(20 February 2007 5:00 pm)

MUMBAI: IMRB International has announced its partnership with the Yankee Group to be their exclusive representative for India.

This strategic partnership between IMRB International and Yankee Group will bring in an international perspective in the fields of telecommunications & wireless/mobile, consumer, media and entertainment and IT hardware, software and services.

The recent announcement of auctioning of spectrum by GOM for 3G networks itself means that the companies need to focus on the kind of consumers that they need to cater to, whether it be the niche segments with higher ARPUs or the mass markets, and the expected time frames for return on investment in order to bid for larger spectrum share.

The eTechnology Group@IMRB has for over two decades chronicled the growing telecommunication market in India researching diverse products and services including wireless, wire line, broadband, VPN networks, V-SATs, Satellite Technology and application like Videoconferencing, Telemedicine.

IMRB International continues to hold the lion's share of research spends among Telecom Companies in India. In recent times, the company has extended its reach to cover SAARC countries, South East Asia, Middle East and North Africa helping leading telecom providers there.

"This partnership with IMRB International is another barometer of Yankee Group's focus on expanding our reach in Asia-Pacific, specifically in India," said Yankee Group senior regional vice president, International Sales Ajay Sule.

He further added "As the recognized leader in global connectivity counsel, Yankee Group identifies IMRB as one of the premier research firms in India who shares the same vision to help companies navigate the global connectivity revolution with research and data that analyzes the issues impacting the network, consumers and enterprises."

IMRB International president Thomas Puliyel announcing the association said, “We are very happy that IMRB is partnering with the Yankee Group to help the telecommunication and IT industry grow and develop. This industry has been at the forefront of the connectivity revolution over the last decade in this region and we are proud to be partners in this progress”.

eTechnology Group@IMRB International vice president and country head Mohan Krishnan also added, “IMRB International and eTechnology Group@IMRB are well established names in the Telecom and IT/Internet markets in the country with a strong client base. This partnership will definitely help us improve on our research based Consulting Services to our existing clients especially given the dynamic technology environment they are facing in a globalizing marketplace.”