Telecom is one of the few sectors that has not been hit ( or hit as badly) by the economic slow down world over. Closer home it is one of the sectors still showing steady growth, however as is true for all industries in this time it is a more sane and steady story now. It is coming of age of the hare!
This is also reflected in the kind of investments that we see in the sector. Getting a little more specific lets look at the M-VAS industry. ( I would like to attribute the following observations to a recent story in DNA Money http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1238568 and One97 view of the industry )
Consolitation seems to be the key. A number of players in the VAS space are taking the merger and acquisition (M&A) route to expand their businesses. Experts believe the kind of money being raised by companies in the M-VAS space currently hints at a possible surge in mergers and acquisitions. A key indicator is the significant rise in the number of large quantum or Series B fundraising by mobile VAS companies.
Off late a lot has been written about how Mobile Value Added Services (VAS) or Mobile VAS is gaining a lot of momentum in the country. Yes, indeed it is a fast growing market and has a lot of potential, but it wouldn’t be misplaced to term it the tip of the iceberg… ” Telecom Applications” . Applications that will make phones and mobile phones more specifically the all pervasive device for Information, Entertainment and Transactions.
With the largest deployed telecom applications platform in the India One97 is uniquely poised with its array of voice, SMS, WAP and video based services to an equally varied customer base.
To give you some idea of what we are talking about here is a recent interview of Vijay in Network Computing , where he talks about One97’s unique solution offerings and plans for the future. To read more visit the following link
One97 Communications, India’s largest and most widely deployed telecom application platform company, today announced that it has secured second round of funding from Intel Capital and SVB.
One97 delivers telecom applications and services to consumers, enterprises and telecom operators in India. The focus of company is to enable telecom networks in becoming the best and most used media to deliver content, information and intelligent transactions to consumers.
This is the second round of funding for One97 and Avendus Capital was the exclusive financial advisor for the transaction. The company had earlier received funding from SAIF Partners & SVB in 2007.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Managing Director, One97 Communications, said “Intel’s investment endorses our plans to continue the disruptive innovation in telecom application space. We will invest in focused market segments and opportunities. The fund will help accelerate our growth both organically and inorganically.”
News is not always made in Delhi and Mumbai, a lot is happening in different parts of the country too. So why should news alerts be limited to news from these cities?
With this thought in mind we are working with leading media houses to provide relevant local news and information to mobile subscribers. The latest in this direction is our strategic parternship with Express Network Pvt. Ltd., promoted by The New Indian Express Group, to provide mobile users access to local news and information from South India wherever they are and at their convenience. The service will offer content of The New Indian Express, and its Web- site, www.expressbuzz.com, to mobile subscribers through SMS, using the content delivery platform developed by One97. The content will not only be personal and interactive but will also be current and relevant.
With this subscription based service , we now enable mobile subscribers across India to remain in touch with the local news from South India ( we have launched similar services with Deshonnati - for Maharashtra and Prabhat Khabar - for Bihar and Jharkhand).
Speaking to the media about this partnership Vijay (Vijay Shekhar Sharma, MD One97 Communications) said “Our constant effort has been to come up with services which benefit our consumers to the fullest and we hope to sustain it in the future as well. This partnership would assist us in our goal of enabling the consumers to select and receive information that is relevant and of interest to them. Effectively, people across India can subscribe to this service and receive the latest news and information from different parts of the country”.
Mr. Mayank Kabra, Assistant General Manager (Marketing,) Express Network Pvt. Ltd., adds, “The New Indian Express Group along with One97 has created a value proposition for consumers across India who would want to be abreast with the latest news from South India. Mobile phones these days are the best medium to communicate and enable us to make the print medium much more interactive. We are happy to associate with One97 Communications as our partner and believe that services like this would bring our newspaper closer to the customers.”
This came in Financial Express as part of their column ”The best advice I got“. I could not think just one of them and wrote about 3 business advises I got.
When I started my company One97 Communications, eight years back, I did not have any sales and business experience to inherit. All I had was my engineering degree and the experience from my previous jobs. I also had some invaluable advice from my father and my manager in my first job and they remain the most useful tips for me till today.
In my early childhood, my father taught us never to be insecure. He said insecurity breeds disaster.
People tend to loose confidence or become hostile due to their insecurities. Overcoming insecurity keeps things in perspective and allows one to take brave steps, which become the stepping stones for success.
So anytime I feel low and insecure what I immediately focus on are things I am confident about and draw my strength to address insecurity.
At my first job, my manager Rakesh Shukla stressed on two things — first — never sell a product, always sell value. In a market, filled with too many products and services, never try to sell your product or service. Sell that what the customer will appreciate as a value. Read more »
