We are part of the solution, not the problem: Huawei

New Delhi, (India) March 28, 2012 - Allaying concerns of Indian authorities on security issues related to foreign telecom equipment makers, Chinese company Huawei today said it is a part of the solution and not the problem.

 ÒWe do notice these concerns and we believe that from technology, value addition and partnership point of views, we are part of the solution and not the problem,Ó Huawei India Senior Vice President Yao Weimin told reporters.

In 2010, the Home Ministry reportedly refused to clear telecom equipment contracts allotted to Chinese companies on security concerns. Last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also expressed concern on Chinese telecom equipment imported in large quantities.

Recently, Australia had blocked Huawei from tendering for a prestigious USD 38 billion nation-wide broadband contract due to cyber attacks originating from China.
Referring to such instances, Weimin said it is a legitimate concern by any government or user to address the security issues and to develop capacities and solutions.

 ÒIt is a legitimate concern by any government or user to address this security issue to jointly develop capacities and solutions especially from security point of view. That is what we mean when we say we are part of the solution,Ó Weimin said.

Huawei has been working closely with customers to develop these kinds of solutions, he added.
 Despite the uncertainties in the Indian telecom sector after the Supreme Court (SC) quashed 122 2G licences, Huawei said it remains committed to the country.

 ÒWe notice that India has been experiencing challenging times. We are evaluating this development and we hope that the issues will be resolved and India will continue to grow in a healthy and sustainable development,Ó he said.

 Huawei counts most telecom operators in the country among its clients, including Uninor and Sistema Shyam, whose licences were also cancelled as part of the SC judgement.
 Huawei said it has invested more than USD 150 million in India for an R&D centre at Bangalore and a manufacturing facility at Chennai.

 ÒWe are confident in investing in India in the long run,Ó he added.

Indian State ties up with Microsoft to showcase school of future

Patna, (India) March 22, 2012 - Bihar government today announced that it would partner with Microsoft India to implement a pilot program that would allow it to showcase a model of a school of the future.
 The initiative, to begin next month, would implement programs augmenting the scope of digital literacy and optimize the use of computers by students and teachers.

 Rajesh Bhushan, State Project Director, Bihar Education Project Council, said five government secondary schools will participate in the project named 'Window to the World'.
 ÒThe aim of the initiative is to reach out to students and educational stakeholders to build capacity within the state on a limited budget,Ó Bhushan said.

 Irina Ghose, Director, Education, Microsoft India, said, ÒWith Window to the World we aim to partner with the Bihar Government to showcase how tech-enabled classrooms can increase student engagement and learning.Ó The pilot would also aim to provide computer aided learning opportunities for students of classes VIII- XII in government schools as well as introduce innovative platforms which will connect students and teachers from all around the world.

 The state government aimed at projecting Bihar as the model state for education in the country India by providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled education at the secondary level, Bhushan said.

 The project was announced on the occasion of Bihar Diwas Celebrations.

Cognizant Opens New Development Center in Singapore

SINGAPORE, March 22, 2012 - Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH), a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, today expanded its presence in Singapore with the opening of a new development center. The center was inaugurated by Yeoh Keat Chuan, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, with Louis Mazel, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in the Republic of Singapore, as the guest of honor.

The 30,000-sq.ft. development center located within the Changi Business Park will accommodate approximately 370 professionals and will enhance Cognizant's existing operations in Singapore, which include regional leadership and operational support services for Cognizant's businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. Cognizant services a variety of key industries out of Singapore, including Banking, Insurance, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Retail and Logistics, Consumer Goods, and Hospitality.

The Singapore development center will leverage the rich talent pool available in Singapore, and will scale up to provide a range of services that help clients drive both efficiency and effectiveness of operations as well as business transformation. As is standard for Cognizant's global development centers, the Singapore center will leverage Cognizant 2.0, a Web 2.0-based platform that enables Cognizant associates worldwide to virtually collaborate and deliver significant time-to-market, cost, and transformational value to clients.

"We warmly welcome Cognizant's decision to establish its development center here," said Yeoh Keat Chuan, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board. "The Singapore IT services sector employs over 30,000 people today. We are pleased that Cognizant will add a significant number of good jobs to the sector through this new center. We look forward to working with Cognizant to develop and pilot new technologies in Singapore."

"I congratulate Cognizant on the inauguration of its first development center in Singapore," said Louis Mazel, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in the Republic of Singapore. "Cognizant has built strong credentials in Singapore in a short period of time. With the Asia-Pacific region gaining prominence within the global economy, Singapore has become an ever more important business destination. Cognizant's expanded presence in Singapore will help the Consulting, IT, and BPO industry in Singapore increase its competitiveness and define newer benchmarks."

"We started operations in Singapore in 2005 and have steadily grown our presence and investment in the city-state," said R. Chandrasekaran, Group Chief Executive, Technology and Operations, Cognizant. "Our Singapore center will continue to strengthen our integrated global delivery capabilities, as our investments in new global, regional, and local delivery centers help our clients harness specialized talent globally to meet their requirements and risk preferences, as well as provide business continuity. We are committed to investing in the growth of our Singapore operations and to working closely with the academic community in Singapore to develop talent across our full range of services."

"Our experience in Singapore has been excellent," said Prakash Hemdev, Vice President and Head of Cognizant's ASEAN operations. "With the support of an outstanding university system and local talent pool, our Singapore center will continue to attract technology and business professionals with deep domain expertise. We plan to develop the new facility into a state-of-the-art incubation center for newer technologies and business opportunities, such as mobility and enterprise analytics. The Asia Pacific region is seeing significant adoption of these technologies and defining best practices for corporations globally."

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 137,700 employees as of December 31, 2011, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world.

Unitech agrees to sell stake to Telenor

New Delhi, Mar 20 - Realty firm Unitech is believed to have agreed to sell its around 33 per cent stake in telecom company Uninor to its joint venture partner Telenor.

 Unitech has consented to sell its stake during Company Law Board hearing on Monday, according to sources. They added that Unitech has given various proposals regarding its stake sale and negotiations are on between the two companies.

 Unitech's consent to exit is subject to Telenor's acceptance of its proposal.
 The joint venture partners have been at loggerheads over a slew of issues. The differences between them reached a flash point after the Supreme Court in February cancelled 122 licences, including 22 held by Uninor.

 Holding the Indian partner responsible for the breach of warranties related to the cancellation of the licenses, the Norwegian firm wanted to dump its partner, Unitech after the Supreme Court verdict.
 While Telenor had requested for the ÒexclusionÓ and ÒremovalÓ of Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra and his two other nominees from the Òmanagement and administrative affairs of UninorÓ, Unitech had asked for maintaining the status quo of Uninor, and not allowing transfer of its assets to any other company without its consent.

 The warring partners have since then moved the CLB which is hearing cross-petitions filed by them.
 On March 13, the CLB had asked Unitech to decide whether the realty firm wants to buy Telenor's stake in Uninor or sell its stake to the Norwegian telecom firm.

 Yesterday, the parties exchanged proposals inside the closed chambers of the Company Law Board Chairman.
 Company Law Board Chairman Justice B R Deshmukh on the request of Unitech has ordered proceedings of the case to be held in-camera.

 Telenor holds the remaining 67 per cent stake in Uninor.