SunTec wins two strategic customers in Middle East

Trivandrum/United Arab Emirates, Sept 16 (ANI/Business Wire India): SunTec, the leading provider of Relationship-based Pricing and Centralized Billing solutions, has announced two strategic wins in the Middle East region, one of which has helped the company to gain a foothold in Port Operations Billing – its fifth operating domain.

One of the largest banks in UAE has invested in SunTec’s Relationship-based and Centralized Billing solution, while a leading Port Operator of the region has signed up to SunTec to automate and centralize the pricing and billing operations for their vessels as well as cargo operations, helping them to offer a convergent bill to customers and effectively manage multiple contracts.

The solution will be implemented in multiple phases at the leading bank, and by the end of phase-I in December 2009 their ‘Customer Benefits Program’ will go live for retail banking.

The bank will thus be among the first few in UAE offering comprehensive customer benefits programs. SunTec’s solution being the pivot, the bank will be able to scale up their benefits programs to customer with ease.

Furthermore, in future, the bank will leverage SunTec’s solution for streamlining and automating their pricing and billing functions across enterprise.

The solution offers pertinent pricing innovations for the leading port operator also.

The complex multi-national operations of modern-day ports call for streamlined Relationship-based Pricing. New models like cost-based billing have become more relevant, as containerised trade is gaining prominence across the globe.

The situation demands differential pricing to be offered to customers based on the value they bring in.

“With these wins, SunTec has not only gained considerable footprint in the Middle East region, but also established its multi-industry compatibility,” said Nanda Kumar, CEO of SunTec.

“We conceptualized and created our core pricing and billing platform, horizontal in nature and flexible enough to address the pricing and billing requirements of any transaction-based vertical, all the while, helping our customers to imbibe best practices from multiple industries,” added Kumar. (ANI)

SunTec, Seachange partnership offers integrated IPTV billing solution

Amsterdam (Netherlands)/ Trivandrum (Kerala), Sep 14 (ANI/Business Wire India): SunTec, the leading provider of convergent transaction pricing and billing solutions for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industry, has partnered with video-on-demand, IPTV and advertising software and systems leader SeaChange International to offer television service providers globally automated provisioning of IPTV consumers and accounts in ‘near real time’, while supporting complex revenue sharing business rules.

The SunTec and SeaChange partnership has already resulted in the integration of SunTec’s convergent billing solution, TBMS-T, with SeaChange’s TV Navigator IPTV middleware for the Smart Digivision’s MyWay (http://www.myway.in) IPTV service. Available in 54 cities across India on Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (http://www.bsnl.co.in) (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (http://www.mtnl.net.in) (MTNL) broadband networks, MyWay is expected to reach three million subscribers in the first five years.

“Integrating SunTec’s convergent billing system with SeaChange’s middleware opens a compelling opportunity to the IPTV Service Provider to roll out innovative services and programs for its consumers. SunTec is happy to have a strategic association with SeaChange and I see this partnership complement both the companies’ growth in the emerging IPTV markets,” said Rajesh BL Narashimha, Vice-President and Sales Head APAC and MEA, SunTec.

SunTec’s convergent billing solution, TBMS-T interfaces in near real time with SeaChange’s, TV Navigator middleware, electronic program guide, video-on-demand systems and set top box applications. The flexibility of TBMS-T, coupled with SeaChange’s open middleware, allows the service provider to design innovative services and pack programs/content to attract more usage and consumers. In addition to this, SunTec’s TBMS-T supports the service provider with complex revenue sharing business rules and settlement with IPTV service carriers and content providers/aggregators.

“IPTV operators require open solutions that allow flexibility to choose best of breed vendors and components,” said, Lincoln Owens, Director Broadband Sales, APAC, SeaChange International. Our TV Navigator middleware is rooted in this open approach, which has given way to beneficial alliances across markets. Our tie-up with SunTec has helped create one of the most promising IPTV efforts in Asia and we anticipate further success.” (ANI)

Aptara meets increasing business growth with new delivery center

New Delhi, Sept 9 (ANI/Business Wire India): Aptara, Inc., a market leader in knowledge process outsourcing, today announced a major new delivery facility in Trivandrum, India. This leading-edge facility will be home to a Publishing Center of Excellence and to hundreds of professionals who provide advanced editorial, composition and production management services to Aptara’s key customers.

Aptara’s new center is located in Trivandrum’s Technopark, a 4 million sq. ft. campus housing over 150 global enterprises employing 20,000 knowledge workers. Aptara chose the location for its rich base of highly educated talent, state-of-the-art infrastructure, progressive business environment, and advantageous cost base. The Trivandrum operation will be the 4th of Aptara’s Indian delivery centers and will bring the company’s India headcount to over 4,000.

“Trivandrum represents an important strategic investment for Aptara,” said Dev Ganesan, Aptara’s president and CEO. “Increasing demand from our publishing clients has created the need for an additional center to provide advanced publishing services on a fully process-outsourced basis,” he added. “Building on our deep experience in serving the world’s leading publishers, the Trivandrum facility is positioned to become a global center of excellence for the kind of advanced services that publishers worldwide are now seeking from their business partners.” (ANI)

Bangalore and Kozhikode blast suspect detained in Kerala

Trivandrum (Kerala), Aug 30(ANI): A 35-year-old man allegedly linked with people suspectedly involved in bomb blasts in Bangalore and Kozhikode, was detained at the Trivandrum international airport on Sunday.

According to reports, Kabeer, hailing from Kerala’s Wayanad district, was about to board Kuwait Airways aircraft minutes before take-off from the Trivandrum international airport to Kuwait, when the police following a tip off nabbed him.

The police said that the Intelligence Bureau had issued a look out notice against Kabeer alleging that he had links with people involved in last year’s bomb blasts in Bangalore and in Kozhikode blasts in 2006.

Kabeer was questioned by the intelligence and security agencies at the airport terminal, while the flight left for Kuwait after a delay of 30 minutes. (ANI)

Is Kerala CM under pressure to quit for opposing clean chit to Vijayan?

Trivandrum, May 8 (ANI): Pressure seems to be building on Kerala Chief Minister VS Achatunandan to quit after he defied CPI (M) stand to give a clean chit to party’s state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the Lavalin scam.

Sources claim that in a meeting held in the CPI (M) state secretariat in Trivandrum, members asked for Achutanandan’s resignation as he has been defying party’s stand to give a clean chit to Pinarayi Vijayan.

Opposition Congress-led UDF today asked Governor R S Gavai to reject the cabinet decision to deny permission to CBI to prosecute CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, increasing pressure on the ruling LDF Government in Kerala,.

Kerala’s opposition leader Oommen Chandy led a UDF delegation and submitted a memorandum to Governor Gavai, asking him to take an independent decision on the matter and reject the cabinet decision, which held that there was no ground to prosecute Vijayan in the case, a news channel reported.

“As the Opposition, it is our duty to seek the Governor’s intervention in the matter. We expect he will act to uphold the law and the Constitution by examining all aspects of the issue,” Chandy told reporters after meeting the Governor.

The cabinet had on Wednesday endorsed the legal opinion given by the Advocate General, stating there was no ground to grant permission to CBI to prosecute Vijayan in the case.

Canadian company SNC-Lavalin was given the contract to renovate three hydro power stations in 1997 when Vijayan was Power Minister. (ANI)

Galileo ink GDS agreement with Akbar Travel of India

Galileo, the leading Global Distribution System in India, had signed a preferred GDS agreement with Akbar Travel of India Pvt. Ltd., the firm which offers all travel related services under one umbrella, to distribute, manage and book travel management services for its customers in India.

This tie-up will enable Akbar travels to use Galileo as its preferred technology partner for booking and servicing all its customers.

Galileo aims to spread its network with Akbar’s widespread presence across key cities in India such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa, Nagpur, Jaipur, Mangalore, Trichy, Coimbatore, Calicut, Trivandrum, Vadodara.

It should be noted that Galileo is also the exclusive GDS for Akbar Travels Middle East operations, where the company has recently entered to expand its footprints.

Currently Galileo has offices in Dubai, Sharjah and Saudi Arabia with a soon to be launched branch in Oman. (dpa)

Antony confident of Congress victory in elections

Trivandrum (Kerala), Apr 3 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and Union Minister A. K. Antony on Friday expressed confidence about a Congress victory in the general elections.

Antony, who is on a statewide tour for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), claimed that his party would emerge as single largest party after the elections.

“Congress is the only single largest main party. The alternatives (those opposing the party) to Congress are different in different states. There is no doubt that after the election, the Congress will emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. It is as certain as 1-2-3,” Antony added.

The Congress has already declared that incumbent Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh would fill the top post if voted back to power. Antony reiterated that the party would not support any other government than the one led by Manmohan Singh.

“The Congress will not support any government other than the one led by Manmohan Singh. After abusing the Congress during the election campaign, do not think that you can form a government with Congress support. To keep the communal forces at bay, we will accept any support to the government led by Manmohan Singh,” he added.

General elections are scheduled to be held between April 16 and May 13, in which 714 million people will cast their votes. (ANI)

India on way to becoming self-reliant in defence: Antony

Trivandrum (Kerala), Feb 10 (ANI): Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said the country is on its way to becoming self-reliant in the defence sector.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the BrahMos Integration Complex here, Antony said work to make more missiles and warships is in progress.

“BrahMos (missile) is a symbol of co-operation between India and Russia. We need to make more missiles, war ships, planes and tanks. Work on our own Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is progressing. We should soon be self-reliant in this field,” said Antony.

The Brahmos, which can travel at up to 2.8 times the speed of sound and has a range of 290 km, was tested at Pokhran.

The Brahmos, named after India’s Brahmaputra river and Russia’s Moscow river, was developed by a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia.

India, which has the world’s fourth-largest military, plans to fit the missile in several ships, officials said.

The LCA will be the first supersonic combat aircraft to be built and flown in India itself.

LCA is the world’s smallest, light weight, multi-role supersonic combat aircraft. It has been designed to meet the requirements of Indian Air Force as its frontline multi-mission single-seat tactical aircraft.

LCA is expected to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 2010 to replace the Russian made aging MIGs.

Meanwhile, India, wants to modernize its air force, the fourth largest in the world, to cope with possible security threats in the region. It is looking to spend 30 billion dollars on imports over the next five years to modernize its largely Soviet-era arms by introducing new weapons systems. (ANI)