Bisinfotech Magazine May 2018

CONTENT

PAGE

08

SANDEEP KAPOOR

28

MOMBASAWALA MOHMEDSAEED

Country Head Marketing - India, Regional Head General Manager Aerospace Defence Marketing - EMEAI Applications | Keysight Technologies SEMICONDUCTORUPDATES

AEROSPACE &

DEFENCE

R A GOTUR Director | Indian Operations HONGFA GROUP – INDIA

LEDUPDATES

TEST & MEASUREMENT

10

04 BISINFOTECH.COM

22 STMicroeletronics Brings STSPIN223, Industry’s First Low-Voltage Motor Driver Infineon Rewarded with Honor Quality Award from Toyota

18 Trump’s New Policy to Arm India with Deadly Drones India Next Big Aerospace, Defence Destination Lockheed Martin

Anritsu Signalling Tester MD8430A Tweaked for LTE-Advanced Pro Support

40 LED Up-Local Stations to Get Brighter After the Western Railways E Godavari, country’s first district with complete LED street lighting

Keysight Technologies India Recognised With Top Test & Measurement Company Award Microlease Rolls Out ‘Pay-as-You-Go’ Test CoE in India to Facilitate Startups and SMEs

PAGE

55

CONTENT

14

SAJAN PAUL

Director Systems Engineering India & SAARC Juniper Networks ICT-

NETWORKING

CONSUMING ELECTRONICS!

ICTSECURITY

ICTCLOUD

52 58 Shocking! 3.24 Million Data Breach Haunted India in 2017

Cisco to Lay Digital Foundation for Gujarat, Launches START Products for SMBs

Distributed Cybercrime’s Growing Threat to Critical Infrastructure

Companies are Bullish on Cloud Analytics, But Need to Speed up the Pace Juniper Networks Announces Expansion of Contrail Enterprise Multicloud

48 HPE Delivers Increased Performance, Security and Efficiency for Azure Stack Deployments Microsoft to Drive Skill Development with Azure Powered Solution SAP Recent Digital4Growth ‘IncTank’ Reaffirmed Inclusive Economic Growth

BISINFOTECH.COM 05

56

UK To Clench Over ‘Dark Web’ Menace, Endows £9M

Academia and Industry Collaborate to Drive UK Supercomputer Adoption

ICTSOFTWARE

ManasNandi

A&D Symposium is uniquely designed to provide a holistic solution for Keysight’s customers and help them with our cuttingedge offerings. We have been developing applications matching our customer needs by closely following their changing demands and requirements. For our existing and potential customers, we have been focusing on providing solutions and sharing different use cases for diverse applications.

Last year, our focus was on providing details and insights regarding our R&D and manufacturing processes from Indian scenario and inculcating best practices from across the world. This year, our focus is on new technologies like drones and trends in electronic warfare, alongside, we are focused on shifting towards services like repair, calibration and asset management in a big way.

The advent of new technologies and increasing competition has inevitably introduced the need to seek new and innovative ways to upskill both partners and customers. Our initiatives like the A&D

Symposium helps to keep our partners upto-date with the transformations and latest industry trends. We make sure to work closely with customers and keep them well informed of the latest technologies and this has opened new opportunities for us. We will make use of such symposiums in the future to our partners stay ahead in the market and will jointly venture into new areas with prospects of collective achievement. We conduct Keysight Measurements Insights which is focused around wireless and high speed digital customers. We also have regular training sessions on products and applications for partners.

Keysight is working locally as well as globally with many Aerospace and Defense companies. There are even major customers across the world that Keysight works closely with. We well we understand their processes, their technology, we understand their practices and methodologies; so from that perspective when these MNC establishes their stores in India, it is not a difficult thing for us. We understand what

kind of work they want us to do and what kind of applications they need. As earlier noted, Keysight has been a frontier on understanding its customers demand. It’s more like replication and customisation for us rather than reinventing.

E l a b o r a t i n g f u r t h e r, M o m b a s a w a l a Mohmedsaeed said that a decade ago, companies like Keysight, or any other company in this space were seeking traction from the DRDO Labs. The Make in India initiative that government is encouraging has given gush to a lot of private companies and Keysight have also seen the traction from this. Keysight is playing a very fundamental role in educating these new upcoming companies, the companies that are getting ready for delivery of complex technologies. They are taking time to ramp up but as said Keysight is playing a pivotal role in bringing them to comply DRDO Labs.

We have a perennial engagement with the DRDO Lab at the same time bringing up the private segment vigorously which we think is much required for the country to deliver the ‘Make in India’ concept. Though, Keysight does not Make in India directly for any of its product, but is significantly contributing to the customers in Aerospace and Defense or any other segment in India.

Yes. Competition is aggressive and technology is hitting a new curve every day. We have an edge over our competition in terms of the products that we offer. Our vast technology and portfolio of products makes us different from our competitors.

Our competitors mainly focus on RF Microwave and Digital. They are not widely present in other product markets. There is no other company as deeply connected to their customers in Test and Measurement space like Keysight. In addition, our recent acquisitions in RF and digital test space further enables us to cater to more prominent customers. We also make sure to keep retain and attract new talent and expertise, so we can continue to serve our customers.

To meet the market requirements and keep up with changing technology trends, we are investing significantly in software solutions. We recently launched a design and test software platform ‘PathWave’. It is industry’s first software platform that integrates design, test, measurement and analysis. It offers a wide range of plug-ins built upon a common architecture and framework and is available in a wide variety of configurations that target specific users, such as a design or test engineers. Customers can build their specific solution by selecting appropriate plug-ins and integrating application-specific content. Built using open, scalable, and predictive principles, the platform will be enhanced by third parties and customers.

Our focus is not in the consumer business and is therefore not part of the price war.

The level of technological depth involved in developing standards, products & applications for 5G and other advanced technologies is quite intense. As a Test & Measurement solution provider, we need to start ahead of technological curve, so that we can help our customers in testing their products. Our entire business model is driven

by specialized technical requirements. Of course, pricing is one of the key but not the sole factor. At Keysight, our practice is to create value for our customers first and then we speak about the price at a later stage.

Our investments in R&D for technologies are signficant and we find ourselves well positioned in the market because our customers appreciate our efforts. Our customers across the world weigh technical superiority and quality of our products and services above the price factor.

A&D Symposium is a flagship event of Keysight. We see a lot of footfall ever year because we create a new ecosystem for the attendees and strive to give them great value every year. This year, the session on ‘Drone Technology’ received a lot of interest from the audience. We customize our A&D symposium or other events based on the industry trends and requirements of the market and customers. Our events in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi have brought solutions closer to our customers and partners. We give them live demonstrations of our solutions, which is quite popular among our attendees like scientists, engineers and academicians. We have regular attendees who appreciate our applications and solutions and acknowledge the information they gained by attending our events.

Our customers find value in what we are presenting during the symposium. We are more focused on application and solutions and not just product. We listen and take feedback from our customers all throughout the year and present them with solutions that address their concerns during these events. This is our underlying focus. Ever since the inception of the Symposium, customer engagement has grown tremendously. A&D Symposium is the one stop place for the customers to find solutions to their problems.

The next generation of mobile communications will launch us forward with more data, more connectivity and lightning fast speeds — moving us into a new age. The race to define 5G architecture is getting gradually written in stone, but the process to design and deploy 5G technology is just beginning.

The industry is making rapid progress but there’s still more work to be done. While wireless network operators are working in various forms, including proprietary pre-5G implementations, these early trials are mostly focused on delivering broadband wireless to fixed locations, called Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). These deployments will not only deliver immediate value to customers, but allow the industry to gain experience with New Radio (NR) and higher frequency bands. Keysight has partnered early with industry-leading chipset and device makers to deliver a common set of 5G design and simulation resources that can be used across the 5G ecosystem. Keysight’s solutions accurately emulate the network, measure 5G devices, base stations and massive subscriber behavior scenarios to reduce errors and speed cycle time. Keysight has applied its expertise in radio frequency, mmWave, protocol and IP networking to develop solutions that enable chipset makers to master complexities of 5G and quickly innovate, transform and win in the market.

In summary, Keysight helps the wireless ecosystem to predict, mitigate and solve 5G design and test challenges by supporting Engineers at different stages of the development lifecycle; by providing customer friendly solutions and doing whatever it takes to get the business advantage in a highly competitive market resulting in innovation as customers transform 5G ideas to reality!

Anritsu Launch of Gigabit LTE (DL 6CA, UL 256 QAM) Evaluation Functions as MD8430A Software Options Anritsu Corporation has made a new announcement extending the functions of the company’s Signalling Tester MD8430A. The new rollout includes a software tweak in Anritsu’s Signalling Tester MD8430A. The new option in the Signalling Tester MD8430A help enables to measure the faster LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro) communications speeds.

• LTE DL 6 Carrier Aggregation Option MD8430A-044 • LTE UL 256QAM Option MD8430A-079 The Signalling Tester MD8430A is an LTE-A Pro base station simulator for configuring a benchtop pseudo-network required to develop chipsets and data terminals.

Adding these software options to extend the MD8430A functions supports world-first

carriers (CCs) supporting higher throughputs

Moreover, combined use with the Rapid Test

• Protocol tests using antenna channel

Designer (RTD) GUI-based test sequence

modeling required to evaluate LTE-A Pro

creation tool makes it easy to both create test

terminal performance in actual usage

cases needed to simulate base stations in

environments

MIMO environments, as well as to efficiently

Anritsu has targeted these tests by releasing

configure various test environments, such

the above two new options to extend the

as locations with poor reproducibility when

LTE-A Pro mobile services.

functions of its MD8430A.

using actual base stations.

As well as supporting Carrier Aggregation

The Signalling Tester MD8430A is a base

• Target Markets: Chipset makers, terminal

station simulator for LTE-A Pro networks. It

makers, mobile operators, etc.

supports LTE-A Pro terminal tests by offering

• Applications: Evaluation of LTE-Advanced

a pseudo-network environment with speeds

Pro chipsets, smartphones, and accessory

of 2 Gbps (DL) and 300 Mbps (UL) at DL

equipment.

data throughput tests at up to 2 Gbps (DL) and up to 300 Mbps (UL) by using DL 6CA and UL 256 QAM at connections with LTE-A Pro terminals.

This release as well as other Anritsu plans to extend the MD8430A functions is said to help earlier worldwide deployment of

(CA) for extending the communications bandwidth, the LTE-A Pro standard uses MIMO antenna technology to achieve communication speeds ranging from 1 to 3 Gbps while moving. Prior to fullscale deployment of 5G communications supporting multi-gigabit speeds, LTE-A Pro aims for a smooth transition from the current LTE technology to 5G with the following key tests for the mobile communications market.

• Tests in environments with more component

6CA and UL 256 QAM, respectively, using the released functions.

In addition, it can output multiple base station signals in the same band from one Tx antenna, helping cut the required MD8430A units even when the number of Tx signals is increased by more CCs.

Keysight Technologies India announces that the company has been recognised with ‘Top Test & Measurement Company Award for the year 2016-17’ at the Annual CyberMedia ICT Awards hosted at DataQuest Digital Leadership Conclave.

The company in its official release cited, this award is a testament of our leadership in Test and Measurement industry in India.

We not only have the highest market share but also have the widest market coverage including the new markets, because of our wide-range of cutting-edge electronic test & measurement products and solutions.

“This leadership award strengthens our resolve to unearth the emerging segments in India while we continue to add value to our customer’s business and help them

achieve electronic breakthroughs”, said, Sudhir Tangri, Country General Manager & Head of Sales, India. He added “I would like to thank every member of the India Sales Team for relentlessly pushing themselves and congratulate them for this coveted recognition.” Keysight India team asserted to be working closely with engineers, researchers and educators across the segments to accelerate innovation in countless manners, such as - establishing a 5G research lab, implementing next-gen automotive test solutions, deploying endto-end modular test solutions in aerospace and defense, enabling testing of PAM-4 for high speed digital, boosting design and manufacturing of mobile devices, setting up of leading-edge labs in academia to

Amid its recent Microlease Test Centre of Excellence launch, the first-of-its-kind unique T&M leasing company has unveiled a new ‘pay-as-you-go’ test facility for start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India.

The new sprawling centre is sought to help users address a broad spectrum of design and prototyping test challenges.

The facility is based on an innovative model offering short-term rental of appropriate testing set-ups based on a huge inventory of test equipment from the world’s leading manufacturers. Users pay to use the facility on a daily or weekly basis.

The Microlease Test Centre of Excellence was officially opened on 12thApril 2018.

Elaborating on the stature of the facility, David Whitfield, CEO Asia, Microlease, cites, “India is emerging as the forerunner in the next era of technology innovations.

Microlease has been deeply involved with the Indian market for over a decade now and partners closely with various agencies,

training institutes and technology companies to facilitate technology growth in India. We have already invested over $20m in the Indian market, primarily in the Telecom testing sector. With the Test Centre of Excellence, we look forward to further strengthening our ties with the Indian market.

The Microlease Test Centre of Excellence is equipped with state-of-the-art, calibrated, hardware and software test solutions that support a broad range of applications including radio and microwave, semiconductor, wireless, IoT, 5G, digital interfaces, automotive electronics, aerospace and defense etc.

The guest of honour at the Centre’s official opening was Mrs. Salma K Fahim, Director IT&BT, KBITS, Government of Karnataka.

The opening included a panel discussion featuring representatives from leading design, engineering, test and manufacturing companies including Cadence, Digital Circuits, Keysight, Mistral Solutions, Rohde & Schwarz, SLN Technologies, and Tektronix.

ensure that the budding engineers are industry-ready, and many more. These awards are the manifestation of various surveys such as Customer Confidence Survey, Data Quest Top 20, Voice & Data Survey 100 done over the year to capture the pulse of Indian ICT industry.

The conference was attended by the senior business leaders from India’s Top 500 enterprises and senior executives from the Indian ICT industry.

Commenting on the Bengaluru Centre, Shailendra Kalra, Country Head, Microlease India states, “By giving SMEs and startups improved, affordable and short-notice access to world class testing facilities, the Microlease Test Centre of Excellence is an ideal initiative to facilitate various Government visions such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Design in India’. Using the Centre, engineers will be able to easily scale, customize and provision test requirements. By finding test assets in seconds rather than days, we can help them reduce product development times and achieve faster time-to-market.”

In addition to the facility itself, Microlease is also known to provide a variety of value added services, such as on-going training and support and consultation for the implementation of custom testing solutions.

The company also offers an ‘intellectual property secure’ test environment for users by guaranteeing a ‘no data holding’ policy.

Spirent Communications showcased latest capabilities in network testing for achieving an optimal balance between security and performance at RSA 2018 between 16th-20th April in Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, United States The Spirent SecurityLabs team demonstrated issues and insights relevant to IoT, malicious attacks, TLS 1.3, and other critical topics including: • Testing, preparing for and avoiding surprises from new encryption standard, TLS 1.3 • Unraveling IoT security complexity while enhancing connectivity and performance • Gaining preemptive intelligence needed to mitigate risks and avoid performance bottlenecks

• Consolidating enterprise vulnerability data and automating continuous scanning through a new, Spirent SecurityLabs integrated web-portal dashboard • Maximizing the use of the latest Spirent testing platform, CyberFlood CF20, an allin-one appliance solution that delivers the full capabilities of the powerful, easy-to-use CyberFlood testing platform in a highly portable, multispeed, compact form factor

Anritsu Corporation announces that its India Subsidiary, Anritsu India Private Limited has commenced operations from its New India Head Office in Bengaluru from 9th April 2018.

Anritsu which began its India Operations in the year 2005 has moved into a 10,000sft office space in the Outer Ring Road Area of Bengaluru. Anritsu India office is involved not only in the Sales, Technical Support and Service of Anritsu products but also actively involved in the R&D, Software Development and Global Support activities for Anritsu products and solutions. India team which is spread across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Noida and Mumbai is expected to cross 100 personnel in the year 2018.

Takeshi Shima (Vice President, Chief Global Sales Officer of Anritsu Corporation, Japan) commented, “India is a very important market for Anritsu and with the recent policy changes like GST and aggressive

Make-in-India campaign from the Indian government; we see a lot of potential for the T&M Market growth. The new office will take care of our growth plans and enable us to serve our customers better and faster with state of art lab facilities” Further, Vasudev Tantry (Country Manager, Anritsu India) added “T&M market is poised for another wave of growth due to emerging technologies like 5G, NB-IoT and V2X. Anritsu is strongly positioned to meet the new testing challenges and decision to move to new head office in India is a logical step in our business growth strategy.”

About Anritsu Anritsu Corporation is a global provider of innovative communications test and measurement solutions for 120 years.

Anritsu’s “2020 VISION” philosophy engages customers as true partners to help develop wireless, optical, microwave/RF, and digital solutions for R&D, manufacturing, installation,

• The latest progress and potential benefit to enterprises, service providers, and equipment manufacturers of NetSecOPEN, the vendor-neutral initiative to define a new open standard for testing enterprise network security performance. Since it was formed late last year, NetSecOpen has grown to include more than 30 participants, including test labs, test tool vendors, enterprises, and security products solutions vendors.

and maintenance applications, as well as multidimensional service assurance solutions for network monitoring and optimization.

Anritsu also provides precision microwave/ RF components, optical devices, and highspeed electrical devices for communication products and systems. The company develops advanced solutions for 5G, M2M, IoT, as well as other emerging and legacy wireline and wireless communication markets.

With offices throughout the world, Anritsu has approximately 4,000 employees in over 90 countries.

in the number of investment proposals received within the sector. This is likely to reduce the dependence on imports.

Wherefore, the rightly placed amendments and Government proposals has potentially divulged the Indian smartphone industry logging 36 percent of all Indian mobile users expected to own a smartphone by 2018. The global smartphone penetration forecast shows that around 50 percent of mobile users worldwide are projected to own a smart device by 2018. Overall, mobile subscriptions are expected to hit 1.4Bn by 2021, said known reports.

Ever since the launch of Qualcomm- the American based telecommunication giant, the company has been working vigorously to give India the real smartphone experience.

The company brings the latest technology into its products which explain the reputation it holds currently. The major Qualcomm's chips are being used in about 30 percent of smartphones in India. Qualcomm is working closely with government authorities to get more Aadhaar-enabled devices onto the market. The public-private strategic partnership is also working with customers including major Android manufacturers to integrate features such as secure cameras and iris authentication technology alliances.

Larry Paulson, the Vice President and President of Qualcomm India, noted that the smartphone market in India is growing at an exceptional pace and believes that the opportunities are limitless. He claims that the affordability of data services is what is driving the growth of the industry. It

further helps the consumers gain access to many services including various schemes and services offered by the Government of India. He told that the smartphone enables consumers in India to not just communicate, but rather to go online, and perform many key functions in their lives –from learning to being connected with friends; making digital payments to applying jobs and many more.

Today the second undeniable name in the Consumer Electronics segment is the SouthKorean tech giant Samsung who was lately been in a fringing strife with Qualcomm for chip licensing practices. Subsequently, other smartphone makers like Huawei, Vivo, Lenovo etc has bout with leading names marking top 5 positions in the in the Indian consumer electronics market.

Although there have been an effort to create electronics that is suitable to the needs of the consumer, there lies ample of challenges to tackle alongside ensuring the growth of the industry. Especially in case of smartphones, consumers are content with their existing phones and reluctant to upgrade to newer models. Slow growth rates aren’t confined to the smartphone segment only. Others too have been affected by consumer reluctance. Until these segments come up with out-of-the-box offerings, this situation is expected to persist.

The Indian electronic market losing its war with China is not a latest gossip. China has impeccable tech and electronics manufacturing industries which is why India sometimes finds it difficult to keep

up. For every three of the new 4G enabled Indian smartphones brands introduced in India, China already would have captured a certain number of consumers for the various products it launches with the prior technology. Therefore, the second challenge could be the Chinese market dominance in the Indian CE scenario.

Gallium nitride has highly unique characteristics such as a high-speed switching capacity, high current density, low resistance, high dielectric strength, and a high operating temperature. Furthermore, gallium nitride semiconductors offer irrefutable mobility to carriers, triply efficient band gap and higher electric breakdown capacity.

The gallium nitride (GaN) device market is rising at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1% from $711.44Mn in 2017 to $1842.8Mn in 2023, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence. Due to various advantages such as higher efficiency and higher operating frequency, many circuit boards used in day-to-day consumer electronic devices are expected to be replaced with GaN technology. GaN’s adoption is expected to revolutionize charging technologies in existing devices, specifically in wireless charging, fast charging and in laptop chargers. For example, Cambridge Electronic Inc has developed transistors for charging purposes that are about 1.5 cubic inches in volume. There are also expected to be many innovations where the charging adapter is included inside the laptop, driving the market for GaN technology in

consumer electronics. Due to their operating efficiency and smaller chip size (which aids cost saving and aesthetic appeal), these devices are also being used in LED-based TV screens. Moreover, the reduction in device size, such as in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), increases the available office space or domestic space that can be used more productively. Moreover, due to the increasing production and export of consumer electronics products from China and Japan, the Asia-Pacific is expected to hold the highest share of the GaN market by 2023.

Consumer electronics are one the most popular segments in technology and have grown tremendously in the past few years.

The incorporation of IoT into this sector has increased the demand for the products at a heightened pace. The development of the cloud computing has raised the expansion rate of the industry considerably.

Upgrades in smartphones are expected to have positive effects on the growth of this industry in the forecast period. The IoT in consumer electronics industry globally is expected to expand up to USD 124 billion while growing at CAGR 24.16 percent through the forecast period.

While scrolling the important facet, the shift of Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEMs) product design and development processes to Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) partners is creating new business models.

Product design, a part of the specialized design services market which is expected to reach $157 billion in 2020 according to TBRC, is being outsourced to reduce overall costs and shift from fixed costs to variable costs.

EMS companies are offering more design services for sub-assemblies and finished products. OEMS are collaborating with EMS partners and moving into new models such as joint design manufacturing (JDM) and outsourced design manufacturing (ODM).

The Threshold of Semi ‘Interconnect’ Segment Intensive competition from Asian countries in semiconductor industry will be a key trend for this very market’s growth. Global Semiconductor Interconnect Market is reckoning to grow at a CAGR of 11.44% during the period 2018-2022. The growth is believed to come from sustainable growth in

global semiconductor industry. The increase in sales of microelectronics and consumer electronic devices is also supporting the growth of the market. With advances in the consumer electronics sector, such as the emergence of 3D and UHD TVs, and hybrid laptops, the demand for semiconductor ICs is expected to increase steadily.

years. Depth-sensing camera lenses and physical environment mapping systems are being prioritized. So is the case for Virtual Reality, many retailers from various sectors like entertainment, video games, and fashion are embracing VR. However, the success of VR in business depends on the convergence of investment, hardware, software, and content.

AI is becoming ubiquitous across all industries — education, healthcare, marketing, telecommunication, transportation, etc.

Technology providers are focusing on three key areas: advanced analytics, autonomous business processes, and AI-powered immersive, conversational, and continuous interfaces. Customer service and experience is a critical area impacted by AI. Gartner expects that by 2018, some of the world’s largest companies will deploy intelligent apps and Big Data analytics to refine their offerings to improve customer experience (CX). With natural language processing and machine learning, businesses can harness AI to mimic human speech patterns to provide better customer experience without human intervention.

Smart homes are the new buzzword, as household appliance manufacturers are integrating IoT technologies with products to connect customers with their homes.

This advanced technology will enable the user to monitor household devices with the smartphone.

With Qualcomm announcing that its chipsets will now power Windows PCs, a thin line between PC hardware and mobile hardware has been drawn. The smartphones of the generation X is expected to be as powerful, if not more, than PCs. Consumers demand more storage and memory in their smartphone and no doubt they will invest more, if the benefits are greater than the previous models. Samsung is reportedly ready with 512GB storage modules for smartphones while the new Snapdragon 845 will support more RAM. Considering how OEMs love to cram more RAM on smartphones and center their marketing around it, it won’t be surprising to see a phone with 10GB or even 12GB of RAM. The most popular case of Augmented Reality was the game, Pokémon GO. Its success made businesses see the potential of AR technology in engaging with consumers through entertainment and gamification.

Similarly, Apple, Google, and Lenovo plan to launch next-generation smartphones with hardware-level AR in the coming

Car manufacturers around the world are using onboard sensors and internet connectivity to improve a car’s ability to connect with the world to enhance customer comfort and safety. By 2020, the global value of the connected car components and services market is estimated at over $150 billion.

Many studies have revealed that a connected car is cost-effective, improves ease of use, and is safer than normal cars. Despite obvious benefits, consumers are not entirely sold on them. Although, the digital safety and data privacy remains the concerns of man the Overpricing and fears of hacking also hinder wholesome adoption of the technology. A McKinsey survey found that most consumers expressed unwillingness to pay extra for a connected car. Only 21% said they would pay for subscription-based connectivity services.

A robust electronics manufacturing sector in India will bring positive externalities in the economy and put India at the forefront of electronics technology. The CE Industries all around are facing new hurdles in getting their products out to market and into the hands of customers but that doesn’t stop the industry. More than ever, consumers are expecting rapidly advancing functionality and innovative new applications to be released quickly and frequently. At the same time, they also want these products to be affordable and eminently functional.

U.S. President Trump had a long-drawn interest on removing the red-tape involved in weapon sales. Lately, the administration announced a new policy that could vastly expand sales of armed drones, a contentious emblem of the shift toward remotely controlled warfare.

But this happens to be good news for Indian A&D. As this new rejig in the policy will render India to purchase hi-tech armed drones from the United States. This is known to empower the counter-terrorism operations.

Reporting on the consequences, NYT reported that the deals can pose an array of challenges, involving not only national security issues, such as the transfer of sensitive technologies, but also economic ones.

Detailing on India-U.S. defence trade expansion, NYT outlined, the world’s largest weapons buyer, often requires defense firms

Lockheed Martin reckons India to be next major defence and aerospace hub. The U.S. A&D major is known to ink several major deals with the Government and between Governments.

With its presence in India for over more than two decades, Lockheed Martin has a manufacturing/assembly facility, in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd in Hyderabad.

The duo is closely watching the progress of major defence deals which could trigger development of the local industry and manufacturing.

After the commissioning of a new facility in partnership with TASL at the aerospace park in Adibatla near Hyderabad international airport, senior executives of Lockheed Martin explained how aerospace and defence in India could be next major opportunity and have potential to become big like the automotive sector over the past few decades.

Phil Shaw, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin

to build weapons in India in partnership with Indian firms, the kind of requirements that the Trump administration finds objectionable in China with regard to cars and other products.

India could also get launch-pads along the Line of Control if the centre were to go ahead with the purchase.

Last year in October, it was reported that the Trump Administration was "considering" India's request for armed drones for its air force, weeks after approving the sale of high-tech unarmed guardian drones to India.

Last year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping $8 billion deal.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit in June 2017, the US announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India.

So far, Indian armed forces operate a

host of Israeli made drones including a limited number of IAI Harpy systems, an anti-radiation drone that homes onto radio emissions which it then attacks in a suicide mission where the drone itself is destroyed after it crashes onto its target.

The drones India is looking to acquire from the United States are larger, more heavily armed and significantly more capable.

According to Dr. Peter Navarro, Assistant to US President Donald Trump for Trade and Manufacturing Policy, the market for drones could be worth more than $50 billion a year within the next decade.

India, Abhay Paranjape, Chief Operating Officer of Tata Lockheed Martin Aerospace Ltd, and John R Losinger, Integrated Fighter Group Communications, explained how the corporation was keenly watching the progress of some of the large defence procurement deals, which could trigger big local development.

Paranjape said Lockheed Martin had initiated a process for Indian manufacturing about 7-8 years ago even before the Government initiated the defence offset policy.

Significantly, the manufacturing facilities that get created in India have the potential to not only serve the Indian requirements but also play a role as a regional hub.

We are prepared and we have a head start.”

“Potentially, India could emerge as a manufacturing hub for F-16. Just as the aviation industry has grown in Turkey over the years for F-16 and fighter planes, there is potential for India to become a major hub for F-16s,” Losinger said. The beauty of F-16 is it could potentially put India in the large global supplies chain. But the outcome depends on the Government procurement decision, he said.

Shaw said, “There are more than 70 suppliers with whom we are in touch who could become our suppliers. They include a number of small and medium enterprises.

“Over the years we have supplied C-130s in 2010 and another 6 last year. Other areas of interest for us are Navy helicopters, multi-role helicopters. That is one areas where Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky are looking to Government and are ready to offer Seahawk Platform that is proven and operates around the world,” Shaw explained.

“We can help navy acquire them quickly as we have a line up,” he said.

“We continue to be in discussions with the Government and there also Government to Government engagement on various deals.

The latter includes Javelin weapon systems, anti-tank guided missiles and vehicle mounted capable ones,” he explained.

The navy helicopter and multi-role helicopter progress has immense potential for development work.

Shaw explained: “Defence procurement world over is a long process and India is no exception. However, the quicker the orders come the better.” These defence deals have potential to strengthen business back home while also creating new jobs in the US and India, Shaw said.

Just when India-U.S. seems to fortify its joint A&D alliance, American lawmakers and experts warned imposition of sanctions on India under a newly-enacted law, if it buys the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia could be disastrous for the Indo-US ties.

Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was signed into law in August 2017 and went into effect in January this year, mandates the Trump administration to punish entities engaging in significant transaction with the defence or intelligence sectors of Russia.

At an event on the Capitol Hill, experts and lawmakers warned that any imposition of sanctions on India, which is now a major defence partner, could be disastrous for the bilateral relationship and as such there is an urgent need to prevent that from happening.

"I do think it (CAATSA) is a serious issue that needs to be dealt. There needs to be a dialogue between the US and India. Our goal is not to sanction India," Congressman Joe Crowley, House Democratic Caucus Chairman, said at the US-India Friendship event.

"But given the kind of destabilising activities

Russia has been doing across the world in

negotiations with Russia for five S-400

particular against democracies, it is important

system worth an estimate USD 4.5 billion.

to slap sanctions against Russia," he said.

The S-400 Triumf long-range air defence

"But when it comes to those third-party

missile system has the capability to destroy

agreements I think there has to be dialogue

incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even

between the US and India; understanding

drones at ranges of up to 400 km. The

the needs that India has as a nation for self-

S-400 missile system can fire three types

defence as well that has to be taken into

of missiles and simultaneously engage 36

consideration," Crowley said in response

targets, thereby creating a layered defence.

to a question.

India is currently in an advance stage of

Tata Sons announces consolidation of its businesses across aerospace and defense sectors under a single entity. The strategic decision is in a bid to more effectively tap a government push to turn the nation into a manufacturing hub.

The entity Tata Aerospace and Defence will encompass the full range of solutions across land mobility, aerospace, weapons system, sensors and command controls, and communication, Tata Sons said in a statement lately. The necessary statutory and regulatory approvals are being obtained, the Mumbai-based company said.

Tata's move comes at a time when India is banking on foreign investments and privatization to boost local manufacturing of military equipment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has pledged to spend up to $250 billion on military modernization over the next 10 years through its "Make in India" campaign. At a speech in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Thursday, Modi said his government has created regulations, processes, and procedures that are industryfriendly, transparent, and predictable to enable defense manufacturing and exports.

The government is set to create two defense industrial corridors in the country that will "utilize the existing defense manufacturing ecosystems in these regions, and further build upon it," he said. Meanwhile, a slew of Indian conglomerates such as Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro, and Mahindra & Mahindra have entered or expanded their presence in the defense sector in recent years. On Thursday, Mahindra said its defense systems unit partnered with Boeing as well as state-owned military aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics to manufacture F/A18 Super Hornet fighter jets.

Tata Group expects the new company to bring together more than 6,000 employees with production facilities in the southern Indian states of Telangana and Karnataka, Jharkhand in central India, and Maharashtra in the west. "The formation of Tata A&D, a single unified entity, will allow us to better target emerging opportunities in aerospace and defense, and engage holistically with customers both in India and globally," N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, said in the statement.

Tata Sons has so far been operating most

of the defense business under various group companies, including Tata Advanced Systems. Tata Power and Tata Motors also had divisions focusing on the sector. In March, Tata Power said its board approved the sale of its defense business to Tata Advanced Systems.

In December, Tata Advanced Systems tied up with GE Aviation to manufacture and assemble components for the U.S. company's CFM International's LEAP engines. It then said that the two may also jointly pursue military engine and aircraft system opportunities for the Indian market.

In 2016, Tata Advanced Systems entered into a contract with U.S.-based Bell Helicopters to potentially make and assemble naval choppers. The group also partnered with Lockheed Martin, which is looking to set up its F-16 production line up in India.

In 2014, Tata Sons had said it will invest $35 billion in the three years to expand into new areas, including defense. Tata Motors, the automotive of unit of Tata Sons, has also tied up with Bharat Forge and U.S.-based General Dynamics Land Systems to bid for India's future infantry combat vehicle project.

Technology Development Fund (TDF) will build eco-system for enhancing cutting edge technology capability for defence manufacturing Fostering ‘Make in India’ further in the defense space, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established a special financial fund programme named Technology Development Fund (TDF). It is a programme of MoD (Ministry of Defence) executed by DRDO meeting the requirements of TriServices, Defence Production and DRDO. The eligibility of this unique programme has been kept for public limited company, private limited company, partnership firms,

The training of Indian pilots and maintenance personnel in preparation for delivery of Rafale fighters is in progress in France, Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier told AIN in describing progress with the Indian air force contract for 36 Rafale fighters. He also commented on the latest Indian request for information (RFI) for more new fighters while visiting India as head of a delegation from the French Aerospace Industries Association (French acronym: GIFAS). However, Trappier made only passing reference to the financial and legal troubles that have recently beset the Reliance Group, Dassault’s partner in India for the Rafale contract.

In addition to the training in France, India is preparing a hangar at the Reliance Defence facility at Nagpur, where parts for the Rafale are being made, with deliveries to start this year. Dassault Aviation has started looking for more offset partners. Major subcontractors to the French manufacturer that have already tied up with Indian companies include engine maker Safran and Dassault Systèmes, providing 3D modeling and product lifecycle management (PLM) software. Thales announced last year it would develop Indian capabilities to integrate and maintain the radar and

limited liability partnership, one person company, sole proprietorship registered as per applicable.

I. The funding will be through provision of grants to industry.

II. The project cost up to INR 10 Cr be considered for funding subject to maximum of 90% of the total project cost in general.

III. Up to 100% funding may be considered on case to case basis IV. Industry may work in collaboration with academia or research institutions V. The work involvement of academia cannot exceed 40%of the total projects cost VI. The funding is linked with Milestones

electronic warfare sensors at the Nagpur facility along with an Indian supply chain for manufacturing microwave technologies and high performance airborne electronics.

Currently, the Reliance Group's flagship company, Reliance Communications, is embroiled in court cases brought by minority shareholders, and stemming from its inability to repay lenders. The group has debts of $18 billion. A senior official at the Indian MoD has questioned the status of Reliance Defence, since the MoD’s Defense Procurement Policy is very strict on the credit rating of vendors.

However, a Reliance official at the Nagpur facility told AIN that “The legal case has nothing to do with Reliance Defence, which is a part of [a separate] subsidiary, Reliance Infrastructure.”

Trappier said that Dassault is busy responding to the recently released RFI for 110 more fighters. The request cites 75

VII. Fund release : Either advance against

the bank guarantee of the same amount as collateral or reimbursement basis on completion of Milestone VIII. Subsequent instalments will be released on successful completion of Milestone

percent of these as single-seaters and the remainder as two-seaters. A maximum of 15 percent of the aircraft would be delivered in a flyaway state, with the remainder to be made in India by a Strategic Partner/ Indian Production Agency. The current RFI dropped an earlier stipulation that the new fighters be single-engine. But the Dassault chief declined to confirm that Reliance would be the partner in bidding for the 110 fighters. “There is a process of the RFI, and we will see at the time of the Request for Proposal…there is nothing as of now,” he said. “We need a variety of other suppliers [and] we are ready to transfer technology, because my government supports this and our own commitment to India,” he added.

Trappier also noted that the Indian Navy requirement for 57 carrier-capable fighters would be best met by the Rafale naval variant. However, the seaborne Rafale currently used by the French is built for CATOBAR operations (catapult assisted takeoff but arrested recovery).

The Indian Navy's current aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the forthcoming Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-1 are designed for STOBAR operations (short takeoff but arrested recovery).

Seen any TV Repair Service trucks on your street lately? No? Have you ever taken a piece of electronics gear to a repair shop? Never?

Really?? It's not that electronic equipment doesn't fail - it's just that the repair bill would likely exceed the cost of a replacement product. No one knows how much of the electronic trash in our landfills was put there because of technical obsolescence and how much was tossed before the end of its useful life because it failed.

I've already expressed my view about how failures due to outside surge events (ESD, induced lightning surges or incidental power line contact) could be drastically reduced with a "Surge Star" program. Today I repaired a stereo amplifier that had suffered a component failure. The amplifier was less than 8 years old and had seen only light usage. What upsets me is that, as a circuit protection designer, I was powerless to prevent this one...

The component that failed was an electrolytic capacitor. It was in a power supply circuit as a filter capacitor. The capacitor itself was 100uF and was rated at 25V. In the circuit it was in parallel with a 15V zener diode. That means that (unless the zener diode failed - which it didn't) the capacitor would never see more than 60% of its rated voltage in the forward direction and less than 1V in the reverse direction. As a circuit protection designer, I couldn't have done it better. There is no way this capacitor failed due to external circumstances!

In the past few years, there has been a quiet revolution in most AC powered equipment.

This discussion will exclude incandescent light bulbs (and they're getting harder to find...), AC motors (which are losing out to DC motors - especially in appliances) and resistance heaters (is there a less green thing to do with electricity than just converting it to heat?). Just about everything else

that plugs into the AC grid has a switched

capacitor failure. LED lighting designers are

mode power supply (SMPS) as its first

well aware that the LED's in their designs will

functional block.

outlast the capacitors in the driver circuits.

In an SMPS, the line voltage is rectified

Electrolytic capacitors are big and expensive

directly - no power transformer is used

so they are an obvious target for cost and

to step the voltage down. You may have

space cutting measures in the design cycle

noticed "wall wart" power supplies used

- squeezing design margins to the bare

as USB chargers have gotten very tiny

minimum. There are also a lot of inferior

and lightweight. These are the most

capacitors sold out there that probably

obvious examples of how losing the power

don't meet their own ratings - I think I just

transformer can make power supplies much

pulled one out of this amplifier.

smaller and lighter.

The bottom line here is that circuit protection

Once rectified, the raw line voltage is then

can't prevent every failure. Sometimes you

filtered by electrolytic capacitors. Any

just have to bite the bullet and either put

sophomore EE student will tell you that

enough margin in your design to allow for

for 120VAC (RMS) inputs, this results in a

poor performance of cheap parts or pay

170VDC output. This is then put through a DC/

up front for some real quality components.

DC converter to achieve the needed output

Just don't blame me...

voltage. But since most equipment today is rated for up to 240VAC input, 340VDC is considered the nominal voltage of the DC supply. To allow for line input voltage variation, most designers will specify 400V rated electrolytic capacitors. Conservative (high reliability) designs will call for 450V rated capacitors.

To protect the rectifier diodes and the electrolytic capacitors, MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) devices are almost always found on the AC input to clamp induced lightning and power surges. (When an AC motor shuts off, it can kick 6kV surges back onto the AC power line!)

But in my experience, the electrolytic capacitors are still the weakest link in the SMPS design. I personally have tossed several LCD monitors and a LCD TV due to

Sugar Cube relay has the major share.

using NO~NC type relays, which is higher

relays suitable to Solar energy, Electric

in pricing. Hongfa introduced “Only NO”

cars, Latching relays in Smart meter and

to meet the exact application need and as

prepaid meter segments.

well proved to be cost effective.

Different application needs different relays capacities. Hongfa understands the needs well and introduced several different sugar cube relays meeting the needs of every customer. For example, several segments has “Normally open” relay application concept. But till recent time they keep

Hongfa, cater to all segments where relay has its application such as power, Signal, Industrial, Automotive, medical, automation

Hongfa already has a strong presence

etc. Hongfa, in the recent years introduced

and widely known brand in the Signal relay

applications. The sales volume has gone

Yes, presently solid state relays are

LED lighting. The new design is expected

up by 30% in compare to previous years.

associated with heat sink for head

to give technically better results in compare

It is not only the volume increase owing

dissipation. Hongfa is presently working

to existing also pricing advantage. The

to demand but also increased market

on eliminating heat sink. Firstly, use high

products are under testing level and the

share. In the coming years, we expect to

heat resistant raw material in the relay

results are awaited.

increase our share further by introducing

design, and in parallel, introduce new head

innovative designs which is better priced

dissipation technique in the relay itself,

and performance guaranteed.

without heat sink support.

If the effort

becomes success, it will be a milestone in solid state relay technology. Presently, we have stopped producing SSR relays.

“Hats-off” to our Prime Minister and his Hongfa understands and stipulates to

team for their tireless effort in implementing

the respective need of Indian consumers’

digitalization across the country. Practically,

according to their applications. Hongfa’s

it takes more time in India & I fully agree

design experts visit India frequently to

with the government policies and its

meet customers from time to time. They

initiative with a goal that ensures benefits

visit the customers, understand the needs

The need for protecting circuits and ensuring

of technology must reach to every common

and requirements and counsel knowledge-

the safety of equipment in industries is

citizen. I as a responsible citizen of this

sharing to make it mutually fruitful. Though,

expected to drive the growth of the global

nation, always and willingly contribute any

India market is price sensitive, it is volume

industrial relays market in the coming years.

possible assistance wherever possible.

driven, we look in to quality and innovative

These new generation relays will provide

solution first and depending on the volume

the real-time condition of circuits and also

the price is met. More precociously, this

alert the human machine interfaces (HMIs)

is the secret of Hongfa being the market

in case of a problem in circuits.

leader mainly in India and globally.

The loT-based monitoring relays also aid in conducting preventive maintenance of

In my dictionary, “Electronics means – the

the connected equipment and the circuit if

technology for Tomorrow” Miniaturization,

required. The combination of real-time and

Automation, real time data and power saving

historical data also helps in recognizing a

are the key for better tomorrow. For me IT

pattern of faults that occur in circuits.

not only means “Information Technology” but

At times, Hongfa do face lead time issues.

Prominent players like ABB, Eaton, GE,

also “Innovation Technology”. Electronics

The lead time issue is not only related to

Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric,

and IT can together bring a better tomorrow

production at Hongfa side, it involves timely

Siemens and more others are on the

for all. Technocrats across the world

availability of quality raw material. Hongfa

development. Hongfa is also in the

are working on new and improvement

being quality conscious company, it never

development of such future technology

technology. I strongly recommend new

compromises at any point. Presently, to

relays.

generation to participate and lead the

overcome Indian customers’ needs, Hongfa

present generation for a greener tomorrow.

is focusing on preplanning, distribution stock support etc. Thanks to our customers, for giving us a fair forecast.

As usual, this year too Hongfa did well, not only in India but across globe. The company is constantly splurging in R&D for bringing out new design which is cost effective and flaunts longer life. There are some new design developments such as miniaturization, related to smart metering,

Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced

capital and this partnership will ensure our

a two-year $1.58 million partnership

industries grow alongside one of the world’s

between NSW and India to enhance the

most dynamic technology markets,” Ms

State’s startup, technology and advanced

Berejiklian said

manufacturing sectors.

“Our state is home to 44 per cent of the

Ms Berejiklian made the announcement

nation’s startup founders and 40 per cent

in Mumbai at accelerator Zone Startups

of the Information and Communications

and said it will allow NSW entrepreneurs

Technologies (ICT) industry.This important

and technology businesses access to new

partnership will allow us to learn from India’s

markets, talent and knowledge.

best and brightest so that we can create

The funds will be used to send NSW young

the smart jobs of the future.

entrepreneurs and startups to India to learn

“This par tnership will provide NSW

from the country’s best and brightest, to

businesses with incredible access to some

support commercial connections between

of the best entrepreneurs and technology

startups in NSW and India and on fostering

experts in the world and I look forward to

collaboration on advanced technology

seeing the results over the next two years.”

projects.

The Premier is in India on a trade mission

“NSW is Australia’s startup and technology

visiting Mumbai and New Delhi between

April 16 and 19.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is in India on a trade mission visit, envisions that the partnership will help strenghthen enhance the State’s startup, technology and advanced manufacturing sectors alongside create tech jobs for future

According to some sources who told PTI,

of 5G services. Telecom operators in South

India is in discussions with South Korea,

Korea have already conducted trial runs of

a global leader in telecom technologies,

5G technologies during the PyeongChang

for jointly setting up 5G test laboratories.

2018 Winter Olympics.

"The telecom ministry is in discussion with

"The minister (Sinha) has already committed

South Korea to collaborate in the field of

that India will be among early starters of

telecommunications including setting up

5G. Partnership with South Korea will help

of 5G test laboratories," an official source

India expedite its plan for 5G roll out," the

told PTI.

source said.

South Korea was ranked second in

Most of the industry players and experts

information communications technology index for 2017 by the Inter national Telecommunication Union, while India was at the 134th position. The country has led the world for many years in development of advanced telecom technologies. Over 90 per cent of households in South Korea have access to over 1,000-megabit per second broadband speed service, claims ITU.

The source had also clarified that the initiative of partnering South Korea was taken by the telecom minister (Manoj Sinha) during his visit to Mobile World Congress in Spain.

There is plan to sign a memorandum of understanding between both countries in the field of telecom.

As claimed by the industry estimates, South Korea is likely to be among the early starters

believe that India is likely to see rollout of 5G services after standards for the technology are finalised by ITU in 2019.

The partnership agreement betwen the two countries aims to identify organisations in the that can work together and open up opportunities for tech entrepreneurs Recent reports have suggested that the UK government has agreed on a technology partnership with India which expects to create thousands of jobs across the UK. The agreement seeks to identify organisations in the two countries that can work together and open up opportunities for tech entrepreneurs. The UK will initially invest £1m to pilot the initiative and could potentially add up to £13m by 2022.

The initial steps will begin with UK connecting with Pune in which they primarily focus on technology like mobility and autonomous vehicles. Links between UK organisations and India will also include one with Bangalore that will focus on augmented and virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI).

The UK government hopes to encourage innovation and productivity through collaborate on emerging technologies, mentoring relationships and staff exchanges.

Alongside the India/UK tech partnership, the countries’ technology trade associations, TechUK and NASSCOM, will work together

through a Tech Alliance to collaborate, help develop policy and encourage innovation.

Julian David, CEO of TechUK, said: “This is an incredibly important partnership and something tech businesses from both countries have been driving for. The UK and India are leaders in the development and use of digital tech, and there is a huge amount we can learn from each other and big opportunities to join forces in innovation.

He added, “India is also a key strategic partner for the UK, with world-class digital skills. Deepening our engagement will open up opportunities for business in both countries and help ensure we maximise the benefits of technology for our societies and citizens.”

According to some research conducted by the EIU, organisations in UK are setting up operations in India to take advantage of the country’s wealth of tech talent and has found that Bangalore has the best environment in the world for businesses to transform digitally. The same research also ranked Mumbai and New Delhi as among the top four locations globally.

Further, in addition to the partnership agreement, the UK government has

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Taiwan’s foremost trade promotion organization recently announced to host the first ever ‘Taiwan Expo’ at the Pragati Maidan, Hall No. 11 in New Delhi, India on May 17-19, 2018 with an objective to strengthen economic and trade ties between Taiwan and India. The logo of the expo was launched at the press conference held in Delhi, along with details of the participants.

Dignitaries from TAITRA, Mr. Som Mittal, Chairman of FICCI Electronics & White Goods Manufacturing Committee, Mr. Champak Raj Gurjar, President, Federation of all India IT Associations (FAIITA), Prof.

NK Goyal, President of CMAI Association of India and other distinguished guests were also present at the occasion. Taiwan

Expo made its debut in ASEAN countries last year and was a huge success which has created a mark in the global exposition market. The Indian edition of the expo will showcase Taiwan’s latest technologies, eco-friendly products besides offering a much needed platform to boost ties in cultural, tourism and educational fields between the two countries. “The prime objective of the Taiwan Expos is to create a platform to encourage cooperation between different industrial verticals leveraging on Taiwan’s advanced technology and industry experience. It is heartening to see that there has been a growth in trade and economic ties between India and Taiwan over the years. Trade between the two sides increased from US$1.2 billion in 2000 to

announced the extension of the Super Priority Visa (SPV) in two further cities in India; Pune and Bangalore, which have major tech hubs. This paid-for service allows applicants to work in the UK and receive a visa decision within 24 hours. This brings to five the number of locations where Indian nationals can use the service.

This could be disadvantageous at the same time given the way the issue of immigration was used by pro-Brexit campaigners. It is already being claimed by many UK IT professionals that huge volumes of IT work outsourced to Indian companies has led to a shortage of job opportunities for them.

These are often low-level jobs that are vital for IT workers starting their careers.

There are also thousands of Indian IT professionals working in the UK as part of large outsourcing contracts.

$6 billion in 2016 and there are nearly 90 Taiwanese companies working in different sectors of the Indian economy,” said Walter M. S. Yeh, President & CEO of TAITRA, who also stressed that there is a scope to create synergies between India’s Act East policy and Taiwan’s Southbound policy.

Inclining with the statement by the Power Minister last year, the statement released had envisioned India to be the first country to use LEDs for all lighting needs by 2019, a new initiative under the LED has been already making progress.

According to the DNA Mumbai, The Western Railway (WR) authorities have initiated the process of installing 23,200 LEDs in their fleet of 102 rakes running on the suburban section. The LED tube light is known to be advantageous because it gives a daytimelike vision even during the night. It is safer as well compared to other lighting because of an absence of mercury.

Commenting on the initiative, Ravinder Bhakar, Chief PRO, Western Railway said, "We have begun work and already replaced regular lights with LED ones in 23 rakes. By December this year all the rakes shall have LEDs. This will be at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore."

The LED is best known for its low consumption

of electricity which is why the authorities believe that these LED tube lights will also help save approximately Rs 91,000 per rake annually, saving around 16,500 units per year as LEDs have a longer life compared to regular tube lights. On March 26, the WR authorities began the work of installing LEDs in coaches of local trains.

In the wake of India being LED bright, recently East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh has been declared as the first district in the country to be fully equipped with LED street lights.

A formal declaration was made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the occasion of Panchayat Raj Divas at Dwarapudi in East Godavari earlier this week.

Around 3.1 lakh LED street lights have been installed in the district that would result in saving of 34 million units of power annually, Naidu said.

He wanted the Panchayat Raj Department to complete installation of over 28 lakh LED street lights in the remaining 12 districts as well that could lead to a saving of 333 million units of power annually and also ease the financial burden on the rural local bodies.

Further commenting on the occasion, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister, Nara Lokesh said, “Of the total 50 lakh LED street lights installed in the country, the state accounted for 11.61 lakh. As the ‘Run Rate Mechanism’ adopted by his department for implementation of the LED street lighting programme yielded good results in East Godavari, it was being adopted in other districts also.

This comes after lighting fixtures at all railway stations were replaced with LEDs. The Railways have installed LEDs on 726 stations on the entire WR that is set to result in savings of Rs 5 crore and 6.83 million units of electricity every year.

The state occupies a premier position in implementation of energy efficiency programmes.”

Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, MP Murali Mohan were also among those present.

Optovate has revealed further details of its innovative micro-LED technology, following its first technology announcement in March 2018.

Optovate has since 2008 been developing catadioptric micro-optic arrays to enhance the benefits of micro-LED, mini-LED and OLED displays and also a patterned laser lift-off (p-LLO) micro-LED transfer process.

In a paper to be published at SID's Display Week in LA in May, Optovate will present in more detail key benefits of catadioptric micro-optic systems for displays. In a miniLED backlight system, a catadioptric array can reduce the thickness of the backlight layer whilst retaining a wide spacing between mini-LEDs and producing a high dynamic range display. The optical system also enhances the efficiency of the display system by capturing light emitted from the edges of the micro-LED and also enables a switchable display privacy option. In direct micro-LED and OLED displays the collection capability of the catadioptric micro-optic increases the head on brightness of the display by a factor of 2-3 by collecting more light and increasing the amount of light emitted at useful viewing angles.

In parallel with the micro-optics developments, Optovate made proof of concept demonstrations of its proprietary patterned laser lift-off (p-LLO) micro-LED transfer

process and strategies for yield optimisation.

Optovate’s p-LLO process used an excimer laser to illuminate sparsely separated die sized regions of gallium nitride at the growth interface to a sapphire wafer. The UV exposure creates gallium metal and nitrogen gas which can controllably ablate the micro-LEDs onto a receiver tool or substrate. Optovate was early to recognise the benefit of a selective array transfer process capable of dealing with variability across GaN wafers including growth defects, colour and forward voltage. The selective optical addressing capability of p-LLO enables pre-transfer characterisation data on wafers to be coded into the micro-LED extraction patterns and used for seeding and back filling micro-LED backplanes for yield optimisation. For micro-LED growth substrates such as silicon that aren’t transparent in the ultraviolet, Optovate also anticipated p-LLO process modifications in its IP, with the same performance enhancements.

Leyard, specializing in LED digital display manufacturing, also keeps an eye on the latest trend of technology development in the industry. In January, Leyard announced that it has been following progresses of Mini and Micro LED development made by other companies.

Meanwhile, it has reached out to the upstream companies for collaboration, in order to realize concepts of new-generation displays.

Whether its fine-pitch LED displays will be significantly impacted after Mini and Micro LED are massively used in display production does not seem to bother Leyard.

The company believes in the short term it will not be affected in light of the following three reasons. First, the markets Mini and

Jonathan Harrold, co-founder of Optovate commented, “When we started work on what have now come to be known as microLEDs we were counter trend – everyone wanted bigger LEDs for lighting while we were predicting the future was sub 100 micrometre sized devices. That meant we had to develop our own manufacturing strategies for both micro-LEDs and microoptics. The industry has now understood this and we are pleased to present results from those early IP insights”.

Paul May, Commercial Director of Optovate Ltd. explained, “The displays industry is aggressively seeking solutions to the varied challenges facing the micro-LED backplane supply chain – Optovate is now starting engagement with partners that can benefit from its established patent position and roadmap for future micro-optic technologies and micro-LED”

Micro LED target are different than those its fine-pitch LED displays entered. Mini and Micro LED mostly focus on small-sized consumer electronics. In comparison, fine-pitch LED displays are primarily used to build large-sized display products.

Also, high production costs of Mini and Micro LED applications limit their penetration into the display market.

Lastly, new technology like Micro LED will have to take a long time to replace existing technologies. For example, fine-pitch LED display technology was launched in 2012. However, even at this point, fine-pitch LED has still not fully replaced technologies in the projector segment such as digital light processing technology (DLP) and LCD digital projection technology.

Nagpur has switched on the rush for installing LEDs across its streets. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in latest official release stated that around 30,000 of the total 1.26 lakh sodium vapour street lights have been successfully converted into LED lights in the last 15 months.

The target is to convert remaining 96,000 street lights into LED by the given deadline which is set for December.

In many places the work slowed down because of Metro constructions.

An NMC official told TOI they need to shift street lights on two Metro Rail corridors again.

“There are over 3,000 street lights on the two corridors. We have shifted maximum street lights from road-divider to two sides of the roads. Now, MahaMetro has said the street lights need to be shifted again as it

is acquiring 3-3.5 meter wide stretch on both sides of the roads for widening, and construction of cycle track. So, footpath on both sides will be shifted,” he said.

The contracts given to eight private companies said all 1.26 lakh street lights were to be replaced with LEDs by July-end.

The official added NMC has sent a letter to MahaMetro to permit installation of street lights on Metro rail girders. “There will be no obstacles if street lights are installed on girders, like those below flyovers. Also, cost of poles and wires will be saved,” he said.

The estimated cost of the street light project is Rs 470 crore, of which Rs 277 crore is for replacement of existing street light panels with LEDs, Rs106 crore for operation and maintenance of LED street lights for 99 months, Rs59 crore for infrastructure

The Narendra Modi-led government has achieved its target of getting all villages electrifying all Indian villages. It is a way forward and a historic moment as the government claims that Leisang village in the Senapati district of Manipur was the last village to be brought on the national power grid. In 2014, the government had promised to bring electricity to every citizen.

Taking note if this achievement, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “28th April 2018 will be remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India. Yesterday, we fulfilled a commitment due to which the lives of several Indians will be transformed forever! I am delighted that every single village of India now has access to electricity.”

Further, according to the FE, the rural electrification took the centre stage, which included connecting more than 18,000 villages by the April-18. Government data reveals that all of India’s 597,464 census villages have been electrified. Notably,

after the Narendra Modi-led government assumed charge in 2014, there were 18,452 un-electrified census villages. There were various challenges too, as it was found that an additional 1275 villages also didn’t have electricity access.

While, this might be a major milestone achieved by the NaMO Government, a Bloomberg report predicted that there are 32 MN homes still left in the dark: as the government deems a village “electrified” if 10 percent of its households, as well as public places such as schools and health centers, have access to electricity. Accordingly, while all villages have ‘access’ to power, less than 8 percent of the newly electrified villages had all homes electrified, the data showed, leaving swaths of rural India without power, which can hinder economic growth, basic health care and education.

The government recognizes that more needs to be done hence, the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)

development, and Rs28 crore for works on Ring Road and Metro rail corridor. Work orders for executing the works were issued to eight private companies in January.

NMC was to provide Rs59 crore to the private companies for infrastructure development like replacing poles and electric lines. NMC got permission to raise the loan in November last year, and an application for loan sent to a bank is pending.

for Rs 7,5893 crore is being termed as a game changer moment seeks to achieve universal electricity access.

The government has also planned to invest $2.5 billion to provide power connections to nearly every household by the end of March 2019, just a few weeks shy of general elections. Although, a recent Bloomberg report revealed that about 13 percent of the almost 36.8 million homes identified in October as needing power, citing government data. The agency stated that the government needs to speed up its pace by three times if it needs to meet its target.

The banking industry produce huge volumes of data every day and yet it was recently revealed, that many banks are not doing enough to verify the validity and accuracy of the data produced, leaving them vulnerable to false insights that could lead to bad decisions.

It was found that half of the bankers (16%) that were surveyed were very least ensured of the validity and reliability of the data quality.

More than nine in 10 of the bankers surveyed say they are confident in the integrity of the sources of their data. 24% validate the data, but recognize they should do a lot more to ensure the quality but recognized that they should do a lot more. More than half of the bankers agreed to have used the data to drive critical and automated decision-making, while more than threequarters (78 percent) of those surveyed believe that these automated systems create new risks, such as fake data, external data manipulation and inherent bias.

“Inaccurate, unverified data will make banks vulnerable to false business insights that drive bad decisions,” said Alan McIntyre, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s banking practice. “Banks can

address this vulnerability by verifying the history of data from its origin onward — understanding the context of the data and how it is being used — and by securing and maintaining the data. Given that four in five bankers that we surveyed said they are basing their most critical systems and strategies on data, it’s critical that the data can be verified and validated.”

The survey also shows that AI and the blockchain continue to be top topics of interest for the industry. The research unveiled that nearly four in five bankers believe that AI will work alongside humans as collaborators and trusted advisors within the next two years, although many are worried about regulatory and ethical standards. As for the blockchain, on average, respondents expect that operational blockchain systems will be live in their banks in 2.6 years, and that the technology might one day provide cost-effective replacements for legacy core banking systems.

“As AI becomes more visible within banks — as both a co-worker to employees and a customer-facing representative — there will be more scrutiny placed on how AI decisions are made,” said Peter Sidebottom,

The big data and analytics have a major influence everywhere at the moment and recently, the reports states that even the airlines are getting their hands on it. The primary concern of the airlines is their passengers, and big data analytics is helping them for the airlines to give their customers an experience like never before.

By analyzing their passengers data, their choices and preferences, the big data is playing a major role to help airlines generate higher revenues The customer experience is not the only concern being addressed by data analytics.

Marketing, pricing and network strategies

are also being well handled by collecting meaningful data by analyzing the customer’s traveling trend and offering them the best price range which in return benefits the airlines.

There are concer ns regarding data management which need to be dealt with, but looking more into the positive side, it might not be a problem as time ascends.

• Passenger Technology Solutions- an event entirely dedicated for the airline passengers has been launched just to improvise &

a managing director of strategy in Accenture’s Financial Services practice. “AI decisioning processes can’t be a black box; banks need to adhere to and provide the same transparency as they do with any other employee to ensure regulatory compliance, and to earn customer trust.”

The Accenture Banking Technology Vision 2018 report draws on the analysis of an advisory board of more than two dozen individuals, interviews with technology luminaries and industry experts, and results of a survey of nearly 800 bankers. This year’s report, with the theme “Building the Future-Ready Bank,” showcases five IT trends — including data veracity — that could generate the next wave of industry disruption for banks and how technological change will rewrite the rules of banking over the next decade.

personalize the passenger journey.

• Black Swan Data which combines the entire passenger data with the social media trends to decide which food items should be present on the menu has helped the airlines reduce food wastage and improved the productivity.

• FoxTripper is helping airlines get the best places a passenger would like to spend his holiday in. It uses moving map software which helps to gather information about places a person loves to be in. By collecting all such data, it is now helping to predict best places and activities for a destination.

Do you remember the days when you lived

can not only send and receive WhatsApp

without WhatsApp? Imagine having to live

messages, but it can also work as an

like that again. You would find it tough,

automated workflow which is very useful for

wouldn’t you? Well, not without reason.

lead nurturing or customer on boarding”.

In February this year, Mark Zuckerberg shared that WhatsApp has a whopping 1.5 billion global users. 200 million of them (or over 13 percent) are in India

1. Lead nurturing: Send brochures, images

alone! He stated that 60 billion messages

and videos to prospects based on their

get exchanged on the platform daily. It’s

recent interaction with your team.

hard to estimate how large the volume

2. Follow Ups: Send automated messages

of messages shared in India comprises

with details of your products to prospects

that number, but it must certainly be high.

3. Order tracking: Automate notifications

Most SME businesses –owners and

and information about order tracking details

employees alike – are present on WhatsApp.

to your customers. This is something that

It’s one of the most widely used apps in the

most SME’s struggle to manage.

SME sector. Enquiries, rates, confirmations

4. Collect feedback: Automate sending

of orders, intra-office communication and

links to customers to collect feedback after

much more, get exchanged by the droves

an order has been completed.

on the platform every single day. It won’t be

5. Keyword-based action: Automate

too much to claim that the app is an integral

actions within your CRM tool based on

part of the SME sector’s functioning today.

specific keywords that your customers

But WhatsApp has one fundamental, albeit

use. For instance, the word ‘Support’ can

deliberate, limitation. The app doesn’t

automatically create a support ticket and

provide its API. This makes tracking the

assign it to the respective team member.

flow of communication an arduous task

Did we mention that you can now register a

for SMEs.Obviously, the reason for not

landline number on WhatsApp also? That,

providing an API is that just like Facebook

coupled with the CRM tool communicating

and Instagram, WhatsApp wants users to

with the app, means messages get sent

stay on its platform for as long as possible.

automatically through your tool and not

Until recently, CRM service providers

your mobile device. You can now work

didn’t have a solution to this limitation.

peacefully rather than get disrupted by

But not anymore. Slowly, more and more

WhatsApp messages every two minutes.

CRM companies are offering customized

These are just some examples of the myriad

API’s to integrate WhatsApp messages

of benefits the integration of WhatsApp

with their offering.

and your CRM can bring to your business.

Limesh Parekh, CEO of Enjay IT Solution

SP Toshniwal, Founder and CEO of

says, “In today's times in India, WhatsApp

ProStocks said, “ProStocks has Enjay CRM

is used more than anything else. Integrating

solution integrated with SMS, telephony,

WhatsApp with CRM works as a force

email, support ticket, back office IVR and

multiplier for both the platforms. Enjay CRM

WhatsApp messaging. ProStocks is using

, CEO of Enjay IT Solution

WhatsApp integration to support enquiries and clients with publicly available FAQ and tools on its website. ProStocks is not using WhatsApp for client confidential information.

Our Clients are extremely happy because now they get required information on WhatsApp. This is revolutionary”.

As mentioned before, not all CRM tools offer the API to integrate WhatsApp with them.

But this feature can give you control over the one asset which you find toughest to handle – time. Imagine how much manualwork you’ll save by automating these actions. Won’t it be at least 40 percent?

Now imagine how much more work can get done at your workplace with 40 percent more time. Enough to give you an advantage over your competition, isn’t it?