Domestic value-added services (VAS) companies are gearing up to launch a gamut of applications (apps) on their own stores. Hyderabad-based VAS infrastructure and services provider IMImobile, for instance, will introduce its own developers&rsquo; forum in the second quarter of this year, which will help developers write new applications for enterprises.

Home-grown VAS providers launch app stores

Business Standard

The Union budget marks a watershed in the life of the Indian information technology services industry, akin to a family&rsquo;s coming of age rites of passage! The end of support to a growing youngster is implicit in two measures that signal the end of special treatment. One is the sunset of the software technology parks of India (STPI) and sections 10A/10B via which tax sops were given to the IT-BPO sector in its growing years. The other is the general measure that extends the minimum alternate tax (MAT) to units in special economic zones (SEZ). When the impending sunset of STPIs and the tax concessions that when with the scheme appeared on the horizon, large IT-BPO operations made a beeline for SEZs in order to continue to receive tax benefits.

End of infancy

PeoplePerHour.com (PPH), a UK-based online marketplace that connects small businesses with freelancers across the world, is bullish on India as it is seeing over 30 per cent growth here, according to founder and chief executive Xenios Thrasyavoulou. The company, which has offices&nbsp;in New Delhi and Hyderabad doing web development, customer support and community moderation functions, recently raised $6 million (approximately Rs 27 crore) in venture capital funding to invest in its international expansion. &ldquo;Of this, India is a key part,&rdquo; Thrasyavoulou said at the two-day IT summit &lsquo;Advantage AP&rsquo; here. PPH, till date, has in excess of 100,000 service providers spread across more than 150 countries, and serves over 35,000 small business clients. &ldquo;India ranks third in terms of usage by our clients and has more than 13,000 registered freelancers. In the last year, our usage in India has grown seven times,&rdquo; he added.

PeoplePerHour sees 30% growth in India

Will ascertain whether ther has been revenue loss to the telco.

CAG to look into BSNL franchise deals

While the $60-billion information technology industry is recovering from the impact of global recession, companies are increasingly hiring non-engineering graduates with an aim to tame attrition and minimise costs.

IT firms hire non-engineering graduates to cut cost

Uninor has launched &ldquo;Cricket Unlimited&rdquo; for cricket enthusiasts during this cricket season. This product is specially designed for people who do not want to miss out on a single moment of the cricketing action. To subscribe to the &ldquo;Cricket Unlimited&rdquo; service, a Uninor customer simply needs to dial the toll free number 52255 and request for this service. This service will be available for Rs&nbsp; three per match day or Rs 30 for a monthly pack on toll free number. Once subscribed to the service, customers can browse through &lsquo;Live Match Coverage&rsquo;, participate in &lsquo;Cricket Opinion Poll&rsquo;, and download &lsquo;Cricket Tunes&rsquo; including ring tones and caller tunes as part of this offer.Beyond this, the subscribers can also access Cricket Rankings, Match Schedules, and a whole ocean of little known cricket trivia.

Uninor launches 'Cricket Unlimited' pack

India Telecom Infra Ltd (ITIL), a company jointly owned by Infrastructure Leasing &amp; Financial Services Limited (IL&amp;FS) and the TVS group firm TVS Interconnect Systems (TVSICS), is to be merged with Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.

ITIL in Rs 400-cr merger with Ascend Telecom

LG Electronics India Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, will be launching 35 to 40 new mobile models this calendar in the India market, according to Vishal Chopra, business head (mobile communications).

LG to launch 40 new mobile models this year

Shiv Bakhshi looks back at Steve Jobs&rsquo; two stints with Apple and how he made the brand a modern day cult.

How he changed the world

Apple is in talks with record companies to give iTunes customers easier access to music they&rsquo;ve purchased across multiple devices, said three people with knowledge of the plans.

Apple said to negotiate unlimited downloads

Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies needs to revamp the growth strategy or end up hiring close to a million people over the next decade, as it eyes a 20 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenue in the period up to 2020, says a BNP Paribas report.

Infy may have to hire a million, says BNP report

Telecom Company MTS (Mobile TeleSystems OJSC) on Saturday announced the appointment of Andrei Dubovskov as president and chief executive officer of the company. Sistema, a majority stakeholder in India's Shyam Sistema Teleservices, holds over 51 per cent in MTS OJSC.

MTS appoints Dubovsko as President & CEO

Press Trust of India

IT major Cognizant Technology Solutions is planning a major expansion programme in various cities at a budgeted $285 million on the back of a 40% growth rate over last year, a top official said today.

Cognizant to embark on major expansion plan

Sharing your location in real time via GPS-based devices on social networking sites can leave you vulnerable to cyber stalking.

Watch out...you are being watched

The dual-SIM handsets market in India is set to grow at a steady pace despite Mobile Number Portability (MNP), say industry experts.

MNP not a game changer for dual-SIM mobiles

From health tips to free books, Google is set to woo its users with new apps.

Get ready for Android apps mania

Flipkart Online Services, which runs the online book retailer Flipkart.Com, is eyeing an ambitious Rs 4,500-crore turnover by FY 15 on the back of increased penetration of broadband and the firm's massive expansion plans, a top company official said.

Flipkart eyes Rs 4,500-crore turnover by FY 15

Facebook, the world&rsquo;s biggest social-networking company, was in talks with Skype Technologies SA for offering Web video calls to its 500 million users, two people familiar with the discussions said.

Facebook resumes talks with Skype

Debashis Chatterjee, who recently quit Cognizant as the head of banking and financial services, is set to join the merged iGate and Patni Computer Systems entity as Chief Operating Officer, said two sources.

Chatterjee of Cognizant to join iGate, Patni entity

The government has collected Rs 309 crore in penalties from new telecom service providers that failed to roll out their networks within the stipulated timeframe after getting licences and spectrum.

Govt collects Rs 309 cr penalty from new telcos

Blame it on improved business climate, restructuring within companies or just the basic need to pursue better opportunities &mdash; the Indian information technology (IT) industry is seeing heavy churn at the top.

IT firms 'refresh' top talent

Tech News: Latest Techn news & updates on Smart Watches, Gaming Console, iOS updates with launch date and price straight from Business Standard.com.

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