siliconindia | | April 20138inThe number of mobile internet users will mostly double between December 2012 and March 2014 from 87.1 million to nearly 165 million. Owing to the marked increase in mobile penetration, India's Mobile Value Added Solution (MVAS) market is also expected to double to almost $9.5 billion by 2015. MVAS market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent between 2012 and 2015 to reach the estimated number in 2015 from $4.9 million in 2012, states the 'Future Thought of Business (FTOB): MVAS' a report by Wipro and IAMAI."An expected MVAS revolution in India is being made possible by the dramatic growth in mobile device penetration and mobile network capacity and this market offers abundant opportunities for growth to all industry participants" said Ayan Mukerji, Senior VP and Global head of Mobile and Telecom, Wipro Technologies. To kick start the growth curve, domestic mobile operators need to focus on providing better network and connectivity and global operators can increase their base by testing VAS offerings in the Indian market all the while increasing the Indian mobile market value.According to the report, to realize the mobile market's full potential, the industry needs to tap the potential of the low cost Smartphone and requires a collaborative effort across mobile network operators, telecom equipment vendors and mobile service content providers. Mobile phones will also play a key role in extending financial services to 40 percent of India's population who are unbanked. To realize the high potential for growth in this sector, there much to be done to cover the gap as less than 30 percent of India's population uses mobile phones and barely four percent of the Indian population owns a Smartphone.The current trend for the Indian IT exports is on the rise; according to Nasscom estimations, India's Information Technology Enabled Services (IT-ITeS) export rose from $75.8 billion in current fiscal from $68.7 billion in 2011-12 fiscal and the Indian IT and ITES exports have risen 23.4 percent at about Rs.4.11 lakh crore in the current fiscal from Rs.3.32 lakh crore in the 2011-12 fiscal.However, ever since the global financial crisis of 2008, Indian IT industry has been unable to recreate its magic that mystified investors and customers alike and compounding the pressure is the fact that earlier this month, the parliament was informed that the fate of the Indian IT and ITES will depend on the global economic scenario and spending on Information Technology in North America and Europe. "The growth of all the IT-ITES firms including mid-sized firms would depend on the global economic scenario and IT spending in the major markets of North America and Europe in 2013," says Milind Deora, the Minister of State for Communications and IT.The National Policy on Information Technology (NPIT) 2012, the Government envisions to increase the IT industry revenues to $300 billion from $100 billion by 2020 through exports and domestic markets. Though the future looks promising for the Indian IT industry, there is an increasing need for this sector to become independent from its foreign counterparts in order to realize its $300 billion dream. India's Mobile-VAS Market Will Double By 2015The Fate of Indian IT lies on European and North American Transactionssiliconindia | | April 20139inThe launch of Google Chrome back in 2008, spurred talks on its requirement in a world crowded with internet browsers. A few years down the lane, every web designer is creating pages suited for the browser from Google. The man behind its success is Sundar Pichai, SVP Chrome and Apps, and the rising star of Google. When Andy Rubin, the man who founded the android operating system decided to step down as the Chief of the popular smartphone OS, Google turned to the man from India ­ Sundar Pichai to carry on the responsibility and Pichai gladly obliged.In the light of recent talks of a potential merger or marriage of Chrome OS and Android, Sundar's new role makes sense. Pichai's newly added responsibility also comes at a crucial time as Android and Google executives have begun to worry about Samsung's dominance over Google's OS. So, in the simplest of terms, Pichai's main job is to confront the issues gnawing at Android as well as to make sure that the company continues to grow and dominate the market in the future. The early days of his career saw Sundar working for Applied Materials and McKinsey & Co. His move to Google in 2004 only increased Google's domination in the market. The 45 year old was largely involved in product management and leading the innovation team for Google's Chrome and Chrome OS as the Vice President of Product Management of the company. Sundar's accolades do not stop at this point, he is also credited with the development of some of the company's most successful cloud-based apps, such as Calendar and Gmail, and has also steered Google Drive. Sundar Pichai has become a proud asset for Google, a testament to the same is Google's move to pay tens of millions of dollars to stop him from moving to one of the most popular networking sites."Sundar has a talent for creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use and he loves a big bet," says Larry Page, CEO, Google through his blog speaking about Pichai's accomplishments. Pichai graduated from IIT, Kharagpur in 1993, topping not only his metallurgical batch but also winning the Institute Silver Medal for excellence in academics. He went on to do add an M.S degree from Stanford University and a MBA degree to his name from the Wharton School, where he was named a Siebel scholar which is an honor given to the most talented students at the world's leading graduate schools of business, computer science, and bioengineering. Pichai was also deemed as being a Palmer Scholar, an honor given to students graduating in the top five percent of the class. The Man behind Chrome takes Charge as Smartphone OS ChiefSundar Pichai
< Page 8 | Page 10 >