Posts Tagged ‘Economy’

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23 B$ Broadband Bonanza for the Indian Government

June 11, 2010

(photo – http://adityasphones.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/mobile-phones-rural-india.jpg )

Mobile subscribers are increasing by between 5 and 10 million every month in India !!!

Following the receipt of over $15 Billion ( Rs 67,700 Crores) from the auction of the 3G spectrum to mobile operators in May, the Indian Government has received over $8 Billion (Rs 38,300 Crores) from the 16 day auction of the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.

This is more than 3 times greater than the expected proceeds and provides the Indian Government with an unexpected $15 Billion to improve the fiscal deficit for the current financial year.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/707739_Broadband-spectrum-auction-ends–Govt-gets-38-300-cr

As with 3G, Mumbai and Delhi received the highest bid amounts. The BWA auction had two slots of 20 MHz of spectra across India.
At least 11 companies, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Vodafone and Tata Communications Internet Services, participated in the auction for Broadband Wireless Access spectrum. The state owned bodies – BSNL and MTNL, which had received BWA spectrum allocations in advance of the auction will have to pay the equivalent of the winning bid in each service area.

BWA spectrum enables high-speed Internet access as well as Internet telephony and TV services. It can also be used for voice and high-speed data services.

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UK Airspace was never actually closed !!!

April 19, 2010

As criticism mounts over the alarmist behaviour based largely on bureaucratic processes, in turn based on computer modelling, it turns out that UK airspace was never legally closed following the Icelandic dust cloud !!!

Criticism is also growing in Sweden and Norway for blindly following UK Met Office projections without confirming them by measurement.

The Financial Times reports:

The National Air Traffic Services body has appeared to be the one legally responsible for closing Britain’s airspace. This is because NATS, which provides airlines with air traffic control services, made the first announcements on April 14 about airspace restrictions after the cloud of ash began drifting over the UK. On Sunday night, it announced that restrictions would be in place until at least 7pm, Monday . NATS is not a regulator, however, and cannot legally close airspace. That power lies with the Civil Aviation Authority, which regulates aviation on behalf of the Department of Transport. So far, the CAA has not used this power. “At no point has UK airspace been shut. It’s legally open,” a CAA spokesman said.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39cbf638-4b45-11df-a7ff-00144feab49a.html

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Precautionary principle is fatally flawed

April 18, 2010

Finally as reported by the BBC the nonsensical bans on flights in Europe are being questioned.

“Europe’s air industry has called for an urgent review of flight bans imposed because of volcanic ash from Iceland………Airlines that have carried out test flights say planes showed no obvious damage after flying through the ash.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8628323.stm

The volcanic ash plume from Iceland, top left, to northern France, pictured by Nasa's Terra Satellite , 17 April

Photo: NEODAAS/University of Dundee/AP

Wherever the Precautionary Principle is used to justify restrictions on human activity it is because a political agenda is being served but common sense dictates otherwise. It is usually resorted to by polticians and bureaucrats who defend a process in the name of avoiding the “common bad” even if the results of the process are against the common good.

Big Brother in Europe is alive and well but it is time to put this pseudo-science to bed.

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Metals price recovery confirms recession is over

April 18, 2010

China with around 12% and India at around 8% growth have shrugged off the recession and seem to be providing much of the power behind the global recovery.

The Indian Finance Minister seems to think that Indian growth rates could even overtake China’s.

http://business.rediff.com/report/2010/mar/31/india-poised-to-overtake-chinas-growth-rate-chidambaram.htm

Basic metal prices provide a solid sanity check and the recovery of metal prices is well underway. Recovery of Nickel price is a good indicator that specialised and stainless steels are back in demand again.

The steel cartel is becoming active again after having a couple of years with nothing to shout about, and seems to be mainly driven by the demand from China.

http://www.infomine.com/

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