BSNL, BT ink deal for managed networks

Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has inked an agreement with BT to provide managed network services to enterprises in a bid to strengthen its information and communications technology (ICT)
offerings.
The two companies will provide full range of services including basic, leased line, MPLS VPN services,Internet, mobile and broadband services. Last month, BSNL had announced a similar agreement with Cable&Wireless. As part of this, BSNL will offer BT access to its pan-India broadband network as well as
seamless access services. The partnership also gives BT access to value added services as well as a single point of resolution for all queries and fault management services.
BSNL will get access to BT's global MPLS network and managed service expertise which includes, for example, network integration, managed security, managed datacenter, hosted contact centre and remote infrastructure management services.
“The BT-BSNL partnership brings together the world-class capabilities of both companies to provide a comprehensive IT and communications service capability in a single service offering. This provides customers with improved service, increased flexibility and reduced risks,” BT India MD Sudhir Narang said in a statement in Mumbai.
“As BSNL transforms into a premier integrated communications service provider, a robust managed service offering is key to our future operations, “ BSNL CMD Kuldeep Goyal said. This partnership will also focus on offering end-to-end services for large transformational projects and help raise the bar in the networked
IT industry, the release said.

Europe invites India to join global summit: Sarkozy

European leaders have invited India to join in an emergency global summit on rebuilding the world's financial system.
The summit call was made in Paris on Saturday by French President Nicolas Sarkozy after a meeting on the global economic crisis between him and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Italy.
France currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation European Union.Sarkozy said the summit is planned for next month and is expected to include not only the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrialised nations, but also India, China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.
Sarkozy, speaking on behalf of Europe, said he wants all leading economic nations together to create a new financial world just as Bretton Woods did 60 years ago .
We need to literally rebuild the international financial system. We want to lay the foundations of entrepreneurial capitalism, not speculative capitalism, he declared.

Global bailout package nears USD 2 trillion

With financial institutions falling prey one after another to the global credit crisis, the bailout packages announced by various governments across the globe are inching towards two trillion-dollar mark -- an amount nearly double the size of Indian economy.
With the US Congress giving nod to USD 700-billion aid for troubled financial institutions in the country, the US government alone has announced a total package worth about 990 billion dollars.
Besides, a handful of European countries have already announced packages worth a similar amount in efforts to save their troubled financial entities.
There are expectations for more such instances of helping hands coming from the governments in Europe as the crisis is said to be fast spreading in the region after a full-blown blast in the US.
However, nothing of this sort is expected in India as the country and its financial institutions have remained mostly insulated from any direct impact of the crisis.
Still, the collective bailout packages in the US and Europe, currently at about 1.8 trillion dollars, could soon be double the size of one trillion-dollar Indian economy.
India's GDP is estimated at Rs 46,93,602 crore for the latest fiscal 2007-08, which stands at just over USD one trillion based on the current exchange rate of about Rs 46.8 to a dollar.
From America to Europe, the deepening financial turmoil has seen the fall of big names, especially in the banking industry, such as the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, firesale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America and the extension of 85 billion-dollar lifeline to AIG

India dominates outsourcing industry in 2008

India, home to six of the world's top eight outsourcing hubs, continues to be a major global IT and BPO outsourcing destination amid a determined bid by the neighbouring China to give it a tough competition in the field, according to a new study.
Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune are the six Indian cities in the list of top eight outsourcing cities of the world, according to a study by Global Services, the media platform for global IT outsourcing and BPO industry and Tholons, a global investment advisory firm.
The other two cities are Dublin of Ireland and Mataki city, the Philippines, the survey adds.
But China dominates the list of emerging cities for global outsourcing with Shanghai and Beijing leading the list along with Cebu City from The Philippines.

India, France sign civil nuclear pact

Putting an end to its over three decades of isolation in the nuclear energy market, France on Tuesday became the first country to ink a civil nuclear agreement with India.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Tuesday announced a "a new dimension" to their strategic partnership by signing a co-operation agreement on civilian nuclear energy as
well as two more pacts in areas ranging from space and counter-terrorism to business and high-end research in Paris.
With this agreement, France became the first country out of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers group (NSG)
to sign such a pact after they lifted over global restrictions on nuclear trade with India.
The agreement on the development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy will form the basis of wide-ranging
bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. It will span the entire gamut from basic and applied research to reactors,
nuclear fuel supply, nuclear safety, radiation and environment, protection and nuclear fuel cycle management. The pact was signed by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner and India's Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar at the Elysee Palace.
The agreement clears the way for French companies like Areva to begin supply nuclear reactors to India.
However, the actual nuclear trade may have to wait till India signs the 123 agreement with the US which is
awaiting clearance by the Senate on Wednesday.
"Today we have added a new dimension to our strategic partnership by signing an inter-governmental
agreement on civil nuclear cooperation," said Singh. According to a joint statement, both countries decided to give a new impetus to their cooperation for the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as an expression of their strategic partnership. It also noted that both the countries share common concerns and objectives in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery including in view of possible linkages to terrorism.
As responsible states with advanced nuclear technologies, including in the fuel cycle, the two countries
are interested to promote nuclear energy with the highest standards of safety and security, the statement
said. India and France also signed a pact on peaceful uses of outer space and a social security agreement that will ease working of Indian professionals in France. And they decided to transform current buyer-seller relationship in the defence sector to joint production and transfer of cutting-edge technology.
Under the social security agreement, workers on short-term contract up to five years, do not have to make
any social security contribution provided they continue to make social security payment in India and France respectively.
Another pact was signed by ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair and Francois Auque, CEO of Astrium. The
pact would enable Astrium to offer attractive solutions in the international markets for in-orbit delivery of its
earth observation satellites, using the PSLV launch services from Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO.
Transformation of defence ties from a buyer-seller relationship to joint production and transfer of technology for making hi-tech weapon systems and platforms was also highlighted in the joint statement.