L&T targets $1 billion turnover in Gulf region
Dubai: Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has set its expansion strategies in the Gulf countries into motion in order to boost its turnover in the region from 400 million dollars to one billion dollars in the next four to five years. It is planning to have joint ventures and expand its presence through acquisitions in the Gulf by focusing on its six core businesses, particularly engineering, construction, infrastructure and power.

L&T is also setting up a fabrication facility for large-sized structures and equipment for the energy and power sectors, an engineering centre in Abu Dhabi and an assembly and project execution facility for switchgear and electrical equipment.

L&T, which has also entered Bahrain and Iran, expects its overall turnover of 2.8 billion dollars to increase some 30-35 per cent in fiscal 2004-05. L&T is focusing on UAE and Qatar in order to consolidate its business.
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TRAI dismisses BSNL's claims on revenue loss
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has dismissed concerns of revenue loss expressed by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd because of the revision in the access deficit charges, saying that there would not be any impact on BSNL as the subscriber growth rate and the increase in minutes of usage would compensate for the reduction on call charges.

TRAI, said, that while BSNL has all the rights to its views, our detailed analysis shows that the total ADC amount will remain at around Rs5,300 crore. As per the regulator's projections, the outgoing minutes of usage on fixed line network will cross 610 minutes per month per user by January 2006 compared to 490 minutes in February 2004 and 550 minutes in January 2005.

Similarly the incoming minutes of usage is expected to touch 510 minutes a month compared to 460 minutes at present.

BSNL, on Friday, had said that the new ADC regime is likely to cause revenue loss of about Rs 1,254 crore per annum and therefore it will have to review its various rural telephony projects.
TRAI said that it will any way review the current regime in six months' time.
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Telecom subscriber base at 48 million mark in 2004
New Delhi: Around 19.5 million users signed up for mobile telephony services in 2004, with the cellular user base registering a 68 per cent growth to touch the 48-million mark by the end of last year, according to a data released by the telecom regulator TRAI. Fixed line operators added 2.67 million subscribers in 2004 to touch 44 million at the end of 2004.

The total telecom subscriber base, consisting of fixed as well as mobile users, registered a growth of 31.42 per cent to touch 92.76 million at the end of 2004. The gross telecom user base stood at 70.58 million at the end of 2003.

The year ended up with the tele-density reaching an all-time high of 8.62, as compared to 6.65 at the end of 2003, an increase of over 30 per cent, the data said.

In the mobile segment, additions consisted of 1.42 million GSM subscribers and 0.53 million CDMA subscribers. The total of 19.51 million mobile users in 2004 marks an increase of 11.5 per cent over the 17.49 million additions made in 2003.

TRAI also said the gross revenue of all the telecom operators other than ISPs (Internet service providers) have crossed Rs61,000 crore for 2003-04 as compared to Rs47,000 crore for 2002-03, registering a growth of about 30 per cent.
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Caparo to set up pressing and welding plants in India
London: The UK-based Caparo Group plans to open two new sheet metal pressing and welding plants and a facility to make fasteners in India this year.

Caparo Maruti, a majority Caparo-owned joint venture with the Indian automaker set up 11 years ago, envisages to set up a new pressing and welding plant in Bawal in Haryana next month, he said. The company is also looking at building an aluminium foundry in Chennai that will make engine blocks., and expects it to become a substantial operation with revenues ultimately reaching 50 million pounds.

Caparo Engineering, owned 100 per cent by Caparo, also operates in India. It has a pressing and welding facility in Pitthampur, near Indore. The company has just signed a deal to build another plant in Greater Noida, near New Delhi and plans to build a fastener plant in Rajasthan.

While the joint venture's priority is supplying Maruti, Paul said Caparo's Indian business is growing because of strengthening relations with other auto companies such as GM, Honda, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Tempo.

Caparo says that its turnover in India is about 20 to 25 million pounds, which it wishes to increase to 150 million pounds over the next three years. India should provide about a third of the company's revenues in five-to-seven years, with a third coming from Europe and the rest from the USA.

Caparo, which operates merchant bar and tube plants in the UK, bought the Tyco narrow strip and tube business in the UK in November. Other acquisitions in the UK in 2004 included Systems Scaffolding and Bright Steel Wire, both in north Wales.
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Reliance Infocomm first to collect one crore subscribers
New Delhi: Reliance Infocomm has become the first mobile operator to cross the one crore mark with 1.13 crore subscribers till the end of December 2004 followed by Bharti at 98.3 lakh.

According to the latest subscriber base of major mobile operators released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited occupies the third place with 88.8 lakh mobile subscribers followed by Hutchison and Idea.

Among the five top mobile companies, Reliance operates in CDMA while the other four are offering GSM service. With the total subscriber base, both mobile and fixed line services, at 9.28 crore, the tele-density of the country touched 8.62 per cent at the end of 2004 as compared to 6.65 at the end of 2003.
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