Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Mushfiqul Alam/NurPhoto via Getty Images The "Jio effect" is changing the internet. <ul class="summary-list"><li>Something is happening in India which could completely reshape internet culture. Millions of Indians gained regular access to the internet for the first time over the past three years.</li><li>This is thanks to the "Jio effect," after regional mobile operator Reliance Jio launched extremely cheap data tariffs in 2016, costing as little as Rs 15 ($0.21) per GB.</li><li> Indians went from consuming an average of 700mb of data per month to 11GB, according to Counterpoint Research analyst Neil Shah.</li><li>This has led to unintended consequences like Indian music label T-Series overtaking YouTube star PewDiePie to become most-subscribed YouTube channel.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul>The "Jio effect" is little known outside India, but it's already reshaping the way Silicon Valley does business. The phenomenon is named after the arrival of Reliance Jio, a mobile network operator that launched in 2016 with extremely cheap data plans. The network was founded by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and the telco went from zero customers to becoming the biggest mobile operator in the world with more than 300 million subscribers. To put this in context, Reliance Jio's customer base is about as big as the entire US population. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries, his wife Nita Ambani, their son Akash Ambani and daughter Isha Piramal pose at the wedding ceremony of Akash, at Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Jio's radical move was this: making 4G available to millions of Indians for free in 2016. It began charging nominal amounts for data in 2017 and, by then, the Indian appetite for internet content knew no bounds in part thanks to the availability of budget Android smartphones. Initially, Jio made no money, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reliance-jio-and-reliance-retail-may-help-mukesh-ambani-rils-quarterly-earnings/articleshow/70274830.cms">but it has now become profitable</a>. "Jio has changed the consumption habits for hundreds of millions of consumers," said Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. "More people are using smartphones as their first device, unlike developed markets where the PC is the first device." Shah estimates that thanks to Jio's pricing, Indians have gone from consuming just 700MB of data per month to 11GB. This would let you watch about 30 episodes of "Game of Thrones." "You can get around 28GB of data for just a couple of dollars," says Shah. "And in that sense, once you have cheaper data and a smartphone, you're going to consume more content." Reuters Unlike the West, Indian smartphone adoption is still growing in the double digits as people buy their first internet-connected device. "More and more people are using smartphones as their first device, unlike developed markets where the PC is the first device," says Shah. This is significant. According to Pew Research, <a href="https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/">around 81% of Americans own a smartphone</a>, meaning there isn't much room to grow. The smartphone probably isn't their first internet-connected device either. Most consumers outside of India won't have really noticed what this means for the wider internet, but one incident really put the Jio effect on the map: this year's battle between Indian record label T-Series and Swedish vlogger PewDiePie to become most-subscribed YouTube channel. Getty PewDiePie, also known as Felix Kjellberg. T-Series is a long-established Indian record label, producing music videos in various Indian languages as well as highly successful blockbuster films, all targeted at the home market. PewDiePie, by contrast, is a 29-year-old gaming vlogger and representative of a specific Western YouTube demographic - the self-referential, meme-loving, and occasionally offensive gamer. Up until March 2018, PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, was by the far the most popular YouTuber and inspiration for hundreds of other smaller creators who riffed off his offbeat humour and occasionally tasteless pranks. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/t-series-interview-how-beat-pewdiepie-youtube-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">How T-Series went from making cassette tapes to dethroning PewDiePie and becoming the biggest channel on YouTube</a> But the cumulative impact of millions of Indians discovering their favourite Bollywood music on YouTube kicked in, and T-Series became the most popular YouTube channel. It has cemented its lead five months on, with 108 million subscribers versus PewDiePie's 98 million. Because cheap bandwidth is essentially unlimited, Indians are treating YouTube as their de facto streaming service, according to Shah. With access to the internet for the first time, they're turning to YouTube to find their favourite Indian language songs. "Most users have warmed up to YouTube to consume content, not just video, but music," he says. "They are going to YouTube rather than Spotify. People like T-Series or Star Network are seeing growth in video as well as music content." Neeraj Kalyan, president of T-Series, told Business Insider: "The recent growth of internet in India has increased the consumption of Indian content and, because of the decreased data costs, increase internet penetration, and higher bandwidth, this has been a real catalyst. "In 2016, there was mobile internet available in tier one or tier two cities, but now it's in tier three to tier five cities and villages, which had never experienced internet. So now the consumer is excited, and he's experimenting with everything, and it's resulted in an increase in consumption." It isn't just YouTube. India is now producing its own Silicon Valley-style internet giants, such as retail firm Flipkart - majority acquired by Walmart for $16 billion - online supermarket Grofers, payment firm Paytm, and Uber rival Ola. Stephen Lam/Reuters Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Silicon Valley is also feeling the impact of the Jio effect. Facebook, for example, began talking about the Jio effect indirectly in late 2016. The firm first mentioned the impact of cheap data in India on its Q3 2016 earnings call when CFO Dave Wehner said: "We're seeing the introduction of low price data plans in markets like India and Mexico contributing [to user growth]." Facebook would continue to talk about the impact of India's "promotional free data plans" on its user growth in every subsequent earnings call for a year. And the firm has described India as its biggest growth market in every quarter since Q3 2016, according to call transcripts analysed by Business Insider. Google is also playing nice with Jio. Its CEO Sundar Pichai attended the wedding of Akash Ambani, son of Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, earlier this year. And the firm has been flagging the <a href="https://abc.xyz/investor/static/pdf/2017_Q1_Earnings_Transcript.pdf?cache=91f0790">massive growth in Indian Android users</a> since early 2017, not long after the launch of Reliance Jio. The firm said there more than 300 million new Android users from markets such as India and Brazil. <a href="https://abc.xyz/investor/static/pdf/2019_Q1_Earnings_Transcript.pdf?cache=ebdc584">At the beginning of this year</a>, the firm said India was the fastest-growing market for YouTube. Its companion app, YouTube Music, had more than 15 million downloads. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-meteor-shower-perseids-orionids-leonids-2018-8">A spectacular meteor shower is coming - here's what you're actually seeing</a></h3> <pre style="display: none;">function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</pre>

How the 'Jio effect' brought millions of Indians online and is reshaping Silicon Valley and the internet

India’s home-grown <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Silicon+Valley&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Silicon Valley</a> is facing stiff competition from unexpected quarters. In the first six months of 2016, startups in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) attracted almost twice the amount of investments. Looks like Tier II and Tier III cities are also catching up, and fast. 
 Delhi NCR’s <keyword id="1973995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Startup-ecosystem">startup ecosystem</keyword> accounts for more than half the total $1.8 billion raised by Indian startups in 2016 so far, <a href="http://blog.tracxn.com/2016/06/24/delhi-ncr-bangalore-mumbai-pune-and-hyderabad-are-indias-top-5-startup-cities-for-2016/" target="_blank">according to data</a> from research firm Tracxn. Delhi is closely followed by <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. 
 “Around 28% of the country’s startups are in Delhi. It’s one of the most vibrant cities for startups. We’ll soon see the emergence of new startup capital in India. Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Surat are cities of the future”, Dr. <keyword id="3189968" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Apoorv-Ranjan-Sharma">Apoorv Ranjan Sharma</keyword>, President and Co founder, Venture Catalysts said. 
 Bengaluru has long been an investor’s darling, thanks to its readily available tech talent. However, cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are becoming startups hubs too, accounting for 30 deals in 2016, with a total <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> amount of $34 Mn. 
 
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				City</td>
			<td>
				No. of Deals</td>
			<td>
				Total Funding</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Chennai</td>
			<td>
				10</td>
			<td>
				$17 Mn</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Jaipur</td>
			<td>
				9</td>
			<td>
				$16 Mn</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Ahmedabad</td>
			<td>
				11</td>
			<td>
				$1 Mn</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
“With <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Reliance+Jio&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jio</a> coming in, the internet connectivity in Tier II-Tier III cities will better dramatically. There’s enough capital availability in tier II cities any way. Companies will no longer shift from Nashik and Pune to Mumbai”, Sharma adds. 
 
Today, Bengaluru houses nearly 30% of the country’s technology startups, including unicorns like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=InMobi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">InMobi</a>. The city has the world’s second-fastest growing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startup+ecosystem&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startup ecosystem</a>, and ranks 15th among the largest startup ecosystems globally. 
 
<a href="http://www.nioh.org/26thISSRF/sys/riverfront%20park.jpg">Image Source</a>

Reliance
Jio will be a game-changer for India’s Tier II-Tier III startups

<keyword id="2003276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jio">Jio</keyword> Platforms is among the most <keyword id="11169583" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="influential-companies">influential companies</keyword> in the world, according to the 2021 TIME 100 Most Influential Companies. As per the TIME magazine, over the past few years, <keyword id="6355199" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries">Reliance Industries</keyword> has built India's largest 4G network by charging some of the lowest data rates in the world. Now leading investors are turning to Jio Platforms, the holding company for <keyword id="10926" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance">Reliance</keyword>'s digital businesses, to reach its more than 410 million subscribers, it said. "Last year, Jio raised over $20 billion in capital, a testament to the value and potential of its rapidly growing user base," it said. This is the first ever list, TIME has come out with regarding the most influential companies in the world. that highlights businesses making an extraordinary impact around the world. To assemble it, TIME solicited nominations across sectors including health care, entertainment, transportation, technology and more from our global network of editors and correspondents, as well as from industry experts. Further, ed-tech company BYJU'S also has made it to the list. TIME said that as users of his company's signature <keyword id="235499" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="APP">app</keyword> nearly doubled to 80 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, Byju Raveendran, the founder went on a spending spree, fueled by funding from investors like Tencent and BlackRock. The BYJU'S summer acquisition of <keyword id="8080458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhiteHat-Jr">WhiteHat Jr</keyword>, an app that teaches kids to code, along with the purchase of Silicon Valley educational-game maker <keyword id="2251704" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="osmo">Osmo</keyword> in 2019, gives the company a foothold in the US e-learning market. In April, the company announced plans to dramatically expand outside its home base in India, adding one-on-one lessons in the US, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil. BYJU'S also snapped up a leading Indian test-prep school for almost $1 billion. The explosive growth has turned BYJU'S into one of India's most lucrative startups, increasing the company's expected value to $15 billion, up from $5.5 billion in July 2019, it said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/info-edge-shares-jump-by-2-5-as-markets-cheer-its-move-to-sell-750-crore-worth-shares-in-the-upcoming-zomato-ipo/articleshow/82285596.cms" style="">Info Edge shares jump by 2.5% as markets cheer its move to sell ₹750 crore worth shares in the upcoming Zomato IPO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-phase-3-registration-on-cowin-and-aarogya-setu-not-working-for-18-on-28-april-morning/articleshow/82284828.cms" style="">COVID-19 vaccine phase 3: Anxious Indians are complaining of CoWIN and Aarogya Setu registration being delayed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zomato-ipo-the-food-delivery-unicorn-has-filed-drhp-for-a-1-1-billion-initial-public-offering/articleshow/82286611.cms">Zomato reveals its much-awaited IPO plan and it’s worth $1.1 billion</a>

Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms listed in TIME magazine's 100 most influential companies in the world

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355629" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword> is to invest $4.5 billion into Indian internet company Jio Platforms, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai confirmed on Wednesday.</li><li>Jio Platforms owns <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s biggest telecoms provider <keyword id="6354504" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="reliance-jio">Reliance Jio</keyword> as well as a suite of homegrown apps such as Zoom rival JioMeet.</li><li>The investment gives Google a 7.7% stake in Jio Platforms, providing the deal is cleared by India's regulators.</li><li>Reliance Jio's founder, Mukesh Ambani, is currently the sixth-richest man in the world, with a net wealth of $72.4 billion.</li></ul>Google will invest $4.5 billion in disruptive, popular Indian internet firm Jio Platforms, the company <a href="https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/bringing-internet-access-millions-more-indians-jio">confirmed on Wednesday</a>.The deal gives Google a 7.7% stake in the company, pending approval by Indian regulators.The two firms plan to develop an entry-level Android phone that could bring millions more Indian users online.Google CEO Sundar Pichai, announcing the deal on Wednesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/sundarpichai/status/1283332612308627456">tweeted</a>: "Everyone should have access to the internet. Proud to partner with <a href="https://twitter.com/reliancejio">@reliancejio</a> to increase access for the hundreds of millions in India who don't own a smartphone with our 1st investment of $4.5B from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoogleForIndia?src=hashtag_click">#GoogleForIndia</a> Digitization Fund."A subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance, Jio Platforms owns India's biggest mobile operator Jio, which has a subscriber base of 369.93 million and more than 30% market share.Jio Platforms also owns a suite of homegrown internet apps, including Zoom rival JioMeet and music streaming service JioSaavn.The funding is part of a slew of Google initiatives in India. CEO Sundar Pichai recently held a video call with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. And the $4.5 billion cash injection comes from a new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-alphabet-india-health-agriculture-education-tech-ai-sundar-pichai-2020-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">$10 billion fund that Google plans to invest in India</a>.Pichai is also friendly with the founding family behind Reliance Jio, the Ambani family, attending scion Akash Ambani's wedding in Mumbai in 2019.Other major tech firms have already invested billions in Jio Platforms. <keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> announced a $5.7 billion investment <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-invests-in-jio-india-mobile-internet-service-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">in April</a>. Qualcomm announced this week <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/13/tech/qualcomm-reliance-jio-investment-intl-hnk/index.html">it was investing around $100 million</a>, while Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, KKR, Vista Equity Partners, and many others have invested billions in recent months.<h2>The 'Jio effect' has had a huge impact on Silicon Valley</h2>Jio's rise in India has been meteoric.The Reliance subsidiary has brought millions of Indians online for the first time over the past four years by offering free or incredibly cheap 4G data.This wave of new internet users has benefited the likes of Google and Facebook, both of which are experiencing saturation in the West and are increasingly looking at Asia and emerging economies to provide their "next billion users." Facebook explicitly called out the positive effect of cheap data plans in emerging economies on its user growth back in 2016, and repeatedly describes India is its fastest-growing market.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reliance-jio-millions-of-indians-online-reshaped-internet-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">As Business Insider previously reported</a>, one side effect of millions of new Indian users flooding the internet was the dethroning of popular gaming YouTuber PewDiePie as the top creator on the platform. He was replaced by T-Series, an Indian record label that garners hundreds of millions of views by posting Indian music videos to YouTube and is little-known outside the country.Meanwhile, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani is now the sixth-richest person in the world, per <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg's Billionares Index</a>, surpassing Tesla CEO Elon Musk with a net wealth of $72.4 billion.

Google is investing $4.5 billion in India's mobile internet giant Reliance Jio and the 2 will make a new affordable Android phone

Joining the Big Tech layoff season, networking giant <keyword id="6390344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cisco" source="Orion">Cisco</keyword> is reportedly laying off over 4,000 employees, or about 5 per cent of its workforce, in a "rebalancing" act while "<keyword id="15558659" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rightsizing-certain-businesses" source="Orion">rightsizing certain businesses</keyword>". According to a report in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the move will result in approximately 4,100 jobs cut at Cisco which has a 83,000-strong workforce globally. In its first quarter earning report (Q1 2023) this week, Cisco reported $13.6 billion in revenue, up 6 per cent year over year. Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Cisco, did not divulge any detail on laying off employees, saying he would "be reluctant to go into a lot of detail here until we're able to talk to them. I would say that what we're doing is rightsizing certain businesses". "You can just assume that we're going to -- we're not actually -- there's nothing that's a lower priority, but we are rightsizing certain businesses," he told the analysts. Cisco Chief Financial Officer Scott Herren described the move as a "rebalancing" act. "Don't think of this as a headcount action that is motivated by cost savings. This really is a rebalancing. As we look across the board, there are areas that we would like to invest in more, Chuck just talked about them. Security, our move to platforms and more cloud-delivered products," Herren said during the company's earnings call. He said that if we look at the number of jobs that the company has opened in the areas that it is trying to invest in, "it is just slightly lower than the number of people that we believe will be impacted". "We're going to be working really hard to help match our employees to those roles to the extent there's a skill match. So, we're going to work really hard at that," said the company CFO. Cisco joins a growing list of tech companies like Meta, Twitter, Salesforce and others which have laid off thousands of employees to weather the rough macroeconomic conditions SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/lawyer-without-his-brief-copy-is-like-sachin-tendulkar-without-a-bat-cji-d-y-chandrachud/articleshow/95605315.cms" style="">Lawyer without his brief copy is like Sachin Tendulkar without a bat: CJI D Y Chandrachud</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-5g-services-now-available-across-delhi-ncr-says-reliance/articleshow/95603079.cms" style="">Jio 5G services now available across Delhi-NCR, says Reliance</a>

Cisco to lay off over 4,000 employees in a 'rebalancing' move

Bengaluru- and California-based tech firm <keyword id="3125256" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bidgely" source="Orion">Bidgely</keyword> on Thursday said it has raised $26 million (about ₹190.8 crore) in funding led by Moore Strategic Ventures. The round also saw participation from Accurant International as well as existing investors like Future Energy Ventures, Georgian and Constellation Technology Ventures, a statement said. The SaaS (Software-as-a-service) startup had raised ₹15 crore from IvyCap Ventures in March this year. The US-headquartered company has raised a total of $77 million in funding to date. The company offers artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions to electricity distribution companies to enable them to serve their customers better as well as modernise their grid operations. "As India's extensive smart meter penetration continues, this new investment enables Bidgely to provide tailored solutions that support the country's biggest utility needs: electricity theft prevention, grid stability and electric vehicle (EV) accommodation," the statement said. Working with a leading private Indian electricity distribution company (Discom), Bidgely has demonstrated the acute ability to detect non-technical losses through disaggregated smart meter data, it added. It, however, did not disclose the name of the customer. Bidgely is targeting multiple use cases, including AI-based short-term load forecasting, analytics-based customer indexing and asset predictive maintenance to solve multiple challenges for Discoms, the statement said. "Bidgely's Silicon Valley roots and strong engineering arm in India play not only to our strength of providing AI technology to established markets like North America and Europe but also to our ability to address key issues in emerging markets," Bidgely CEO Abhay Gupta said. He added that India's energy landscape, specifically, is evolving rapidly, and the company's work around theft detection and grid stabilisation goes to the heart of problems that cost the utility industry billions of dollars a year. Bidgely pioneered load disaggregation, holds 17 patents for its technology and partners with nearly 40 global utilities and energy retailers to glean valuable customer energy insights, using data from smart meters already installed in the home. It processes more than two billion energy data points a day. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-vodafone-idea-and-jio-welcome-telecom-relief-package-but-analysts-are-divided-on-whether-it-is-enough/articleshow/86252002.cms">Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio welcome telecom relief package, but analysts are divided on whether it is enough</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/telecom-auto-tata-group-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-september-16/articleshow/86250470.cms">Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Tata group and other top stocks to watch out for on September 16</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/telecom-relief-package-airtel-vodafone-idea-get-four-year-moratorium-on-agr-dues/articleshow/86227218.cms">Indian government dials M for moratorium – Airtel, Vodafone Idea get a four-year relief on AGR dues</a>

Investors' interest in Indian SaaS continues as Bidgely bags $26 million from US-based firms

<a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-speaks-during-the-f8-facebook-news-photo/1146088646?adppopup=true">Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</a>Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the F8 Facebook Developers conference on April 30, 2019 in San Jose, California.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Facebook is looking to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Indian telco Reliance Jio.</li><li>That's according to a report from The Financial Times on Tuesday, which added that plans been disrupted by COVID-19.</li><li>Reliance Jio has helped millions of Indians come online for the first time with its low-cost plans.</li><li>Analysts have estimated that it's worth as much as $60 billion - meaning Facebook could be looking to invest $6 billion.</li></ul>Facebook is mulling a multibillion-dollar investment in a major Indian telecoms firm to help boost its international expansion.On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a1ca0569-7ef7-49c8-b88e-72b792eefc62">The Financial Times reported that the Silicon Valley-based social networking giant has been in talks to invest a 10% stake in Reliance Jio</a> - but that coronavirus restrictions means negotiations have "stalled."Reliance Jio, which is controlled by Mukesh Ambani, India's wealthiest man, has been valued at $60 billion by analysts - indicating that Facebook might be considering investing as much as $6 billion. A company spokesperson declined to comment to Business Insider.The news of the deal highlights how Facebook is still keen to expand its operations abroad - particularly in India, which has become a key location for its messaging app WhatsApp - even as it faces regulatory and antitrust scrutiny in the US. And it also shows how the COVID-19 outbreak and associated government lockdowns are proving immensely disruptive to business around the globe.Reliance Jio has been instrumental in helping millions of Indians come online for the first time, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reliance-jio-millions-of-indians-online-reshaped-internet-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">as Business Insider's Shona Ghosh previously reported</a>: "The network was founded by the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and the telecom went from having zero customers to becoming the biggest mobile operator in the world, with more than 300 million subscribers. To put this in context, Reliance Jio's customer base is about as big as the entire US population."Jio's radical move was this: making 4G available to millions of Indians for free in 2016. It began charging nominal amounts for data in 2017 and, by then, the Indian appetite for internet content knew no bounds in part thanks to the availability of budget Android smartphones. Initially, Jio made no money, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reliance-jio-and-reliance-retail-may-help-mukesh-ambani-rils-quarterly-earnings/articleshow/70274830.cms">but it has now become profitable</a>." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bidets-better-than-using-just-toilet-paper-2019-9">Why bidets are better than buying countless rolls of toilet paper</a></h3>

Facebook is reportedly considering investing billions of dollars in an Indian telecom giant to boost its international growth

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>Hello,Welcome back to Trending, the weekly newsletter highlighting the best of BI Prime's tech coverage. This is Alexei Oreskovic, Business Insider's Global Tech Editor and West Coast Bureau Chief, and I'm always eager for your feedback, thoughts and tips at aoreskovic@businessinsider.com. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/trending">And remember to sign-up here to receive the newsletter in your inbox every week. </a><h3>This week: The trade war's ripples are stirring up rough seas across the tech landscape.</h3>As the stock market gets whipsawed by Trump's on-again, off-again trade war with China, and fears of a recession mount, tech companies are in tough position. If <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-argument-apple-trump-china-tariffs-samsung-no-sense-2019-8">you're Tim Cook, you can get an audience with Trump </a>and try to sweet-talk the commander-in-chief into granting Apple a special dispensation. For most companies though, there's not much to do besides crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.As Rosalie Chan reports, the risks and uncertainty are not limited to tariffs on hardware companies reliant on China supply chains. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudflare-ipo-s1-baidu-partnership-tech-cold-war-2019-8">Businesses in the cloud are also vulnerable, as was evident in cybersecurity company Cloudflare's IPO paperwork</a>. Cloudflare called out the tough trade negotiations and tensions between the US and Chinese governments in its S-1 filing, noting that its local Chinese partner could choose to terminate its partnership early, or not renew it. If that happens, Cloudflare could be locked out of the China market right before its IPO.<h3>Read the full story:</h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudflare-ipo-s1-baidu-partnership-tech-cold-war-2019-8">Cloudflare's China business hinges on a partnership that's threatened by the trade war. And it could all blow up in September, the same month Cloudflare wants to IPO.</a></h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netapp-ceo-interview-warns-ongoing-market-uncertainty-trade-war-2019-8">Interview: NetApp's CEO says the trade war won't end this year and the tech company is preparing for 'a variety of difficult outcomes'</a></h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netapp-ceo-interview-warns-ongoing-market-uncertainty-trade-war-2019-8">In an interview with Ben Pimentel, NetApp CEO George Kurian</a> (whose identical twin brother is the CEO of Google Cloud) spoke of the impact that the ongoing trade and economic uncertainty is having on capital spending among large corporations - a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cisco-shares-fall-trade-war-impact-china-2019-8">worry echoed by Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins.</a> If Kurian's bleak outlook on the trade war is shared by other tech execs, business leaders are likely bracing for a long winter: "We don't expect normalization of the trade regime this calendar year," Kurian says. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netapp-ceo-interview-warns-ongoing-market-uncertainty-trade-war-2019-8">Click here to read the story.</a></h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><h3>A high-ranking executive at Palantir, the big data company criticized for aiding the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, is now at Google.</h3>Arvind KC, who worked for Palantir for almost five years as its chief information officer, was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-hires-palantir-cio-arvind-kc-vp-engineering-2019-8">hired in July by Google to be a vice president of engineering, Rob Price and Nick Bastone reported</a>. KC is now a VP of "Corporate Engineering" in the Google Cloud business.It's an interesting move, given that Google employees have been among the most active in opposing current US immigration policies, and famously revolted last year over the company's AI contract with the Pentagon. It will be interesting to see if other Palantir insiders head for the door, as the Silicon Valley startup cofounded by Peter Thiel is increasingly associated with the Trump administration. <h3>Read the story: </h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-hires-palantir-cio-arvind-kc-vp-engineering-2019-8">Google has quietly hired a key executive from controversial startup Palantir to be a VP of engineering</a></h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-china-tech-cold-war-everything-that-has-happened-2019-5">You can check out all of BI Prime's coverage on the Tech Cold War here.</a></h3><h3>Other recent tech highlights:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-ipo-s1-shows-real-estate-company-not-tech-firm-2019-8">WeWork wants investors to think of it as a tech company. These 5 slides illustrate how its numbers tell a different story.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-argument-apple-trump-china-tariffs-samsung-no-sense-2019-8">Tim Cook's pitch to Trump that Apple will lose the edge to Samsung because of tariffs makes no sense</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/y-combinator-michael-seibel-startups-distance-themselves-google-facebook-2019-8">Startup founders need to distance themselves from big tech, according to the CEO of famed startup accelerator Y Combinator</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arbor-ventures-melissa-guzy-being-in-asia-helps-spot-trends-2019-8">This tech VC is based in Singapore, not Silicon Valley. And the startups she's seeing are solving problems Silicon Valley isn't even aware of.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reliance-jio-millions-of-indians-online-reshaped-internet-2019-8">How the 'Jio effect' brought millions of Indians online and is reshaping Silicon Valley and the internet</a></li></ul><h3>And more from across the BI newsroom:</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deutsche-banks-2019-org-chart-after-restructuring-2019-8">Leaked internal memos lay out Deutsche Bank's new org chart following a massive restructuring and 18,000 job cuts</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudflare-ceo-matthew-prince-profile-2019-8">Cloudflare's CEO protected Nazis and sex workers on principle - now the internet's most ethical exec will have to answer to Wall Street as it prepares for an IPO</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/viacom-employees-say-good-spot-after-cbs-deal-2019-8">INSIDE VIACOM: What employees are saying about the blockbuster CBS merger and think will happen next</a></li></ul>Thanks for reading, Alexei<a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/trending">PS: if you're not yet a subscriber to Trending, BI Prime's tech newsletter, you can sign up here.</a>

The trade war's ripples are stirring up rough seas throughout tech

<ul><li>Zoom announced that it will be opening up a new technology centre in Bengaluru to expand its footprint in India.</li><li>Zoom also plans to begin recruitment for Bengaluru operations</li><li>As a part of its expansion strategy, Zoom plans to integrate new value-added services to its video conferencing app.</li><li>While the new data centre will be in India to focus on India specifics and features, any app developments will still be considered global.</li></ul>The video-conferencing app, Zoom, that has gained popularity in the recent lockdown, has solidified its India plans. Zoom just unveiled its plan to set up a new technology centre in India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru and is looking to hire talent over the next few years. The company’s COO Aparna Bawa also disclosed that the company has plans to add value-added services onto the platform after the flurry of new use-cases since December. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76988430" title="Zoom wants you to buy a $600 second screen to use exclusively for videoconferencing" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> In the first four months of 2020, Zoom saw its daily participants grow from 10 million to 300 million. Bawa pointed out that the majority of the use cases for the video conferencing platform in that time were new; with the number of free user sign-ups witnessing a whopping 6700% growth between January and April. “It’s up to us to answer the call and provide some longevity, value and value-added services to support those use cases,” said Bawa, highlighting that events like yoga classes, wedding, funerals or even a merger have led to the rise in usage. Zoom’s new technology centre in Bengaluru will be set up to help with just that with everything from R&amp;D, DevOps. Business operations to IT engineering. “As you look at a headquarters, it will have representation for all segments,” said Zoom’s new president of engineering and product, Velchamy Sankarlingam, who was appointed in May earlier this year. Technology center in India, roots still global Sankarlingam highlighted that while Zoom’s business headquarters will be working closely with Indian firms to launch specifics and features for India, it will still be looked at as an extension of the global organisation. Which is why standalone revenues from India are unlikely to be shown anywhere in the near future. “We don’t call out revenues except for the US and then the international market,” said Bawa. Rising concern over security Zoom says that it’s in conversation with the Indian government over security concerns and data sharing with China. India’s cyber authority CERT-In had initially released an advisory on the security loopholes in Zoom and asked users to update their software. The Home Ministry followed that up by a ban on using Zoom by government employees. “The Chinese data centre is ring-fenced. Any data that’s on Zoom’s servers goes around China,” explained Sankarligam. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76636946" title="INTERVIEW: Zoom's India head believes he will able to convince the Home Ministry that the app is safe" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Competition heating up Even though Zoom could not cite India-specific numbers in terms of growth during the lockdown, <keyword id="9123500" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoom-india">Zoom India</keyword> Head Sameer Raje highlights that business has grown exponentially in smaller businesses (SMEs) that have overcome the initial hesitancy to go digital. It faces competition from Jio who holds the largest market share and has launched its own video conference apps called Jio Meets. Many have pointed out the similarity between the user interface. “Beyond the UI there are so many things that have an advantage for Zoom like the back-end architecture and reserve engineering capacity when we talk to customers,” said Bawa. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76762100" title="Reliance Jio launches JioMeet app to take on Zoom" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> India holds importance for Zoom as one of the biggest telecom markets in the world with a user base of more than 115.2 crore subscribers according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) latest figures. The video-conferencing giant already has an office in Mumbai along with two data centres in Mumbai and Hyderabad. The new set-up in Bengaluru is a reflection of Zoom’s expansion plans in India and its aspirations for growth in one of the largest markets in the world. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/threatened-zoom-says-not-worried-about-jiomeet-competition/articleshow/76782254.cms">Zoom says they are "not worried" about JioMeet competition</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-is-zoom-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-wildly-popular-video-chatting-service-for-computers-and-smartphones/articleshow/75685199.cms">'What is Zoom'?: A comprehensive guide to the wildly popular video-chatting service for computers and smartphones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/zoom-wants-you-to-buy-a-600-second-screen-to-use-exclusively-for-videoconferencing/articleshow/76988430.cms">Zoom wants you to buy a $600 second screen to use exclusively for videoconferencing</a>

Zoom opens up new technology centre in Bengaluru with plans to introduce value-added services to the video conferencing app

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">GettyTim Cook talks to Donald Trump at a tech roundtable last year.</div></div></div>Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ceo-tim-cook-meets-donald-trump-five-times-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Apple CEO Tim Cook has met Trump at least five times in a year in a desperate bid to keep him on-side amid the trade war</a>. There are signs that Cook's open dialogue with Trump has benefited Apple, with the company this week being granted a reprieve from Trump's 10% China import tariffs.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-contractor-accenture-forced-counselors-to-disclose-sessions-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook content moderation firm asked on-site therapists to disclose counseling details with employees, according to an Intercept report</a>. The allegations were made on an internal employee message board, and contractor Accenture says it has investigated the claim and "confirmed that these allegations are without merit."</li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-tech-usa-license-exclusive-idUSKCN1V701U">The US Commerce Department is expecting to extend Huawei's temporary trade license by another 90 days, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters</a>. Huawei was given its initial license in May after it was designated a national security threat and placed on a blacklist.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-to-lend-employees-and-ceo-masayoshi-son-20-billion-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">SoftBank plans to lend its employees and CEO $20 billion to invest in its ambitious technology fund</a>. The loans are likely to have an interest rate of about 5%, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a source.</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/pinboard/status/1162711159000055808">Twitter user Pinboard spotted that Twitter was running ads from Chinese state media criticising the Hong Kong protests</a>. The promoted tweets are from Xinhua News, and said the "escalating violence" in Hong Kong have taken a "heavy toll on the social order."</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/palantir-protest-palo-alto-activists-ice-contracts-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Protesters blocked Palantir's cafeteria on Friday to pressure the $20 billion big data company to drop its contracts with ICE</a>. Activists said the protest was timely because Palantir is rumored to go public early next year, and they invited Palantir employees to take a stand.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/huawei-us-chief-security-officer-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Huawei's US chief security officer says he's been called a traitor for defending the Chinese tech giant</a>. Andy Purdy maintains that his goal is to "promote a safer cyberspace."</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reliance-jio-millions-of-indians-online-reshaped-internet-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Silicon Valley is benefiting from the "Jio effect", after Indian telco Reliance Jio launched free data plans in 2016</a>. Facebook has posted consistent monthly active user growth for almost three years, thanks to the influx of new Indian users.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-sellers-organizing-anti-trust-doj-ftc-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Amazon sellers are organizing against the retail giant as the FTC and DOJ continues their antitrust probe</a>. Some sellers say that Amazon has an unfair advantage in accessing sales data on its third-party platform.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-customers-say-names-addresses-orders-exposed-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Amazon accidentally sent some customers emails containing other shoppers' names, addresses, and order information</a>. "I'm angry," one Amazon customer who was impacted told Business Insider, "to have any personal information shared is a huge rights violation."</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-submit-your-own-emoji-start-finish-2019-8">If you want an emoji that isn't available, you can create it. Here's how everyday people send their submissions.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "jio silicon valley" and got 10 results

How the 'Jio effect' brought millions of Indians online and is reshaping Silicon Valley and the internet

Shona Ghosh

Reliance Jio will be a game-changer for India’s Tier II-Tier III startups

Saikat Pyne

Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms listed in TIME magazine's 100 most influential companies in the world

IANS

Google is investing $4.5 billion in India's mobile internet giant Reliance Jio and the 2 will make a new affordable Android phone

Shona Ghosh

Cisco to lay off over 4,000 employees in a 'rebalancing' move

IANS

Investors' interest in Indian SaaS continues as Bidgely bags $26 million from US-based firms

PTI

Facebook is reportedly considering investing billions of dollars in an Indian telecom giant to boost its international growth

Rob Price

The trade war's ripples are stirring up rough seas throughout tech

Alexei Oreskovic

Zoom opens up new technology centre in Bengaluru with plans to introduce value-added services to the video conferencing app

Prabhjote Gill

10 things in tech you need to know today

Isobel Asher Hamilton,Isobel …

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides