News Broadcasting
Telecom company Gailtel sales increase 75 %
MUMBAI: Gailtel the telecommunication service wing of gas company Gail has announced that its sales have increased to Rs 200.50 million in 2003-04 from Rs 110.71 million in the previous fiscal.
This means an increase of 75 per cent. Gailtel claims to have emerged as the largest IP-II operator in India, with a bandwidth sales increase from 482 Mbps in 2002-03 to 1230 Mbps in 2003-4. Major service providers like Hutch, Escotel, Tata Teleservices, Data Access, Bharti Infotel, STPI and VSNL are among its customers.
The Gailtel service claims to have maintained a consistent 99.7 per cent availability. Following an in-depth study, leading management consultancy firm Mckinsey has recommended an expansion strategy and suggested a service and network expansion model for the company.
Gailtel will also create an Internet Protocol Multi Protocol Label Switching (IP-MPLS) network connecting 10 cities in the country. Gail plans to expand its network to the south and create intra city networks through a selective build-and-buy process.
The network will be expanded on a marginal cost basis along the proposed National Gas Grid and City Gas networks. As part of this project, Gailtel will create an overall network stretching 20,000 km along trunk routes and another 20,000 Km. of city networks. Since a major part of Gailtel’s network shall be along pipelines, the company would be able to provide a whole range of broadband services at a substantially lower cost than competitors.
Going forward, Gailtel is looking to forge strategic alliances / partnerships to strengthen its market presence. It is also exploring possibilities of tying up with broadband service providers for a long-term network lease contract. The company plans to utilise the pipelines laid for its city gas distribution projects across the country, for laying optical fibre cables.
Gailtel will continue operating as a telecom infrastructure provider. It is also nurturing plans to set up data centres and bandwidth exchanges.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group sweeps top honours at Ramnath Goenka Awards
Journalists recognised for fearless investigative and civic reporting.
MUMBAI: India Today Group just turned the Ramnath Goenka Awards into its own trophy cabinet because when your reporters dig this deep, even the judges have to award a clean sweep. India Today Group journalists have secured multiple top honours at the latest edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, reinforcing the network’s legacy as the gold standard of Indian journalism. The awards were conferred by vice president C. P. Radhakrishnan at a ceremony held on 27 March 2026.
Sreya Chatterjee won in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Broadcast’ category for her powerful India Today TV report ‘Operation Illegals: The Alarming Rise in Bangladeshi Infiltration Across India’s Fragile Eastern Frontier’. The investigation stood out for its depth, on-ground rigour and national relevance.
In the ‘Civic Journalism – Print/Digital’ category, Sreya Chatterjee along with Arvind Ojha were honoured for their indiatoday.in report on unregulated water extraction and the ‘Tanker Mafia’ in Delhi’s Bawana Industrial Area. The story exposed critical systemic gaps and environmental challenges affecting daily life.
Additionally, aajtak.in was recognised in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Print/Digital’ category for its hard-hitting exposé ‘The Surrogate Mother Market’, which highlighted the human, legal and ethical dimensions of the surrogacy ecosystem.
India Today Group emerged as the only network honoured in Investigative Journalism across both Print/Digital and Broadcast categories. The wins reflect the strength of its multi-platform newsroom and its unwavering commitment to credible, high-impact reporting that informs public discourse and drives accountability.
In an era when speed often trumps substance, these awards remind us that the most powerful stories are still the ones dug out with courage, told with clarity, and delivered with conscience, one fearless byline at a time.
