Tata Honeywell integrated security system for IOC
Pune: Pune-based Tata Honeywell Ltd (THL), a provider of automation and software solutions, will provide an integrated security solution to the Indian Oil Corporation. According to an official press release, the security system would cover almost 500 installations including refineries, terminals, pipelines and offices across India against intrusion, theft, sabotage and terror attacks. The total size of the order is worth Rs 26 crore.

The security system would be based on access control, which include technologies such as smart card and biometrics, which use information and body features to identify the people authorised to enter the installations.
Back to News Review index page  

GSK and Burroughs Wellcome merge
Mumbai: The boards of Burroughs Wellcome India Ltd (BWIL) and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GSK) have approved the scheme of amalgamation deciding on a share swap ratio of 14 GSK shares for every 10 held by BWIL shareholders.Following the merger, the parent company - GSK Plc's - holding in the combined entity would now be 49.2 per cent. The merger is subject to the approval of shareholders of both the companies and the High Court in Mumbai. The merger when approved will be effective with retrospective effect from January 1, 2004.
The merged entity comprises about 4,200 employees.
Back to News Review index page  

Club Mahindra achieves ISO 9001:2000
Mumbai: Club Mahindra Holidays (CMH), has received the ISO 9001:2000 certification for its property at Lakeview Munnar. The ISO 9001: 2000 certification by TUV is an internationally recognised service quality standard applicable to all aspects of the service industry. The assessment for Club Mahindra was done by RW TUV and is valid through to January 2007, the statement said.
Back to News Review index page 

Wind River OS for Konkan Railway and Reliance
Bangalore: Wind River, a device software optimisation firm, has announced that its operating system VxWorks would be used by the Konkan Railway in its anti-collision device (ACD) and by Reliance to power its set-top boxes.The ACD, being developed by Konkan Railway is supported by the VxWorks operating system, which handles various functions like co-ordinating task activity, providing self-diagnostics for fault detection and supporting inter-task communication and synchronisation among multiple activities.

According to the company, Reliance too has selected VxWorks for its set top boxes, which would be provided to users subscribing to their service of providing cable and Internet services. Wind River has also announced its global plans to intensify their foray into embedded Linux through a partnership with Red Hat.
Back to News Review index page  

OPI has another BPO facility in Bangalore
Bangalore: Outsource Partners International (OPI) Inc, a business process-outsourcing firm specialising in finance and accounting services, has said that it has set up a second service centre in Bangalore, which will accommodate about 600 people. The company currently has some 350 at its Bangalore centre and has invested about $2 million in India. OPI serves US businesses, public and private, large and small by handling internal accounting functions such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, reconciliations and financial reporting from its Bangalore centre.
Back to News Review index page  

Qualcomm: CDMA handsets in India to top 13 million
New Delhi: QUALCOMM Inc, the world's second largest maker of wireless telephone chips, has said that it expects shipments of CDMA (code division multiple access) handsets to India to exceed 13 million by September 2004.

The number of subscribers using CDMA handsets in India had touched 6.75 million by February. Qualcomm is also considering setting up a software development and chip designing facility in the country. According to the company the proposed facility would employ over 100 professionals.
Back to News Review index page  

Hutch customers can choose their numbers in AP
Hyderabad: Hutch, a cellular service provider in Andhra Pradesh, has offered two new number series - 98853 and 98854 to its customers. The series will enable customers to personalise their Hutch mobile number. To avail of the facility new prepaid customers can dial 222, the Hutch IVR (Interactive Voice Response), and choose a number of their choice while post-paid customers can get the number of their choice on purchase of their new connection.
Back to News Review index page  

BSNL's offer basket for Tamil Nadu
Chennai: Chennai Telephones will offer new schemes to its mobile phone and fixed line users, from March 22. According to the provider, subscribers of CellOne, Bharat Sanchar Nigam's mobile phone service, can call other CellOne users anywhere within Tamil Nadu at local call rates and receive calls free. This, in effect, converts the two circles of Chennai and Tamil Nadu, into one. Till now, customers in one circle making a call to someone in the other circle had to pay STD charges.

CellOne users can soon avail themselves of international roaming. A special SIM card will be available on request in a fortnight. This service can be used in 160 countries and over 270 networks.
Chennai Telephones has also announced that installation for its fixed line customers will be free up to March 31. Chennai Telephones will also provide a line exclusively for receiving calls under its Sulabh Plan. BSNL's customers can have an additional line just for accessing the Internet for Rs 499 a month. This facility will not be available to the commercial segment such as Internet cafes.
Back to News Review index page  

Bharti gets Tekelec systems
New Delhi: Bharti Tele Ventures, the country's leading GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operator, has acquired the Eagle 5 SAS system switching systems from Tekelec that will enable it to migrate from a meshed to a hierarchical network, improving network efficiencies and increasing capacity, a company press release said here. The Nasdaq-listed Tekelec is a developer of telecom switching and signalling solutions for fixed, mobile and next generation networks.
Back to News Review index page  

Mobile blogging portal from Mensamind
Hyderabad: Mensamind, an enterprise software solutions company, has launched a global multimedia mobile blogging portal that would enable mobile camera phone users to instantly publish text, pictures, audio and video inputs.

Mensamind is in discussion with several telecom operators, abroad as well as at home, to offer these services, which would extend and expand the value-added services in the mobile industry.
This service is offered free for all camera phone consumers. Mensamind has partnered with popular Web site Indiainfo.com where users can publish, archive, manage and share pictures, audio and video inputs.
Back to News Review index page  

Topspin plans R&D centre in Bangalore
Bangalore: Topspin Communications, a US-based technology start-up has announced that it is setting up a research and development base in Bangalore. Topspin plans to invest up to $10 million in the Bangalore R&D centre, said a company press release.

Topspin makes a programmable switching platform that provides the backbone for a utility data centre, enabling industry-standard server, storage and networking resources to be rapidly deployed, and re-deployed, on-demand to match the needs of business applications.
Back to News Review index page  

NIIT offers .Net course
New Delhi: NIIT Ltd has announced the launch of a new programme in .Net technologies for students seeking a career as .Net developers. The new post-graduate diploma has been designed for science and engineering graduates and final year students, a company release said here. The 10-month application oriented programme comes will enable students to prepare for Microsoft certification and skill themselves in the fast growing .Net development architecture, the release claimed.
Back to News Review index page  

Satyam and Actuate to collaborate
Hyderabad: Satyam Computer Services Ltd has announced that it has signed a regional partnership with the Nasdaq-listed Actuate Corporation, an enterprise reporting applications provider, to collaborate in the Asia Pacific region. Consequently the Satyam-Actuate Centre of Excellence will be set up at Satyam's Global Solutions Centre in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. Together, Satyam and Actuate will help organizations in the region to enhance their business intelligence initiatives through the deployment of Actuate's solutions.
Back to News Review index page  

Reliance broadband network roll out in 12-24 months
Mumbai: The Reliance Group should be rolling out its digital distribution platform - the broadband network - in 12 to 24 months, according to Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd. Reliance Infocomm Ltd. is setting up a high capacity optic fibre network that will be 80,000 kilometres long and cover over 1,100 towns and cities.
Back to News Review index page  

TRAI norms on broadband by month-end: Baijal
New Delhi: The TRAI Chairman, Pradip Baijal has said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will issue guidelines for the Internet and broadband sector in the next fortnight. According to Baijal, internet and broadband will be the next step in keeping the telecom industry moving in the direction of unified access using different technologies.

Baijal was speaking at a pre-conference session of Convergence India 2004, an annual exhibition and conference on information technology (IT) and broadband. The three-day event will focus on the business opportunities and latest technological developments in the converging IT, telecom and entertainment industries, according to a press release issued by the organisers, Exhibitions India Ltd, here.
Back to News Review index page  

BSNL plans to become largest telecom player in SE Asia
Kolkata: V.P. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL has outlined BSNL's vision of emerging as the largest telecom player in South-East Asia.BSNL plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore on Phase II of its national Internet broadband network infrastructure. Another Rs 2,000 crore would be invested on the up gradation of its copper wire line network with a view to making it compatible with modern technology-based applications.

Towards this end, MoUs have been entered into with Korea Telecom and Microsoft. While Korea Telecom would prepare the roadmap for the rollout of BSNL's broadband services, Microsoft would be the regional language software provider. The company also proposes to augment its cellular network capacity to 15 million lines.
Back to News Review index page