Airtel and Idea Increase 3G Data Charges For Post Paid Customers: 2 Possible Explanations

Airtel and Idea Increase 3G Data Charges For Post Paid Customers: 2 Possible Explanations

As per new updates, both Idea and Airtel has increased 3G data charges for their post-paid customers by 20%.

The new increased tariffs have been rolled out selected circles across India.

Airtel has implemented these increased charges in Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP East and UP West circles; while Idea’s new rates would be applicable in Delhi, Punjab and UP West.

In these circles, both Airtel and Idea post paid customers would now pay Rs 300 for 1 GB of 3G data, which was Rs 250 earlier.

As per Airtel, this new tariff would be only applicable for new customers; Idea refused to share more details.

Within 2 months, this is the second time telecom operators have increased data charges. In the month of June, Airtel, Idea and Vodafone had increased 3G and 2G data charges for their pre-paid customers by 11 to 47%.

However, Vodafone hasn’t issued any update for post-paid customers yet as they are still offering 3G data for post paid account at Rs 250 per 1 GB.

However, the question arises, why this sudden increase in rates, especially when 4G is about to be rolled out by Reliance Jio and Airtel?

2 Possible Reasons for Increased Data Rates

We are amidst a very intense battle for 4G roll-out across India, as Reliance Jio wants to acquire 50 lakh customers in the first 50 hours of it’s launch, whereas Airtel wants to capture 44 cities before Reliance Jio enters the arena.

We have heard rumors that Reliance Jio may offer 4G at lowest ever rates; as per some insider sources, it can touch Rs 60 per 1GB, which is 60-75% less than what telecom operators are currently offering.

Hence, there arise two possibilities which can be the reason why Idea, Airtel and Vodafone decided to hike their 3G charges:

a) Bait and Watch:

Old psychological theories in marketing says that if you increase the price of a product, and then offer discount and sales, then it clicks with the end user; and his mind is tricked into believing that the bargain is good.

Idea, Vodafone and Airtel must be aware of the cut throat prices which Reliance Jio can offer for 4G services, and to counter that, they may be increasing the price of 3G data right now, only to decrease it once Reliance Jio jumps into the market. Hence, it can be a perfect ‘bait and watch’ technique to get more customers.

b) Book Profits Before Its Too Late:

The other possibility, which is both short sighted and evil, is that Idea, Vodafone and Airtel are aware that they can’t compete against Reliance Jio when it comes pricing; hence book as much profits as it’s possible before the bigger fish enters the arena.

courtesy: trak.in

Now, Vodafone Offers Double Validity on Voice Calls. Ploy to Retain Customers Before 4G Launch?

Now, Vodafone Offers Double Validity on Voice Calls. Ploy to Retain Customers Before 4G Launch

Earlier this month, Vodafone had effectively halved their mobile internet data prices by offering double data on pre-paid recharge packs. Now, in a surprise move they have announced double validity on their rate cutter packs for voice calls. For a price of Rs. 7, Vodafone will offer double validity for their customer on pre-paid rate cutters packs in Mumbai circle.

Elaborating on the Vodafone Double Validity offer, Ishmeet Singh, Business Head- Mumbai, Vodafone India, said, “Mobile telecom services in Mumbai are still largely voice dominated. Over 60% of the Vodafone Mumbai revenues are contributed by Voice plans. Double Validity is yet another customer centric initiative from Vodafone, conceptualized with the objective of ensuring our customers have control on how they utilize their plan and get full value for money. It is a refreshing offering that blends affordability with customer empowerment.”

Why these rate cuts?

In India, voice call rates have been stabilized for a long time now. No telecom operator wants to reduce the rates further and trigger a price-war, especially because they are operating on a wafer thin margin when it comes to voice calls. Hence, this move by Vodafone is surprising. In a span of a month, Vodafone has effectively halved their prices on Data and voice.

These double validity schemes have come immediately after Airtel launched their 4G services across 296 towns in India including Mumbai.

One cannot help but think that this move by Vodafone is a ploy to retain customers and avoid them from moving to Airtel network for want of 4G connectivity.

With mobile number portability, users can quickly move to any other operator while retaining their number, so it has become very easy for users to shift between operators. By offering goodies like Double validity, Vodafone is trying to retain the customers on their network till such time that they launch their own 4G services.

Mumbai is a lucrative circle for Vodafone where they have over 6 million subscribers. Additionally, Mumbai users have some of the highest ARPU’s (Average Revenue per user) across the country, so losing these customers will have major effect on their bottom-line.

When is Vodafone 4G coming?

Airtel’s launch has now pressurized other operators to launch their 4G services in a hurry. In the 4G auctions held earlier in the year, Vodafone bagged nearly 5 MHz of spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Karnataka and Kerala. Singh had earlier confirmed that Vodafone will be launching 4G services by the end of the year. Vodafone is currently conducting 4G trials in all these 5 circles.

With Reliance Jio approaching the market aggressively in 4G services arena, both in terms of offerings and as well as price, it is going to be tough for the incumbents to hold on to their mobile data market share. We are surely in for some intense competition between various telco’s in India.

courtesy : trakin

ICICI Bank Smart Vault, India’s First Robotic Locker Combines ‘Make in India’ & ‘Digital India’ Vision Into One

ICICI Bank Smart Vault, India’s First Robotic Locker Combines ‘Make in India’ & ‘Digital India’ Vision Into One

ICICI Bank has launched India’s first locker facility powered by robotic technology. Christened as ‘Smart Vault’, this new service was formally inaugurated by Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank at their Defense Colony branch in New Delhi.

To start with, this new, futuristic locker facility has been offered only at Defense Colony branch, which also provides Wealth Management services. As of now, there are 500 such lockers installed in the branch, and depending on the usage, more branches would be enabled to have this service.

ICICI Bank refused to share pricing details of this unique locker service, but as per Chanda, there would be 3 different plans according to the size of the locker; and compared to traditional locker facilities, the service charges are a bit more.

Salient Features of ‘Smart Vault’

• Customers can access their lockers 24*7, 7 days a week.
• Smart Vault uses robotic technology to empower the customer to access their lockers, without any human interface.
• Instead of customer visiting an enclosed hall or large room to access their lockers via keys, Smart Vault lets the customer access their locker from a secured lounge, while comfortably providing their access details. Using robotic technology, the locker comes to the customer after authentication.
• Hence, the customer can access their locker in total privacy, without any intervention of bank employees
• Smart Vault is powered with multi-layered security which has been described as ‘state of the art’.
• The system includes biometric authentication and debit card & PIN check before providing access
• Smart Vault has the new dimple key technique, which makes replication almost impossible
• Besides ICICI Bank’s unbreakable lock-system, the customer can choose their own lock as well
• To ensure safety of the system, Smart Vault will have a biometric alert facility, wherein a direct call line to a central security team is provided to thwart any attempt to open the lock without permission
• Every time the locker is accessed, customers will get alert SMS
• 24*7 video patrolling of the premises and CCTV surveillance

Check out this introductory video that shows how ‘Smart Vault’ will function

Digital India & Make in India Into One

The usage of modern robotics mechanism to offer locker facility is a direct alignment with PM Modi’s Digital India mission, wherein technology and digital platform are used to serve the society in a better way.

The robotic system for lockers has been designed by Pune based Precision Automation and Robotics, a startup which was provided with seed-fund by ICICI Bank in early 1990s. The ‘Make in India’ vision is being implemented by choosing an Indian company for such advanced, futuristic system, which has never been introduced before in India.

In a press release, Chanda said, “We are especially proud of the Smart Vault since it has been both designed and manufactured by Indian partners, and is an example of Make in India.”

We had reported earlier about India’s first Digital village: Akodara, which has been adopted by ICICI Bank, and powered with unique digital initiatives. ICICI Bank were the first to introduced Internet Banking in India, and recently their new mobile banking app ‘Pockets’ have crossed 1 million downloads.

With their new robotics powered locker facility, ICICI Bank has increased the gap between their competitors, and introduced a new paradigm of banking services.

courtesy of : trak.in

Soon You May be Able to Buy Medicines Online, Govt to Consider Revising Drugs Act

Soon You May be Able to Buy Medicines Online, Govt to Consider Revising Drugs Act

Many ecommerce companies were lately under scanner of the regulatory board for selling medicines online. Now suddenly diverging from that, the government is looking forth to ‘modifying the Drugs and Cosmetics Act’, so that the ecommerce companies will be allowed to sell medicines online. The move followed representations made by organised retail chains such as Apollo Pharmacy, Medplus and Hetero.

Buying or selling drugs online has always been a controversial issue in India and abroad. Whether the drugs are being used or misused is difficult to judge. In May this year Maharashtra FDA raided Snapdeal for selling drugs online without prescriptions.

“The committee is yet to firm up its recommendations but drug controllers of many states have submitted their proposals to the government. Majority members of the sub-committee are in favour of considering the pleas of trade bodies, pharmacy chains and e-tailers to allow online sale of medicines with adequate safeguards taking into account the global practices.” said a member of the DCGI panel.

The government’s moves are sometimes strange. Earlier this year we spoke of the Telangana government having banned sites selling sexual wellness products, however, Flipkart’s sexual wellness section is still up and running (though some products have been removed).

If the act is amended and the online market sells drugs, there are a few things you need to keep a check on, the government will ofcourse lay a blanket of safety measures, but for self awareness,

Check the website you’re buying medicines from as it could be unsafe if:

• It sends you drugs with unknown quality or origin.
• It gives you the wrong drug for your illness.
• It doesn’t provide a way to contact the website by phone.
• It offers prices that are dramatically lower than the competition.
• It may offer to sell prescription drugs without a prescription this is against the law!
• It may not protect your personal information.

Also, each time you’re buying medicines online, keep a check on the following:

• Check the physical appearance of the medicine (color, texture, shape, and packaging)
• Check to see if it smells and tastes the same when you use it (incase you’ve used similar medicines before)
• Alert your pharmacist or whoever is providing treatment to anything that is different.

The domestic medicine market is growing at around 10-15% a year and is estimated at around Rs. 90,000 crore. Akun Sabharwal, director of Telangana’s Drugs Control Administration, said he has recommended to the government that the Drugs and Cosmetics Act be amended to enable the online sale of medicines. “Online pharmacy, once legal sanction is given, can be operated by anyone who will meet the standards desired by the revised Drug and Cosmetics Act,” he told the ET. Sabharwal, a doctor turned administrator who has studied the US model of dispensing medicines online, said, “There should be an equal opportunity for all people to be part of the process if they follow the statute.”

The modifications in the act will be great news for e-tailers, besides the pharmacists who will be going online, as they will just have more doors open for revenue to flow in!

Android 6.0 Marshmallow: 10 new features

After months of waiting, Google has finally announced that the next version of its mobile OS Android will be called Marshmallow. Also, it the next update of the OS will be numbered Android 6.0, instead of Android 5.2 as previously speculated.

Announced at Google I/O 2015, Android Marshmallow brings with it a number of new features to spruce up your smartphones and tablets (provided they get the update). 

Google Now on Tap

One of the key Android Marshmallow features is Google Now on Tap, a more advanced version of the company's digital assistant. While Google Now is presently available, on most phones, only via the Search app, Android 6.0 will make it all-pervasive.

This means that you will be able to pull up Google Now to make a quick search across any app while using the smartphone. All you need to do is to select any section on the screen, for example any particular text, and Google Now on Tap will pull up relevant information, including context-based definitions.

Chrome Custom Tabs

Many a times, you click a link in an app and it either takes you to the default browser (like Chrome, Opera etc) or opens the link on the in-app browser. With Android 6.0, app makers will be able to integrate Chrome tabs into their apps, but retain the app’s customized look. The toolbar colour, enter & exit animations, and custom actions as well as overflow menu can be picked by the app makers even if the link is of an external website.

One of the key uses for the app makers is that the user stays within the app and gets a seamless experience. For the users, Custom Chrome Tabs saves them the trouble of logging into websites they are already connected to or authenticate permissions more than once. Moreover, this feature has provision to pre-fetch content, so autofill data and passwords can be entered with just a tap.

Chrome Custom Tabs

Many a times, you click a link in an app and it either takes you to the default browser (like Chrome, Opera etc) or opens the link on the in-app browser. With Android 6.0, app makers will be able to integrate Chrome tabs into their apps, but retain the app’s customized look. The toolbar colour, enter & exit animations, and custom actions as well as overflow menu can be picked by the app makers even if the link is of an external website.

One of the key uses for the app makers is that the user stays within the app and gets a seamless experience. For the users, Custom Chrome Tabs saves them the trouble of logging into websites they are already connected to or authenticate permissions more than once. Moreover, this feature has provision to pre-fetch content, so autofill data and passwords can be entered with just a tap.

Battery life enhancements

While Android Lollipop’s Project Volta did not bring as much battery life improvement as was promised by Google, the company claims to have brought a fix with Android Marshmallow’s Doze feature. Basically, this feature is said to bring your smartphone to a near-off state when it has been idle for a long time. 

In Google’s tests, Android 6.0’s Doze resulted in two times the battery life compared to Android 5.0 on the same device with the same apps.

Though Doze allows important notifications and alarms to pass, it does not let apps refresh in the background, so you won’t be able to get key updates as soon as you pick up your phone after a while.

Fingerprint support goes native

While many manufacturers, like Samsung, HTC, OnePlus, Oppo etc, have been using fingerprint sensors in their smartphones for quite some time, Google is making fingerprint sensor support native with Android 6.0.

This will not only add a new security layer to all smartphones (if manufacturers want to add this feature, that is) but also allow payment authentication via Android Pay.

Moreover, fingerprint support can be added to other apps as password for logins.

USB Type C and faster charging

Google is doing away with microUSB as the standard for the Android smartphones with the Android Marshmallow update, replacing it with USB Type C.

This relatively new USB type is backwards-compatible, which means that (like Apple’s Lightning adapter) the charging cable can be inserted in the port either way, making it a convenience for all users.

USB Type C has two other advantages: It allows for faster data transfer rates and charges devices faster. In fact, Google says USB Type C can charge products up to 3-5 times faster than the current crop of microUSB chargers.

App permissions

Google has rebooted app permissions with Android 6.0. Marshmallow will allow users to accept or deny permissions to apps as when they are updated; for example, if an app you download wants to access your camera, you can choose to deny to that requirement while approving the others.

This is different from the current setup, where you must accept all permissions if you want to download an app.

If an app adds new features and wants to access more of your phone’s hardware, you can choose to accept to deny those changes while downloading the update.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow also allows you to revisit app permissions; for example, you denied any particular permission initially, you can go in settings and accept it later.

Android Pay

Android 6.0 Marshmallow will bring in Android Pay, an NFC-based payment system that will rival Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Though it will be launched with Android Marshmallow, it will still be available for devices running on Android 4.4 and above.

Based on Google Wallet, this feature allows you to save your credit cards and loyalty cards in one place. When you want to make a transaction, you will be able to authenticate the transaction via your fingerprint or via your virtual card number (given by Android Pay while registering).

Direct Share

Sharing on Android is already pretty convenient, but Google is trying to make it easier with Android 6.0 Marshmallow with it a new feature called Direct Share.

Though a lot is not known about this feature yet, we know that Direct Share will enable apps to share content (for example images) to specific contacts with just one click.

So, if you share stuff with particular contacts frequently, the software will recognize this behaviour and show those contacts on top. It is expected that the APIs will allow for more features, but it will eventually depend on the app makers to integrate them.

New boot animation

Google is bringing in a little change to the boot animation with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which will now show four colourful circles moving about and morphing into various shapes before settling into the Android logo.

This replaces the Android 5.0 Lollipop boot animation, which had four colourful spheres bouncing about for a few seconds before turning into the Android logo.

COURTESY OF: Times of India

Vodafone Effectively Halves Data Prices; Promises Launch of 4G Services By Year End!

Vodafone Effectively Halves Data Prices; Promises Launch of 4G Services By Year End!

With Bharti Airtel launching their 4G services commercially in 296 towns and cities in India, it is time for other telecom operators to gear up for intense competition, especially in mobile internet space. Vodafone yesterday announced that they will now be offering double data on pre-paid data recharge packs, effectively bringing down the prices of their data offering to nearly half. Currently, this offer is available in Mumbai only, but is expected to be launched across India.

One cannot help but think that this move has something to do with Airtel’s 4G commercial launch. The announcement has come on the same day as Airtel’s 4G launch. Airtel is offering 4G speeds at the same rate as 3G, and it is obvious that many subscribers from other telecom operators may move to Airtel due to their 4G offerings. By doubling the data on the pre-paid data recharges, Vodafone now becomes quite attractive to heavy mobile internet users!

Ishmeet Singh, Business Head-Mumbai, Vodafone India said, “This offer is our way of gratifying our pre-paid customers for choosing Vodafone as their preferred mobile internet provider. We are offering them double value and encouraging new data users to explore the wonders of the internet using Vodafone’s better 3G service”

We think that the “double data” offer has been launched in Mumbai because data ARPU in Mumbai is the highest, and Vodafone does not want to risk losing customers to Airtel. Also, Vodafone has big share of subscribers in Mumbai – they have over 4.8 million data users of its overall 8 million customers in Mumbai circle alone,

When is Vodafone 4G coming?

Airtel’s launch has now pressurized other to launch their 4G services in a hurry. In the 4G auctions held earlier in the year, Vodafone bagged nearly 5 MHz of spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Karnataka and Kerala. Singh confirmed that Vodafone will be launching 4G services by the end of the year. Vodafone is currently conducting 4G trials in all these 5 circles.

With Reliance Jio approaching the market aggressively in 4G services arena, both in terms of offerings and as well as price, it is going to be tough for the incumbents to hold on to their mobile data market share. We are surely in for some intense competition between various telco’s in India.

courtesy of : trak.in

Android M is Android Marshmallow, Here is How it Tastes!

Android M is Android Marshmallow, Here is How it Tastes!

You have been hearing about Android ‘M’ for a long time now, but always wondered what does that M stand for (or which is the next sweet it will it be named after?). It’s out now. Google has revealed the latest Android 6.0 as Android Marshmallow. This version supersedes Android Lollipop, which was a Android’s biggest update till date.

It is interesting to note that Google has given it a full version, and not a point version. Most of the people were expecting it to be five-point-something, which it is not!

Lets look at what Marshmallow brings on table for Android user, more so, how tasty is it going to be.

Android Lollipop was a huge upgrade to previous, probably the biggest till date that Android has seen. Marshmallow will not be that significant an update, but it does bring some nifty additions to somewhat already matured mobile OS.

The official post on Google Developers blog does not give too many specific details, however, it seems that final Android Marshmallow version will be out sometime later in the fall (that’s couple of months from now)

Here are few of the features that we are aware of and you should know:

App Permissions

This feature has been improved so you can choose which functions to allow an app access to. You can soon disable the location function with the new Android Marshmallow. In the new format, the apps will ask from permissions when needed, rather than asking them when you first install the app. The total number of permissions are limited to eight.

Quick Finger Print Access.

Use this to unlock phone and log in to Google Play Store or other apps that require log in. No need to type a password on the screen just to get in because your fingerprint is enough. And yes, do not compare it with earlier fingerprint apps that never worked – this one really works…they say atleast 9 out of 10 times!

Power Saving

Device battery will be more efficient in Android Marshmallow. The new power saving features and Doze mode that can reduce processes in the background.

Track Memory

Determine which apps uses the most memory, this way, you can know what app to close. The Memory tab will tell you how much memory each app is taking up on your phone or tablet.

Auto Backup on Google Drive

In Marshmallow, you can back up all settings and app user data automatically into your Google Drive account up to 25MB per app. (Now that’s really cool!)

There are number of other smaller features like new power supply feature, where other devices connected to the phone can get charged. Volume control settings and controls also get a revamp. Also, Android Marshmallow officially supports USB Type C connector.

Overall, Android Marshmallow is quite tasty, however the portion probably is lot smaller than it’s predecessor. If you are an Android developer and have got your hands on Android Marshmallow, do let us know your feedback.

How to Update to Android Marshmallow?

Obviously this is a developer version, so if you are not a developer, it is not suggested that you should do it. However, if you are braveheart and want to give it a try, here is how you do it (as per official blog post).

The Android emulator system images and developer preview system images have been updated for supported Nexus devices (Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 & Nexus Player) to help with your testing. You can download the device system images from the developer preview site. Also, similar to the previous developer update, supported Nexus devices will receive an Over-the-Air (OTA) update over the next couple days.

Although the Android 6.0 SDK is final, the devices system images are still developer preview versions. The preview images are near final but they are not intended for consumer use. Remember that when Android 6.0 Marshmallow launches to the public later this fall, you’ll need to manually re-flash your device to a factory image to continue to receive consumer OTA updates for your Nexus device.

India Post to Help Farmers Sell Their Produce Online; Will Add New Revenue Channel!

India Post to Help Farmers Sell Their Produce Online; Will Add New Revenue Channel!

The Internet has benefitted everyone from rich to poor. Guess who are the latest benefiters of it! The farmers. With the help of India’s postal department, farmers will now be able to sell paddy, cotton, pulses or any other farm products directly to the traders online that too without spending even a single buck on transport.

For this novel plan the postal department is going to launch a pilot programme first that will seek to help farmers sell their produce online. Based on the results of pilot project, the postal departments will then look on and take a call on extending the service across the country.

India Post will act as a facilitator amid the farmers and traders and the project initially will start in two locations. “The project will soon start in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the next couple of weeks,” said the chief postmaster general of the circle covering the two Telugu-speaking states, BV Sudhakar.

This project is clearly a smart move by the Indian post which will kill two birds with one stone i.e. put to use its vast network of post offices and employees into use at a time when the advent of e-mails and proliferation of mobile phones, instant chat apps and express courier services made its core service of delivering letters mostly irrelevant and also help the farmers sell their products to their traders.

“While it is free for farmers, India Post will collect a nominal fee from the buyers, apart from stipulating a condition that buyers should use the services of India Post for transporting the farm commodity to the required destination,” said Sudhakar.

Telangana we see is taking Modi government’s digital India campaign a bit too seriously. The move by the government is worth an applaud as it is doing its best by even providing Internet connection to each house in the state. They government has aims to make atleast one person in each family computer literate. This programme will too be one of the highlight of the Digital Telangana project. Also we see that the Indian Post is exploring new-age business opportunities to generate revenue.

This is how it will work

Postmasters will be appointed in villages to collate details from farmers about their produce and upload the data online for traders to read and make decisions.

They will also be given smartphones, so that they can take photos of the farm commodities and upload the details on a website that which will act as a trading platform.

The initiative seems to be an ambitious one, aimed at encouraging the postmasters in villages to be a part of the new initiative, thus generate more revenue.

With the advent of Internet and e-mail, the post offices in the country seem to be fraying off. This initiative by the Indian Post, is sure to get revenue to the Indian Post from the very source which killed its revenue a decade ago!

source: Trak.in

Twitter Finally Eliminates the 140-Character Limit for Direct Messages

Twitter Finally Eliminates the 140-Character Limit for Direct Messages

The pain to type in the boundary of characters like we did in the SMS era has been discomforting on Twitter. Users can now exchange direct messages privately of up to 10,000 characters – with the idea being that Direct Messages should seem limitless!

While Twitter is largely a public experience, Direct Messages let you have private conversations about anything under the sun! Now, your private Twitter chats can be one liners, or even lengthy novels if you choose them to be. The 140-character limit on normal public tweets however, remains unchanged.

Private chat was never a thing on Twitter. Just and just due to the limitations. Twitter’s blog announcement that it will be eliminating the 140-character limit was a sigh of relief, and another way of messaging and private chatting could be added to the surface list. This new change gives power to privacy on Twitter.

It now gives users more space to express themselves more freely and getting rid of the 140-character limit is a step in the direction of improving user experience. Twitter is flooded with some mind-boggling content on a daily basis, or even hourly basis as such, from breaking news to live events. Through this initiative it aims is to create an experience that allows users to discuss powerful moments in an environment they’re comfortable with. They don’t have to fetch things and discuss them over other chat platforms anymore.

Earlier this year, Twitter launched Group Direct Messages, where multiple users could chat at once and any user could message another user privately irrespective of the fact that they might not be following each other.

To the many times we have split texts into 4-5 parts of 140 characters, this is cheerio moment. The update will rollout to 100 percent of users worldwide, who use Twitter.com, TweetDeck and Twitter-owned-and-operated applications. At launch Twitter will support reading and writing long DM’s for:

• iPhone
• iPad
• Android
• Web
• Twitter for Mac
• TweetDeck

It’s so cool to have Twitter finally address to one of its most annoying features. The app’s most defining limitation however stays the same. Well, that’s what makes Twitter, Twitter!

Ebay Sellers Can Now Get Collateral Free Loans Upto Rs 1 Crore From Capital Floats

Ebay Sellers Can Now Get Collateral Free Loans Upto Rs 1 Crore From Capital Floats

The marketplace model is now geared towards empowering the sellers so that the platform keeps growing. And the latest to join this bandwagon is Ebay.

In order to make their sellers more powerful and independent, Ebay has teamed up with Capital Floats, a digital financing firm based in Bangalore. Sellers on Ebay can now get loans upto Rs 1 crore, without any collateral.

Capital Floats provides short term capital loans to SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises), using technology as a platform. As per their website, their missions is to “bridge the current gap in the market with innovative and flexible credit products for SMEs, delivered in an efficient and customer-friendly manner.”

Technically, Capital Float is the trade name of Zen Lefin Pvt. Ltd., a non-banking finance company (NBFC) registered with the RBI.

While announcing this news, Pankay Ukey, Director, Seller Service and Technology Category, eBay India said, “Our association with Capital Float is an effort to support our sellers by providing them financial assistance and help them ship more,”

Capital Float has already teamed up with leading ecommerce players such as Snapdeal, Flipkart, Myntra, PayTM; and within a short span, they have distributed Rs 10 crore worth of loans to Ebay sellers.

At a time when there are around 3 crore registered SMEs in the country, there exists a demand for Rs 26 trillion worth of loans & credits to make them profitable. However, Banks are only capable of providing Rs 7 Lakh crore maximum as loans to these SMEs. This wide gap between the demand and supply of loans for SMEs is the space where Ebay and Capital Float, both are concentrating.

Once sellers and SMEs are able to procure short term loans using Ebay India’s platform, they will attract more SMEs and thus both Capital Float and Ebay can benefit.

Other Ecommerce Marketplaces Offering Credit & Loans

The trend of empowering SMEs within an online marketplace started last year, when Flipkart signed MoU with Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME) and National Center for Design and Product Development (NCDPD) to help SMEs raise their bars and use technology for all round growth. Provision of loans and credit was made easy for entrepreneurs.

In June this year, Amazon decided to assist sellers on thier platform using their in-house credit service called ‘Amazon Lending’; which was open only for select SMEs who had shown excellent track record.

The same month, Alibaba announced a partnership with ICICI bank to provide fast and low interest based loan service for SMEs.

Last month, Snapdeal announced a unique credit service for their sellers called ‘Capital Assist’, which will approve instant loans within few days.

Digital Marketplaces now keen on empowering their sellers via easy and low interest loans is the best thing to happen to India’s entrepreneurial eco-system. This will not only encourage more entrepreneurs, but also enable more number of business transactions and deals.

Have you used any such loan and credit facility from Indian ecommerce companies? Do share your experience by commenting right here!

courtesy of : trak.in

Twitter Transparency Report: Account Removal Requests Double, but Twitter Complies with None

Twitter Transparency Report: Account Removal Requests Double, but Twitter Complies with None

The Twitter transparency report for period between Jan-Jun 2015 is out – and according to it, account information requests by Indian Government to Twitter have seen significant rise. A total of 113 account requests were made during first half of the year compared to 41 made in second half of 2014. Government requested information on a total of 2,963 accounts compared to 1938 in previous six months.

However, Twitter complied with less than one-fifth or 19 percent of the requests made to them. At a global level the same percentage was around 58 percent.

Removal Requests

Interestingly, Government and other agencies had requested removal of 31 Twitter accounts, but Twitter complied with none, and no accounts were disabled or removed. Even 2 court orders did not convince Twitter to remove the accounts. Even requests for removal of certain tweets were not complied by Twitter.

In comparison, during the previous six month period, a total of 14 accounts were asked to be removed with 1 court order. Twitter responded with withholding 1 twitter account.

Global Transparency

Since Twitter first started coming out with their transparency report in 2012, the account information and removal requests have been steadily on the rise. At global level, 4363 account information requests were made and Twitter complied with 58 percent of those requests.

A total of 12,711 accounts were specified, out of which India had 2963 accounts.

USA remained by far the biggest country in terms of number of information requests (2435) and accounts specified (6324).

Twitter also release details about non-Government information requests – where at global level 125 requests were made and 30 percent were complied with.

courtesy of Trak.in

eCommerce Firms to Give Credit Score To Customers Based on Their Online Purchases

eCommerce Firms to Give Credit Score To Customers Based on Their Online Purchases

Say hi to the new kid in the eCommerce town! Credit rating mechanism is here to make online shopping easier (and difficult to a few) for Indians. The eCommerce giants in the country are putting up quite some innovative techniques. They’re creating models, which are running neck-to-neck to those in US, Europe and China, targeting young age groups of 22 to 28 years. There ways of banking and buying are way different from the traditionalists.

E-tailers and payment companies have now joined hands to work ways out wherein your online transaction history will be analyzed and credit scores will be provided which will enable you to get loans. Even to convert those purchases into EMIs, you need not worry of not having a credit card, as you can do it without even having one!

“EMIs will be restricted to high ticket price categories, for example on purchase of white goods, etc. In the instance when a customer does not have a previous credit history, we will evaluate their mobile phone bill payment for credit worthiness. We will only share the rating with banks and the user will be informed of the process,” said Amit Lakhotia, vice president — payments at Alibaba-backed marketplace and payment solution, Paytm.

In a similar move in China last year, Alibaba had issued virtual credit cards to its customers after having analyzed their transaction history. So this pattern basically works on credit system without having a credit card. This system would work great if they have apt modules to determine credit worthiness.

Tejasvi Mohanram, founder and CEO of RupeePower, digital finance services marketplace, said: “We are utilizing non-traditional data to match the right customer to the lending agency. We will analyse the credit history of an individual when they ask for a loan or EMI. It will be used by banks as a back-test where they will match traditional credit scores with the learning from non-traditional data.”

These services had first come up in US and Europe under interesting taglines like Bill Me Later. But after some mishaps, they shut down. Indians are being very cautious as it does involve some serious risk as much as it has the scope for booming. They also need to handle customer data and privacy with much caution and respect.

This will also result in people making more transactions than average to maintain a good score, especially those who do not own credit cards and are aiming to make big purchases using the system.

“Our product will give the customer a decision in 15 seconds flat on whether they are eligible for credit or not,” said Jitendra Gupta, founder of Citrus Payment Solutions. “We will assign credit scores to customers on our database, using our analytics engine. We will only tell the bank whether the customer is eligible or ineligible for the loan. Disclosing credit score will be unethical,” he added.

This baby in India will be having all new experiences. The credit rating systems of various companies will be judged and tested. A plethora of new choices and convenient payment options like these will lure the common man towards the bait, we can only hope he’s not trapped!

[Source: ET | Image: Shutterstock.com]

Now, Facebook Wants to Ride the Ecommerce Wave in India, To Launch Online Shopping Festival

Now, Facebook Wants to Ride the Ecommerce Wave in India, To Launch Online Shopping Festival

In the recent past, there’s been evident change on the front pages of pink coloured business newspapers in the country. The ecommerce entrepreneurs are now replacing the space of the traditional stories of old businesses. The rules of the game are changing. The Internet is now dominating Indians and changing mindsets in the way we not just connect, but also share and shop. Since ecommerce has become the next big thing and everyone wants to jump in the wave, even Facebook has taken the leap.

This Raksha Bandhan, Facebook is going to be launching an online shopping festival named Tied Together. In the initiative, the company has tied up with media agency GroupM and will be setting up a website between August 12 and August 29. As stated in a report in Economic Times, media agencies have stated that Facebook’s pitch note reads, “Unlock the power of social media that can reach 10 crore potential customers through this event.”

Shopping festivals are becoming quite a trend in the country lately. In the last year, Google held a shopping festival in association with GroupM. In the year before that, Google launched the Great Online Shopping Festival. Earlier this year, Google was seen holding Great Indian Travel Festival (GITF) with Mediabrands. Also Magicbricks has taken up a joint venture with GroupM and Google to launch a property festival that will be called the Great Online Home Festival. Now Facebook of course couldn’t have stayed behind.

The desi big marketplace majors like Flipkart and Snapdeal are thumping it out with the vilaayti giant Amazon and are carving the best of strategies to woo the consumers. Through big discounts and deals, all the ecommerce guys are now spending all their energies to attract more consumers and lure them into changing their shopping habits.

The companies that participate will have to pay a fee that will be shared by Facebook, GroupM and other media agencies. Facebook with over 11.2 crore users in India, is looking for a title sponsor at an asking rate of Rs. 3 crore and a principal sponsor at a similar rate besides associate sponsors for Rs.1.5 crore each.

Facebook is looking to tap the intensifying fervor in India for online shopping. It is going to make the best use of its current position in the social media market with the huge subscriber base to drive traffic to the shopping site.

TRAI Makes Single Number Mobile Data Deactivation Mandatory, Brings Strict Norms For Data Usage Information

TRAI Makes Single Number Mobile Data Deactivation Mandatory, Brings Strict Norms For Data Usage Information

Mobile phone users can now activate or deactivate data services by simply calling or even by sending an SMS to 1925. The said number is toll free and will be up and working from next month onwards.

Deactivating mobile data wasn’t as easy in the past. The method varied in complications differing from one mobile operator to other. The long numbers and a different one for each telecom service made the process messier. Even to obtain the deactivation number, the user had to first call the customer care, which too was made chargeable lately. The famous habits of the customer care officials to keep the call on hold for longer to make more money had not escaped the commoners’ eyes.

The action taken by TRAI was a result of the innumerable complains received by the department from clients that mobile operators have been retaining the method of deactivation, which was very complicated to earn additional income. “These complaints primarily relate to… non-availability of data relating to data utilization… non-availability of data to shoppers each time the data pack is exhausted..activation of web service on mobile telephones with out the specific consent of the buyer,” TRAI stated.

TRAI issued a directive, which mandates all telecom operators to present toll free number ‘1925’ from September 1 to activate or deactivate mobile web service both by making a name on the number and following instruction or by sending a SMS.

The ‘How to’ of the process-

You can simply send an SMS to 1925 by writing ‘START’ to activate and ‘STOP’ to deactivate the service.

Many a time the data is on and some not so tech friendly users are unaware of until they see the bill. With almost all phones being Internet enabled phones now, no special efforts are to be taken by the user to activate data. The mobile operators taking undue advantage of which get things started on. So now on, telecom operators may have to instantly reply to buyer about standing of activation and deactivation of their service.

As a sign of warning, the regulator has requested telecom operators to ship alert to these clients who haven’t subscribed to mobile web service, however use it as per their want, after each 10 megabyte of data consumed by them. Consumers may even have an choice to opt out of this alert.

The new modification issued in Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations directs telecom operators make sure that the subscribers aren’t charged a penny for utilization past subscribed restrict with out their specific consent. “No service supplier shall activate or deactivate the data service on the Cellular Mobile Telephone connection of a shopper with out his specific consent,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India stated.