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Cheap Chinese software may steal India's edge
March 08, 2010
Source: TNN
BEIJING: Faced with rising unemployment and low exports, China is now going India’s way by developing software and other service sector industries. It is also opening up social sectors like health and education to foreign investment.
Automobile and appliance industries, which have been hit by the slide in exports, are being offered state subsidies to sell their goods in the rural and backward areas. The idea is to boost domestic demand and reduce industry’s dependence on exports.
Both the moves on software exports and industrial subsidy could be a cause for concern for the Indian industry. Indian and other foreign companies have been complaining of unfair trade practices by Chinese firms who sell products at cut-throat prices on the strength of state subsidies. India and other countries have imposed anti-dumping duty on Chinese goods that are sold at low prices.
“Policies and measures that promote the export of software will be improved while more effort is expected for the fostering of national software export and innovation bases,” Chen Deming, the minister of commerce told a press conference on Saturday.
Promising to “open up more areas” for foreign investors, Deming said they will be encouraged to participate in social programs like running health care institutions, vocational training schools and engage in the development of a green economy.
This is a significant move for a Communist government, which has not allowed foreign investors to dabble in situations where they would come in close contact with the social and political agencies at the grassroots level. Even foreign non-government agencies have to operate under severe restrictions because Communist leaders fear some of them might provoke political dissent.
Chinese industry has so far focussed on manufacturing and export of manufactured goods while the service industry is relatively underdeveloped. Chinese exports slipped a further 16% resulting in the close of vast numbers of factories and unemployment to 20 million people.
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Tata Teleservices launches new internet connection
March 08, 2010
Source: IANS
KOLKATA: Telecom service provider Tata Teleservices Ltd. (TTSL) announced the launch of DIALOG, a product that enables customers to connect to the internet on their television set in Kolkata and Chennai.
Customers can access the internet without a desktop or laptop, transforming the TV set into a multimedia device with the help of DIALOG.
"We are launching the product first time in the country simultaneously in Chennai and Kolkata. We will take three months for the testing period and after that we will go for an all-India launch of DIALOG in the first quarter of FY11," TTSL national sales head Abhijit Sanyal said here at a press meet.
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Aegis plans Rs 400-cr expansion
March 08, 2010
Source: ET Bureau
KOLKATA: The Ruias of Essar will invest nearly Rs 400 crore in rolling out the first batch of Aegis campuses in India. The new campuses will be sprawling tech parks housing BPO units, entertainment facilities, gyms, swimming pools and residential complexes.
“The Aegis management has decided to invest in four campuses in the first stage. Investment in each campus could be close to Rs 100 crore. We are looking at places like Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and some eastern locations too to evolve a countrywide grid.
At least 8,000 tech professionals will be hired this year across the Aegis system who will get distributed across these upcoming campuses,” an Aegis director told ET.
The $600 million-plus Aegis, which is a subsidiary of Essar Global, is beefing up its project delivery capabilities in areas like customer life-cycle management, shared services, managed network/technology services for telecom, banking and financial services clients.
Aegis is also looking to set up new BPO centres in Africa, continental Europe and Latin America. It is already present in markets like the US, Costa Rica, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UK and Ireland.The international expansion strategy will be steered by Mr Sudip Roongta, who is part of the Essar group's M & A team.
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