GECs
Conexant targets b’band market armed with $250 mn
MUMBAI: The California-headquartered Conexant Systems, which provides semiconductor solutions for broadband communications and digital TV set-top boxes, is planning to invest more than $250 million in India over the next five years.
The company also plans to expand engineering headcount in order to drive revenue growth and improve profitability.
Conexant is banking on the potential growth that Indian broadband market would undergo in the next few years. The planned investment will include payroll, capital equipment, and R&D facilities.
The company’s Noida unit, on the outskirts of Delhi, develops next-generation embedded software and semiconductor solutions for broadband access, broadband media processing and wireless networking solutions.
The unit also delivers solutions for broadband/DSL Internet access, digital television set-top boxes, wireless networking and network management products.
Conexant presently employs approximately 775 people in engineering-related positions in India.
“Expanding in India allows us to leverage an increasingly sophisticated semiconductor product design infrastructure and to draw talent from a world-class university system producing record numbers of undergraduate and advanced degreed electrical engineers and computer scientists,” said Conexant chairman and CEO Dwight W. Decker in a statement.
“Additionally, we are able to significantly increase our engineering bandwidth for a fraction of what it would cost in the U.S., which will help us meet our operating-expense targets and improve profitability,” he added.
Conexant has had an engineering presence in India since 1996, and now has engineering design facilities in Hyderabad, Noida, Bangalore, and Pune.
Engineering personnel in these facilities work closely with colleagues around the world in support of the company’s business units, which consist of broadband media processing, broadband access, universal and voice access, and wireless networking.
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GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
