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The Economic Times

Trai recommends overhaul of telecom licensing regime

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has proposed a unified authorisation regime for telecom services, including mobile, internet, and satellite. This overhaul aims to simplify the licensing process and reduce entry fees. The proposal excludes over-the-top services and suggests merging various service categories to streamline operations.

The Economic Times

PM-WANI rule changes seen to give big boost to Wi-Fi hotspots, create lakhs of micro-entrepreneurs

Amendments to the PM-WANI framework are set to boost local Wi-Fi hotspot setups, creating many micro-entrepreneurs. Broadband India Forum (BIF) states these changes will enhance PM-WANI's potential, providing affordable internet access and increasing telcos' revenue from bandwidth sales, despite previous concerns about revenue loss.

Business Standard

Fire at data centre likely cause of India-wide outage for Jio users: Report

The website also showed that more than half of the affected users were facing issues related to their mobile network, while others had mobile internet and broadband-related complaints

The Economic Times

Internet is worse than it used to be. How did we get here, and can we go back?

Your social media feeds are full of eye-catching, provocative, hyper-targeted, or anger-inducing content, from bizarre AI-generated imagery to robot-like comments. You're lucky if your video feeds are not solely made up of exhortations to "subscribe".

The Economic Times

India's ambitious PM-WANI push fails to pick up pace amid major pushback by telcos

Despite the PM-WANI scheme's goal to democratise internet access, its impact has been limited due to resistance from telecom operators and ISPs. The scheme faces challenges with high costs and low data usage.

The Economic Times

AI is 'accelerating the climate crisis,' expert warns

If you care about the environment, think twice about using AI. Generative artificial intelligence uses 30 times more energy than a traditional search engine, warns researcher Sasha Luccioni, on a mission to raise awareness about the environmental impact of the hot new technology. "I find it particularly disappointing that generative AI is used to search the Internet,"on the sidelines of the ALL IN artificial intelligence conference, in Montreal.

Mint

Bigbasket’s quick commerce order value in small cities matches metro average; pilot projects start in tier-3 areas

While it is early days for the company in the tier 3 markets, it is already getting a good response as more internet-savvy customers emerge from these areas.

The Economic Times

Reserve Bank of India to stick to higher digital deposit buffer proposal: Report

The Reserve Bank of India plans to maintain a 5% run-off factor on digitally linked deposits, despite industry requests for a lower buffer. This move aims to manage risks from quick withdrawals via internet or mobile banking, potentially impacting banks' liquidity and increasing demand for government bonds.

CNBC TV18

Ather Energy IPO: Tiger Global, NIIF to offload shares; Hero Moto to stay put

US-based investment giant Tiger Global, through its venture capital fund Internet Fund III Pte Ltd, will offload its stake in Ather Energy. The company's largest shareholder Hero Motocorp has decided to hold its stake in the company.

The Economic Times

Indians faced over 10 million internet-borne cyberthreats during April-June quarter: report

In particular, file-less malware was identified as the most dangerous form of cyberthreat that Indian users continued to face, owing to the fact that it is difficult to detect, the report said. Phishing, baiting and pretexting also remained a prevalent mode of cyberattack.

The Economic Times

Bandhan Bank launches facility to collect GST through online, offline modes

Bandhan Bank has introduced a new facility for collecting Goods and Services Tax (GST) from both customers and non-customers. This service can be accessed online through the bank's Retail and Corporate Internet Banking platforms, or offline at any branch using cash, cheque, or demand draft. The initiative aims to enhance ease of business and bring government services closer to the public.

Business Standard

Bandhan Bank launches GST collection services

Under this authorization, Bandhan Bank customers and others can pay their Goods and Services Tax in a fast, seamless and convenient manner through the Bank's Retail Internet Banking, and Corporate Internet Banking platforms. They can also pay the tax at any of the Bank branches using Cash, Cheque or Demand Draft.

Business Standard

App-first Gen Z scripting big shifts in consumption trends: Bernstein

The digitally-native, app-first Gen Z cohort is assuming the centre stage in India's consumer markets by scripting "big shifts" in consumption trends, including the rise of quick commerce delivery and direct-to-consumer brands, according to a report by Bernstein. Brands are seeking a deeper connection with this digitally-native, app-first generation that 'swipes up' for practically everything from social media to ride-hailing and food delivery. Indian Gen Zs' are the world's largest, the report said about the cohort born into a digital age, that shops, works and eats online. Gen Z is the generation born between 1996 and 2010. Indian Gen Zs make up 20 per cent of the world and about 27 per cent of India's population, it noted. Gen Zs have become the "Swipe Up" generation considering the amount of time they spend on social media. They swipe up for practically everything - social media, ride-hailing, and food delivery, according to Bernstein's report on 'India Internet'. Gen Zs are .

Hindustan Times

Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper satellite internet to get UK approval, competition with Elon Musk's Starlink intensifies

Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper plans to launch 3,236 satellites, with the US FCC already granting permission and the UK's Ofcom regulator also about to approve it

The Economic Times

Bits & Bytes: Top developments from the tech industry this week

Apple plans to switch all iPhones to OLED displays by 2025, moving away from LCDs. This change will exclude Japan's Sharp and Japan Display from Apple's supply chain. Meanwhile, Google faces a second antitrust trial over its digital ad business, and the Internet Archive loses an appeal over its online lending library. TikTok expands its election resources.

The Economic Times

US calls on Big Tech to help evade online censors in Russia, Iran

The tools, supported by the U.S.-backed Open Technology Fund (OTF), have seen a surge of usage in Russia, Iran, Myanmar and authoritarian states that heavily censor the internet.

Business Standard

DoT's new Telecom Act rules explained: Internet shutdowns to infra updates

The Telecom Act, which replaces outdated laws like the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, has raised concerns over mass surveillance and online privacy

The Economic Times

Ireland's data regulator ends court proceedings against X

Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in the country, in August sought an order to suspend or restrict X from processing the data of users for the purposes of developing, training or refining its AI systems.

The Economic Times

ET World Leaders Forum | Bullish on anything that's internet first within India: Balaji Srinivasan

In conversation with Blume Ventures’ Sajith Pai, tech investor and author Balaji Srinivasan said he’s bullish on anything that is internet-first within India. He also highlighted the significant impact of AI on India and the role of cryptocurrency in enhancing sovereignty.

Business Standard

Enforce traceability, privacy norms on internet call, messaging apps: COAI

The government should enforce traceability and user privacy rules on WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Meet as well as other calling and messaging apps along with telecom operators as such platforms provide similar services using internet network, industry body COAI said. Telecom operators want the government and regulator to enforce message traceability and user privacy rule on these apps to curb spam and illegal activities as majority of messaging traffic has moved to data networks from SMS, COAI said. In a recent direction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated telecom operators to enhance message traceability. The regulator has mandated that the trail of all messages from senders to recipients must be traceable from November 1, 2024. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, said that while the telecom service providers are working jointly with the Trai and the other stakeholders on th

The Economic Times

Enforce traceability, user privacy norms on internet calling and messaging apps: COAI

The government should enforce traceability and user privacy rules on messaging and calling apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Google Meet, similar to telecom operators, says industry body COAI. Telecom operators want the same rules applied to curtail spam and illegal activities, emphasizing the increase in data network usage for messaging.

The Economic Times

How Brazil's experiment fighting fake news led to a ban on X

Brazil's yearslong fight against the internet's destructive effect on politics, culminating in the current blackout of X, shows the pitfalls of a nation deciding what can be said online. Do too little and allow online chatter to undermine democracy; do too much and restrict citizens' legitimate speech.

Mint

Awfis, Nykaa uptrend to Unicommerce eSolutions Q1 results—How top new-age internet stocks performed this week

New-age internet stocks: Shares of Awfis and Nykaa are among the top new-age tech stocks, which have witnessed the highest surge in their share prices this week.

Mint

Dishwasher, busboy and waiter — Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang’s Linkedin bio sparks buzz on Internet

Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang has listed dishwasher, busboy, and waiter as part of his work experience from 1978 to 1983 on his LinkedIn profile.

Business Standard

Rebel Food loss narrows to Rs 378 crore in FY24; revenue up 18.8%

Rebel Foods -- which owns Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story and other cloud kitchens -- has reported a narrowing of its consolidated loss to Rs 378.21 crore in FY24, according to financial data accessed by the business intelligence platform Tofler. Its revenue from operations rose 18.8 per cent to Rs 1,420.24 crore for the financial year ended March 31, 2024. In FY23, the company's net loss was Rs 656.55 crore, while its revenue stood at Rs 1,195.22 crore. Rebel Foods's other income in FY 24 was Rs 65.29 crore, up 2.81 per cent. Its total income was Rs 1,485.53 crore, up 18 per cent in 2023-24. The company's total expenses were Rs 1,857.03 crore in FY24 against Rs 1,827.04 crore for the financial year ended March 31, 2023. Founded in 2011 by Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee, Rebel Foods is the world's largest internet restaurant company, having over 450 kitchens across 70 cities. It owns brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl, SL

Business Standard

SBI working on new version of digital banking platform: Dinesh Khara

Former SBI Chairperson Dinesh Khara on Thursday said the country's largest lender is working on a new version of its digital banking platform to take care of its customers' requirements and preferences. In his special address at the Global Fintech Fest 2024 here, Khara, who superannuated on Thursday, also said that a banker should always keep risks in mind, even though people tend to ignore the risk but that shouldn't happen. "We had envisaged YONO only as a retail solution and initially it was thought to replace internet banking but when we launched it, we thought that it should be much more than that, (as) it serves all banking and financial needs today. We're working on YONO 2.0 where it should be made more modular and faster in terms of processing," Khara said. Stating that YONO has 80 million registered users today with almost 10 million users logging in at the platform each day, he said in many respects, it would be a record of sorts across the globe. Last year, the platform

The Economic Times

Bank of Maharashtra opens branch on Supreme Court's premises

State-owned Bank of Maharashtra has opened a branch within the premises of the Supreme Court of India to cater to the financial needs of the court and its constituents. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud inaugurated the branch, which offers internet-enabled kiosks and 24X7 locker facilities, alongside other tech-enabled solutions.

The Economic Times

TikTok must face lawsuit over 10-year-old girl's death, US court rules

While a federal law typically shields internet companies from lawsuits over content posted by users, the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled the law does not bar Nylah Anderson's mother from pursuing claims that TikTok's algorithm recommended the challenge to her daughter.

Business Standard

Over 40% consumers use digital payment daily in Tier 3-6 cities: Report

More than 40 per cent of consumers in Tier 3 to 6 cities use digital payment on a daily basis, while 45 per cent claimed to use it once in two days, a new survey report has said. "This reflects the frequent usage of digital payments by consumers, even in Tier 3 to 6 locations of the country," said a report by Chase India on The State of Digital Payments in India. The report identifies the key challenges faced by merchants and consumers in the adoption of digital payment services at the grassroots level. According to the report, nearly half of the merchants who are not using digital payments in rural India are unaware of the service. In contrast, a staggering 94 per cent of consumers who are not using digital payments are aware of it but still don't use it, as they face issues like lack of internet connectivity, limited knowledge, mistrust in online payments and service-related problems. The report added that around 74 per cent of consumers claimed to be using digital payment serv

Business Standard

Call, messaging apps must comply with rules for nation's security: COAI

Telecom operators expect internet calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Google Meet, and Telegram to comply with rules in the same manner as all service providers do, industry body COAI said on Monday. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) -- whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, among others -- said it is misleading to demand to exclude over-the-top (OTT) communication apps from the Telecommunications Act 2023 as they are subject to other regulations because various non-sectoral rules apply on telecom operators as well. "COAI would like to state that the 'Security of the Country' is of utmost importance and in this regard, all communication service providers, including OTT-based communication services, should adhere to the requisite directives of the country as done by the Telecom Service Providers," COAI Director General SP Kochhar said. He said that telecom operators have invested heavily in setting up the infrastructure for lawful

Mint

Zomato, Nykaa, Paytm, CarTrade and more: Should you buy or sell new-age internet stocks? Experts weigh in with top picks

Experts highlight the cautious optimism for new-age internet stocks, emphasizing profitability, strategic growth, and market penetration, with top picks like Zomato and PolicyBazaar recommended for long-term investors.

Business Standard

DPIIT's copyright rule withdrawal to boost rights owners' position: Experts

The DPIIT'S withdrawal of the September 2016 office memorandum regarding extending the scope of a copyright rule to internet transmissions would bolster the position of copyright owners and aid them in negotiating better royalty rates, according to experts. Last week, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) withdrew an office memorandum regarding extending the scope of Section 31D to internet transmissions. In 2016, through an office memorandum, the government decided to include Internet broadcasting under the purview of the Copyright Act. DPIIT has said that in light of the decision of the Division Bench of the High Court of Bombay in the matter of Tips Industries Ltd vs Wynk Music Ltd, the office memorandum issued by the department on September 5, 2016, is "hereby rescinded". This section talks about statutory licences for the broadcasting of literary and musical works and sound recordings. Abhay JV, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co said that

The Economic Times

DPIIT's withdrawal of a copyright rule order to strengthen rights owners' position: Experts

Last week, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) withdrew an office memorandum from September 2016 that extended the scope of a copyright rule to internet transmissions. This move is expected to strengthen the position of copyright owners, allowing them to negotiate better royalty rates.

Business Standard

Trai proposes to cut broadband charges for public wifi service providers

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday proposed to bring down broadband connection charges for public data offices, which provide public wifi services, at par with retail users, as the number of public wifi spots in the country is far below the target number envisaged by the government. In the explanatory note of draft Telecommunication Tariff (Seventh Amendment) Order, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) found that the annual tariff of a 100 mbps of internet leased line tariff are 40-80 times more than 100 mbps of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connection for retail users. Trai said it is of the view that public data offices (PDOs), specifically the small-scale units like local shops, retailers, generally have low revenue potential and they neither need an ILL connection nor they can afford high backhaul rates which are applicable for large commercial entities. "The authority proposes that for the purpose of providing PM-WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) scheme

Mint

China’s Didi bounces back from losses caused by Beijing's crackdown on internet services as it prepares IPO in Hong Kong

Didi Global Inc. swung to a profit in the June quarter, a welcome boost for the company as it prepares for a potential re-listing in Hong Kong.

Mint

Turkey restores access to Instagram after 9-day block

TURKEY-INTERNET-METAPLATFORMS-MINISTER:Turkey restores access to Instagram after 9-day block

Business Standard

Cisco to lay off thousands more in second job cut this year: Report

Cisco, the largest maker of the routers and switches that direct internet traffic, has been grappling with sluggish demand and supply-chain constraints in its mainstay business

Business Standard

Hathway Q1 results: PAT declines 18% to Rs 18 cr, revenue at Rs 502.6 cr

Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd -- provider of cable and internet services -- on Wednesday reported a decline of 18.1 per cent in consolidated net profit to Rs 18.32 crore for the June quarter. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 22.36 crore in the April-June period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing from Hathway Cable, a firm owned by the Reliance Industries Group. Its total revenue was flat at Rs 502.61 crore in the June quarter. It was at Rs 499.23 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. During the quarter, its revenue from the Cable TV business was at Rs 336.14 crore and Rs 151.19 crore from broadband services in the June quarter of FY25. Hathway Cable's total income, which includes other income, was down 1.69 per cent in the June quarter to Rs 524.36 crore. Total expenses of Hathway Cable was down 2 per cent to Rs 503.14 crore.

The Economic Times

PNB introduces Safety Ring mechanism to enhance security for internet, mobile banking users

Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched 'Safety Ring' within internet and mobile banking to counter cyber frauds. This optional feature allows daily limit settings for term deposits (TDs) to be closed or used for overdrafts, reducing losses from unauthorized access. PNB stated this ensures transactions exceeding set limits are blocked through digital channels, enhancing security.

Business Line

Affle receives ‘buy’ rating from Citi with ₹1,600 target price

The target price reflects a substantial premium to global ad-tech peers, highlighting Citi’s confidence in Affle’s growth potential and competitive position among Indian internet stocks.