QUOTES

EXTRACTS FROM INTERVIEW WITH MUKESH AMBANI

( by Sanjay Anand – as reported in TOI 09-03-2004)

Mr Ambani added that within three years the market would be forced to provide data on mobiles – not just TV clips but making handsets into transaction tools. Reliance Infocomm, for instance, is working on buying¹ rail tickets thru mobiles.

[My Comments:

JAM actually converts a handset into a true "transaction tool" – which commands WWJ.com server to forward mobile-owner's resume to one/many job-advertisers.]

Later, Infocomm Subscribers won't need to carry plastic credit cards. Users' PINs, possibly even for the ATM's, will be fed into mobile itself to make phones transaction tools. Discussions are on with Railways, credit card companies and banks.

[My Comments:

This is what JAM does! – by storing both, the mobile phone no. & the PEN of the phone-owner on WWJ.com & linking both permanently, & accepting "ORDERS" from mobiles!]

My further comments:

In the "Videocon Internet TV Project notes, I have talked of

• storing a jobseeker's resume inside his internet TV's "remote" control.
• "Job channel" displaying job-advts on internet TV's screen (based on online job-search carried out on internet TV).
• Jobseeker pointing Infra-red ray from his remote on the "APPLY ONLINE" link of the concerned job-advt. appearing on the internet TV and then clicking a button. This (action) will transfer his resume (stored in his remote) to the internet TV, (using WiFi protocol / Bluetooth technology etc.). In turn, Internet TV will "forward" the jobseeker's resume to the concerned job-advertiser as an email.

In this scenario, there will be no need to store a person's resume on WWJ.com – which will only "aggregate" job-advts from various sources, create a search-able database and display on a person's Internet TV as per "Search & Display" procedure. Of course, every "Apply Online" click will reduce jobseeker's PRE-PAID amount or his bank-balance – and transfer to RIM's a/c.

"Mobile phones today are like the bulb-stage of electricity. Who would have imagined 100 years ago, all that power enables today-Computers, TV, Metros and so on?" - said Mr. Ambani.

"Similarly, everything will be digitized and there is so much to come, long-term," Mr. Ambani Said,

My Comments:

1. Reliance & Microsoft are collaborating to develop IPTV (Internet protocol TV). But whereas Videocon tried to do the same 3 years ago – and failed miserably – there is no doubt Reliance will succeed. This is the [device/hardware] part.
2. Next is the [NETWORK] part, where again Reliance plans to take on (Squarely!) 50,000 existing Cable TV operators, by laying down broadband fibre optic to millions of homes in 1100 cities (60,000 km). This network will encourage people to buy IPTV/replace existing TV.
3. BUT

Even @2 will NOT help Reliance, with being able to offer, on this "Device / Network" combination, some "KILLER APPS / CONTENT" – which we can provide, as described in previous page.

Quotes by shri Mahesh Prasad

(President, Applications & Solutions, Reliance Infocomm.)

$\triangleright$ "We offer as many as 100 services on the mobile phone, ranging from Simple to Complex. The Simplest is information (where you can get news, city guides, dictionary, even a TV guide), games, movie trailer downloads, etc and th²e most complex could be full e-c³ommerce connectivity."

$\triangleright$ "We are getting a billion hits a month from Subscribers. It is quantifiable, because everything is web-based"

$\triangleright$ "Anyone can write a Webservice programme using RAP (Reliance Application Platform) and send it to us. We will evaluate it and use it if the Subscriber can see value in it."

$\triangleright$ "We have over 10,000 registered developers and over 100 applications, close to 25% have been developed by those registered on RAP."

[Eco. Times, Jan, 22, 2004]

Future Plans of RIM.

'Mom and kid' site

• Info. about babies, what to feed them how to look after them etc
• Info on baby clothes, toys etc
• Direct "access" to the cloth/toy store so, subscriber can buy off the phone.

"So, if a phone can beam classified ads to begin with, the logical extension could be a service to actually schedule an interview for the job."

[Eco. Times, Jan, 22, 2004]

Reliance Infocomm on the prowl

By Sanjay Anand

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

09-03-04

On Board Ambani Jet: It's not easy to hold Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani's attention beyond a few minutes, even if you have been promised a 20-minute interview in Mumbai. So, the next best thing is to hitch a ride on his Bombardier jet.

Despite Mr Ambani's request for time alone on board to prepare for a short-notice meeting in Delhi – and a sumptuous lunch in between – one managed to get him talking on two favourite topics: telecom and biotechnology.⁴⁵

To begin with, Reliance Infocomm is looking ⁶at an acquisition in the telecom space and it could be on the lines of its recent takeover of Flag Telecom. Don't expect a⁷nything in a hurry, though, as the move will take time. Mr Ambani added that within three years the market would be forced to provide data on mobiles – not just TV clips but making handsets into transaction tools. Reliance Infocomm, for instance, is working on buying rail tick⁸ets through mobiles.

"With the same RF (radio-frequency) engineering, for instance, you can have two chips on your body that can monitor it for various things. With the same infrastructure, you can impact all aspects of life."

Mr Ambani was not keen to discuss Infocomm's listing or offloading stake to strategic partner(s). He said it was a fully-funded project, with Rs 14,000-15,000 crore already invested. "We keep getting offers and valuations range from $8 billion to $12 billion or more. Those reports are all there," said Mr Ambani. The full value of the company is not refl⁹ected yet. Infocomm's distinction is that its infrastructure will last a 100 years," he added.¹⁰

As for biotechnology, a lot seems to be happening at several locations and in and around Mumbai, where scientists are busy working on various projects, away from the media glare.¹¹

It is a privat¹²e initiative and Ambani didn't want to share details. He said within 5-7 years, Reliance would supply building blocks for much that happens globally in this field.^13141516

Plans are to own several lines of stem cells and work with global institutions and companies to buil¹⁷d products. "For example, we can take a cell from your heart and supply it (information, research and so on) to companies that will develop and deliver ¹⁸a new heart (muscles) for you. We will be just like Microsoft in IT, which supplies software but doesn't build the entire system," said Mr Ambani. ¹⁹Similarly, he talked about the possibility of taking hydrogen out of wate²⁰r and using it as the cleanest fuel.²¹

"There are millions of possibilities in physics, chemistry and biology. Changing raw materials and supplying building blocks. We are positioning ourselves for that," said Mr Ambani.²²

"Mobile phones today are like the bulb-stage of electricity," said Mr Ambani. "Who could have imagi²³ned 100 years ago all that power enables today – computers, TV, Metros and so on."

"Similarly everything will be digitised and there is so much to come, Long term," Mr Ambani said.