News Broadcasting
Singapore aims to establish ultra-fast broadband network by 2015
MUMBAI: Singapore has set a time frame to reach the prominent position in the world broadband map. The island nation aspires to be transformed into the first totally wireless and wired country in the world by 2015.
The new ultra fast-speed National Broadband Network will reach 85 per cent of households in the country, and the private sector has been invited to partner the government in this bold project. As per the plan, a user can expect speeds of 100 megabytes to 1 gigabyte per second when surfing the Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure, dubbed the new digital superhighway.
There are two components to the proposed network; first is an ultra high-speed National Broadband Network linking businesses, schools, hospitals and homes. Secondly, the government will put in place a pervasive wireless broadband network in key catchment areas islandwide, to offer wireless access at affordable rates for those on the go.
According to media reports, the former one will also be a public-private partnership, with a Request For Concepts to be called by next week, followed by a Request-For-Proposals by the middle of this year. The contract is expected to be rewarded early next year, with 50 per cent of the network rolled out within three years, and the entire network running by 2012.
Regarding the second one, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) will call for collaborations next week with current telco and ISP operators; it expects the services to be rolled out by the end of the year.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
