IIE Signs MoU With MoRD To Enhance The Impact Of Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme

In line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), to promote entrepreneurship at a local level amongst the rural youth.

Under the agreement, the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), the sub scheme of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), with the core objective of promoting employment opportunities in rural India, particularly developing self-employment avenues for unemployed rural people.

By developing a sustainable model for Village Entrepreneurship Promotion, the programme aims to enable the rural poor (from the SHG ecosystem) to start their own businesses. This will be accomplished through the use of integrated ICT techniques and tools for training, capacity building, business advisory services, and the provision of loans from banks, SHGs, and federations.

Dr. Lalit Sharma, Director of IIE, and Shri Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Director of MoRD, signed the MoU in the presence of Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, MSDE, Ms. Anuradha Vemuri, Joint Secretary, MSDE, and Shri Charanjit Singh, Joint Secretary MoRD.

The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, Assam, will act as a National Resource Organisation (NRO) for the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) and will provide support to the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) for the scheme's successful implementation. The NRO is expected to play a two-fold role in the SVEP's implementation, i.e.  Implementation Role, which will include direct SVEP implementation in the blocks as implementing partners with the States, and Programme Scale-Up Role, in which IIE will be responsible for scaling up the scheme based on the blocks' experience with the SVEP and their prior experience with entrepreneurship development programmes.

The main objective of Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is to develop local resources by training a pool of village level Cadre of Community Resource Persons-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP) and build the capacity of the NRLM and SHG federations to monitor, direct the work of the CRPEPs. The programme will also help the rural entrepreneurs to access finance for starting their enterprises from the NRLM SHGs and federations, the banking systems including the MUDRA.

Commenting on the MoU, Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, "The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) being implemented by the IIE is a great way to empower the youth of rural India with the relevant skill sets and promote entrepreneurship at local level. With the experience that IIE has, we will ensure strong implementation mechanism and handholding support to State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) implementing Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP). We are certain that this will further boost the employment opportunities in rural India with a step in the direction of Atmanirbhar Bharat and as our Hon’ble Prime Minister states, Start-ups will be the backbone of the New India of our dreams.”

With the MoU in place, the MoRD will inform all states/UTs about IIE's empanelment as an NRO under the SVEP to help accelerate growth. In addition, IIE will work closely with SRLMs to serve as the SVEP's National Resource Organisation. IIE and the respective SRLM will be in charge of allocating SVEP blocks for implementation. Additionally, because MoRD will not be involved in the allocation of SVEP blocks to NRO for programme implementation, a separate MoU should be signed between NRO and SRLM for SVEP implementation.

The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, Assam, established in 1993, is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The institute's main goal is to provide training, research, and consulting services in small and micro enterprises (SMEs), with a special emphasis on entrepreneurship development.

About Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) 

The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) was established in the year 1993 in Guwahati by the erstwhile Ministry of Industry (now the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), Government of India as an autonomous National Institute to undertake training, research and consultancy activities in small and micro enterprises focusing on entrepreneurship development.

About Ministry of Rural Development( MoRD)

The Ministry of Rural Development, a branch of the Government of India, is entrusted with the task of accelerating the sustainable and inclusive growth of rural India through livelihoods opportunities, social safety net and developing infrastructure.. Being the nodal Ministry for most of the development and welfare activities in the rural areas of India, the Ministry of Rural Development plays a pivotal role in the overall development strategy of the country. The vision and mission of the Ministry is sustainable and inclusive growth of rural India through a multipronged strategy for eradication of poverty by increasing livelihoods opportunities, providing social safety net and developing infrastructure for growth. This is expected to improve quality of life in rural India and to correct the developmental imbalances, aiming in the process, to reach out to most disadvantaged sections of the society.

Capco India Announces Major Recruitment Initiative To SupportI Its Global Financial Services Clients

* Global management and technology consultancy 

* plans to hire over 500 consultants across its Indian locations 

Capco, the global management and technology consultancy, has announced it is undertaking a major recruitment drive in India to meet rising demand for its services from locally-based global financial services institutions. 

As these clients continue to focus on optimising customer experiences, operating models and internal automation, Capco is looking to fill over 500 roles in the coming months in a broad range of specialist areas across consulting, data, digital and technology. The roles are variously based in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, and Chennai. 

Drawing on the deep domain knowledge and wide financial markets experience within Capco’s global business, Capco India provides a broad range of business and technology transformation services solutions to premier financial services clients around the world. It currently employs some 1,400 consultants and financial services specialists across its locations – almost 20% of Capco’s global workforce. Key services within Capco India’s offering include business change services, Finance Risk and Compliance (FRC), digital engineering and innovation, data & analytics, technology delivery and project management office (PMO) services for large global transformation programs. 

Hiri Kowshika, Managing Partner and Head of Capco India, said: “This current initiative to expand our pool of talent and expertise is the latest phase in our ongoing and significant investment in India, which already saw us recruit 500 new colleagues in 2021. Capco India is a critical part of Capco’s business and provides support globally to many of the world’s leading financial institutions. We act as the bridge between business and technology organizations to support our clients’ strategies around the technology-driven digital transformation, business process change, new ways of working – and, ultimately, the ongoing reshaping and recalibration of the wider financial services industry.  

“We look to do things differently at Capco, and that includes championing an empowering and entrepreneurial ‘Be Yourself at Work’ culture that puts a premium on respect, diversity and creativity. We are committed to supporting our employees in growing their skills and careers though our learning and development programmes and mentoring schemes. We also look to lead by example around issues such as sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and in India we have a particularly active employee-led CSR programme that is focused on making a real difference and adding value to the lives of individuals, businesses, and communities. ” 

Details of open roles at Capco India can be found at www.capco.com/Careers 

About Capco, A Wipro Company 

Capco is a global technology and management consultancy specializing in driving digital transformation in the financial services industry. With a growing client portfolio comprising of over 100 global organizations, Capco operates at the intersection of business and technology by combining innovative thinking with unrivalled industry knowledge to fast-track digital initiatives for banking and payments, capital markets, wealth and asset management, insurance, and the energy sector. Capco’s cutting-edge ingenuity is brought to life through its Innovation Labs, and award-winning BYAW culture and diverse talent. To learn more, visit www.capco.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn Instagram, and Xing. 

JK Tyre Sets Another Industry Benchmark, Introduces ‘Puncture Guard Tyre’ In Indian Market

* Brings advanced tyre technology to India ensuring more safety and comfort to customers 

Revolutionizing India’s tyre market, the pioneer of Radial technology and leading tyre manufacturer, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., has launched India’s first Puncture Guard Tyres for four-wheelers.

Driven by the technological expertise of producing high performance tyres suited for Indian conditions, JK Tyre, aims to revolutionize the industry with Puncture Guard Tyres for new generation cars available in market.

The Puncture Guard tyre technology, with specially engineered self-healing elastomer inner coat, applied inside the tyres through an automated process, heals the punctures. Tyres with this technology can self-repair the multiple punctures in the tread area, due to nails or other sharp objects up to 6.0 mm diameter instantly.  Puncture Guard tyre offers hassle free ride throughout the life of the tyre without air loss.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director said, “JK Tyre has always been a front-runner when it comes to innovation-led technological development. With the introduction of Smart tyre technology in 2020 and now the Puncture Guard Tyre technology, we have yet again delivered on our commitment to provide advanced mobility solutions to our customers. This technology offers high level of safety and convenience to vehicle owners. The Puncture Guard tyre technology was part of the concept tyres unveiled at the Auto Expo 2020 and in line with JK Tyre’s initiative to foray into breakthrough innovations this year.”

To ensure safe rides, the advanced Puncture Guard tyre has been tested across all Indian on-road, as well as off-road conditions. The tyres are secure, unique and designed for optimal performance, drastically improving road safety while mitigating any potential accidents

JK Tyre & Industries Limited

The flagship company of JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world. Pioneers of radial technology, the Company produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. The Company provides end-to-end solutions across segments of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, farming, Off-the-Road and two & three-wheelers.

A global force, JK Tyre is present in 105 countries with over 180 Global distributors.  The Company has 12 globally benchmarked ‘sustainable’ manufacturing facilities - 9 in India and 3 in Mexico – that collectively produce around 35 million tyres annually. The Company also has a strong network of over 4000 dealers and 600+ dedicated Brand shops called as Truck Wheels, Steel Wheels and Xpress Wheels.

JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment towards innovation is reflected through its state-of-the-art global research and technology centre – the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence - in Mysore, which houses some of the world’s finest technologies and techniques.

JK Tyre launched India’s first ever ‘Smart Tyre’ technology-and introduced Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) which monitors the tyre’s vital statistics, including pressure and temperature. The company recently rolled out its 20 millionth Truck/Bus Radial tyre becoming the first and the only Indian company to achieve this milestone.

It is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be included in the list of Super brands India in 2019 for the seventh consecutive year. JK Tyre has been conferred the Sword of Honour for Safety across its plants by the British Safety Council, UK. The company entered the Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre - VEM 04.

JK Tyre is also synonymous with motorsport in the country. For over three decades, the Company has relentlessly worked towards shaping India’s positioning as the motorsport hub of Asia, developing the right infrastructure for the sport and promoting young talent in the arena.

A Leading Payments Service Provider - Atom; Rebranded As NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd

* NTT DATA, a top-10 global IT Services provider, currently operates payment companies in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and India

* NTT DATA acquired majority stake in the Indian Payment Company, Atom Technologies in 2019 and now renames it to NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd.

* Post-acquisition, the company recorded a continuous remarkable growth.

Atom Technologies Ltd, an end-to-end payment service provider, today announced that it will now operate as NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd. The brand aids merchants in India to provide a seamless payment experience to customers, both online and offline. The rebranding is part of NTT DATA’s global growth initiative in the payment solutions space within the Indian and Asian markets.

NTT DATA is a part of the $112 billion NTT Group, that is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan where it is a market leader in IT and Business Services. NTT DATA Payment Services India (erstwhile Atom) will be able to leverage NTT DATA’s global reputation across all their businesses and impact their sales initiatives with the merchants. NTT DATA Payment Services India will also be able to access global financial networks of NTT group companies and their partners in each region, while harnessing cutting-edge technologies.

The newly rebranded entity will be led by Chief Executive Officer Dewang Neralla from its Mumbai headquarters. The company clocked Rs 122 crore as turnover in FY 2020-21, and it has surpassed the number by more than 100% in the current financial year.

Commenting on the announcement, Dewang Neralla, Chief Executive Officer, NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd, said, “The rebranding is a step keeping our growth prospects in mind. As a company, we have always focused on becoming leaders at the segments we operate in. With the resources and strategic might of our parent company, we will now be able to penetrate deeper into our existing markets, while broadening our global reach and innovative solutions.”

Takeo Ueno, Whole-Time Director, NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd. said, “As one of the leading IT Services providers globally, NTT DATA has the technical expertise that will help us innovate our solutions to become more cutting-edge. As a growth enabler, we have well-established plans for the constantly evolving Indian market.”

As NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd., the company will be able to leverage additional resources to strengthen their foray into new segments in addition to current segments in the education, healthcare and brokerage sector, and markets in the future. The company will also continue to build innovative systems to streamline in-store and in-mall experience for consumers.

NTT DATA Corporation holds about 60% stake in Atom Technologies. The top-10 global business and IT Services provider has more than 1.3 lakh professionals in over 50 countries.

About NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd.

NTT DATA Payment Services India Ltd., formerly known as Atom Technologies Ltd., is an end-to-end payment service provider offering a myriad range of payment solutions through online and offline platforms via point of sale, payment gateway, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and mobile applications. The company offers a host of digital payment solutions tailor-made to cater to the needs of its merchants such as point of sale, online payment gateway, mobile applications, wallets, BNPL, IVR, QR codes and white-labelled solutions. Being a veteran in the payments industry, the company services more than 6 million+ merchants, and has processed more than 100 million transactions, worth INR 800+ billion, annually. Visit us at www.nttdatapay.com

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA – a part of NTT Group – is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables clients, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients' long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries. Visit us at nttdata.com.

SBI Card Inks Partnership With Nature’s Basket To Launch India’s Leading International Gourmet Card

* Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ will be the first-of-its-kind credit card to offer unique benefits around international gourmet and lifestyle spends

* The card will be an important addition to SBI Card’s already robust premium portfolio

SBI Card, India’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, has inked partnership with Nature’s Basket, India’s leading premium grocery store brand, to launch “Nature’s Basket SBI Card”. Thoughtfully crafted to cater to the fast-evolving gourmet taste of premium consumers, the first-of-its-kind ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ will address their unique lifestyle related spend needs, including grocery and gourmet. The card will be introduced in two variants – ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ and ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite’ to enable cardholders to derive maximum value from their spends at Nature’s Basket stores along with other key spend categories such as international travel, dining, and entertainment. Nature’s Basket SBI Card will be available to customers by around first fortnight of April 2022. 

‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ variants will allow cardholders to earn up to 20 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent at Nature’s Basket stores and up to 10 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent on dining, movies, and international travel. Importantly, the cardholders will be able to enjoy unparalleled benefits such as complimentary Bookmyshow movie tickets, Taj gift vouchers, Nature’s Basket welcome gift vouchers, and access to higher tiers of Nature’s Basket loyalty program, among others. 

With the changing lifestyle preferences and increasing disposable income, consumers are seeking premium products and experiences. At SBI Card, premium cards portfolio contributes a significant share in overall spends, which is an indication of consumers’ increasing affinity towards premium lifestyle.  

According to Mr. Rama Mohan Rao Amara, MD & CEO, SBI Card, “India’s premium consumer segment continues to offer a strong potential for growth. Over the years, we have built a robust premium products portfolio and Nature’s Basket SBI Card, with its exclusive benefits and privileges for consumers, will help to further strengthen it. We are delighted to partner with Nature’s Basket which has been instrumental in crafting the gourmet food story in India and has millions of loyal consumers. Through this card, we hope to provide them with an exceptionally premium experience.” 

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Devendra Chawla, MD & CEO, Spencer’s Retail & Nature’s Basket said, “As a leading international gourmet and premium grocery brand in the country, we consistently strive to bring more value & delight to our esteemed customers. Launch of Nature’s Basket SBI Card that rewards customers on their varied purchases is a key step in the direction. We are very thrilled to be partnering with SBI Card to launch this co-branded card that will provide numerous benefits to our valued customers and deepen our relationship with them.” 

Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite will offer complimentary Bookmyshow movie tickets worth Rs 6,000 every year. Both the variants will come with compelling spends-based milestone benefits. Through Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite, cardholders will be able to avail Taj gift vouchers of worth Rs 10,000 upon achieving annual spends of Rs 6 lakh and annual fee reversal at Rs 10 lakh spends milestone during membership year. On the other hand, Nature’s Basket SBI Card users will get gift vouchers of premium brands worth Rs 3,000 upon achieving Rs 3 lakh annual spends and will become eligible for annual fee reversal upon reaching annual spends milestone of Rs 2 lakh.  

Aimed at elevating the premium experience of customers, Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite goes a step further and will offer customers exclusive privileges like exclusive check-out counters at Nature’s Basket stores and concierge assistance to address customers’ requirements around flower delivery, gift delivery and online doctor consultation. The cardholders will also be able to use the card to avail complimentary access to airport lounges while travelling domestically and internationally. Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite will offer 8 complimentary visits per year to domestic lounges and 6 complimentary visits per year to international Priority Pass lounges. Nature’s Basket SBI Card customers will be able to avail 4 complimentary visits per year to domestic lounges. 

The annual membership fee of Nature’s Basket SBI Card and its Elite version will be Rs 1499 and Rs 4,999 respectively. It will be launched on Visa platform.   

Key Highlights of Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite 

Reward Points: 

20 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent at Nature’s Basket stores (online and offline). 

10 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent on dining, entertainment, and international travel. 

2 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent on all other categories. 

Complimentary Bookmyshow tickets: 

Complimentary movie tickets worth Rs 6000 every year (Limited to Rs 250 per ticket for 2 tickets per month). 

Milestone benefits: 

Taj gift vouchers worth Rs 10,000 on achieving annual spends millstone of Rs 6 lakh during the respective card membership year. 

Annual fee waiver upon achieving annual spends milestone of Rs 10 lakh during the respective card membership year. 

Welcome Benefits:  

Direct access to Connoisseur tier of Nature’s Basket loyalty program. 

Nature’s Basket gift vouchers worth Rs. 4999. 

Travel benefits:  

08 complimentary visits per year (max 2 per qtr.) to domestic lounges. 

06 complimentary visits per year (max 2 per qtr.) to international Priority Pass lounges. 

Premium privileges: 

Exclusive check-out counters at Nature’s Basket stores. 

Free invitation to special events – culinary classes and wine cheese pairing. 

Concierge service - Dedicated assistance on Flower Delivery, Gift Delivery, Online Doctor Consultation. 

Fuel Surcharge Waiver: Up to Rs 100 per month  

Key Highlights of Nature’s Basket SBI Card 

Reward Points: 

10 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent at Nature’s Basket stores (online and offline). 

5 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent on dining, entertainment, and international travel. 

1 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent on all other categories. 

Milestone benefits: 

Gift vouchers of premium brands worth Rs 3000 on achieving annual spends millstone of Rs 3 lakh during the respective card membership year. 

Annual fee waiver upon achieving annual spends milestone of Rs 2 lakh during the respective card membership year. 

Welcome Benefits:  

Direct access to Epicure tier of Nature’s Basket loyalty program. 

Nature’s Basket gift vouchers worth Rs. 1499. 

Travel benefits:  4 complimentary visits per year (max 1 per qtr.) to domestic lounges. 

Fuel Surcharge Waiver: Up to Rs 100 per month.  

About SBI Card 

SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited is a non-banking financial company that offers extensive credit card portfolio to individual cardholders and corporate clients which includes lifestyle, rewards, travel & fuel, and banking partnerships cards along with corporate cards covering all major cardholders’ segments in terms of income profile and lifestyle. The brand has a wide base of over 13 million cards in force as of Q3 FY22. It has diversified customer acquisition network that enables to engage prospective customers across multiple channels. SBI Card is a technology driven company. 

Aegon Life Appoints Srinidhi Shama Rao As Chief Strategy Officer To Drive Exponential Growth

* Elevates key talent to lead strategic business units and scale business through 100 distribution partners in 2022. 

Aegon Life, Digital India’s life insurance company, announced the appointment- of Srinidhi Shama Rao as Chief Strategy Officer to drive its digital-only strategy and achieve exponential growth. Srinidhi will be reporting to Satishwar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO, Aegon Life, and shall oversee Analytics, Alliances, Marketing, Sales, and Product Innovation. Srinidhi’s appointment enhances the strategic, operational, and business build-out capabilities for the tech-first organization. 

The move is part of a sweeping changes at the Life Insurer to drive exponential growth and scale to 100 digital distribution partners in 2022. Srinidhi brings deep experience in digital transformation and implementing data-driven strategies from multiple industries and geographies. Over the last decade, he has been helping Fortune500 companies make better decisions using Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Behavioral Economics, Design Thinking, Game Theory, Systems Thinking, and other tools. 

Satishwar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO, Aegon Life, commented on the appointment, “We are excited to bring Srinidhi aboard. He will be instrumental in boosting our planning, strategy, and data capabilities so we can revolutionize how life insurance is sold. And he will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our vision of making every Indian household financially secure. His experience with analytics and AI-driven business strategies will drive business growth.” 

Speaking on his appointment, Srinidhi added, “The Customer prefers digital as their primary channel, so it’s exciting to lead Strategy at a company where operations are not run by people but by technology, and an underwriter is not a person but an algorithm. Aegon Life is transforming the way life insurance is distributed and sold. With our next-gen Tech Stack, AI Stack and Agility Stack, we aim to make purchasing an insurance policy as easy as ordering food online; and integrating with a new distribution partner a matter of minutes rather than months” 

Alongside Srinidhi’s appointment, there have been several elevations of key personnel to accelerate this growth. The team has been organized around customer segments instead of products. Devichand Lunawat, Mayank Ravi and V Vineeth Kumar, who were handling key portfolios have been elevated to lead cross-functional teams that cater to these customer segments holistically.  

In addition to the org changes, Aegon Life has been taking many initiatives to attract tech and analytics talent. It has announced a work-from-anywhere policy that would make it attractive for superior talent located across cities. The agile methodology and goal setting is not restricted to tech teams but followed across the organization. Speaking of the shift, Sunita Rath, Chief People Officer (CPO) at Aegon Life said “our aim is to break functional barriers that exist in traditional companies, create a cross-functional team of thought leaders and designers who can scale business through superior design and best-in-class technology. Our vision is to make every household in India financially secure, and that is a gigantic goal that can be achieved only through technology” 

About Aegon Life: 

Aegon Life is India’s first and only fully digital life insurance company, advancing the country’s digital insurance ecosystem and closing the gaps between industry, technology, and people.  It’s innovative experiences and solutions offer greater transparency, accessibility, and ease of use, helping financially secure every Indian household. 

https://www.aegonlife.com/     

Airtel Showcases Exciting Future Of Immersive Video Entertainment On 5G In Indian Market

* Recreates in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s legendary 175 run innings from the 1983 Cricket World Cup, that was missing till now, with immersive video technology over its 5G network 

* Demonstrates India’s first LIVE 5G powered hologram, as Kapil Dev’s virtual avatar interacts with fans in real-time from a remote location   

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s premier communications solutions provider, today showcased 5G’s high-speed, low latency capabilities to transform the future of video entertainment and take the user experience to the next level. 

Using cutting edge immersive video technologies over its high speed 5G test network, Airtel recreated the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s famous 175 not out vs Zimbabwe, during the 1983 Cricket World Cup. A special 175 Replayed video, in 4K mode, brought to key moments from the match to life, which had no video footage due to a strike by TV technicians.

With speeds of over 1 Gbps and latency of under 20 ms, more than 50 concurrent users enjoyed a highly personalized 4K video experience of the match on 5G smartphones, with real-time access to multiple camera angles, 360-degree in-stadia view, shot analysis and stats.

The session was made even more exciting with India’s first 5G powered hologram interaction with Kapil Dev. The Airtel 5G powered virtual avatar of the legendary cricketer appeared on the stage, to interact with the fans in real-time and walk them through the key moments of his innings.     

Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel: “The gigabit speeds and millisecond latency of 5G will transform the way we consume entertainment. With today’s demonstration, we have only scratched the surface of the infinite possibilities of 5G and highly personalized immersive experiences in the digital world. With 5G based holograms, we will be able to transport virtual avatars to any location and this will be a game changer for meetings and conferences, LIVE news and will have so many other use cases. Airtel is fully prepared for 5G in this emerging digital world and is building a solid pipeline of innovative use cases for India. We also take this opportunity to thank the Department of Telecom for giving us the trial spectrum, to validate our technology and use cases.” 

Describing his experience, Kapil Dev added: “I am simply amazed by the power of 5G technology and seeing my digital avatar interact with my fans as if I am actually there. Thank you Airtel for this wonderful effort and bringing to life one of the most important innings of my career.” 

Airtel conducted the demonstration at its Network Experience Center in Manesar (Gurugram) using Ericsson 5G Radio in NSA and SA modes over 3500 MHz band test spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecom, Government of India. 

Airtel is spearheading 5G in India. Earlier this year Airtel demonstrated India’s first 5G experience over a live 4G network. It also demonstrated India’s first rural 5G trial as well as the first cloud gaming experience on 5G. As part of #5GforBusiness, Airtel has joined forces with leading global consulting and technology companies and brands to test 5G based solutions.

About Airtel

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 480 Mn customers in 16 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high speed 4G/4.5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data centre services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and cloud based communication. For more details visit www.airtel.com