MAM
Convergence India opens on Digital India theme with 434 exhibitors from 29 countries
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as one of the most promising markets for IT and Telecommunications companies with government initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India propelling growth and encouraging major tech companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Google, who are preparing to serve the Indian rural market.
This was the general view of speakers at the inauguration of the 24th Convergence India Expo, which opened in the capital today with 434 exhibitors from 29 countries.
Speakers said India is in the midst of a digital revolution, and the government has unveiled new policies and regulations to accelerate the adoption of ICT in key economic and strategic sectors to increase India’s competitiveness and productivity.
Bharti Enterprises vice chairman Akhil Gupta said, “The Indian ICT sector has entered an exciting growth phase led by the proliferation of digital media and technologies. With over one billion mobile connections, the country’s transformation into a digital economy will be driven by mobile broadband, which will help hundreds of millions of Indians benefit by connecting to the internet. The industry remains committed to the Government’s Digital India vision.”
CII National Committee on Telecom & Broadband chairman Kiran Karnik, who was moderating the inaugural conference session on Digital India, added, “The panellists comprised eminent names who bought a unique and different perspective on the various issues involved. The result was an excellent session, which provided many insights and useful suggestions.”
Keynote speaker at the Convergence India forum, former Secretary in the Government and former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Pradip Baijal said, “Today’s India and Indians want to be informed and connected 24×7, hence mobile broadband. India has very poor fixed-line tele-density and fixed broadband density. Of seven billion mobiles in the world, 3.5 billion have been converted to mobile broadband. In India, less than 10 per cent of mobiles have been converted to mobile broadband. This needs correction, and I hope the conference will deliberate on this.”
Exhibitions India Group chairman Prem Behl, who conceived the Convergence India Expo, said, “Our endeavour is to bring to the forefront an extraordinary platform, which is informative, thought provoking and empowers both government and industry stakeholders to meet the challenges of the future.”
Participating exhibitors include: Appear TV, Cisco Systems, Elemental Technologies, Ericsson, NAGRA, RiverSilica, SanDisk India and Telenor, among others, who are using the Convergence India platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies and innovations.
Apart from the exhibition arena, concurrent conference sessions are being held in two separate halls with prominent government officials, industry leaders, technocrats, academia, media, etc.
Eminent speakers included TRAI chairman R S Sharma; Kiran Karnik; Broadcom India MD Rajiv Kapur; Cisco India and SAARC managing director – service provider business Sanjay Kaul; Telenor India CEO Sharad Mehrotra; ICA National president Pankaj Mohindroo; Bharti Infratel MD and CEO Devender Singh Rawat; and Viom Networks CEO Syed Safawi, amongst others.
Organised by the Exhibitions India Group, the Expo is supported by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Brands
Trent posts Rs 19,701 crore FY26 revenue, profit rises to Rs 1,968 crore
Q4 profit at Rs 455 crore; margins improve, net worth climbs to Rs 7,703 crore
MUMBAI: Retail therapy seems to be working for Trent Limited as much as for its shoppers. The Tata Group retail arm reported a steady performance for FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 19,701.41 crore, up from Rs 16,668.11 crore in FY25. Total income for the year stood at Rs 20,075.87 crore, reflecting continued momentum across its retail formats.
Profit before tax came in at Rs 2,511.54 crore for the year, compared to Rs 2,076.62 crore a year earlier. After accounting for taxes of Rs 543.72 crore, net profit rose to Rs 1,967.82 crore, marking a clear improvement from Rs 1,584.84 crore in FY25.
For the March quarter, the company reported revenue of Rs 4,936.64 crore and total income of Rs 4,997.71 crore. Profit before tax stood at Rs 576.46 crore, while net profit came in at Rs 454.75 crore, up from Rs 349.92 crore in the same quarter last year.
On the cost front, total expenses for FY26 rose to Rs 17,538.54 crore, driven by higher stock purchases of Rs 11,170.44 crore and increased occupancy costs at Rs 1,652.69 crore. Employee benefit expenses also edged up to Rs 1,222.04 crore, reflecting continued expansion.
Operationally, the company maintained stable efficiency metrics. Operating margin improved to 11.88 per cent from 11.29 per cent, while net profit margin rose to 9.99 per cent from 9.51 per cent. The interest service coverage ratio stood strong at 16.76, indicating comfortable debt servicing capacity.
Trent’s balance sheet also strengthened during the year. Net worth increased to Rs 7,702.80 crore from Rs 5,914.40 crore, while total assets expanded to Rs 12,225.71 crore. The debt-to-equity ratio improved to 0.33 from 0.38, signalling a more balanced capital structure.
Cash flow from operations rose to Rs 2,630.19 crore, compared to Rs 1,668.26 crore in the previous year, even as the company continued to invest in expansion, with capital expenditure and investments weighing on investing cash flows.
With consistent growth across revenue, profitability, and margins, Trent’s FY26 performance suggests a retailer scaling steadily ringing up gains not just at the checkout, but across the balance sheet.
