Improved Customer Service
Customer service being the key in sustentation of business growth in current market scenario is of utmost obviousness – according to CEI Survey, 86% of buyers will shell out for an exceptional customer experience. Retailers comprehend this as well and have been successful in revamping their customer service, excelling in areas such as enhanced in-store experience and free, effortless returns. Technological encroachments in customer service, including augmented use of digital channels, are leading a surge in escalation of consumer expectations and setting higher standards for retailers. Maintaining the happiness and well-being of their customers reflects in revenue. Hence, customer service is the no: 1 area where technology is playing a dominant role in surge of profits.

Simplified Checkout
Retailers are reshuffling the digital procedures involved in purchase, facilitating well-situated services such as one-click ordering, secure billing information storage, and direct purchasing from alternative retail modes, such as print circulars. By abolishing hindrances at the point of purchase, retailers are signifying the power in modern user-experience and directly influencing ROI through elevated checkout achievement rates. Through simplified checkouts, modern consumers are being privy to a surge of augmented shopping experience, which translates into a hike in profit.

Offline Shopping Experience to online verticals
Improvements in retail platforms and services are already serving as the chief growth catalyst behind online retail market’s massive growth projection. Real-time features such as rotating, interactive product displays and optimized personalizations are empowering retailers to create an online experience more intrinsic with consumer preferences. Retailers are enmeshing offline familiarity through technology to create a symbiotic experience comparable to what consumers encounter in brick-and-mortar establishments. The expediency of online shopping paired with real-time personalization provides customers with the best possible experience. The key motivation here is to make the online shopping experience simulate that of an offline implementation. Whether it’s customizing the site appearance depending on specific user, uplifting product views, or highlighting key product offerings similar to what an animated SALE signs do in-store, the onus is to make the online shopping process as simple and intuitive, as possible.

Value- Added Services
When retailers propose value- added services, they cultivate stronger customer loyalty through sweetening the deal hence, a competitive advantage. By integrating modern expertise, retailers are now providing value-added services to renovate shopping into an all-inclusive, enjoyable, profiting experience. This in-turn helps create brand value, which would lead to brownie points in generating buzz. Customized memberships, on-point checks, cloud-operated messages on birthdays and anniversaries are few ways via which retailers can lure consumers. Mobile based tools, such as retail and loyalty applications, can also create awareness amongst retailers of their customers' preferences and needs. This information allows retailers to create a customized in-store shopping experience while being in-synch to the demands of an augmented digital age.

Augmented reach
A large number of game-changing technologies — such as the cloud and mobile payments — have emerged, not to mention the ever-changing ways consumers are now choosing to research and make their purchases. When considered together, these trends have forced retailers and e-commerce vendors to adapt constantly to stay ahead of the curve. With cloud analytics to track consumption behaviour and target message consumers through apps and pop-ups, retailers are able to create an augmented reach, coaxing consumers to avail their products/services. Through technology, retailers can tap into the uncharted scale of consumer and convert them into loyalists.

IOT: the game changer
Today’s consumers expect their shopping experience to be seamless across every channel, whether it’s a brick-and-mortar store, an ecommerce site, a mobile app or even a phone call with customer service. IOT technologies offer an almost endless capacity for transforming the retail consumer experience. Everything from electronic shelf labels with dynamic pricing to interactive digital signs that tailor promotions to the individual, are under the realms of IOT. With IOT, retailers can provide an enhanced experience that would drive-in consumers in droves and create a loyalty-base, unmatched by their competitors. (source: Convergence Plus Bureau)

Wireless network, no doubt acts as a catalyst in present dynamic business organizations by boosting productivity and encouraging wide access to information and barrier-free information sharing. However, it has been seen that SMBs are still using poor network connections which stands as a hindrance in providing better customer services, limited access to information and meagre connectivity.

There are various types of wireless networks available which provides freedom of movement and the capability to range applications to different parts of a building, city, or almost anywhere in the world. A wireless network allows interaction between different organizations via e-mail or accesses the Internet from a location which they would prefer which can help small businesses to increase their efficiency and productivity.

So, if you are still stuck up with the old network connection, here are 5 important reasons why you should switch to wireless networks:

1. Seamless Mobility
Different wireless technologies and networks exist that can address to different needs and requirements of SMBs. As these different wireless networks act as complementary to each other in terms of their capabilities and aptness for different applications, incorporation of these networks will enable the users to be always connected to the best available access network depending on their needs. Wireless networks allow greater coverage than typical APs (access points) for blanket coverage to ensure seamless connectivity for Wi-Fi devices across enterprise environments.

They also help in:-
• Increased effectiveness and efficiency in the working environment
• It allows a person to roam from one place to another, unlike wired networks

2. Wide Coverage & High Sensitivity
Wireless Networks allows adjustable RF output power and high receiver sensitivity for wide coverages across large spaces which can actually benefit the SMBs.

3. Designed for High Density Usage and Cost Effectiveness
The technological advancement of Wireless networks supports up to a hundred users simultaneously, which are ideal for crowded environments and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workplaces which more and more businesses are now taking advantage of.

Laptops, PCs, Tablets, and Smartphones that belong to an individual employee are now being brought into the workplace and are being given access rights to the wireless network, as well as making it more appropriate and easy for employees to carry out their on-going tasks.

Bring Your Own Device also represents a possible cost saving as businesses no longer have to fund the hardware cost of the devices themselves.

4. Built-In Radius Server
Radius provides an extra measure of security in a wireless LAN by requiring user-based authentication. Many Wireless networks provide Built in Radius server into its Product line of access points, bringing higher security through creating different SSIDs for the user and the guest within reach for even small to mid-sized wireless networks.

As an additional quality, many wireless connections also allow management for up to 256 user accounts.

5. Dual band Routers provide high speed
Dual band router typically operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, with software built into the router which senses the path of least resistance for the radio signals, unlike single band wireless network. Dual band routers are generally recommended for people who have a larger space to cover and people who want to have video chats/calls, particularly high-definition content in the entire office premises.

When performance and security are critical for your business, you need products that are engineered for your industry. There is still time to switch from wired to wireless networks in order to access the fast wireless internet which can save your time and offer you better efficiency. So, choose your wireless network wisely keeping all these points in mind. (source: Convergence Plus Bureau)

C-DOT has been in the forefront of technical innovations and cutting edge research with a pool of the talented engineers from the renowned institutes of the nation. With an earnest desire to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India thus paving the way for “Digital Empowerment” and enabling the evolution of indigenous telecom manufacturing ecosystem in the nation, C-DOT is poised to play a pivotal role in realizing the overarching objectives envisioned in the historic missions of the Govt. viz. “Digital India” and “Make in India”.

As the telecom R&D house of the nation, C-DOT’s prime objective to align its targeted research with the missions of national development is well corroborated by our indigenously developed technologies not only meeting the highest global standards but also suited to our typically varied requirements.

C-DOT’s indigenously developed GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology emerged as the most cost-effective and reliable solution for buiding the network backbone for the prestigious “BharatNet” program of the Govt. connecting the 2.5 Lakh Panchayats with the provisioning of the high-speed broadband to enable the efficacious delivery of e-governance and other e-services.

C-DOT has geared itself up to dedicate its technologies to our Hon’ble PM’s dream of building “Smart Cities” and “Braodband Highways” in the nation. Our indigenously developed “Terabit Router” and “100G OTN (Optical Transport Network) Platform”, launched by Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Communications and IT, stands testimony to our zealous preparedness for playing a vital role in the esteemed missions of the Govt.

Keeping in view the Hon’ble PM’s objective of achieving pan India “Digital Literacy” in the nation, C-DOT dedicated “GyanSetu” to the nation on the auspicious occasion of the launch of “Good Governance Day”, which was also applauded with a “Recognition of Excellence” Award at ITU- World Telecom 2015, Budapest, Hungary . GyanSetu is a web based platform offering the users the desired and targeted information in multi-lingual text, audio and video formats thus enabling the semi-literates, illiterates and even the specially abled avail the huge benefits of Internet thus spurring the socio-economic growth and promoting the entrepreneurship in rural areas.

C-DOT keeps itself abreast of the fast changing dynamics of the global telecom landscape and has undertaken research activities in IoT (Internet of Things) and M2M (Machine To Machine) Communications, presumed to be the future of the telecom industry.

At the outset of another glorious year , Mr. Vipin Tyagi, Executive Director, C-DOT has reiterated his organisaton’s sheer commitment and utter dedication towards fulfilling the Hon’ble PM’s dream of building a “Digital India”. (source: Convergence Plus Bureau)

Business-minded pay-TV operators will need to fast-forward from Analog TV to Internet TV to profit from multiple ways of monetizing services

Research from IBM Global Business Services suggests that 67% of broadcast professionals believe non-linear and OTT viewing volumes will overtake those of linear broadcasting within five years. A majority also believe that non-linear revenues will overtake linear in the same timeframe.

So, what is the big picture? Most operators feel the increased competition coming. As more and more new OTT and Cloud TV services enter the market, pay-TV operators experience a loss of viewing minutes on the main TV. Most operators, those without any OTT offering, have NO share of the new devices being used to consume content. As the OTT distribution is taking place over the “regular internet” the distribution cost and risk is very low for these new, disruptive, players.

What should you do as an operator?
Absolutely key is educating both your organization and your customers on OTT and streaming services. Waiting too long will create a steep learning curve internally making it difficult to catch up, and your customers may have already established relationships with other OTT services (that you don’t control).

Basically, operators need a strategy where they remain a one-stop entertainment shop. Retention of eyeballs is crucial. Traditionally operators needed to aggregate content so that consumers did not have to go elsewhere. They now also need to aggregate other online services into their offerings – to keep consumer eyeballs from leaving their service.

Increased content security will be required in the future
So, OTT or “could TV” will take over as the preferred distribution technology at some point in the future, but how fast and how far it will go is highly uncertain. What is certain is that when the transition to OTT distribution has reached a significant level, content owners will demand higher security for their premium content.

Handling the complexity of delivering TV over different networks to a range of devices, and the introduction of new innovations and services should not be taken lightly. We believe that operators will be most successful by teaming up with an experienced security provider and solutions providers who will help guide them in making choices that will enable their platform to easily adapt for new business models and services as the market evolves and customer demands change. (source: Convergence Plus Bureau)

The vision of this program is to provide the intensified impetus for progress for e-Governance and would promote inclusive growth that covers electronic services, products, devices, manufacturing and job opportunities. Digitally empowerment of citizens will pay emphasis on universal digital literacy and availability of digital resources/services in Indian languages. This program was started in 2014 and will be completed in 2018 in phased manner. Funding for most of the e-Governance projects at present are arranged through budgetary provisions of respective ministries/departments in the central or state governments.

The Vision of Digital India is centered on,

Digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen: Availability of high speed internet as a core utility for delivery of services, cradle to grave digital identity for lifelong, online and authenticable, easy access to a common service centre, shareable private space on a public cloud, safe and secure cyber-space for every citizen.

Governance and Services on Demand: Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions, availability of services in real time from online & mobile platforms, digitally transformed services for improving business, making financial transactions electronic & cashless, GIS for decision support systems & development

Digital empowerment of citizens: Universal digital literacy, availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages, digital platforms for participative governance, submission of government documents / certificates

This Digital India program aims to offer a unique platform for government services, would use the mobile phone as the backbone of its delivery mechanism. Government wants to ensure that all the services can be provided through a mobile handset, especially, health, education, various government services and retail.

Open access to broadband highways across various cities, towns and villages would give a fillip to trade across the country and surge in e-commerce. The main backbone of Digital India is National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) Project. Indian government will implement it through state-run public sector units Bharat Sanchar Nigam, Power Grid Corporation and RailTel.

NOFN project (estimated to cost Rs 20,000 Cr) is managed by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL). A World Bank study has estimated that a 10% increase in the broadband connectivity leads to 1.38% increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

At present OFC (Optical Fibre Cable) connectivity is available in all State Capitals, Districts, HQs and up to the Block Level. NOFN will be used to connect 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats of the country, utilizing the existing optical fiber of PSUs (BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid) and extending it to all Gram Panchayats by laying incremental fiber wherever necessary. Thus connectivity gap between Gram Panchayats and Blocks will be filled.

Non-discriminatory access to the NOFN will be provided to all the Service Providers. These service providers like Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), ISPs, Cable TV operators and Content providers can launch various services in rural areas. It is proposed to be completed in 2 years’ time. The project will be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).NOFN will facilitate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications like e-Commerce, e-Banking, e- Governance, e-Education, and tele-medicine with high speed internet connectivity. (source: Convergence Plus Bureau)