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e-CAPSULES Satyam Infoway has sought approval to float an additional ADS issue of up to $115 million. ICICI has announced a 50:50 joint venture with Satyam to serve up retail banking on the Net. WorldTel will execute its fibre optic backbone and IP network in 6 states, besides Tamil Nadu. Aditya Birla Group acquired control of the US e-learning firm, Learning Byte International. Zee Telefilms will invest Rs.100 crore over the next 3 years in the e-learning firm, Zee Interactive. S. Kumars will set up a VSAT network and install kiosks to enable e-commerce. DoT has opened up the Ku-band to private VSAT operators and ISPs. NIIT has partnered with Relativity Technologies to integrate legacy applications with the Net. Informix, Sun, PWC, & Wipro have tied up to introduce dataware housing solutions using Redbrick. Delhi Financial Corp. will spend Rs. 60 crore to upgrade 2,000 PCOs into cybercafes. RPG Netcom & Satyam have joined forces to offer the country's cheapest cable Net access. ICICI's K.V.Kamath will head an advisory panel to advise the GOI on information technology and telecommunications. NETTING GENERATION COOL Being young never did go out of fashion. And now, since Generation e is among the heaviest Net-users in the country, e-bizpersons are rushing to target them on-line. Points out Puneet Dalmia, 27, CEO, Webneuron, which recently launched the youth portal, zipahead.com: ''Studies show that 70 per cent of Net-users are in the 18-34 age group. This segment commands huge spending power.'' That is why Dalmia and his peers are homing in on the youth, packing their portals with articles on relationships (both personal and professional), looks and clothes, achievers' stories, and interactive content like chat and message rooms that let young audiences do what they enjoy the most. They're trying to carve out e-niches, too: if teenfunda.com-developed by Mantraonline-is targeted at teenagers, pitara.com sells toys for children, while navneet.com, the e-xtensions of Navneet Publishers, is e-tailing educational guidebooks to youngsters. And, of course, education-vendors like egurucool.com and entranceguru.com are aiming at students preparing for competitive examinations. The opportunity is obvious-don't kid yourself. -Hasnain Zaheer e-MPOWERING CUSTOMERS Most companies are aware that the Net will distribute information about their products-and those of their competitors--efficiently, thereby altering the existing power equations in the customer's favour. Here's how: THE SEARCH FOR CONVENIENCE. Customers can access information easily, and buy products equally easily on the Net. THE NET IN THE PURCHASE PROCESS. Even customers who buy off-line may use the Net to scout for the pre-purchase product or service information, or for post-purchase dissonance reduction, or both. THE LOYALTY SHIFT. In return for the power they gain, customers reward on-line sellers with more repeat purchases. THE GROWTH EFFECT. Over time, positive word-of-mouth publicity spreads. But what must e-retailers do to capitalise on these findings? According to Forrester Research (www.forrester.com), companies need to react along 4 dimensions.
-R. Sukumar CAPPING THEIR VENTURES Okay, we know it's a lot. But exactly how fat are the collective moneybags of the venture capitalists and angels who are eager to put their money where our e-ntrepreneur's dreams are? BT's estimates, which are based on conversations with more than a dozen such investors, place the amount somewhere between Rs 750 crore and Rs 1,000 crore. True, this figure covers the major global players only. Even so, the e-angels obviously aren't flying that high. -Radhika Dhawan VC DEVELOPMENTS
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