Reliance applies for 3G trial spectrum for GSM/CDMA services
New Delhi: Reliance Communications has applied for a band of radio waves for testing of the interface for both GSM and CDMA based services. Reliance Communications has applied for 3G spectrum in seven circles — Orissa, West Bengal, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, North East and Assam on 2.1Ghz band while for CDMA-based 3G trial services it has sought spectrum on the "appropriate band", a company official said.

A Department of Telecom (DoT) official said Reliance has sought 3G spectrum for trial on CDMA-based mobile services on the same 2.1 Ghz band. The company spokesperson declined to comment on the band on which it plans to go for testing for CDMA services.

Reliance Communications had earlier also applied for 3G trial spectrum to the Department of Telecom (DoT) but its case could not be considered as it had sought spectrum on 1900 Mhz band, which did not conform to the NFAP for their CDMA based 3G trials, according to DoT officials.
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Reliance Inds to compensate dealers
New Delhi: Reliance Industries, India's largest private fuel retailer, has offered its retail dealers a package to tide over the crisis arising from negative margins on petrol and diesel sales. Dealers have the option to take Rs500 per kilo litre additional margin on diesel and Rs400 per litre additional margin on petrol for the outlet which will opt for continuing operations, industry sources said.

Under the second option, dealers deciding not to continue fuel sales as the company's fuel is priced Rs2.5 a litre more than the PSUs, will be given 12.5 per cent return on the capital employed by them in setting up of the petrol pump.
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Tata Tea to raise upto $100mn
Mumbai: Tata Tea's, the world's second-biggest branded tea company, board of directors has approved raising Rs4.2-4.6 billion ($91-$100 million) by way of a preferential issue of shares to Tata Sons.

The company said it would use the money to partly fund its acquisition of a 30 per cent stake in US-based Energy Brands Inc, which makes enhanced water brand Glaceau.

Tata Tea is contributing $192 million to the $677-million deal, the largest ever overseas equity investment by an Indian company. Tata Sons will provide $58 million.

The balance amount will be raised through a sale of some investments and its own resources, according to a statement from Tata Tea.
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Croatian Bank selects Infosys' Finacle
Bangalore: Infosys Technologies has announced that Hrvatska Poštanska Banka (HPB), a large domestic bank in Croatia, has selected Finacle Universal Banking Solution from Infosys.

Finacle core banking solution will replace the bank's legacy system. HPB will also deploy the Finacle e-banking and treasury solutions.
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Aviva to outsource 1000 UK jobs to India
London: UK insurer Aviva has said it would reduce its staff in the UK by 4,000 from the existing 36,000 and offshore 1,000 of them to India by 2008.

Aviva will also offshore 500 roles to third party IT suppliers. This is in line with previous announcements that 7,800 roles would be offshored by the end-2007.

Aviva, which owns Norwich Union, hopes to reduce duplication and improve efficiency to deliver annual cost savings of 250 million pounds by 2008.
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Satyam to hire more in China; looks at acquisitions in Japan
Bangalore: Satyam Computer Services plans to increase its China headcount to 3000, and plans to open its fourth development centre there. The company is also eyeing acquisitions in Japan.

The firm currently has around 350-400 on its payroll in China and it proposes to have a 3000-plus team of professionals operating from China end-2008.

Satyam' fourth development centre in China will be a 1000-seat facility and four tier-II cities have been shortlisted for the purpose.

Satyam says it wants to develop China as an offshore base for its global customers as a part of its de-risking strategy for North American and European customers. In Japan the company is not looking for capacity but for acquisitions in niche areas of telecom, banking and business analytics domain and to add Japanese language capabilities. At present Japan contributes only 1.5 per cent to the total revenues of the company.
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Godrej & Boyce eyes buyouts in Sweden, Spain
Kolkata: Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing is looking to buy companies in Sweden and Spain and will set up offices in China and USA by this year-end.

The company is targeting to be among the top ten appliance makers in the world within the next 5 years. At present it ranks 36th in the world. The company is also planning a new plant at Pune, alongside its existing plant, at an investment of Rs100 crore.

The company has recently launched a new range of high-end frost free refrigerators, the EON range and its existing plant at Pune is capable of manufacturing 3.5 lakh pieces annually of such frost free refrigerators. The company says it would soon need to add capacity in order to manufacture more as demand for the EON range is likely to go up.

The new plant would have a manufacturing capacity of another 4-5 lakh frost-free refrigerators.

The EON range of frost free refrigerators come with unique designs and features, and is expected to sell about 1 lakh pieces in the next 6 months. The refrigerators are priced between Rs15,500 to Rs26,000.

The company's turnover for the appliances business for 2005-06 stood at Rs750 crore.

The company is targeting a turnover of more than Rs1000 crore by the end of this fiscal.
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Hutch, BPL row: arbitrator to be appointed soon
New Delhi: As no amicable solution is emerging from the dispute between Essar and Hutch over the merger of BPL (Mumbai) circle with their joint venture, the process of appointing an arbitrator will start from tomorrow as per an order of the Bombay High Court passed on August 10 that an arbitration tribunal must be set up within 30 business days, if the dispute is not sorted out amicably by mid-September.

Sources said that arbitrators would be appointed be fore October 15 and since Hutch had invoked the agreement, it will have to appoint an arbitrator first and then inform. BPL will appoint the other arbitrator while there will be a common nominated arbitrator by both BPL and Hutch in the panel.

Essar had sent a termination notice to Hutch-Essar on August 1 to prevent a merger between Hutch-Essar and BPL Mobile in Mumbai. Following that, Hutch-Essar had moved the Bombay High Court against the termination notice.
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Calsoft to acquire majority stake in Inatech
Mumbai: California Software Company is acquiring a majority equity stake in Inatech Solutions UK and Inatech InfoSolutions India. The company has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange about the signing of a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire majority equity stake in Inatech Solutions UK and Inatech InfoSolutions India. Inatech enterprise valuation was at Rs30 crore. The deal envisages initial purchase of 51 per cent of Inatech shares by the company through a combination of stock and cash. The LOI would culminate into a definitive share purchase agreement, subject to standard closing conditions, necessary approvals and completion of all formalities, it added. The entire process would be completed by October 31.

Inatech is a specialised Oracle solution provider with a major focus in construction, hi-tech, manufacturing, distribution and has primarily focused on UK market.
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IBM offers technology to check power theft, T&D losses
New Delhi: IBM is offering to provide technology to large power utility companies including Power Grid Corporation India Ltd, Reliance Energy and North Delhi Power Ltd that will enable them to cut down on power theft and transmission and distribution (T&D) losses. Called `Intelligent Grid', the IBM solution helps utility companies track power consumption and leakages through sensors deployed at various sections of the infrastructure.

IBM said the Intelligent Grid enables utility companies to view and respond to the health status of their network in real time and access information that can enhance customer service and improve electric grid line planning, operations and maintenance. The Grid contributes to fewer and shorter power outages, improved operating costs, security and higher productivity. The projects involve the usage of a technology known as Automated Meter Management.

According to the company, the Indian power sector offers a huge opportunity because most of power infrastructure is digitalised unlike US or Europe where a large section of legacy infrastructure is based on analog systems.

In India almost 30 per cent of the power generated is lost compared to just four per cent in Japan.
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Balrampur Chini's plan to buy Indo Gulf put on hold by court
New Delhi: Balrampur Chini Mills' plans to takeover Indo Gulf Industries, which owns a sick 3,000-tcd mill in Bihar, has been put on hold by the Delhi High Court. This follows a petition filed by Integral Finvest Private Ltd (IFPL), claiming that it had already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indo Gulf's promoter, Dr S.K. Garg, to acquire controlling stake in the company which happened before Balrampur Chini came out with an open offer for acquisition of 38.83 per cent of Indo Gulf's share capital, for which the public announcement was made on August 24.

The dispute between IFPL and Garg has since been referred to an Arbitration Tribunal, even as the High Court, in an order issued on September 6, has asked Indo Gulf and its promoter to "maintain status quo till the next date of hearing with respect to their shareholding".
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India Today group to launch a morning daily
New Delhi: The India Today group is coming out with a morning daily general newspaper which is expected to be launched in Delhi.
With this move, the Aroon Purie-promoted media giant will clash head on with Bennett, Coleman & Co (which runs Times of India) and Hindustan Times Ltd.

Industry sources said the Living Media Group is looking at a tabloid format and could go in for foreign institutional funding to partly finance the project.

The India Today group publishes a range of magazines that include India Today in English and various regional languages, Business Today, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, Design Today, Golf Digest and Good Housekeeping. The group launched a Bengali edition of India Today last month.

It also runs TV channels which include popular Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and Tej and English channel Headlines Today. The group made its foray into the newspaper business with Today, an evening newspaper in Delhi.
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Wipro ties up with All Nippon Airways
Bangalore: Wipro Technologies, the global IT services division of Wipro, and All Nippon Airways (ANA), a leading airline company in Japan, have signed an agreement under which the Bangalore-based firm would support and maintain ANA's SAP financials application.

Wipro, which started working with ANA in February 2006, and is a pioneering offshore partner for it, will be deploying its global delivery model for maintenance of the Japanese company's applications, a Wipro release said.
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