Tag: reliance

Flipkart in Talks to Buy Reliance-Backed Dunzo: Report

Walmart-backed Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart has held discussions over potentially acquiring the on-demand delivery platform Dunzo, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

While talks are still ongoing, complexities surrounding Dunzo’s ownership structure have impeded the two parties from coming to an understanding over a deal, the report said.

The retail arm of Reliance Industries, which picked up a 26 percent stake in Dunzo in 2022 for $200 million, has not approved the deal yet, the report added.

Dunzo, in an emailed response to Reuters, denied having “any conversation with any player for an acquisition of the business”.

Flipkart and Walmart did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Cash-strapped Dunzo, which is also backed by Alphabet’s Google, has announced restructuring, deferment of salaries and layoffs in the recent past.

Last year in April, Dunzo had secured funding of $75 million (roughly Rs. 614 crores) through convertible notes and had laid off about 30 percent of its staff as it planned a revamp of its business model. 

Key backers Reliance Retail and Alphabet had added about $50 million (roughly Rs. 409 crores) of the funding, with other existing investors putting in the rest. 

Under the new business model, the company was said to cut about 50 percent of its dark stores and run only those that could be profitable or were nearing that threshold.

In July 2023, Walmart paid $1.4 billion (roughly Rs. 11,520 crore) to buy out hedge fund Tiger Global’s investment in Flipkart. The transaction valued the e-commerce firm at $35 billion (roughly Rs. 2,88,010 crore). 

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Reliance Jio Rs. 909 Prepaid Recharge Plan With 84 Days Validity, Unlimited Talktime Announced

Reliance Jio has announced a new prepaid recharge plan that brings benefits including unlimited voice calling as well as unlimited 5G data with 84 days validity. The data plan costs Rs. 909 and offers 2GB of high-speed data daily alongside 100 SMS messages. Besides calls and SMS, the prepaid recharge plan provides subscriptions to various OTT platforms including Sony Liv, and Zee5. Further, subscribers can avail free access to Jio apps, including JioCinema, JioTV, and JioCloud.

As per Reliance Jio’s website, the Rs. 909 entertainment plan comes with unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS messages on a daily basis, and access to a total of 168GB of data. The plan’s validity is 84 days. The plan offers 2GB of data per day. Post the available quota, customers can access unlimited data at 40Kbps speed. It offers free subscription to Sony Liv and Zee5 applications.

Customers choosing the new Jio recharge plan will also get a complimentary subscription to JioCinema, JioTV, and JioCloud. Additionally, eligible subscribers will also get unlimited 5G coverage. The JioCinema premium is not included in the complementary JioCinema subscription.

Ahead of ICC World Cup 2023 last month, Jio had launched a Rs. 808 prepaid plan with unlimited data and voice calls. It offers 2GB data per day with a validity of 84 days and a bundled complimentary subscription to Disney+Hotstar for three months.

The telecom company competes with the likes of Airtel, Vi and BSNL and also offers two plans with a complimentary Netflix subscription. Jio’s Rs. 1,099 plan offers 2GB of daily 5G data, while the Rs. 1,499 plan offers 3GB of data every day. The plans support 100 SMS per day and unlimited voice calls.

Jio users can visit the MyJio app, Jio website, and third-party mobile wallets to learn more about the plans and select recharge plans.

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Jio AirFiber Availability Expands to 115 Cities in India; Now Includes Coimbatore, Mysore, Rajkot, Warangal and More

Jio AirFiber is the company’s latest service based on 5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), and it is for people who do not have access to fiber broadband in their office or home locations. Reliance officially made the Jio AirFiber available in eight Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. After over a month, the company, on the eve of Diwali, has expanded the availability of Jio AirFiber to more cities. The company’s dedicated page for Jio AirFiber now has the complete list of cities that can avail of the services. 

JioAirFiber: Full list of 115 cities

Andhra Pradesh – Anantapur, Cuddapah, Guntur, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam, Vizayanagaram

Delhi – Delhi NCR

Gujarat – Ahmedabad, Anand, Ankleshwar, Bardoli, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Dahod, Deesa, Himmatnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kadi, Kalol, Mehsana, Morvi, Nadiad, Navsari, Palanpur, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Vapi, and Wadhwan

Karnataka – Bangalore, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Dandeli, Devangere, Doddaballapur, Gulbarga, Hospet, Hubli-Dharwad, Mandya, Mangalore, Mysore, Raichur, Shimoga, Tumkur, and Udupi

Maharashtra – Pune, Mumbai, Ahmadnagar, Amravati, Aurangabad, Chandrapur, Jalna, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nanded, Nasik, Ratnagiri, Sangli, and Solapur

Tamil Nadu – Chennai, Ambur, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Erode, Hosur, Kancheepuram, Karur, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Namakkal, Neyveli, Pattukottai, Pollachi, Salem, Sriperumpudur, Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruppur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, and Vellore

Telangana – Hyderabad, Armoor(Kotarmoor), Jagtial, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kothagudem, Mahbubnagar, Mancherial, Miryalguda, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Palvoncha, Peddapalli(Ramagundam), Ramagundam, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Sircilla, Suryapet, Tandur, and Warangal

West Bengal – Kolkata

On the other hand, Airtel Air Fiber is available in select locations in India. At IMC 2023, Airtel representatives confirmed that Airtel Air Fiber is available in Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. However, the telecom operator plans to make it available in more Indian cities soon.

Jio AirFiber: Offering and plans

Under the Jio AirFiber service, users get access to over 550 digital TV channels along with subscriptions to over 16 OTT apps. For users who do not have fiber access at their location, Jio’s AirFiber services offer Wi-Fi-like services and ensure a strong signal at such signals. Reliances have already showcased multiple use cases of Jio AirFiber, which can help power smart home services like surveillance, smart home IoT, gaming, and home networking systems. Along with Jio AirFiber, users get a 4K smart set-top box and voice-enabled remote bundled. 

For Jio AirFiber, the company installs an outdoor unit on your terrace/rooftop or outside your home. This installation service is chargeable at Rs. 1,000, but the company can waive this charge when availing an annual plan. 

Talking about plans, the Jio AirFiber plans start at as low as Rs 599, excluding GST, for a month and offer up to 30 Mbps speed and unlimited downloads. The plan also offers access to a bunch of OTT services like JioCinema, Sony Liv, Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, Sun NXT, Hoichoi, Lionsgate Play, Discovery+, ShemarooMe, DocuBay, ALTBalaji, Universal+, and EPIC. 

There are Rs. 899 and 1199 monthly plans are also available under Jio AirFiber plans in India. Users can also opt for annual or six-month plans.

5G is now available both on Android and iPhone in India. But is it any good? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Jio Working With Itel, Lava, and Nokia to Launch New Variants of JioBharat 4G Feature Phone: Report

Reliance Jio is offering JioBharat feature phones in India with 4G Internet connectivity, UPI (Unified Payments Interface) support, and a variety of apps. The company currently has JioBharat V2, JioBharat K1 Karbonn, and JioBharat B1 models in its portfolio. As per a new report, Reliance Jio is now working with several feature phone makers including Transsion group’s Itel, Lava, and Nokia to make new versions of affordable JioBharat 4G handsets. The company is aiming to convert approximately 250 million 2G users to 4G and beyond with this move.

As per a report by Economic Times, Sunil Dutt, President at Reliance Jio, revealed that Reliance Jio is working with Itel, Lava, and Nokia to make their new versions of budget-friendly JioBharat 4G phones, in a bid to convert around 250 million 2G users to go 4G and beyond. The company is gearing up to release an updated version of its Rs. 999 4G phone with support for UPI payments, WhatsApp, and live TV streaming.

“We wanted to establish the product in the market and in the minds of the consumer, so they could associate with it, relate with it. Today, all brands, whether it’s Itel, Lava or Nokia, are in touch with us in terms of how do we make it happen” the report quotes Dutt as saying.

He reportedly said that besides the existing four models, the company is planning to launch more JioBharat models later this year. “We are already finalising the range that will come in the next fiscal year, the phones could come in different sizes, form factors, or colours” he said.

Further, he opined that the 5G handset ecosystem has not been able to break into the sub-Rs. 10,000 price point to drive volumes. “A lot of them (smartphone brands) have different issues to deal with, which sort of clouded their priorities. But we are now working with the brands to ensure people get great 5G experiences,” Dutt said.

The JioBharat series currently comprises three models — JioBharat V2, JioBharat K1 Karbonn, and JioBharat B1. They are priced at Rs. 999, Rs. 999, and Rs. 1,299, respectively. They come with 4G connectivity, support for UPI, Jio apps, and more.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Disney Is Considering Selling Its Indian Streaming and TV Business, Reliance Is Among Potential Buyers

Walt Disney has held preliminary talks with potential buyers for its India streaming and television business including billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, according to people familiar with the matter.

The US entertainment giant has discussed a range of options with would-be suitors, from a deal for the entire Disney Star business to a piecemeal transaction that may include some combination of its assets including sports rights and regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar, the people said.

Disney has been weighing strategic options for the business including an outright sale or setting up a joint venture, Bloomberg News reported in July after the Indian unit lost its streaming rights to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to Viacom18, a tie-up between Paramount Global and Reliance. Disney had approached Reliance about potentially buying a stake in the business, a person familiar with the matter said at the time.

Discussions are ongoing and may not lead to any deal, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Disney could decide to hold onto the assets for longer, they added. A representative for Disney declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Reliance said the company “evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis” and will make the required disclosures when necessary, declining to comment further.

Though Disney Star has seen declining subscriber numbers after losing the IPL streaming rights, it hasn’t ceded the entire cricket business, securing the television rights through 2027. Last year it agreed to license the TV rights for International Cricket Council men’s matches to ZEE Entertainment for four years, with Disney+ Hotstar retaining the digital rights.

JioCinema, the streaming service backed by Reliance, netted a record 32 million concurrent viewers in May for the IPL final, which was free to watch on the platform. The venture has begun charging for some content on the platform after signing a multi-year pact to stream Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive content in India.

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Nykaa CEO Steps Up as Marketing Head as Six Executives Resign Amid Growing Competition

Six executives, including the marketing head, of India’s cosmetics-to-fashion retailer Nykaa have resigned since April, the company said on Wednesday, key departures that come as competition intensifies in the fast-growing sector.

The exits include that of Chief Marketing Officer Shalini Raghavan, with Nykaa’s founder and CEO Falguni Nayar stepping up to take direct oversight of that function, given its criticality, the company said.

The others who have quit are Kingshuk Basu, a senior vice president (VP) for retail; Sumant Kasliwal, senior VP in the fashion unit; Aditya Sandhu from the business-to-business sales unit; VP Sachin Kataria from the e-commerce business; and Shantanu Prakash, VP for marketing and communications.

“Leadership roles are being augmented with an eye on strategic realignment, cost rationalization and growing complexity of the business,” Nykaa said in a statement when Reuters asked about the departures

It did not say why the executives had left.

Nykaa offers beauty products on its website and at stores, competing with rivals Tata Group and Reliance, both of which have interests in the fast-growing $16 billion (nearly Rs. 1,32,400 crore) beauty and personal care market in the world’s most populous country.

In March, Reuters reported five key executives had quit Nykaa, including its chief commercial operations officer and the CEO of its wholesale business.

Nykaa’s said on Wednesday that it elevated Shailendra Singh as business head for physical retail — beauty, in June.

Shares of Nykaa parent, FSN E-Commerce Ventures, have fallen nearly 60 percent from their listing price in November 2021.

FSN reported a 71.8 percent drop in net profit for the January-March 2023 quarter, but an almost 50 percent rise in pre-tax profit.

Its investor presentation said it recorded a 4 percent growth in core employees, or business executives, in that period, compared to 17 percent and 25 percent growth in the previous two quarters.

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Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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JioBook (2023) Laptop With 4G, Up to 8 Hours Battery Life Launched in India: Price, Specifications

JioBook (2023) was launched in India on Monday, July 31 as the second laptop model from Jio. The new laptop features a plastic body and it is powered by an octa-core Mediatek MT 8788 processor. The JioBook 4G comes in a JioBlue shade and an embedded Jio SIM card. The budget laptop sports connectivity options including dual-band Wi-Fi and gets an HDMI mini port. The JioBook (2023) is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that is claimed to deliver up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge.

JioBook (2023) price in India and availability

JioBook (2023) price in India has been set at Rs. 16,499. The laptop comes in a sole Jio Blue colour options and is available for pre-order through Amazon, Reliance Digital’s e-commerce website, and leading retail stores. It will be go on sale starting August 5.

To recall, Reliance launched its first JioBook in October last year with a price tag of Rs. 15,799.

JioBook (2023) specifications

The JioBook (2023) runs on Android-based JioOS operating system and features an 11.6-inch HD (768X1,366 pixels) display. The 4G laptop has a plastic body and it comes with an inbuilt 4G SIM card. It runs on an octa-core MediaTek MT8788 processor paired with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB inbuilt storage. The available storage can be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. Last year’s JioBook is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC paired with Adreno 610 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage.

JioBook (2023) has connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, an HDMI mini port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The laptop packs dual stereo speakers and features a 2-megapixel Web camera as well. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery, that is claimed to deliver up to eight hours of battery life on a single charge. The JioBook (2023) is also super light, weighing in at just 990 grams. The new model is significantly higher than the preceding model which weighed 1.2 kilograms.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Dunzo Secures $75 Million in Funding, Lays Off 30 Percent of Its Staff as Part of Business Revamp: Report

Indian online delivery platform Dunzo has secured funding of $75 million (roughly Rs. 614 crores) through convertible notes and is laying off about 30 percent of its staff as it plans a revamp of its business model, the Economic Times reported on Thursday.

The layoffs, which will affect over 300 workers, are part of a rejig announced by founder and Chief Executive Officer Kabeer Biswas at a town hall on Wednesday, the newspaper reported, citing several people aware of the matter.

Key backers Reliance Retail and Alphabet Inc have added about $50 million (roughly Rs. 409 crores) of the funding, with other existing investors putting in the rest, the newspaper reported.

Dunzo, Google and Reliance Retail did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for a comment.

Under the new business model, the company will cut about 50 percent of its dark stores and run only those that can be profitable or are nearing that threshold, ET reported, adding that it will partner with supermarkets and other merchants.

Biswas told employees at the town hall the firm had to take this call to ensure it can hit profitability in the next 18 months, the report added.

The move comes as growing demand for superfast dispatch of household goods has led players to intensify their battle in ensuring users are able to get their orders in 15 minutes or less.

The delivery firm continues to hold talks with other investors such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) but that capital may only come after the business has stabilised and certain metrics are met, ET reported, citing people in the know.

 

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Smartphone companies have launched many compelling devices over the first quarter of 2023. What are some of the best phones launched in 2023 you can buy today? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Jio Rs. 2,999 Prepaid Recharge Plan Offers 2.5GB Daily 5G Data Usage: All Details

Jio has updated its annual prepaid recharge plan with access to unlimited 5G data. The telecom company’s prepaid plan priced at Rs. 2,999 will offer users access to high-speed 5G data for 365 days. According to information available on the telecom operator’s website, the annual prepaid plan will provide users with a total of 912.5GB (with a limit of 2.5GB data per day) for the whole year. The plan also offer free access to JioTV, JioCloud, JioSecurity, and JioCinema, according to the operator.

The country’s largest telecom operator has updated its website (via ET Telecom) listing for the Rs. 2,999 prepaid recharge plan to include unlimited 5G data for users who opt for the annual recharge. It continues to offer 912.5GB of data which amounts to 2.5GB of daily data at 5G speeds.

It is worth noting that the Jio recharge plan worth Rs. 2,999 does provide unlimited data access to customers, even after they cross the daily 2.5GB data allowance. However, just like users on 4G devices, the telecom operator will reduce browsing speeds for users with 5G devices to 64Kbps, as per the listing for the recharge plan.

Jio users subscribing to the Rs. 2,999 prepaid plan will also receive complimentary subscriptions to Jio TV, Jio Cinema, Jio Security, and Jio Cloud. The telecom provider also provides users to option to upgrade their prepaid plans worth Rs. 119, Rs. 149, Rs. 179, Rs. 199, and Rs. 209 with a top-up of Rs. 61 providing users an additional 6GB of data.

The operator has launched its Jio True 5G network services in several cities across the country. Users in supported regions will receive an invite to the Jio Welcome Offer. Jio’s 5G network is currently available in 331 cities, after the company recently expanded the rollout to 27 additional cities.

The telecom company has announced that Jio’s 5G services will cover the entire country by the end of 2023. “We are on the path to achieving the declared goal to increase the Jio 5G footprint month after month to other cities, towns, and talukas of various States and UTs, and are aiming to cover every town, every taluka, and every tehsil across the nation by December 2023,” Jio Chairman Akash Ambani said at a post-Budget webinar last month.

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Jio 5G Network Services Will Be Available Across India by End of 2023, Says Reliance

Reliance Jio Infocomm on Tuesday reiterated that it will cover high-speed 5G telecom services across India by the end of 2023.

“We are on the path to achieving the declared goal to increase the Jio 5G footprint month after month to other cities, towns, and talukas of various States and UTs, and are aiming to cover every town, every taluka, and every tehsil across the nation by December 2023,” Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio said today.

This, he said, will be the world’s fastest 5G rollout.

He made the remarks at a post-Budget webinar coordinated by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) today.

On October 1, 2022, 5G services were formally inaugurated in India at the Indian Mobile Congress Event, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“In less than half a year, the industry has retooled itself and is rapidly bringing the 5G revolution to every nook and corner of the country. Jio is leading 5G network rollouts in the country with the world’s largest Stand Alone Network Architecture that is uniquely suited to cater to the requirements of True 5G technology,” Akash Ambani said.

Jio has so far launched its 5G service in 277 cities.

The government issued spectrum allocation letters to telecom service providers in August 2022, asking them to prepare for the rollout of 5G services in the country.

Department of Telecom had received total bids worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore from the 5G spectrum auction.

What is 5G, and how is it different from the current 3G and 4G services?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network capable of transmitting a large data set at a very rapid speed.

In comparison to 3G and 4G, 5G has a very low latency which will enhance user experiences in various sectors. Low latency describes the efficiency of processing a very high volume of data messages with a minimal delay.

The pan-India 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in range of sectors, including mining, warehousing, telemedicine, education, manufacturing, agriculture, among others.

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