INSAT-4A lifts off from French Guyana
Bangalore: The country's most advanced INSAT-4A telecommunication satellite has been successfully launched on a European Ariane-5 rocket, from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana.

INSAT-4A, India's heaviest satellite, weighing 3,080 kilogrammes at lift off was shot into space about 29 minutes after the European launch vehicle blasted off. The rocket also deployed another payload, the European meteorological satellite, the MSG-2, seven minutes later.

Soon after the launch, signals from INSAT-4A were picked up by the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.

The health of the satellite was described as "good" by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair, who witnessed the launch.

The Insat-4A is expected to provide a major boost for DTH services.

The INSAT-4A is the first of a series of seven satellites, and is equipped with 12 KU and 12 C-band high-powered transponders, and has a design life of 12 years.

ISRO officials in Bangalore said the 12 KU-band transponders would provide around 140 to 150 DTH channels. The satellite is expected to be operational by January-end.

Tata Sky has already signed an agreement with ISRO to lease all the 12 KU-band transponders to provide DTH transmission in India using VSATs. (With PTI inputs).
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Bangalore top choice for commercial space in 2006
New Delhi: Bangalore continues to be the preferred location for high quality commercial office space in 2006 despite innumerable infrastructure issues, according to global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield.

The consultants say Bangalore will surpass Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and the National Capital Region (NCR) both in terms of estimated commitments and supply of commercial office space in 2006.

Despite the infrastructure bottlenecks, companies are consolidating operations — from multiple facilities to a single facility. Moreover, the supply of workforce is still a strong point driving decisions the company said.

However, in absolute terms, the projections are lower than the uptake witnessed in 2005, indicating saturation.

Bangalore is likely to see absorption or commitments for 5.5-6 million square feet during 2006 (against an estimated 6.8 million square ft in 2005), while the space absorption in Chennai is likely to be about 3.5-4 million square ft (3.2 million). Hyderabad too is likely to see an absorption of 3.5-4 million square ft (2.80 million); Mumbai, 2.50-2.75 million square ft (2.75 million) and the National Capital Region, 3-3.2 million square ft (3.10 million).

On the supply side, the commercial office space in Bangalore is projected to be 7.50-8 million square ft in 2006 (compared to an estimated 9.1 million square ft in 2005). In Chennai, it is likely to be 3.50-4 million square ft (2.3 million in 2005); while for Hyderabad, the supply is estimated at 2.50 million square ft (2.1 million). In Mumbai and the NCR, the supply of Grade A and B commercial office space is expected to be 3.5-4 million square ft and 2.50-3 million square ft respectively in 2006.
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Auto sector brings maximum investments to Pune, says study
Pune: Pune still remains the original 'Detroit of India,' according to a study about the new manufacturing capacities in the city since 2001, published by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

The study says that at least half of the Rs800-crore new investments attracted by the city since 2001 have been in the auto industry. The segment also emerged as the top employment creator in Pune.

The study does not include any data on the SME sector, education or the IT and BPO segment, which have also emerged as one of the biggest investors and employment generators in the city, in the last 2-3 years.

Interestingly, while the region has attracted major multinational investments in the recent years, the survey found that new investments are actually moving away from the main city area to industrial hubs such as Ranjangaon and Chakan in the last five years.

The survey also says that the region has attracted significant number of proposals in the electronic goods, chemicals, food products and pharmaceuticals with industrial alcohol being a dominant segment attracting investments.
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Pvt. quota Bill likely to get passed
New Delhi: The UPA government seems confident of pushing the Constitution (104th Amendment) Bill, which extends the benefits of reservation to unaided educational institutions, through the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

This may happen even as the BJP finds itself isolated in its attempts to bring the minority educational bodies within the ambit of the bill. The JD (U) has decided to back the bill and the Akali Dal has dropped hints that it may also back the Bill.

The Union HRD minister Arjun Singh has said that while the Bill itself could not make specific provisions for OBCs, the interests of this section would be taken care in the statements of objects and reasons.
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D&B releases reference book on BPO industry
Bangalore: The New York Stock Exchange-listed provider of global business information, tools and insight, Dun & Bradstreet has released the first edition of `India's Top ITeS and BPO Companies", a reference book on the Indian BPO industry.

The company said here yesterday that the publication has listings of companies operating in this space, indexed by location, verticals serviced and employee size.

President of NASSCOM Kiran Karnik launched the publication and said he was glad that India's top export for the last fiscal was not a traditional commodity, but a service-based knowledge industry.
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