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Samsung Manesar plant rolls out GSM phone
MUMBAI: Samsung Telecommunication, one of the fastest growing handset companies with global leadership in design and technology, has finally started production of its GSM handsets at its Manesar plant in Gurgaon, Haryana.
The product that marked the roll out, SGH X-200, is a flip open phone weighing 77 gm, X-200 is loaded with Tri Band facility, IrDA Connectivity, SMS/ EMS / MMS, JAVA (MIDP 2.0) / WAP 1.2.1, 40 Polyphonic sound and 65k Colour LCD Screen. The phone also has a loudspeaker, a sound recorder which records messages for 30 seconds duration and large memory space to store 1000 entries, states an official release.
Flagging off this unit, Samsung Telecommunication India MD H. C. Ryu said, “Indian GSM phone market is growing at over 60 per cent every year and Samsung is strategically planning to be one of the leading players in this sector. Our new manufacturing unit at Manesar is a major step in this direction which will not only provide us the price advantage to produce locally but will also reduce time to market our new models.”
Set up with an investment of US$ 15 million, this fully automated and highly sophisticated manufacturing unit will manufacture 1 million handsets per annum, which will be stepped up to produce 20 million units per annum by 2010, the release adds.
Also in the pipeline are plans to manufacture an array of Samsung GSM handsets at Manesar. All these products will be customised with the help of Samsung India Software Operations unit (SISO), Samsung’s R&D Centre located at Bangalore.
Being Samsung’s third overseas handset manufacturing facility in the world after China and Brazil, this unit will cater to local markets need and act as manufacturing hub for South West Asia.
Outlining Samsung’s future plans, Ryu said, “We are highly bullish on the Indian market. With production going on stream, we are now going to expand our product portfolio, work heavily on product localization, invest more in marketing campaigns and expand our distribution network. This is our effort to come closer to the Indian consumers where we will continue to provide them with technological and design innovations in mobile phones.”
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Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
