Health Care--Mobile phones --lot to happen...!!!

Sreelatha Menon  |  New Delhi  June 22, 2013 Last Updated at 21:48 IST

Mobile phone: Medically yours

Bihar's model of health care through mobile phones is finding many takers

Many things may be going wrong in India, but the one thing that has gone right is the reach of the mobile phone. It has bridged the divide between the rural and the urban areas, the rich and the poor.
Governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and phone companies are realising the potential of the mobile phone as a tool to achieve development goals, that hitherto human intervention could not achieve. This has meant the inception of a partnership with mobile phone companies and a revenue model that profits the state, people and the company.
A year ago, Bihar started using the mobile phone to bring down maternal and infant mortality rates, and to train the otherwise poorly trained and unpaid health workers, called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). This mobile phone-based health intervention is being lapped up by governments in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and might soon be included in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The ASHA health workers in Bihar have been taking lessons on maternal health and child care, through a mobile academy, by dialing a certain number to accesshealth care courses voluntarily, at a rate of 50 paise per minute. About 7,000 health workers completed courses and received certificates.
In another programme called mobile kunji (key), running across Bihar, mobile phone companies have alloted a common number that enables health workers to carry information necessary for pregnant women to their homes on their mobile phones.
This is, of course, paid by the government at the same rate (50 paise). In the initial round in eight districts of Bihar, health workers accessed the service for a total of 31,000 hours, helping telecom companies generate a revenue of over Rs 11 lakh.
These programmes were rolled out in Bihar in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an NGO, BBC Media Action, besides all telecom companies in the state.
The mobile kunji has audio lessons told by "Dr Anita", a fictitious doctor, who travels with ASHA health workers to every home.
"Dr Anita" speaks to health workers in Bhojpuri, as she explains the preparations a woman must make during the ninth month of pregnancy. She also gives all necessary tips to prevent mothers from keeping them safe during child birth.
The project involves a deal between mobile phone operators in the area, and BBC Media Action, which is implementing the programme in Bihar. According to the deal, companies charge just 50 paise a call. And it also gives a share of the earnings to the implementers of the programme, making the project sustainable and self-funded.
R Geetha, NRHM director in Madhya Pradesh, says the state would soon be rolling out the programme, too.
The mobile phone-based intervention is also being rolled out in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Recently, NRHM Secretary Anuradha Gupta also talked of plans to adopt this model all over India.
The BBC Media Action zeroed in on Bihar because 90 per cent of health workers had cell phones, says Priyanka Dutt, a project manager for BBC Media Action in India.
The sustainability of the model is the USP of the whole service. Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Reliance, Tata and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) cover 95 per cent of the mobile phone market in rural Bihar. These companies gave the NGO a common short code - 57711. Different numbers can be added to this code that suggest different lessons to be given orally to the women.
All operators, except BSNL, give the NGO/state a revenue share. In five years, the implementing agency, NGO or state, would not need any money for the scheme, as the revenue share would be sufficient to run it, says Dutt.
The other service provided by companies is a 90 per cent discount on a value-added service (VAS). Though the VAS rate is Rs 6 per miniute, they charge only 50 paise, as companies are desperate to reach the rural consumer, explains Dutt. N Rajaram, chief marketing officer, Bharti Airtel, said, "The company wants to bridge the gap in access to health care through its products and services, which makes a happy triangle: state, companies and people."

http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/mobile-phone-medically-yours-113062200626_1.html

Equities, Commodities, Currencies..CRACK DOWN....

Shishir Asthana  June 21, 2013 Last Updated at 13:56 IST

Feature: 5 reasons you need to run faster than FIIs

Trading in equities, commodities, currencies or any other asset class is often compared to surfing. One needs to be at the top of the wave and know when to get out

Trading in equities, commodities, currencies or any other asset class is often compared to surfing. One needs to be at the top of the wave and know when to get out, before the wave comes crashing and crushing everything beneath it. One such wave swept the globe on Thursday after Big Ben struck at the stroke of midnight India time. 
Nearly $1 trillion was lost in global equities after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke of reducing his bond buying programme. While analysts continued in their state of denial, FIIs were busy selling their holdings in global markets. They did so in India too with the intensity not seen in recent times. 
The impact was not only felt in the equity markets but also in the bond markets which led to the rupee plummeting against the dollar. The general message across broking houses and media was that FIIs were running away. 
For a trader, it is important to get out of the door faster than others do. FIIs have been the main buyers over the last few years, even as Indian traders and investors ponder over the logic forinvesting in a dismal fundamental scenario. Access to cheap money, thanks to the freebies being on offer in the US, Europe and Japan, saw equity and bond markets being flushed with funds. While these monies have entered various economies, their exit is a bottleneck. There are fewer buyers who are willing to give these FIIs an exit. 
However, this time around, FIIs have invested in some of the most fundamentally strong and liquid scrips on Indian bourses. Thus, it will be relatively easy as compared to their earlier escapades. But exit they will as Bernanke has clearly stated that he will start closing the liquidity tap sooner than expected. 
As the water seems to be settling after the first wave, there is no doubt that there is more coming. One needs to be on top of the next wave when it comes. 
Here are five reasons that can result in the next big wave:
 
1) The US government has only said that it will start tapering bond buying, it has yet to start doing it. Impact on markets when unwinding really starts can be severe 
2) The rupee falling to historic lows can put India’s credit rating at risk. Indian government has been relying onFII flows to keep its head above water; if these stop or, even worse, are reversed, there will be fewer tools to stem the rupee fall then. India’s ratings are just a notch above junk. Once downgraded many funds, as per their charter, will have to exit the country 
3) With the new ministers taking important positions, and the performing ministers preparing the party for elections, governance will at best be in maintaining status quo 
4) Little can be expected in terms of reforms for the remaining part of the year; if at all only populist measures like the food bill will be cleared which will further impact the bloated deficit 
5) Gold prices have come down sharply in the current wave of sell-off. Lower prices will lead to more buying as investors finds gold the safest form of investment in times of crisis and in a declining interest rate scenario in the country. This will keep the pressure on the current account deficit, despite all measures by the government.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/feature-5-reasons-you-need-to-run-faster-than-fiis-113062100372_1.html

ON LINE VIEWERS INCREASED...PHENOMINALLY

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi  May 9, 2013 Last Updated at 16:08 IST

Indians watch over 3.7 bn videos online a month

Report says online video audience in India grew by 69% to 54.02 mn viewers in March 2013 compared to 31.94 mn viewers in March 2011

Helped by rising number of people viewing videos on Internet, India's online video consumption has doubled to 3.71 billion videos per month in the past two years, a report by global digital research firm comScore said.Online video consumption in India stood at 1.86 billion per month as on March 2011. As per the firm's Video Metrix report, total online video audience in India grew by 69% to 54.02 million viewers in March 2013 compared to 31.94 million viewers in March 2011.

India currently has over 137 million Internet users."Total online video consumption has doubled in the past two years to 3.7 billion videos per month. This dramatic growth has been driven by a sizable increase in the number of online video viewers, in addition to increasing consumption per viewer," comScore said.

Google web sites, driven primarily by viewing at YouTube, ranked as the top online video property in March this year with 31.5 million unique viewers, followed by Facebook (18.6 million) and Yahoo sites (8.2 million), it added.
Video ad platforms VDOPIA (6.4 million viewers) and TubeMogul (5.5 million viewers) rounded out the top five, highlighting that these platforms can deliver reach similar to that of the top video content networks, comScore said."The rapid online video growth we're witnessing in India represents a significant opportunity for both marketers and media companies in India," comScore India Senior Director Kedar Gavane said. Even in the mature markets of the US, online video has become one of the hottest sectors of because of the value marketers place on video ad inventory, he added."As the Indian online video market begins to realise the value of its existing inventory while continuing its growth in viewers and consumption time, there will be substantial upside for the key players in this market," Gavane added.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/indians-watch-over-3-7-bn-videos-online-a-month-113050900484_1.html

ONLY BOOM TIMES...5yrS HIGHs

Reuters  |  London  May 7, 2013 Last Updated at 13:39 IST

World shares near five-year high on growth optimismInvestors are now waiting for a batch of April data from China, the world's second-largest economy, for more clues on global growth World shares hit their highest level in almost five years on Tuesday as last week's strong U.S. jobs report continued to fuel optimism about the health of the global economy.

Japanese stocks jumped in a delayed reaction to the data because Tokyo had been closed for a public holiday on Monday. The head of the European Central Bank added to the positive mood by saying it was ready to cut rates again if needed. Australia's central bank also did its bit to help the economy, cutting rates to a record low on Tuesday and signalling it could do more, helping shares. 

"I think the markets are going to continue going higher, the S&P hit another record high yesterday, the DAX is getting closer," said Neil Marsh, strategist at Newedge. 

"From a very low base, everyone is fairly optimistic that things are going to improve and if they don't, you've got the added backdrop from (ECB President Mario) Draghi that he'll do whatever it takes to push the euro zone economy forwards." 

The Nikkei stock average soared 3.7% and the MSCI global index, which tracks stocks in 45 countries, rose 0.3%, both the highest since June 2008.

European equities also nudged up as trading gathered momentum, bolstered by a crop of better than expected corporate earnings and with the German DAX index closing in on its own record high of 8,151,57 set back in 2007. 

Monday's comments from Draghi that the ECB would cut rates again if needed, including pushing its key deposit rate into negative territory, kept downward pressure on the euro as it hovered little changed on the day at $1.3075. 

The prospect of negative euro zone rates continued to underpin the bloc's bond markets too with the benchmark German Bund a tick lower on the day at 146.15. 

The main focus for Asian currency markets was the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy meeting, at which the bank decided to lower its cash rate by 25 basis points to a record low 2.75 %. 

Markets had priced in a 50-50 chance of a rate cut, and the decision sent the Australian dollar down to a two-month low of $1.0810 and helped Australian shares trim earlier losses. 

Investors are now waiting for a batch of April data from China, the world's second-largest economy, for more clues on global growth. Chinese trade data will be released on Wednesday, inflation on Thursday and money supply and loan growth expected from Friday.

 http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/world-shares-near-five-year-high-on-growth-optimism-113050700290_1.html

Internet grows to over 252 million domain names....

BS Reporter  |  Bangalore  April 10, 2013 Last Updated at 00:35 IST

Internet grows to over 252 million domain names in 2012

6.1 million new domain names added in Q4 of CY12, says VeriSign Domain Name Industry brief

About six million domain names were added to the internet in the fourth quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of registered domain names to a little more than 252 million worldwide across all top-level domains (TLDs).
According to the latest issue of VeriSign’s Domain Name Industry Brief, the increase of 6.1 million domain names in the quarter ended December 31, 2012, equates to a growth rate of 2.5 per cent over the preceding quarter. This also marks the eighth straight quarter with greater than two per cent growth. The worldwide registrations have grown by 26.6 million, an increase of 11.8 per cent over the previous year.
The Domain Name Industry Brief, which is published by VeriSign, a provider internet infrastructure services, provides statistical and analytical research on the domain name industry.
According to the report, the .com and .net domains totalled around 121.1 million at the end of 2012, representing a growth of 6.4 per cent year-on-year. As of December 31, 2012, the base of registered names in .com equaled 106.2 million, while .net equaled 14.9 million, VeriSign, said in a statement. It said the new .com and .net registrations totalled 8 million during the fourth quarter of 2012. The .com and .net renewal rate during this period was 72.9 percent, slightly up from 72.5 per cent reported in the third quarter of 2012.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/internet-grows-to-over-252-million-domain-names-in-2012-113040900185_1.html

GOLD FALLS..FALL FURTHER

Gold at risk of falling to $1,200 per ounce: BofA Merrill Lynch

By Reuters | 16 Apr, 2013, 07.12PM IST

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Tuesday that gold may fall to $1,200 per ounce before prices stabilize.
Downward pressure on gold prices has been heavily influenced by the current macro economic environment, it said."Fears of disinflation combined with news of potential central bank gold selling have been enough to trigger this dramatic sell-off," BofA analysts said.
The bank noted that although central banks have been easing, much of the additionalfunding has been parked in excess reserves, making gold a somewhat less viable investment proposition.
The bank saw no compelling reason to increase exposure to gold right now, considering muted inflationary pressure and rising nominal rates across maturities on the U.S. yield curve, which will raise opportunity costs to hold gold.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/gold-at-risk-of-falling-to-1200-per-ounce-bofa-merrill-lynch/articleshow/19579351.cms

Trader admits fraud in $1 billion Apple stock scheme

Trader admits fraud in $1 billion Apple stock scheme REUTERS:  APR 16 2013, 10:57 IST

A former Rochdale Securities trader whose unauthorized purchase of about $1 billion of Apple Inc stock caused the demise of the financial services company pleaded guilty on Monday to wire fraud and conspiracy.David Miller, 40, entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Martinez in Hartford, Connecticut.

Miller faces a maximum 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 8, but under a plea agreement he could receive a term of five to eight years. The Rockville Centre, New York resident is free on bond.

"What happened here was out of character for a kind and generous family man who has lived an otherwise law-abiding and good life," Miller's lawyer Kenneth Murphy said. "He deeply regrets what he has done and the harm it has caused to other people, including the former principals and employees at Rochdale."The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a related civil fraud lawsuit against Miller on Monday.Prosecutors said Miller bought 1.625 million Apple shares on October 25, 2012, the day the maker of iPads, iPods and iPhones planned to report third-quarter results, hoping to profit if the company's share price rose.

But they said Miller falsely told Rochdale that the trade was for a customer that had in fact ordered just 1,625 shares.When the bet backfired, Rochdale was on the hook for $5.3 million of losses on the extra 1,623,375 shares, leaving the Stamford, Connecticut-based company undercapitalized, the SEC said in court papers.According to prosecutors, Miller also defrauded another brokerage by inducing it to sell 500,000 Apple shares, hoping to partially hedge against the purchase he had made at Rochdale. Court papers did not identify the second brokerage.The SEC said as a result of Miller's bets, Rochdale ceased operations and its staff left or was fired in November 2012. On February 25, Rochdale asked Connecticut, the SEC and other regulators to withdraw its registrations.

Rochdale is not a defendant in either case and was not accused of wrongdoing. Daniel Crowley, who had been Rochdale's president, could not be reached on Monday for comment.At the time of the loss, Rochdale was the home of prominent banking analyst Richard Bove. He later joined Rafferty Capital Markets LLC.The cases are U.S. v. Miller, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, No. 12-mj-00288; and SEC v. Miller in the same court, No. 13-00522.

APPs...ABSOLUTE MONEY...

App-solutely Brilliant! SHARAD RAGHAVAN:  APR 15 2013, 12:47 IST

The news of the 17-year-old boy who sold his app to Yahoo for $30 million is just the tip of the iceberg. App development is big business and young entrepreneurs in India are already monetising their apps in a big way

A few weeks ago, an extraordinary story from the usually technical world of technology made waves across the globe. A 17-year-old boy in London sold an app he had created—called Summly, it was a news aggregator that served up news stories in quick bites on smartphones—to Yahoo for the whopping amount of an estimated $30 million.

What stunned the world was not only the amount, which, to be sure, was huge, but also that the boy in question, Nick D’Aloisio, was so young. Becoming an overnight millionaire at a time when most of the West is struggling with youth unemployment? It’s the stuff fairy tales are made of. But, given that consultancy and research firms like Gartner expect mobile phone sales to grow 21.9% by 2017 from the estimated 900 million they are now and tablet sales to grow a whopping 303% in that period, it is clear that the app market will give birth to many other similar success stories.

As an example, just consider the fact that when the Apple Store opened in 2008, it had just about 500 apps—today, there are more than 800,000. Google’s Play Store, similarly, has over 700,000 apps. This market creates a great opportunity for youngsters to apply their talents and monetise them, and a lot of that is happening in India.

Startup Village is India’s first public-private partnership model tech business incubator. Located in Kerala, it has incubated a number of companies designing apps for Apple, Android and even BB10. “On the monetisation side of BB10, I don’t have full data as of now but the indications seem promising. For instance, one of the young teams updated me that they have started seeing revenues in the first month itself (for BB). They made approximately $128 dollars in the first month. We will see the story emerging well over the next couple of months. But the initial indications does look good in my opinion,” says Sijo Kuruvilla George, CEO, Startup Village.

Elaborating on this growing trend, he says, “There is a game developer by the name of Jim who develops games for iOS platforms. They are witnessing good revenues and the company has become operationally profitable in less than a year with just this one game of theirs. Ether IT solutions is also a game development company that is witnessing pretty good monetisation from mobile app-based game development. Another entrepreneur that is seeing good monetisation that I know is John Paul of Plackal.”

And some of these apps are gaining international recognition as well. Plackal’s JusWrite app, for example, won a prize at the Samsung Smart App Challenge 2012. JusWrite allows you to take notes and organise tasks on your smartphone or tablet just as you would on a real notepad. Write down tasks, categorise them, set priority, mark as ‘completed’, set a reminder and much more, all using a stylus or digital pen on a smartphone or tablet.

Kode Blink Tech Apps, another Startup Village-incubated company, recently launched its latest iPhone app, PinGeo. The app is designed for those of us who are absent minded, or those of us who are easily caught up with having fun with friends. It allows you to ‘Pin’ locations to visit before you start your trip. The app alerts you when you are near the ‘Pin’ed locations, it also tells you the distance to the location. So, the next time you go to the mall looking for something specific to buy, but get distracted by friends, here’s an app to help you keep to your plan.

While there is no data yet about whether PinGeo is making money, the previous app by Kode Blink Tech definitely is. That app, called Traffic Qatar, was reportedly downloaded by 3% of Qatar’s population. The app creates a platform for both government and vehicle owners by providing details on traffic violations, fine, alerts, updates and also allows customers to pay of their fines. According to news sources, the company is expecting a turnover of R2.5 crore from the Qatar market itself.

According to Dhanan Sekhar Edathara, managing director of Dhanew Research, incubation centres like Startup Village are important sources of advice for young entrepreneurs. “One of the first important decisions I took at that time (in 2012) was to partner with Qburst to port Dhanew Research’s popular android game Tic Tac Toe NeO to iOS, a decision that was largely influenced by discussions with Sijo (of Startup Village). The iOS version of Tic Tac Toe NeO registered 29% growth in monthly active user base in February 2013, underlining the fact that it was a solid business decision,” Edathara explained in a blog post.

Such is the great business opportunity created by apps that it has spawned a side business of companies whose single purpose is to create apps for companies. One such company, with a young, dynamic team is AppStudioz, founded by Saurabh Singh, also the co-founder of TechAhead Software. In the company’s own words, AppStudioz “specialises in giving your app idea a concrete shape with a guarantee of excellence, quick turnaround and cost-effectiveness.” And this doesn’t seem to be just empty boasts. Charging around $10,000-15,000 for an app that would take a month’s effort to make, and anywhere between $50,000-60,000 for more resource intensive apps, the company claims to be one of the cheapest options out there. Singh expects the company to rake in revenues of $2 million.

While some experts fear that the explosion in apps is a bubble—which, like any other tech bubble will burst—the fact of the matter is that the going is great while it lasts. Expect to see many more innovative apps and overnight millionaires in the near future.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/appsolutely-brilliant-/1102703/0

Mobile Expansion Effort...Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!

Yahoo CEO Mayer Buying Summly in Mobile Expansion Effort

By Douglas MacMillan - Mar 26, 2013 2:56 PM GMT+0530

(Corrects spelling of D’Aloisio’s name in 10th paragraph.)

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), the largest U.S. Web portal, is paying about $30 million to buy Summly, a mobile startup run by a 17-year-old, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

Enlarge image

Nick D'Aloisio, founder of Summly, speaks during the Digital Life Design conference at HVB Forum in Munich on Jan. 23, 2012. Photographer: Nadine Rupp/Getty Images

3:17

March 25 (Bloomberg) -- Yahoo announced the acquisition of mobile-product company Summly on Monday, March 25. Bloomberg's Stephanie Ruhle profiles Summly Founder Nick D'Aloisio. (Source: Bloomberg)

12:44

March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Nick D'Aloisio, the 17-year-old whose mobile startup Summly has been bought by Yahoo! Inc. for about $30 million, talks about developing applications and his plans for the future. He speaks with Mark Barton on Bloomberg Television's "Countdown." (Source: Bloomberg)

Enlarge image

Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer is focusing Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo on providing Web services that are customized for individual users, and aims to add engineers by buying small technology startups, she said on a conference call last year. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

Yahoo announced the deal yesterday on its blog without disclosing terms. Summly, founded by Nick D’Aloisio at his London home when he was 15 years old, is a mobile application that summarizes news articles for small-screen devices. He’ll join Yahoo along with some members of his team, according to the statement.Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer is focusing Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo on providing Web services that are customized for individual users, and aims to add engineers by buying small technology startups, she said on a conference call last year. Yahoo has acquired at least six such teams -- including Jybe Inc., Stamped Inc., OntheAir, Snip.it and Alike - - since Mayer took over in July.

“Yahoo in my mind is one of these classic Internet companies and there is so much opportunity now that they have new leadership with Marissa Mayer,” D’Aloisio said in an interview. “There’s a massive opportunity in what they’re doing, which is taking technologies like Summly and allowing them to become used by hundreds of millions of people.”Sara Gorman, a spokeswoman for Yahoo, declined to comment on the price.“Most articles and Web pages were formatted for browsing with mouse clicks,” Yahoo said on the blog. “The ability to skim them on a phone or a tablet can be a real challenge. We want easier ways to identify what’s important to us.”

Personal, Mobile

Mayer has said she sees the company building sites and technologies for daily activities such as checking e-mail and stock tickers. In January, she said she’s focused on technology that will personalize content from the Web and deliver it to people on their handheld devices.

“We think about how do we take the Internet and order it for you,” Mayer said.Yahoo gained less than 1 percent to $23.38 at yesterday’s close in New York, leaving the shares up 17 percent this year. In German trading today, the stock climbed 0.5 percent to the equivalent of $23.49 at 9:32 a.m. in Frankfurt.D’Aloisio has been building applications for mobile phones since he was 12, creating “gimmicky games” like a program that turned a phone into a treadmill for your fingers, he said in an interview today on Bloomberg Television.He made 79 pounds ($120) from sales of his first game, “and that did motivate me a lot,” D’Aloisio said. His parents will keep the money from the Yahoo deal in a trust fund for him, he said, declining to comment on how much he was paid.“I was very agnostic in terms of talking to these companies,” he said. “I wanted to do what’s right for the technology. Yahoo is going to offer us the scale.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Douglas MacMillan in San Francisco atdmacmillan3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-25/yahoo-buying-summly-to-boost-searches-on-mobile-devices.html

Mobile value-added services market will touch $9.5 b in 2 years

OUR BUREAU

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25:  

Wipro Technologies and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in a joint research report said the mobile value added services (MVAS) market will reach $9.5 billion in 2015, from $4.9 billion in 2012. The report titled -- Future Thought of Business: MVAS -- predicts that the Indian MVAS market will grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 25 per cent between 2012 and 2015. It said there are opportunities for different participants in the Indian MVAS market, including domestic mobile operators who could focus on providing better network and connectivity, and global operators who can increase their base by testing new VAS offerings in the Indian market.  Also, content and VAS technology providers can focus on developing personalised content based on consumer experience, and original equipment manufacturers who can innovate with low-cost smartphones and mobile devices to drive penetration, the report said. "Basic informational mobile services are set to decline in India. We have found that India’s consumers will increasingly purchase enriched and transformational education, health, finance and entertainment services," Ayan Mukerji, Senior Vice-President, Global Head - Media and Telecom, Wipro Technologies said.

The research found that mEntertainment is the largest contributor to operator MVAS revenues and provides key opportunities in localised vernacular content, on-demand music and video content and live TV shows and events. On the other hand, mEducation can play a key role in expanding the reach and quality of education in India through interactive English language learning services, competitive examination preparation solutions, tutor-on-call and vocational training. mHealth has the potential to improve healthcare access and affordability in India, especially through remote diagnostics, chronic disease management and maternal care, it said. Mobile phones will also play a key role in extending financial services to 40 per cent of India’s population who are unbanked. mFinance through mobile wallet services, mobile remittance services and business correspondence model-based services will contribute to MVAS revenues.

"By forging mutually agreeable partnerships, we can improve customisation and localisation of content and create services with a compelling consumer value proposition,” Subho Ray, President, IAMAI said. The research involved over 450 consumers and providers of MVAS in India to identify the major drivers and barriers of the Indian MVAS market and provide insights that will help to grow this market.

ronendrasingh.s@thehindu.co.in http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/mobile-valueadded-services-market-will-touch-95-b-in-2-years/article4546790.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

NO MATTER WHO HOLDS...EVEN Rakesh Jhunjhunwala--FALL PUSHES FURTHER FALL

26 MAR, 2013, 06.46AM IST, RAJESH MASCARENHAS,ET BUREAU 

Midcap crash leaves Rs 1,000 crore hole in big bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s portfolio

21 of the 29 Jhunjhunwala stocks lose between 20% and 70% in 2013 versus a 3.5% fall in benchmark Sensex and a 15% fall in the BSE Mid-cap.
MUMBAI: Following the leader may not always be in people's best interests, especially when it comes to stock selection.

Many small investors, who fashioned their portfolios after that of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the so-called Warren Buffet of India, discovered this painful lesson with the recent mid-cap crash eroding his portfolio value by Rs 1,000 crore. Stocks owned by Jhunjhunwala — BilcareBSE -1.51 %, A2Z MaintenanceBSE 4.82 % and DB Realty, Autoline IndustriesBSE -0.53 %, Hindustan Oil ExplorationBSE 1.96 % and Delta CorpBSE -9.25 % — which quoted at high multiples despite poor results, were hammered down as negative sentiment originating from stocks used in margin funding spread towards other fundamentally weak stocks.

Many small investors purchased these stocks not for their sound fundamentals or prospects but merely because they were part of billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's portfolio.This is borne out by 21 of the 29 listed stocks held by Jhunjhunwala that have declined between 20% and 70% so far this year compared with a 3.5% fall in benchmark Sensex and a 15% fall in the BSE Mid-cap index. Nearly 10 companies he invested in, includingAptechBSE -0.23 %, McNally BharatBSE -3.45 %and Delta Corp, reported adecline in revenues for FY12 from a year ago. The likes of Hindustan Oil Exploration, Prime FocusBSE 0.49 %, A2Z Maintenance, Sterling HolidayBSE -8.00 %, Viceroy HotelsBSE -3.16 % and Alphageo reported net losses for the nine months ending December 2012 (FY13). Further, more than half of promoters' holdings in eight companies including DB Realty, Viceroy Hotels,Pantaloon RetailBSE 0.21 % and NCCBSE -4.15 % have been pledged as on December 2012.
Even Jhunjhunwala's favourite stock picks such as Titan IndustriesBSE 1.17 %, CrisilBSE -0.51 % andRallisBSE -3.33 % Industries underperformed the broader market. The only five stocks to have outperformed the indices are LupinBSE 0.21 %, GeometricBSE -1.03 %, Prime Focus, Agro Tech FoodsBSE -3.89 % and Adinath EximBSE -4.69 %. So has Jhunjhunwala's strategy to 'Buy Right Hold Tight' gone wrong? Some market experts think so.
"Rakesh is known for investing in concept-based stocks for the long term, when nobody usually touches them," said Kush Katakia, founder of Beanstalk Advisory. "However, this strategy seems to have backfired as investors dumped these stocks during the recent midcap crash, and opted instead for companies with sound financials."
An e-mail query to Jhunjhunwala on the subject went unanswered. Call it negative sentiment or coincidence, stocks in Jhunjhunwala's portfolio have been hammered one after the other by Dalal Street over the past few weeks. The latest in the line is Bilcare.
The stock plunged 48% in the past four trading sessions through Friday. Jhunjhunwala, the second biggest public investor in the company after Deutsche Bank, held 8.51% in the company.
The billionaire investor entered this counter in June 2006, buying about 11.6% stake at an average price of Rs 360. The stock, which hit a record ofRs 1,830 in January 2008, currently trades at Rs 72.
A2Z Maintenance, in which Jhunjhunwala held 19.92% stake, has plunged 70% so far this year and 94% since its listing in December 2010. The Jhunjhunwala-backed diversified infrastructure company declined 20% on the listing day, after which he bought an additional 16 lakh shares.
The recent pick of DB Realty, in which Jhunjhunwala bought nearly 12.5 lakh shares in October last year at Rs 90 per share, 83% lower from its record high of Rs 540 in March 2010, further declined 63% this year and currently trades at Rs 57.65.
"The overall sentiment, especially in the midcap segment, has affected stocks owned by Rakesh," said another analyst who declined to be named. "A slowdown in business, pledging by promoters, over-leveraging, failure to service debt and ratings downgrades were the prime reasons for the recent carnage in midcap stocks, and Rakesh's portfolio was no exception.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/market-news/midcap-crash-leaves-rs-1000-crore-hole-in-big-bull-rakesh-jhunjhunwalas-portfolio/articleshow/19204971.cms