LG Begins Rollout Of 2023 Soundbar Lineup In The Indian Market

* LG’s New Soundbars Deliver Immersive, High-quality Audio,

* User-friendly Features, and Eco-conscious Design

LG Electronics India announced the rollout of the 2023 LG Soundbar lineup, delivering a range of stellar, new models that elevate the home entertainment experience with immersive sound, convenient features, and stylish, eco-minded design.

Taking home cinema to a whole new level, LG’s latest high-end soundbars1 provide powerful and precise multi-channel audio that leverages the world’s first center up-firing speaker to create an exceptionally realistic soundstage. The center up-firing speaker enhances the clarity of dialogue and ‘positions’ sounds more accurately in space to make movies and other content feel more lifelike.

The flagship model of the 2023 lineup, the S95QR is the complete package and an ideal solution for home cinema buffs, offering an 810W output, 9.1.5 channels and center up -firing speakers. LG’s top-of-the-line soundbar features a total of five up-firing channels – three on the soundbar itself, and two in the wireless rear speakers – to create an expansive, dynamic soundscape that surrounds users and draws them deeper into the onscreen action and to make Meridian, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and IMAX enhanced content even more immersive.

The premium S95QR also features upgraded wireless rear speakers this year, sporting six channels compared to the four of its predecessors. With triple up-firing drivers complementing four front/side drivers, S95QR’s rear speakers distribute sound evenly across an impressively wide 135-degree angle. This enhanced capability gives users more flexibility when it comes to speaker placement and is especially helpful for those with limited space.

The S95QR, and other select 2023 LG Soundbars, are equipped with a more sensitive receiver that allows for greater distances between the soundbar, subwoofer and rear speakers without adversely affecting audio quality. LG’s premium models also ensure uninterrupted viewing and listening pleasure thanks to improved wireless connection stability that largely prevents any drops or lag in audio output. Meanwhile, Music Mode featuring Meridian Audio’s Horizon technology enables the 2023 soundbars to up-mix two channel audio to 9.1.5-channels for more realistic acoustic surround sound.

LG’s latest high-end models support IMAX Enhanced3, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X2, allowing movie buffs to enjoy authentic cinematic experiences from the comfort of their own living room or private theater. New for this year, LG’s soundbars welcome MERIDEAN support, which delivers a new level of audio three-dimensionality when playing compatible content.

In addition to variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM), which help make console gaming more immersive by perfectly syncing the sound with the gameplay on screen4. It is also equipped with 4K/120Hz pass through, which will provide the best image quality.

The WOW Orchestra feature of the soundbar provides rich surround effect by using TV speakers. It also comes with an improved volume UI design for external audio devices connection. The 2023 soundbars are equipped with AI Room Calibration which intelligently adjusts low-frequency performance to the room’s dimensions for optimized sound delivery. Its frequency band is expanded from 200Hz to 400Hz to improve the balance and loudness of voice.

Commenting on the launch, Hak Hyun Kim, Director- Home Entertainment, LG Electronics India said, “LG constantly works on innovating products with cutting-edge technology and advanced features to offer an immersive experience to our customers. The latest range of soundbars are equipped with the world’s first Center Firing-Up speaker, thus offering a high-end audio experience. We are confident that this innovation will cater to the varied needs of our consumers and will be a game changer in the industry.”

LG Soundbar continues to set the standard for environmentally-conscious design, employing reused and easily recyclable materials, consuming a minimal amount of power during operation, and shipping in eco-friendly packaging. All 2023 models have received SGS Eco-Product recognition from SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA of Switzerland for their minimal environmental impact, and feature polyester jersey fabric made from recycled materials that meets the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).5 Furthermore, LG’s sustainably designed soundbars contain parts fabricated from recycled plastic resin and have been validated by UL’s Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP). LG’s 2023 soundbars are ENERGY STAR® certified thanks to their minimal and efficient use of power.

For more information on the 2023 LG Soundbar lineup, visit LG.com.

Vikas Gupta Joins Vitesco Technologies As “Head of Finance For India Business”

* With a rich background in automotive industry along with 18 years of experience in the field of financial accounting and management 

* Vikas Gupta is excited to take Vitesco Technologies to newer heights 

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced powertrain technologies and solutions for e-mobility, announced recently that it has appointed Vikas Gupta as the Head of Finance for the India business. He will be in charge of the financial operations which include financial planning & analysis, reporting, taxation, risk management and treasury operations for the overall Vitesco business in India.  

Prior to this, Vikas Gupta was the Chief Financial Officer at Napino Control Systems Limited, a JV company of Napino Auto and Vitesco Technologies. He played a pivotal role for the joint venture set up on the financials and the commercials side. Vikas is a qualified Cost and Works Accountancy (CWA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) with 18 years of experience in Paper, Power, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Automobile in the field of Accounting, Costing, Business Controlling, Budgeting/Forecasting, Taxation and Treasury. He was also associated with Genpact and Carlsberg Group in the past.  

Talking about the new role, Vikas Gupta said, “Vitesco Technologies has a great work culture and keeps their values on priority in every decision making. Vitesco Technologies understands its responsibilities towards industry, environment and mankind. It gives me immense pleasure to be working in the esteemed organization and take the responsibility to sustain the values created.” 

Anurag Garg, Managing, Director & Country Head, Vitesco Technologies, India said, “Having collaborated with Vikas in the past, I have a great deal of trust and confidence in Vikas’s abilities and his leadership skills. He is truly passionate about the vision of Vitesco Technologies, and I am grateful to have his support to advance our organization on its future growth trajectory. His vast experience in financial management with strong strategic expertise will help us accelerate towards our next phase of business growth.

Technology And Social Impact Drives John Deere’s “25-Year Success” In India

John Deere continues to innovate, invest, and leverage manufacturing, talent, and India’s supply chain to serve farmers in India and around the world – all designed to enhance farm productivity through technologically advanced products and services.  

The latest example is the 5M series tractor and a production system approach that offers higher horsepower, advanced features and precision technology aimed to reduce cost of farming operations and enhance income levels. 

The introduction of these products and solutions are recent examples of Deere’s continued efforts to provide farmers a wide range of technologically superior farm solutions including tractors, harvesters, and hi-tech implements. 

Media partners were welcomed by Mukul Varshney, Director – Corporate Affairs, PR, Media, and Communication. “John Deere is the world’s leading manufacturer of Agriculture & Turf equipment, products & solutions also serving the construction and forestry industry. John Deere is uniquely positioned to deliver both economic and sustainable value for our customers through advanced technology and solutions. Our 25 years journey in India has witnessed a transformation in Indian Agriculture as well. At John Deere we are truly living our Higher Purpose – We run so life can leap forward.” he commented while sharing about the 187 years of legacy the company has. 

“Our journey in India began 25 years ago with the introduction of advanced product features such as power steering, oil immersed disk brakes, planetary reduction, force feed lubrication, high torque machines and value-add technologies such as front PTO, perma clutch, AutoTrac™, PowrReverser™ and JDLink™,” said Shailendra Jagtap, managing director. “John Deere continues to innovate and introduce these advanced features in India which are now becoming industry standard. The farmers ’outlook is progressive, and they adapt technologies when they see value and cost benefits.”  

Jagtap said Deere remains committed to support the food security mission of the country as well as the changing dietary requirements of the growing populations.  He additionally noted that Deere is proud to lead India from subsistence farming to Agri-entrepreneurship. “Our efforts for a wholistic farm solution and inclusion of women farmers in the farm mechanization journey have been immensely valued by our customers. We see pride in their families as we help women farmers skill themselves and become economically independent” 

Over its 25 years, John Deere has shown significant commitment to investment in manufacturing and product development in India including:   

Tractor manufacturing locations in Pune (Maharashtra) and Dewas (Madhya Pradesh). 

Electronics system manufacturing in Pune (Maharashtra). 

India Engineering Centre in Pune (Maharashtra). 

Enterprise Technology Centre in Pune (Maharashtra). 

Global IT Centre in Pune (Maharashtra) and Bengaluru (Karnataka). 

Parts Distribution Centre in Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh) 

John Deere Finance in Pune (Maharashtra)  

1200 touch points under 580 channel partners across the country, 22 Branch Offices and 4 Zonal Training centers  

Wirtgen Group – A John Deere Company Pune (Maharashtra) 

Jagtap said John Deere is also leading the way to bring technologies to tractors and farm equipment that lower the overall cost of farm operations by reducing the number of operations needed in the field and efficient use of fertilizers and chemicals. These are essential for additionally meeting sustainability goals and reduced emissions – both of which help meet Deere’s strategic ambitions to protect the environment.  

For instance, he said, introduction of technologies such as a front PTO (power takeoff) and specially designed front farm implements have helped reduce the cost of some operations by more than 25 percent while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.   

Photo Captions; Mr. Ramakant Garg, Director, Sales, and Marketing, John Deere India Branch, Mr. Shailendra Jagtap, Managing Director & Country Manager, John Deere Pvt Ltd India, and Mukul Varshney, Director – Corporate Affairs, PR, Media, and Communication, India, Aftica Middle East SE Asia and Asia Pacific, John Deere India Pvt. Ltd. during the "25 years of celebration" 

Bengaluru, Get Your Fill Of Luxurious Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear At Bagline’s New Store In Mantri Square Mall

Bagline is bringing the exclusive Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear collection of luggage, backpacks, business cases and wallets to Bengaluru! The retail brand from Brand Concepts Limited has expanded its footprint to South India with a lavish new store in Malleswaram. Located on the second ground floor of Mantri Square Mall, the new store houses an expansive collection of the trendiest luggage, handbags, wallets and fashion accessories for the Indian market.

Bagline, the premium multi-brand travel and lifestyle store is well loved for its diverse range of luggage, bags and accessories. Bagline also hosts many other exclusive brands such as The Vertical and Sugarush among others. The sprawling new store in Bengaluru is elegantly decorated and reflects the brand’s luxurious retail identity. The brand has opened its doors to fashion-conscious consumers in Bengaluru to offer a luxurious and enthralling shopping experience. Customers can shop from a huge range of Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear like luggage, backpacks, business cases, men’s belts and wallets, The Vertical accessories like backpacks, business cases, men’s wallets and belts, and Sugarush accessories like handbags, totes, women’s wallets, slings and satchels.

Bagline is a part of Brand Concepts Ltd. It operates its retail stores across many cities in India and has 24 exclusive brand outlets. Brand Concepts is a premier resource for licensed fashion and lifestyle brands in the Travel and Accessory category. Their latest store in Bengaluru marks their expansion into Southern India, with the store housed in the city’s premier fashion destination- Mantri Square Mall.

"We are delighted to bring our exclusive collections to the new Bagline store in Bengaluru! As we look to expand across newer cities, we are focused on delivering value to our customers through a comprehensive product portfolio and excellent craftsmanship. Our aim is to grow exponentially as a robust retail chain with a strong manufacturing back-up across the country. Our launch in Bengaluru is a significant achievement in our mission to enhance Bagline’s presence throughout India.” says Nabendu Chakraborty, COO at Brand Concepts Ltd.

Store Information

Store Name

Bagline

Address

S21, Second Ground Floor, Mantri Square no 1, Sampige Road, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560003, India

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday; 10:30 AM – 09:30 PM

About Bagline

Incorporated in the year 2007, Brand Concepts Ltd. specialises in the manufacturing of bags, backpacks & fashion accessories for the Indian market. Brand Concepts is a premier multi-brand resource for licensed fashion and lifestyle brands such as Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear and other inhouse brands. The Bagline portfolio, with its strategic product offering, makes it one of the preferred retailers across all formats. With passage of time Brand Concepts LTD continues to get more efficient and stronger with its technical expertise and increasing market share. The brand is making consistent and significant efforts to transform the latest trends into accessible fashion.

L&T Technology Services And Qualcomm Selected By Thales For Enabling 5G Private Networks In Urban Railways

L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), a leading global pure-play engineering services company, announced it has been selected by Thales to offer 5G driven next-gen connectivity solutions, which will include collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., allowing it to provide cutting edge solutions for the benefit of urban railway operators.

The solution leverages LTTS’ chip-to-cloud expertise, as well as technology portfolio of connected IoT devices and 5G small cells based on Qualcomm Technologies, to develop and deploy solutions for the Global 5G Private Network Industry, with digital offerings aimed at accelerating transformation across a range of industries including railway networks, aerospace, and automotive.

LTTS’ end-to-end 5G capabilities enables global enterprises with faster deployment, cutting-edge applications, and well-rounded managed services. This in turn facilitates creation of virtual private networks for 5G. With the support of Qualcomm Technologies’ comprehensive 5G technologies that enables intelligent cloud edge convergence, LTTS has established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for 5G in Santa Clara (California). This CoE showcases a plethora of critical 5G driven applications, and its Lab-as-a-service offerings include MEC use cases development, end-to-end service validation, POC development showcasing and system integration, as well as validation and verification services for customers in key verticals.

The solution will include collaboration from Qualcomm Technologies which will provide pre-integrated Private Network solutions based on the Qualcomm® FSM™100 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells, and in the future, add the Qualcomm Edgewise™ Suite – a premium RAN automation and management solution. LTTS will facilitate end-to-end system integration, design, and implementation of use cases, engineering consulting, and deployment services along with edge-to-cloud orchestration. The combined prowess in accelerating the adoption of 5G private wireless networks won the distinction of being chosen as the engineering partner for global technology leader, Thales, in its endeavor to establish the ‘Internet of Smart Metros’ which will enable metros and urban railway networks to ‘talk’ to each other and ultimately transform the passenger experience with comfortable, seamless journeys and new services.

The need for increased efficiency in rail network operations coupled with the growing demand for advanced transportation infrastructure has contributed to the evolution of engineering and R&D services in the railroad sector. Analysts expect the smart railway market to grow from $28.9 billion in 2022 to $43 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 8.3 percent, led by advancements in digital technologies.

Ziad Rizk, Chief Operating Officer, Thales, Urban Rail Signalling said, “We are glad to team up with LTTS and Qualcomm Technologies in our mission to meet new mobility demands. As the transportation industry becomes more data-driven, this 5G-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) deployments will provide new ways to monitor metros and infrastructure and deliver the best possible user experience.”

Savi Soin, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Partnerships, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. said, “This engagement with Thales is a great validation of the collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and LTTS to accelerate the benefits of digital transformation for all Enterprises, including smart railways, using 5G Private Networks and connected devices. We are very happy to apply our latest technology innovations and portfolio of connected IoT and small cell products to support LTTS in its engagement with Thales in creating positive ROI and business impact to their customers across Thales’ key geographies and markets.”

Commenting on the occasion, Abhishek Sinha, Chief Operating Officer and Board Member, L&T Technology Services said, “5G is one of our 6 big bets which cuts across our diverse customer base and solutions. Through our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, we are poised to significantly improve the next-mile connectivity in underground transportation leveraging private 5G networks. LTTS’ deep tech capabilities will further accelerate the potential of private 5G in Thales, Urban Rail Signalling’s underground and high-speed rail networks, potentially benefitting commuters around the globe”

About L&T Technology Services Ltd

L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is a listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited focused on Engineering and R&D (ER&D) services. We offer consultancy, design, development and testing services across the product and process development life cycle. Our customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and the process industries. Headquartered in India, we have over 21,600 employees spread across 22 global design centers, 28 global sales offices and 91 innovation labs as of December 31, 2022. 

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technologies – to build a confident future crucial for the development of our societies. The Group provides its customers – businesses, organizations and governments – in the defence, aeronautics, space, transport, and digital identity and security domains with solutions, services and products that help them fulfil their critical role, consideration for the individual being the driving force behind all decisions.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2021, the Group generated sales of €16.2 billion.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

NSE Receives Final Approval To Launch Social Stock Exchange (SSE) As A Separate Segment

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has received final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on February 22, 2023, to set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE.

The Social Stock Exchange segment will provide new avenue for social enterprises to finance social initiatives, provide them visibility and bring in increased transparency in fund mobilisation & utilisation by social enterprises. Any social enterprise, Non-Profit Organization (NPOs) or For-Profit Social Enterprises (FPEs), that establishes its primacy of social intent can get registered / listed on Social Stock Exchange segment.

For eligible NPOs, the first step for onboarding starts with the registration on the Social Stock Exchange segment. Post registration, NPOs can initiate the fund mobilisation process by issuance of instruments such as Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) via a public issue or private placement. Currently the regulations have prescribed the minimum issue size as Rs 1 crore and minimum application size for subscription at Rs 2 lakhs for ZCZP issuance.

For FPE, the process of issue and listing of securities shall be same as applicable for issue and listing of securities under the extant processes of the Exchange (based on eligibility criteria for the Main board, SME Platform or innovators growth platform, as applicable in addition to the criteria provided to be eligible as Social Enterprises).

Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE said: “I take this opportunity to thank SEBI for permitting NSE to launch Social Stock Exchange as a segment. To bring in awareness, we have been conducting various events and hand holding Social Enterprises currently at various stages of onboarding on the Exchange. I take this opportunity to request Social Enterprises to get in touch with our teams to understand the mechanism and benefits from registering & listing on the Social Stock Exchange segment.”

About National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE):

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is the world’s largest derivatives exchange by trading volume (contracts) as per the statistics maintained by Futures Industry Association (FIA) for calendar year 2022. NSE is ranked 3rd in the world in the cash equities by number of trades as per the statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) for calendar year 2022. NSE was the first exchange in India to implement electronic or screen-based trading. It began operations in 1994 and is ranked as the largest stock exchange in India in terms of total and average daily turnover for equity shares every year since 1995, based on SEBI data. NSE has a fully integrated business model comprising exchange listings, trading services, clearing and settlement services, indices, market data feeds, technology solutions and financial education offerings. NSE also oversees compliance by trading, clearing members and listed companies with the rules and regulations of SEBI and the exchange. NSE is a pioneer in technology and ensures the reliability and performance of its systems through a culture of innovation and investment in technology.

For more information,  visit: www.nseindia.com

Airtel Deploys AI-Powered Speech Analytics Solutions For Customer Service Transformation With NVIDIA

Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecommunications service provider today announced that it has built an AI-based solution, in collaboration with NVIDIA which will improve the overall customer experience for all in-bound calls to its contact center.

Airtel contact center operations are amongst the busiest in the world, servicing 360 million+ customers and handling over 100 million calls annually. Delivering high-quality experience to consumers remains the top priority. However, at this scale, manual solutions to audit the contact center agents was a challenge.

Today, Airtel runs automated speech recognition algorithm on 84% of its calls coming into its contact centers. This helps Airtel identify areas of improvement for the agent when they interact with the consumers, leading to better customer experience. For example, if an agent keeps a consumer on hold for a long time, Airtel would be able to detect this and make necessary corrections to reduce hold time. Delivering these insights at the scale of Airtel is typically very expensive due to the heavy compute requirements.

The technology that enables this is the automated speech recognition. In order to develop this specialized speech application, Airtel leveraged the NVIDIANeMo conversational AI toolkit and NVIDIA Triton Inference Server, a multi-framework inference serving software, supported in the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software suite. NVIDIA’s advanced software and Airtel’s deep learning-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) models allow Airtel to accurately interpret language and make practical changes to its operations to serve agents and consumers better, delivering output at 30% of the typical computing cost. This technology also runs on a much lower carbon footprint making it better for the environment through lower Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

Speaking about the engagement, Adarsh Nair, CEO of Airtel Digital, said: “We are thrilled to be working with NVIDIA to build cutting-edge solutions that allow us to serve our customers better. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we do business, and we are confident that this shall help us push the boundaries of innovation in the industry."

“AI-powered speech analytics is helping human agents improve customer service and satisfaction,” said Vishal Dhupar, Managing Director of South Asia at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA AI software, Airtel is boosting call center operations while growing efficiency and saving costs.”

Airtel considers its collaboration with NVIDIA an exciting step forward in the use of AI in the telecommunications industry, one that shall have a significant impact on the way companies leverage technology to serve customers. Airtel is aggressively pursuing next-generation technologies such as AI and ML across multiple facets of its operations. For example, AI and ML is currently being leveraged in the network teams for efficient deployment of towers and in the Wynk music service to drive personalization.

About Bharti Airtel: Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with 500Mn+ customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover 2Bn+ people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the 2nd largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high speed 4G/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 center services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and CPaaS (Airtel IQ). For more details, visit www.airtel.com