Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL), will now be available on Reliance Digital TV platform.

Animax is no more on Videocon d2h

Videocon d2h has issued a notice to Animax to drop the channel from its offerings from 12 June.

The DTH platform provider has added Sony Six, the new sports entertainment channel from the Multi Screen Media stable. Both Animax and Sony Six are distributed by MSM Discovery.

Sadhna News appoints Raghwesh Asthana as CEO

Sadhna News has appointed in Raghwesh Asthana as the new CEO in order to consolidate its focus on regional news in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. 

Commenting on his new role, Asthana said, “It is a very exciting opportunity for me to join Sadhna News at this point of time, when the channel is looking to consolidate its focus on regional news. It now becomes very crucial that the channel further strengthens its hold over the regional markets.” 

FOODFOOD on Videocon D2H now

FOODFOOD, India’s most gastronomically loaded food and food lifestyle channel will now be available on videocon d2h channel no.

In a step further to strengthen its hold in the DTH space, FOODFOOD, the joint venture between Malaysia’s leading cross-media group, Astro All Asia Networks (Astro), Turmeric Vision Pvt Ltd (TVPL) and Mogae Consultants signed a deal with digital DTH service Videocon d2h. FOODFOOD will now be available on Videocon d2h channel number 141.

Cinemax CEO Sunil Punjabi quits

After a stint of almost two years, multiplex chain Cinemax CEO Sunil Punjabi has put in his papers. He will be on the job till 25 May 2012. Punjabi joined the company in July 12, 2010, and helmed the exhibition business. 

DigiVive collaborates with Karbonn Mobiles for nexGTV

DigiVive, leading Next Generation technology and service provider in the managed Value Added Services in mobile and digital landscape announced on 17 May 2012, its collaboration with one of the leading Indian Mobile brand Karbonn Mobiles for embedding its nexGTv application on feature phones. 

Talking on this occasion Mr. G D Singh, Executive Director, DigiVive says “DigiVive is collaborating with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to increase the reach of nexGTV and add convenience of accessing LIVE TV Channels & Best- in-Class VoD content through its pre-embedded mobile TV app. We feel our collaboration with Karbonn will be beneficial for both of us.” 

OLX.in launches iOS app for iPhone and iPad

OLX.in, one of India’s free online local classified sites, has launched apps for both the iPad and iPhone to cater to the rapidly emerging mobile Internet population in India. With a growing market of over 55 million iPads globally and a 60 percent market share in tablets with growth rates of over 150 percent over last year alone, the company feels like that it’s absolutely essential to provide their users with an app optimized for their iPads. Tapping this expanding segment of tablets, OLX has vouched to stay innovative and further strengthen its online presence with the launch of its new app in the App Store that’s optimized for the iPad tablet. This is a first for any of the online classifieds site in India. 

Videocon d2h Now Offers Highest No. of 19 Asli “HD” Channels

In keeping with its nature of setting trends for the rest of the DTH industry to follow, Videocon d2h has added 6 new Asli “HD” channels taking their total count to 19, the highest among all its competitors.

Videocon d2h strives to add value to television viewing experience by providing new age features and the maximum high definition channels with superior services and technology.

Videocon d2h is now offering the following 6 High Definition Channels: History TV HD, M Tunes HD, CNBC Prime HD, UTV Stars HD, Active 3D, Sony HD (starting 27th May), to add to its existing 13 Asli “HD” channels.

Dish TV becomes free cash flow positive in Q4

Dish TV India has reported fourth quarter fiscal 2012 (ending March 31, 2012) audited revenues of Rs 5,247 million, recording 21.2 per cent growth over the corresponding period last fiscal. The EBITDA at Rs 1,442 million showed a significant 59.9 per cent increase over the corresponding quarter last fiscal. The EBITDA margin for the quarter stood at 27.5 per cent.

The full year fiscal 2012 standalone revenues stood at Rs 19,578 million, with an EBITDA of Rs 4,984 million and EBITDA margin of 25.5 per cent. Foreign exchange loss of Rs 510 million impacted fiscal 2012 net loss of Rs 1,588 million.

Harmonic Sets the Bar for High-Volume Multiscreen VOD Transcoding with New ProMediaTM Xpress

Harmonic Inc. announced on 15 May 2012, the release of the ProMediaTM Xpress high-performance file-based transcoder, the newest addition to the company's ProMedia family of software and appliance solutions engineered to optimize video production workflows for high-volume multiscreen video-on-demand (VOD) applications. 

ProMedia Xpress uses Harmonic's market-leading H.264 codec technology to deliver excellent video quality without impeding transcoding speeds, thereby improving video workflows for content owners and service providers, enabling them to deliver a significant increase in content hours while adhering to processing timetables and video quality targets. Facilitating cost-effective faster-than-real-time transcoding of broadcast-quality content for multiscreen VOD delivery of commonly used formats to mobile devices, PCs, and connected TVs, ProMedia Xpress allows operators and media companies to launch new services efficiently without compromising on the quality of their offering. 

Cable operators approach the Bombay HC, seeking extension of digitisation deadline

A clutch of cable operators in Mumbai have approached the Bombay High Court seeking extension of the deadline for digitisation in the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.

The court has issued notices to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to reply by 5 June.

TRAI proposes to bring down FDI limit in telecom tower to 74%

TRAI plans to bring down the FDI limit for infrastructure providers for telecom services to 74% from 100 at present, within a period of three years after Unified Licensing regime comes into force. 

The DoT has asked Trai to reconsider its recommendation on Unified Licences for IP-I companies (also known as telecom towers), since lowering of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in these companies will "adversely" impact investment in infrastructure. 

PCI chairman Katju is prosecuted in contempt petition

The Chairman of Press Council of India Justice Markandey Katju and Secretary Vibha Bhargava are to be heared by The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on 17 May on a petition charging Chairman of contempt of court by observing that the Court’s directive to ensure the print and electronic media do not report about troop movements.

In response to a directive sent to it by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for compliance of the High Court order, Justice Katju was reported to have said on 12 April that “With great respect to the High Court, I am of the opinion that the order of the High Court is not correct.”

TRAI issues Standards of Quality of Service Parameters for 3G voice calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued on 7th May 2012 that the Standards of Quality of Service of Basic Telephone Service (wireline) and Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (Amendment) Regulations, 2012, laying down the network related quality of service standards for the 3G networks covering voice calls. 

An official press release said these regulations have amended the existing quality of service parameters for cellular mobile telephone service relating to network quality, prescribed through the Standards of Quality of Service of Basic Telephone Service (wireline) and Cellular Mobile Telephone Service Regulations 2009, dated 20th March, 2009. 

HCL Infosystems and Cisco announce first of its kind market outreach for WebEx

In a first of its kind joint market outreach model, HCL Infosystems Ltd., India’s Premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration and distribution company announced on 9 May 2012, its National Partnership with Cisco WebEx, for the Indian market. The SaaS (Software as a Service) offering brought to the market by HCL Infosystems, will be operationalised by Cisco. HCL Infosystems has a strong presence in the Indian market and will offer Cisco WebEx through its extensive distribution channel, covering more than 500 company owned touch points as well as customers in over 4000 towns across the country. 

Cisco WebEx is the world’s leading on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web and video conferencing platform, helping to fulfill communication and collaboration needs of medium to large scale organisations and governments. With this go-to-market engagement, HCL Infosystems and Cisco aim to expand the market and tap into the growing need for B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to customer) collaboration tools and technologies, across the country. 

ALi Corp. Announced its M3911 Networking Media Processor for IPTV/OTT

ALi Corporation, a leading provider of set-top box (STB) system-on-chip (SoC) solutions, announced on 9 May 2012, that its M3911 Networking Media Processor has been selected by VideoWeb, a German OTT (Over-the-top) service provider, to be integrated into the newly launched B12 product line of OTT set top boxes for the international market.

B12 is especially designed for OTT providers and Internet companies. It features HTML4/5/CE-HTML browser, QT-client, HbbTV, DLNA and an advanced networking media processor. In addition, B12 supports the latest Hollywood approved streaming technologies (e.g. Smooth Streaming, HLS, BitBand, and MPEG DASH) and DRM solutions such as DRM10, PlayReady, HLS-DRM and Secure Media. 

Harmonic Transcoding Solutions Power Multiscreen OTT Services for ZON

Harmonic Inc. announced on 9 May 2012, that ZON, the leading Portuguese cable and satellite provider, has chosen Harmonic's portfolio of transcoding solutions as the enabling technology for a range of new multiscreen services being offered on ZON Online. Harmonic ProMedia™ Carbon file-based transcoders — managed by the Harmonic WFS™ file-based workflow system — and high-density ProStream® 4000 real-time transcoders are now providing ZON subscribers with access to excellent-quality, live streaming television, and video-on-demand (VOD) services on TVs, PCs, tablets, and other IP-connected devices. 

"ZON wanted to extend its television experience through an over-the-top media portal, and Harmonic's transcoding systems provided us with an efficient way to achieve that, without compromising quality," said Nuno Sanches, product development director, ZON. "Our users can now watch live programming and video on demand on a wide range of devices, having both our award-winning user interface and the same image quality over the Internet and in the traditional cable service." 

Spice brings TV live on mobile

Spice, a mobile internet company, has launched FLO TV - M 5600. It is a uniquely designed touch-screen handset that adds an analog TV to the device to give a multimedia experience.

Spice has upgraded its FLO series from touch range to Live TV. Following the success of Cappuccino, its earlier FLO series touch phone, this feature packed multimedia phone boasts of a unique ‘Flo Touch’ technology and a seamless interface, the company said. 

Harmonic Announces Audio Webcast Presentation at the Jefferies 2012

Harmonic Inc. announced on 7th May 2012, that Patrick Harshman, President & CEO, and Carolyn Aver, Chief Financial Officer, will make a presentation at the Jefferies 2012 Global Technology, Media and Technology Conference on May 9, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). The live audio webcast of the presentation will be available from Harmonic's website, www.harmonicinc.com, under the Investor Relations Events section. The audio replays will be available after 6:00 p.m. (Pacific) on May 9 to May 16, 2012 at the same Web address.

Infosys launches digital marketing platform, BrandEdge

Global consulting, outsourcing and technology firm Infosys and WPP have launched a cloud-based digital marketing platform, Infosys BrandEdge, in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company. This first-of-its-kind cloud-based offering aims to simplify digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. 

With the digital marketing ecosystem becoming complex and fragmented given the nature of campaigns that are executed, BrandEdge will attempt to provide a single, flexible solution for large-scale organisations to simplify this complexity across multiple geographies and languages, working with multiple agencies and targeting consumers across channels. 

Ministers’ panel may vet TRAI's FM-III suggestions

To take up issue of additional channels in existing & new towns to steer clear of any future legal implications and ensure transparency, an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) may soon take up the issues of additional spectrum availability and additional FM radio channels in existing as well as new towns, identified for the third-phase of FM radio expansion (FM-III). 

The information & broadcasting (I&B) ministry has sought the setting up of a separate EGoM for FM-III to consider the recent recommendations issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) which have left private FM broadcasters divided. 

Qualcomm demands spectrum soon

US chipmaker Qualcomm has sought the Communication and IT Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal's intervention for getting broadband spectrum.

The company, which had won spectrum in the auctions held in 2010, is still awaiting allocation by the Department of Telecom. All other companies who had won spectrum have already been given spectrum.

TDSAT restrains Etisalat from taking telecom gear at RInfra

Telecom tribunal TDSAT on 4 May 2012, restrained Etisalat DB from transferring its equipment that is lying with the Anil Ambani group company RInfra, which has claimed dues of R1,270 crore from the operator.

Passing an interim order on RInfra’s plea, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal held that Etisalat DB is ‘‘restrained from disturbing the possession’’ of its transmission equipment installed on the towers of the ADAG group firm.

Media Pro suspends signal to Reliance Big TV

Media Pro Enterprise India Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Star Den Media Services and Zee Turner Ltd., announced on 4 May 2012, suspension of signals to DTH operator Reliance Big TV and serving switch-off notice to cable TV delivery platform GTPL over non-payment of dues and differences on reported subscriber numbers.

While the company is fully aware and understands the viewers' pain and empathizes with them, it considers that this difficult decision was necessary to curb the prevailing evil of piracy, under-reporting and non-payment to broadcasters and send a strong message to the operators supporting such malpractices.

Tata Sky auction exclusive cricketing memorabilia

Leading DTH operator Tata Sky in association with Universal Collectabillia Private Ltd (UCPL) is auctioning four exclusive and unique cricketing memorabilia autographed by India's top and favourite cricketers, namely Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh, on its power on channel 'Channel 100'.

The exclusive and personalized range would include a signed jersey from Dhoni and Yuvraj, a white cricket ball signed by Zaheer Khan and an engraved pen and signed memento by master blaster Sachin. In addition to the memorabilia, the highest bidder would receive a certificate of authenticity issued by UCPL that guarantees that the signatures are genuine and personally signed by the individual player himself.

India Govt. achieves broadband connectivity in 60% village panchayats in March 2012

Under Bharat Nirman, the government has a target of covering 2, 47,864 village panchayats by December 2012. As on March 2012, a total of 1, 47,463 (59.49 %) village panchayats had been covered, the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sh Milind Deora told the Lok Sabha.

A rural Wire-line Broadband Scheme has been launched under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to increase broadband penetration in rural and remote areas. Under this scheme, BSNL will provide 8, 88,832 wire-line Broadband connections to individual users and Government Institutions over a period of 5-years. As on March 2012, a total of 3, 58,978 broadband connections have been provided.

Zee extends Dance India Dance mobile app to Little Masters

A little over a month ago, general entertainment channel Zee TV launched a WAP site and a mobile application for its dance-based reality show, Maruti Suzuki Dance India Dance (Season 3) to up the interaction levels between the audience and the participants and judges of the show. The season wrapped up on April 21 and in less than a month, the app had already garnered a rather healthy response. 

9X Media launches gaming apps

9X Media has launched 9X Play, a series of gaming apps for 9XM fans on the digital platform. Users can download and play these games on their iPhones, iPads and Android devices. 

9X Play offers a wide range of games with the 9XM animated characters including Bade, Chote, Silly Chicken, Bheegi Billi and Badshah Bhai. 

Snapdeal.com launches Mobile Application for Android users

Snapdeal.com, India’s leading e-commerce company has launched Mobile application for Android users. This app will enable easy access for mobile users, to thousands of brands across various product categories, which are showcased on Snapdeal platform. 

The company has recently launched its WAP site, and the app will extend their presence further, in the Mobile domain. 

TDSAT stays penalty on Airtel

Telecom tribunal TDSAT on May 3, 2012 stayed the penalty imposed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Bharti Airtel and asked it not to take any coercive action against the company for not disconnecting subscribers with faulty customer details.

Passing an interim order, TDSAT stayed 'demand notes' of Rs 36.94 crore issued by DoT, imposing penalty on Airtel for allegedly not disconnecting mobile connections with faulty customer details.

Telenor sets stage for likely India pull-out

Norwegian telecom major Telenor wrote off its remaining fixed and intangible assets in India worth 3.9 billion Norwegian krone (Rs 3,583 crore). And, the company said it was likely to quit the country if the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations of a steep base price for re-auction of 2G band spectrum were accepted by the government. 

With this, Telenor, which holds 67 per cent stake in Unitech Wireless, has written down investments to the tune of 8.1 billion NOK (Rs 7,403 crore) in two tranches in its Indian mobile arm. following the Supreme Court's order cancelling 122 of the 2G licences in February this year. Earlier, it had written down 4.2 billion NOK. 

TRAI launches website for consumers' complaint

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) launched on 30 April 2012, the Telecom Consumers Complaint Monitoring System (TCCMS) portal www.tccms.gov.in, it would facilitate consumers in locating the “Consumer Care Number”, “General Information Number” and contact details of the complaint centre and Appellate Authority of their service provider. 

The site will also allow users to access their service provider’s complaint monitoring portal to track the current status of their complaints or appeals, the telecom regulator said in a statement. 

DoT to seek clarity on spectrum pricing mooted by regulator

The Telecom Commission, the highest policy-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has decided to seek clarifications from sector regulator Trai on issues pertaining to the auction of spectrum. 

Key issues include the basis of the steep reserve price for 2G band spectrum, the impact of the high base price on consumer tariffs, as well as clarity on the limited amount of spectrum Trai has recommended for immediate auction.