NTT Expands Its Data Center Footprint Globally By 20 Percent

* NTT Named Market Leader With Even More Capacity As Business Online Surges

NTT Ltd.’s Global Data Centers division, a Leader in the IDC MarketScape Worldwide Data Center Colocation and Interconnection Services 2021 Vendor Assesment1, provides a full stack of ICT services and continues to expand its global data center footprint by 20% to build a connected future that will benefit enterprise and hyperscale clients around the world.

NTT operates data centers across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, including a major presence in India. It delivers and operates global interconnected data centers with cross regional data center networks through key markets such as London, Singapore, Tokyo, and Virginia in North America. Its expansions in data center services provide increased data center capacity and network connectivity across all geographies, including:

Americas:

In 2020/21, three new data center campuses were opened in Hillsboro, OR, Santa Clara, CA, and Chicago, IL, in addition to expansion in Ashburn, VA. NTT’s 47-acre (approx. 190,000m2) Hillsboro campus features five data centers with 126MW of planned IT load and Subsea Connect, a trans-pacific network connectivity service that provides connectivity between Hillsboro, Oregon and Tokyo, Japan using NTT’s Pacific Crossing (PC-1) subsea cable system. The Phoenix, AZ campus will open in early 2022 and be the seventh US data center campus. NTT Phoenix PH1 will add 36MW of IT load capacity and is the first of seven planned data centers on the 240MW campus.

EMEA:

In the past year, NTT has opened new data center buildings in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Munich and Frankfurt in Germany, continuing its position as the number one data center provider in the German market. In the UK, the new flagship London 1 Data Center opened in December and, when fully operational, will increase NTT’s capacity by over 200% to support the digital backbone of the UK’s financial services, media, and gaming industries. NTT has also invested in duct and fiber to interconnect all its London data centers.

Over the next two years, NTT will increase its available IT load in EMEA by over 40% as it builds 13 new data center buildings across nine markets in six countries to deliver an added 115MW of IT load across 50,000m2. NTT will launch its first data centers in Madrid and Johannesburg as well as adding buildings to Vienna, Zurich, London and across Germany, with expanded data center interconnections.

APAC:

Jakarta 3 in Indonesia will launch 15MW at Bekasi, approximately 30km from Central Jakarta, by the end of this year. By taking advantage of NTT’s strengths as a network operator, clients will be able to easily connect with IXs and ISPs. Additionally, Cyberjaya 5 in Malaysia started to provide 6.8MW and plan to expand another 6.8MW to the Cyberjaya campus. In Japan, a new data center with 21MW of IT load capacity has been built in Tokyo. In response to strong demand from its clients, NTT is considering further expansion in Bangkok (Thailand), Osaka Metropolitan area (Japan), and Southern Vietnam.

India:

With Mumbai 8 going live soon, the Chandivali campus, India’s first operational hyperscale data center park, will reach 85MW of IT load. Over the next 18 months, four new hyperscale data center parks will also become operational: two in Navi Mumbai and one each in Chennai and Delhi, adding approximately 133MW of IT load and 50,000m2 of floorspace. Interconnections for 10 data centers across India will also be rolled out in 2021 and submarine cable landing stations are planned in Mumbai and Chennai. This expansion will further consolidate NTT’s number one position in the Indian market.

In addition to the expansion of NTT’s global data center footprint, NTT is currently constructing a "MIST" large-capacity submarine cable connecting Singapore, Malaysia, and India (Mumbai and Chennai).

The MIST cable system will have a total length of 11,000km: a distance which is further than flying from New York, across the US and the Pacific Ocean to land in Tokyo. Construction will complete in mid-2023.

The infrastructure combination of such a significant increase in global data center capacity coupled with NTT’s status as a tier 1 global network service provider, will provide businesses with a secure platform for increasing full-stack ICT service needs. 

Global Data Center Interconnect (GDCI), an integrated global network fabric service that delivers a cross regional data center network and private secure connection to major cloud service providers with a single physical port supporting multiple virtual network services, increases this capability to provide a high speed interconnected digital backbone across its global markets. The increased submarine cable system will also help to provide cross-regional data center interconnections.

Masaaki Moribayashi, President and Board Director for NTT Ltd. said, “The pandemic has dramatically changed our way of life. People’s quality of life now fundamentally depends on this infrastructure. In the next 18 months, NTT plans to increase data center operations by 20% to a total of over 600,000m2 (approx. 6.5M ft2) of floorspace in over 20 countries and regions. In addition, NTT will globally expand approximately 30 connection points of GDCI service in our data centers to optimize the enterprise hybrid cloud environment over NTT’s data centers and network services. NTT has already started construction to add 300MW of IT load to its portfolio. With the completion of new data centers, expanded campuses and high capacity networks such as the MIST submarine cable, we are building a connected future that will benefit NTT's clients around the world.”

1IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Datacenter Colocation and Interconnection Services 2021

About the Global Data Centers division of NTT Ltd.

Global Data Centers is a division of NTT Ltd. Our global platform is one of the largest in the world. NTT is recognized as a Leader by IDC in the Worldwide Colocation and Interconnection Services MarketScape, spanning more than 20 countries and regions including North America, Europe, Africa, India and APAC. As a neutral operator, we offer access to multiple cloud providers, a large variety of Internet Exchanges and telecommunication network providers including our own IPv6 compliant, tier-one global IP network. Our clients benefit from tailored infrastructure and experience consistent best practices in design and operations across all of our reliable, scalable and customizable data centers.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Clocks Domestic Wholesales Of 12,772 Units In August 2021

* Registers a 115% growth in cumulative wholesales from January to August in 2021 when compared to the corresponding period in 2020

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today announced that the company sold a total of 12,772 units in the month of August 2021, thereby registering a growth of 130% when compared to the domestic sales in the month of August 2020. The cumulative wholesales of TKM for the period January to August 2021 stands at 85,209 units when compared to 39,627 units sold in the corresponding period last year, thereby registering a growth of 115%.

Commenting on the momentum, Mr. V. Wiseline Sigamani, Associate General Manager(AGM), Sales and Strategic Marketing, TKM said, “We are witnessing a steady growth after the second wave and the trend continues in August as well. Customer orders are healthy, and the retail sales have shown an improvement as compared to last month. The segment dominance of Innova Crysta and Fortuner continues, as both the models have recorded good demand and witnessing growing sales in their respective segments. Glanza and Urban Cruiser also continue to garner sustained sales; we are happy to note that both the offerings continue to meet the aspirations of our younger customers. We are thankful to all our customers for their relentless support to the brand and the trust they have shown in our entire range of products.

We expect the positive demand trend to continue due to the resumption of economic activity, uptick in personal mobility and overall improvement in market sentiment. As the festive season draws closer, and to meet the expectation and convenience of our customers, we are making every effort to offer better services, enhance digitalization of our sales operations and reduce delivery time. In the month of August, we launched our ‘Virtual Showroom’ to further enhance customer experience in the new normal. Our constant efforts are to deliver exceptional customer experience across all touch points, and we believe the virtual showroom will enable customers to seamlessly access  their favorite Toyota vehicles online” he added.

Star Health Launches Platinum Range Of Cancer Care And Cardiac Care Policies To Provide Enhanced Cover

* Cancer Care platinum offers to cover up to INR 10 lakhs sum insured for treatment of cancer-related and non-cancer-related ailments, and an optional lump sum benefit of up to 5 Lakhs for cancer recurrence.

* Cardiac Care Platinum offers sum insured of up to INR 15 lakh for treatment of cardiac and non-cardiac ailments, and up to 200% of sum insured for Heart Transplant.

Star Health and Allied Insurance, announced the launch of two new variants of their speciality products – Star Cancer Care Platinum Insurance Policy and Star Cardiac Care Platinum Insurance Policy. These products are designed to address the needs of people who are diagnosed with cancer and cardiac conditions.

There are no premedical tests required to avail of these policies. However, the insured should submit the previous medical records of treatment undergone at the time of purchasing the policy. Policies are renewable lifelong and premiums can be paid quarterly, half-yearly and annually as well.

Cancer Care Platinum: A proposition of Health Insurance for Individuals diagnosed and surviving with cancer. Covers persons aged between 5 months and 65 years with a sum insured up to INR 10 lakhs.

Covers expenses incurred due to hospitalization for cancer and non-cancer-related ailments with applicable waiting periods. (Nil waiting period for accidents, 30 days for non-cancer treatment, 12 months for hospice care, 30 months for treatment of cancer and pre-existing diseases).

Lump-sum cover for cancer: 50% of sum insured as optional benefit if the insured person suffers a recurrence, metastasis, and/or a second malignancy unrelated to the first cancer after a waiting period of 30 months.

Cardiac Care-Platinum: A proposition of Health Insurance for individuals diagnosed with cardiac ailments. Cardiac Care - Platinum covers persons aged between 7 years and 70 years with a sum insured of up to INR 15 lakhs

Covers expense incurred due to hospitalization for cardiac and non cardiac conditions after 30 days of policy inception. (Nil waiting period for accidents, 24 months for named aliments and heart transplant and 48 months for other pre-existing diseases).

Dr S Prakash, Managing Director, Star Health and Allied Insurance said, “STAR HEALTH INSURANCE is providing this Insurance Cover for people diagnosed with heart disease and cancer.  As a doctor, I see most of the time people in India seeking health insurance cover after a major diagnosis like cancer / heart disease. Often they are not able to get cover for existing heart disease and cancer. Striving to change this and to include these deserving people as well under insurance cover, Star Health Insurance has introduced these products. These new policies are an endeavour to address a genuine and important need of our fellow citizens."

Key Features of Star Cancer Care Platinum Insurance Policy:

·         Sum insured available up to Rs. 10,00,000/- Customer can opt for sum insured of

Rs 5,00,000/-, Rs. 7,50,000/- or Rs. 10,00,000/-

·         Available for persons aged from 5 months to 65 years, diagnosed with Cancer.

·         Covers the - In-patient hospitalization, Day Care treatment, Road Ambulance, Pre & Post hospitalization expenses.

·         Lump-sum Cover for Cancer – if the insured person suffers a recurrence, metastasis, and/ or second malignancy unrelated to the first cancer, then the company will pay a lump sum amount. This benefit is in addition to the Indemnity sum insured.

·         A waiting period of 30 months is applicable for the treatments related to Cancer and for the Lump-sum benefit cover.

·         Hospice Care:: “Hospice care in Oncology is a care that focuses on the quality of life of patients (as well as their caregivers) who are experiencing advanced, life-limiting cancers

Payable up to 20% of sum insured at network providers on the indemnity basis, payable once in a lifetime. Available after a waiting period of 12 months from the policy inception

·         Additional benefits – Hospice care, E-Second medical opinion, Wellness services - Diet & Nutrition Programme, Weight management program, Specialist Consultation - Through Telehealth app. 

·         Renewal benefits:

- The insured will get a Cumulative bonus of 5% of the basic sum insured for each claim-free year up to a maximum of 50% of the basic sum insured.

             - Health Check-up - Insured can avail health check-ups after each claim-free year.

·         Premium: For a person aged 36 yrs for Rs. 10,00,000/- sum Insured, premium (excluding GST) is Rs. 23,605/-  

Key Features of Star Cardiac Care Insurance Policy – Platinum:

·         Sum insured is available up to Rs.15,00,000/- ; Customer can opt for sum insured of Rs.5,00,000, Rs. 7,50,000/-, Rs. 10,00,000/- or Rs.15,00,000/-

·         Available for persons from 7 years to 70 years who have been diagnosed with Cardiac disorders.

·         Waiting period for Cardiac disorders:  30 days.

·         Covers the - In-patient hospitalization, Day Care treatment, Road Ambulance, Pre & Post hospitalization expenses

·         Expenses for Heart Transplantation are covered up to 200% of the Sum Insured ( after 24 months waiting period)

·         Expenses related to Cardiac devices are covered up to 50% of the Sum Insured.

·         Additional benefits: E-Second medical opinion, Tele-health services, Wellness Services - Nutrition & Diet Consultation, Counselling (For Stress Management). 

·         Covers the Outpatient medical expenses from day one.

·         Automatic Restoration of Basic Sum Insured once by 100% upon exhaustion of the sum insured and no claim bonus during the policy period

·         Discount on Renewal Premium - Insured can avail 10% discount on the renewal premium, if he/she submits ECHO, Lipid Profile and HbA1c reports and are normal.

·         Renewal Benefits -

-  Health Check-up benefit on completion of each policy year

- Cumulative bonus of 10% of basic sum insured for each claim-free year up to a maximum of 100% of the basic sum insured.

·         Premium: For a person aged 50 yrs for Rs. 10,00,000/- sum Insured, premium (excluding GST) is Rs.31,035/-

About Star Health and Allied Insurance Co. Ltd

Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited commenced its operations in 2006 as India’s first Standalone Health Insurance Company (Source: CRISIL Research) dealing in retail health, group health, personal accident and overseas travel insurance. We use our resources to focus on service excellence and product innovation to deliver the best to our customers. We have been providing health insurance products to individuals, families, and corporates directly and through various channels including agents, brokers, corporate agent bank and online channels like interactive applications, web aggregators, etc.

In Fiscal 2021, we had total GWP of ₹93,489.50 million.  As of March 31, 2021 our distribution network had grown to 737 health insurance branches spread across 26 states and 4 union territories in India. Our existing branches are also supplemented by an extensive network of over 750 Sales Managers Stations (“SMS”), which are small individual service centres, and over 7,000 in-house sales managers, as of March 31, 2021.

FuelBuddy Wins Two National Awards At The MSME Edition 2020-21

FuelBuddy, an online platform that provides doorstep delivery of fuel has been awarded two national awards at The Time2Leap National Award – MSME Edition – 2020-21.

This prestigious award achieved by the company is in recognition for the outstanding accomplishment in the field of Fuel Delivery under the category of “BEST OPERATING COMPANY OF THE YEAR in Fuel Delivery Space”.

The other award is received under the category of “BEST COO OF THE YEAR” which was received by Mr. Aditya Singh, COO, FuelBuddy for the outstanding accomplishment in the field of Fuel Delivery.

Conceptualized to promote and felicitate MSMEs and Service Providers in the field of Innovation and Sustainability for the growth of the MSME Sector across India, the Awards are supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The awards were presented by Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi – Hon’ble Minister of State – Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and MSME.

Commenting on this great honour Mr. Aditya Singh, COO, FuelBuddy said, "FuelBuddy has been leading the charge in doorstep fuel delivery since its inception. Our mobile refueling services are designed to save businesses time and money. The Time2Leap National Awards - MSME Edition 2020-21, recognizes and encourages organizations and entrepreneurs from the MSME industry like ours and this gives us an additional boost to perform better for our customers, team and partners.”

Adnan Kidwai, CEO, FuelBuddy said, “We are grateful for this honor and the win for us is rewarding both personally and professionally where our efforts have been recognized on a national scale. It has been a journey full of learning and unlearning and we believe that this is just the beginning.”

FuelBuddy started with 1 Bowser for Doorstep Delivery of Diesel in Gurgaon in May 2018. Today, it has presence in 36 cities and has more than 100 trucks under its management. With the experience of delivering more than 3.5 Crores litres of fuel through Doorstep Delivery of Diesel (DDD) model FuelBuddy has delivered more than 1 lakh orders till date. FuelBuddy sources fuel from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and follows a strict quality assurance program.

About FuelBuddy

S.K. Narvar, a renowned Indian Businessman, promoted FuelBuddy is an online platform which provides doorstep delivery of fuel in a safe, reliable, and efficient way. The aim is to transform an industry in which pilferage and adulteration are accepted norms through application of advanced technologies like Smart Automated Dispensing System, Geofencing & Geotagging, Real Time Cloud Access, IoT and Proprietary E-Locking. 

BL Agro Expands To Bengaluru; Eyes PAN India Expansion

North India based, BL Agro Limited, one of the fastest growing edible oil and food products company in India, has now expanded its horizons to South India. Rooted in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, the company has been on an aggressive market expansion mode since the beginning of this year and has since ventured into states of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and now Karnataka. In the state, Bengaluru is the first city the Company has zeroed in to set its base, given the market demand and opportunities.

BL Agro, which was established close to 5 decades ago, is an INR 2500 crore company today. ‘Bail Kolhu’ company’s flagship mustard oil brand was the first one launched years ago. BL Agro then gradually paced forward to become a fast-growing food products company with the launch of its brand ‘Nourish’ in the year 2018. ‘Nourish’ products are retailed through the Company’s website as well as through Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) present at 13 locations currently.

In Bengaluru, the company has tied up with two super stockists and has deployed its team to ensure ‘Nourish’ products are readily available in the retail market. The company wishes to penetrate and mark its presence across mom-n-pop stores, supermarkets and with wholesalers in the city. The products can also be purchased from company’s website nourishstore.co.in.

Ashish Khandelwal, Managing Director, BL Agrosays “We have gained and retained the trust of consumers in Northern India, and this forms the very foundation of our expansion to Southern part of the country starting with Bengaluru. I am confident that our food products brand ‘Nourish’ that promises wholesome nutrition, will gain the same goodwill as our signature legacy mustard oil brand Bail Kolhu”.

Sanjeev Tripathi, National Head, BL Agro says “Our foray into Karnataka market is a part of our strategy to expand our foot print in southern part of India, very soon we will expand our reach to Goa and Hyderabad market.  As a part of Healthy India Campaign, we remain committed to offer best of the grains available across India using best and latest of the technology through our brand Nourish and Bail Kolhu.”

BL Agro plans to market its brand ‘Nourish’ in Bengaluru through a series of ATL and BTL activities.The company had recently announced a marketing push worth INR 150 crore to fuel the expansion plans of the company and drive aggressive growth pan-India.

Brand Nourish offers an entire range of food products typically used in an Indian kitchen including Atta, Rice, Pulses, Ghee & Oils, Dry Fruits, Papad, Pickles, Murabba, Spices, and more. Each Nourish product is packed with superior quality ingredients and is produced with finest processes that ensure maximum retention of nutrients.

ELGi Partners With NASSCOM FutureSkills PRIME To Build Vital Digital Skills For The Future Of Work

ELGi Equipments (BSE: 522074 NSE: ELGIEQUIP), one of India’s leading air-compressor manufacturers today, announced its partnership with NASSCOM’s FutureSkills Prime initiative. With this partnership, ELGi aims to equip every employee with a set of foundational digital skills that will enable them to operate in a digital environment, continually adapt to new ways of working, and add value beyond what can be done by automated systems and intelligent machines. FutureSkills Prime, a skilling programme focused on emerging technologies, is powered by a partnership between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Government of India, NASSCOM, and the IT industry. Over one thousand ELGi employees are scheduled to undertake this program.

Sharing his views on the collaboration, Dr Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director of Elgi Equipments Limited, said, "Our purpose is to provide the best experience at each stakeholder touch-point.  In our journey towards this purpose, we recognize that emerging digital technologies will be central pillars in providing such an experience.  Be it customers or employees, or investors, digital can substantially and significantly enhance the experience.  This has to be architected by our people and the starting point is to imagine the opportunities through the lens of digital technologies. To enable each employee in our organization to do this, it is imperative that they have a foundational knowledge of the various digital technologies.  We’re committed to ensuring all of our employees are digitally proficient and conversant with digital technologies as we adapt to the future.”

Kirti Seth, CEO, SSC NASSCOM, said “Now more than ever, the need for each citizen to get equipped with the skills of emerging technologies is of paramount importance to leverage the waves of opportunity rising up through this digital transformation we are going through.   It is also important for each individual to talk the language of ‘digital’ and stay in tune with the world that is changing rapidly around us.  FutureSkills Prime has a vision to make individuals from across sectors, and across job roles digitally fluent. We're proud that our voice has been recognized by industries across sectors. The fact that Elgi Equipments, a leading compressor manufacturing company is going to leverage FutureSkills Prime to build the digital quotient of their employees, is a strong signal of how this need cuts across all industries and domains.  I wish Elgi’s employees an exciting learning journey to not just build on their technological foundations but unleash a fresh burst of creativity. This digitally ready workforce will be the key to not just exponential growth of their company but contribute to India’s dream of creating a trillion dollar digital economy.”

FutureSkills Prime – a platform built by the government and the IT industry focuses on providing a solution to challenges when upskilling people with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Big Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, and more. The registered candidates can develop core proficient skills, take aptitude diagnostics tests, acquire SSC NASSCOM certifications and scholarships, and become more digitally fluent.

About ELGi: Elgi Equipments Limited is a global air compressor manufacturer with a broad line of innovative and technologically superior compressed air systems. ELGi has consistently worked towards ensuring that its customers achieve their productivity goals while keeping the cost of ownership low. ELGi offers a complete range of compressed air solutions from oil lubricated and oil free rotary screw compressors, oil lubricated and oil free reciprocating compressors and centrifugal compressors, to dryers, filters and downstream accessories. The company’s portfolio of over 400 products has found wide application across industries. For further information on the organisation and its products, please visit http://www.elgi.com

About FutureSkills Prime

FutureSkills Prime is the first of its kind public-private partnership, between Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and NASSCOM to build a digital skilling ecosystem for the citizens of India.

It is committed to guiding and empowering the Indian professionals towards playing exciting, valued, and purposeful roles in a future that has significant possibilities, enabled by new-age digital technologies.

FutureSkills Prime is upskilling professionals in various sectors, IT, non-IT as well as students across India towards building a nation-wide digital talent pool. In the short journey, it has upskilled 3,70,000+ citizens of India, 89 % of whom are youth, 35% are women, thereby, contributing towards the vision of making the country a Digital Talent Nation. https://futureskillsprime.in/

Keysight First To Submit Protocol Test Cases For Verifying 5G New Radio Devices That Support Release 16 Features To 3GPP

* Accelerates verification of designs that support 3GPP Rel-16 use cases

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that the company’s S8704A Protocol Conformance Toolset was used to submit the first protocol test case for verifying 5G new radio (NR) devices that support release 16 (Rel-16) features to 3GPP.

As a result, device vendors can accelerate verification of designs that support 3GPP Rel-16 features. Many mobile operators are expected to implement 3GPP Rel-16 capabilities to improve coverage, capacity, latency, security, power consumption, mobility and reliability. Release 16 includes new features that support transportation, private 5G, industrial internet of things (IoT), among other use cases.

“Early availability of 3GPP 5G NR test cases for Rel-16 are needed to speed the realization of smart city, smart factory and autonomous vehicles,” said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight's device validation solutions business. “Keysight continues to demonstrate technical leadership by being first to submit test cases to 3GPP RAN5, a workgroup within 3GPP that is focused on the specification of conformance testing at the radio interface for the user equipment.”

The test case, submitted for verification to 3GPP RAN 5 on August 6, 2021, allows chipset and device vendors to verify functionality related to self-organizing networks and the minimization of drive testing. Keysight’s Protocol Conformance Toolset enables users to verify protocol signaling performance of a design and confirm compliance to 3GPP 5G specifications. This toolset is part of the company’s suite of 5G Network Emulation Solutions, which leverage the company’s UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform to address the device development workflow from early design, to acceptance and manufacturing.

In February 2021, Keysight’s 5G network emulation solutions were also used to establish the industry's first 5G NR data connection based on 3GPP Rel-16. As the latest 5G NR standard, 3GPP Rel-16 offers advanced capabilities such as support for ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), unlicensed spectrum, satellite communications, DL-based positioning, power efficiency and integrated access and backhaul (IAB).

About Keysight Technologies 

Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow's technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics markets. Keysight generated revenues of $4.2B in fiscal year 2020.