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Strategies & Market Trends : India Coffee House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (5288)	7/27/1999 1:14:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 12475

Goldman Sachs forecasts e-commerce boom in India Source : Business Standard Jul 27, 1999, 8:44:27 AM A rapid increase in the number of private Internet service providers and the current regulatory regime of non interference in setting tariffs would result in fierce competition among major players and drive down costs in India, a Goldman Sachs Investment Research study has said. Goldman Sachs predicts a 76 per cent compounded annualised growth in the number of users by 2003, the fastest in Asia. Quoting figures from International Data Corp, a global body that tracks developments in information technology, the Goldman Sachs study forecasts nine million users in the country by 2003. The study says the value of e-commerce transaction in India will increase to over $ 1.7 billion in 2003 from $ 3.5 million in 1998. "It is clear that one of the factors driving this is the liberalization of the ISP industry which drives the growth of the Internet user base," the study says. "India's flourishing software industry lends itself to a successful Internet industry. The needed skills and entrepreneurship is clearly present in the software sector and we believe the software companies are likely to increasingly incubate in house talent," the study says. The Goldman Sachs study, however, points out that currently penetration of personal computers is "extremely low" of about two million units for a population of close to one billion. "As the PC is the basic device for Internet connectivity, PC penetration must increase for the ISP services to increase," the report says. The problem is also compounded by the low telephone penetration, it adds. Currently, there are 19.1 million telephones in India and the report points out that the number of telephone lines must also increase to facilitate the spread of the Internet services.

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (5288)	7/27/1999 9:10:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Respond to of 12475

India's Aptech to Triple Sales With More Centers (Update1) aptech-worldwide.com Bloomberg News July 27, 1999, 4:11 a.m. PT (Adds closing stock price, more comments from the company.) Mumbai, July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Aptech Ltd., which has trained more than one million people to use computers, says it will triple sales by the end of 2002 as it opens more training centers in India and abroad. Aptech made $64 million in revenue last year from teaching people how to write programs, set up computers networks and fix computer bugs. Only 28 of its 1,248 training centers are outside of India, in 20 countries from Bangladesh to Botswana, but now the company plans to focus more on growth abroad. ''We have identified China and Egypt as our major thrust areas,'' for the next two years, Pramod Khera, executive director of the Mumbai-based company, said in an interview. ''We will be opening our first center in Egypt by the end of November,'' the first center in China by October and 10 others in other countries by the end of the year, he said. More than 90 percent of Aptech's annual sales of 2.77 billion rupees in 1998 came from its education and training business. Revenue from training abroad was less than 100 million rupees. Khera said Aptech plans to boost its total revenue to 10 billion rupees by the end of 2002 as it lifts its international sales to 1.5 billion rupees. ''Its a positive sign that the company is going international as the company has very good expertise in the education business,'' which it can apply in other developing countries, said Hitesh Zaveri analyst at ASK-Raymond James Securities India Ltd. The company, which started operations in 1984, offers a range of training programs, from one-week courses that teach housewives and students how to turn on a computer and use a mouse to professional courses which can last up to 4 years and teach complicated programming or how to set up websites to buy and sell goods on the Internet. Domestic Expansion Aptech plans to open 130 new centers in India in the next three years, which will raise the total number of centers in the country to 1,500. In the second quarter, Aptech's profit rose 18 percent to 258.6 million rupees as its sales rose 23 percent to 1.02 billion rupees. Khera said he expects profit to grow by more than 40 percent to 470 million rupees for the full year. He said its profit will get a boost this year from software exports, which should double to 500 million rupees. To be sure, analysts warn that Aptech's plans to open new centers may not be enough to keep it ahead of its competitors. Aptech needs to focus more on teaching people to use the Internet. ''It remains to be seen whether their business model which has been successful in India, can be replicated elsewhere,'' said Aniruddha Dange, analyst at ABN Amro Asia Equities (India) Ltd. in Mumbai. ''Aptech has been successful in the instructor-led training but still needs to prove itself in the net-based model.'' Dange said that NIIT Ltd., India's largest computer training company, has been better so far at using the Internet to train students. NIIT already has more than 8,000 students taking its courses on line while Aptech has just begun on-line training. The Internet-based training market will expand to $1.9 billion worldwide in the next two years, according to a International Data Corp., an international computer research firm. Aptech shares, which have risen 17 percent so far this year,fell 6 percent to 635.00 on the Stock Exchange, Mumbai today.

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (5288)	7/27/1999 9:13:00 AM
From: JPR	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12475

I feel that in his untimely death India has lost a great friend. A person who understood the Indian point of view on various issues involving our relations with other countries including Pakistan. His death is a great loss for us. He may not have been in politics, but having him around would definitely have been a source of strength. JFK Jr: I want to bring the following to your attention. 1: How come that the licensing agency let him fly in the night, when he did not have certification for instrument landing & piloting? 2: Why are some people so bothered about the expenses incurred at the search and recover operation? Don't they know that the same treatment is given to any US citizen? Yes, I agree he got more than the usual accorded to other citizens. The expenses are nothing, when compared to all the cumulative services provided by this family to this nation and the world. And also, we know examples such as a Govt-financed stately funeral arrangements to a private citizen, Gandhi. Did not India owe him that much? 3: What is this all about, when people started comparing him to Princess Diane, Mother Theresa, Alexander the Great etc? JFKJr led a private life not seeking fame and name. There lies his strength and character. He resented the fact that he was addressed as John John. The fame and name would have come to him on his own terms, if he had lived longer. But to thrust him on a pedestal is a disservice to him, because it makes it that much easier to bring him down from that lofty position. Just a lonely voice in the wilderness. JPR

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (5288)	7/27/1999 9:22:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Respond to of 12475

National Aluminium Company Q1 net up 22%,sales up 52% Date: 7/27/99 11:11:36 AM Nalco Q1 net profit up 22% to Rs 737.1 mn nalcoindia.com National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) has registered healthy growth of 52% yoy in sales at Rs 4.28 bn and 22% yoy increase in net profits at Rs 737 mn during Q1 FY 2000, on the back of higher production. The improvement in the Q1 is mainly on the back of higher production as the company's smelter problems faced during H1 FY 99 have been resolved. The company has increased prices of aluminium from July onwards and alumina prices have also risen by US$45-50/ ton. The benefit of the price increases will be available during the remaining period of the current fiscal. We expect a further improvement in performance from Q2 onwards.