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Report : It’s Time India Should Get High Speed Unlimited Data Plans

India has been stuck in the internet revolution for many a years. And while the country is progressing at a rapid speed, infrastructure is not growing fast enough. With new businesses sprouting each day, the need for a connected economy has increased considerably.

India’s Massive Market

India is one of the largest consumers of mobile phones in the world. Enough so, that many manufacturers have put India in the first list of launch countries. According to the TRAI Performance Indicator Report, India has 414.18 million wireless GSM connected users as of March 2015. But this is just in the rural sector, the all India number is at ~~705.21~~ 928 Million according to the COAI report of May 2015 and Others report of Dec 2014. This number also receives staggering growth of 2.5% month on month in the Rural sector and a growth of 0.90% month on month nationwide.

What appears to be a small growth percentage, 2.5% growth means that the industry is adding approximately 10.2 million rural subscribers a month at the current trend. This additional user base earns the industry approximately Rs. 1200 crore each quarter. This large number is only a dip in an industry that moved around Rs. 26781 crore in revenue in Q4 2014.

The large revenue for the telecom operators is driven largely by the large number of users and large user base additions each month. But how much has the industry progressed since the begining of the internet age.

[pullquote_left] By the End of 2014 the World was Consuming 3000 PetaBytes of Data [/pullquote_left]

Global consumption of mobile data is through the roof. By Q4 2010 the world was only getting acquainted to mobile data and consumption of data on a portable phone was at 400 PetaBytes (mobile data traffic Up+Down). However, by the end of 2014 the world was consuming 3000 PetaBytes of Data. The industry estimates that the growth with continue by 60-70% each month.

Global Launch Trends

HSPA 42 Mbps networks have been commercially launched in 86 countries, while LTE networks have been commercially launched in 112 countries. So far, 40 LTE TDD networks have been made commercially available in 27 countries, with 27 operators launching LTE services using only the TDD mode, and 13 deploying both TDD and FDD modes together. 6 In a mixed LTE FDD/TDD network, the use of FDD for the uplink can improve the effective coverage area of the TDD band, and can also make TDD more efficient on the downlink.

On the other side mobile operators in 75 countries have now launched HD voice commercially. VoLTE or “voice on LTE” provides users with telecom-grade HD voice, video calling and other new, richer communication services on LTE smartphones.

State of Indian Networks

Despite all the launches mentioned above, India remains as a part of none of them. While India contributes to a large percentage of global mobile data usage, it all somehow comes from poor data connections.

It is estimated that if connection quality and speeds were to improve in India, the present data consumption would increase by 400%. A number that the industry should play close attention to. Over 60% of the data consumption in India was mobile data by the end of 2014.

Mobile Data Drivers

Out of the total mobile data consumed in India, 45% comes from video playback from websites like YouTube. A large chunk of music streaming services are also responsible for driving mobile data in the country.

Mobile Data Usage

[pullquote_left]55% of mobile data will be consumed for Video services[/pullquote_left]

Globally, YouTube is responsible for consumption of 40-60% of mobile data, a number which is relatively lower at 17% in India due to mobile data connectivity and speed limitations.

It is estimated that by the year 2020, 55% of mobile data will be consumed for Video services. Reaching this percentage will be possible by the implementation of 5G mobile data globally. 5G services are being tested in over 8 countries as we read this, while implementation for global markets is kept at 2019. India (and some other markets) are not a part of this implementation list.

India is about 5 years behind the 4G rollout targets (Dec 2010) and 2 years behind LTE 2.0. HD Voice and Video are not being talked about by the Indian industry leaders, despite the fact that India is one of the largest contributors to the overall revenue for the mobile industry.

Data and Future

India needs fast internet access, as a developing nation, its metropolitan cities need to be connected to the world. With a boom in startup culture and high paying jobs with international markets, most suffer due to lack of internet access. Video consumption and video calling with services like Skype, Google Hangouts and even FaceTime are at an all time high and consumers end up paying large sums of money just to say connected.

[pullquote_right]FUP has slowed down growth[/pullquote_right]

The biggest limiting factor in the whole telecom industry is the limited usage policies implemented by the companies. The limited usage policy or fair usage policy (FUP) was first implemented by Airtel and Tata Teleservices to prevent users for exploiting their internet connection speeds and downloading illegal materials from the internet.

The FUP has since not been removed and with no pressure from TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) this antiquated method continues to haunt each user.

Airtel is one of the biggest users of this aged method of policing the usage of high speed data and is also one who exploits its use the most to benefit in the long run. Airtel has annoying auto redirects (Smart Bytes) that transfer you to a buy page insisting that you buy additional data packs to continue on the fast speed. These packs are usually 4-5 times the cost of the bundled data and tend to really hurt consumers financially.

The world is getting connected, using a highway of data which is not only fast but also super efficient and budget friendly.

Unlimited data is one of the perks of a liberated growing economy. The current government showed success by choosing the internet as a means of communications with its potential voters. There are claims from our telecom ministers claiming that “India plays a crucial role in the future of the internet.”

However, we are no where near that future. Most operators globally offer the ability to choose a plan that suits the customers needs. The United States and countries like United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Canada and many others are not familiar with the term FUP. In fact, any form of throttling is against the law in many of these countries. Terming the so called limiting plans as “marketing gimmicks” countries have ensured that the consumer gets what he pays for, no more and especially no less.

Google Fibre Deployment Map

Then there are packages from the likes of Google Fibre limited in reach and availability, Google has made possible speeds of upto 1000 Mbps for as little as US $ 70/month (chump change compared to what iGyaan spends for Internet) available at residences across the United States. They also offer a “Basic Plan” which is at 5 Mbps downloads and 1 Mbps uploads (unlimited) for a price of US $0 if you pay the installation fee. Free Internet! If that does not help the startup economy, then what else will?

Something needs to change

India and Indians deserve the ability to get unlimited internet, the users seem to be paying for it, but nobody seems to be getting it. Riddled by hidden corporate talk and contracts that fool the customers into believing that they are getting the best possible deal. Everybody has the right to stay connected, and a fast internet connection is more like a lifeline today.

Many sectors in the country do offer high speed data connections for a higher price. However, these too are controlled by limits, and speed drops are often too high. A 100 Mbps connection from Airtel Fibrenet drops to a mere 512 Kbps post a 100GB download. A simple math calculation will tell you that it takes just 2 Hours, 23 Minutes and 9.93 Seconds to download 100 GB on such a connection. Post the download you either have to pay heavy sums of money to get data packs or live with a devastatingly slow 512 Kbps which would take 19 Days, 10 Hours, 2 Minutes and 1.6 Seconds to download the same 100 GB. Airtel charges INR 5,999 + tax for this plan , making it well over US $100. Now compare this to Google’s 1000 Mbps line with no limits whatsoever, which costs US $ 70 /month.

Something needs to change and fast! Sign our petition below and be part of the voice of change. #StopFUP #EndFUP

June 16, 2015
Online Shopping In Bihar Will Attract Upto 12% Entry Tax

The country is enjoying the perks of the commerce boom, all consumers of the online marketplaces have experienced easy shopping and great discounts. However, online shopping as it turns out, is going to become expensive for the residents of Bihar. The Bihar state government has introduced an entry tax of upto 12% for all the products bought online from E commerce Websites. A notification was issued by the state commercial taxes department that brings online business under this tax net.

According to the notification, the products purchased on the web will be charged with additional 12% of entry tax (maximum) and the minimum charges on the products would be 5%. The additional tax will be levied on the products listed under the entry tax list and whose cost is Rs. 1,000 or more.

Here’s how Bihar government has decided to impose entry tax on the online products:

While many believe that this will promote retail growth, the future still looks bleak for retail merchants. The online marketplace has become the home of many products, some which are rarely available offline. The online only model has also attracted the likes of YU, Xiaomi and Oneplus among many other to do business in India.

May 14, 2015
Google Maps Hides An Image Of An Android Robot Urinating On The Apple Logo

In a bizarre yet funny incident a Google map render image contains a cartoon of an Android robot taking a piss on the Apple logo. The image is in a small patch just south of the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, which was possibly put by an End- user.

Someone at Google definitely is getting the boot as the image, which apparently was by an end-user helpfully “suggesting” an edit, has now been removed, Google says. “We’ve terminated the Android figure involved in this incident, and he’ll be disappearing from Google Maps shortly.”

Another picture accompanies the Urinating Android Figurine, a few miles to the east, reads : “Google review policy is crap.”

The Google Map Maker allows for users to suggest changes on the Google Maps, which are then duly moderated. These two however were not identified and managed to get on the public domain. This is not the fist incident of lack of moderation on Google Maps, and considering the massive scale of the project it may not be the last.

However people always tend to leave stuff for a few chuckles here and there.

April 28, 2015
Hackers Take Drown The TRAI Website for Releasing Email IDs

Hackers from the Anonymous India group took down the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) website in an attempt to stand against the violation of Net Neutrality in the country. The website may be back online for the time being, but the group remains active on their twitter voicing out their reasons. The DDOS attack was done to the website to stand against the releasing of Email IDs by the organization, claims Anonymous India group.

Although TRAI took to the media outlets and said that the website was down due to technical glitches. However the hacktivist group has asserted claim over the DDOS attack.

https://twitter.com/opindia_revenge/status/592755220469424128

TRAI had released a list of email-ID’s from which it had received responses towards and agains Net Neutrality. This makes clear the severe lack of privacy of information from a govt. organization. A lot of Indians voiced their opinions on the lack of discipline in the TRAI functioning.

Anonymous India claimed to have stopped the attack, because a lot of tweets asked them to, Although, they claim that if no action is taken by TRAI, a similar incident will take place in the future.

https://twitter.com/opindia_revenge/status/592667666546044928

https://twitter.com/opindia_revenge/status/592677071056445442

April 28, 2015
These 20 Images Capture the Devastation of Nepal Earthquake

On Saturday, April 25, Nepal was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. At least 2,500 people have died in this disaster till now, and the number is still increasing. Thousands of people are missing in Nepal following the earthquake, and the rescues teams are constantly working to reach the needy stuck under the pile of bricks.

The earthquake also triggered deadly avalanches in and around Mount Everest. Below is a set of images that captures the image of devastation:

Image Source: QZ

Image Source: abcnews

Image Source: nbcnews

Image Source: time

Image Source: abc.net

Image Source: thestar

Image Source: timesofisrael

Image Source: huffingtonpost

Image Source: allindiaroundup

Image Source: wsbradio

Image Source: www.cnn.com

Image Source: abc7

Image Source: inforum

Image Source: washingtonpost

Image Source: inforum

Image Source: chicagotribune

Image Source: 3news

Image Source: nbcnews

Image Source: chicagotribune

Image Source: dawn

April 27, 2015
With the Launch of Airtel Zero, Airtel Violates Net Neutrality Yet Again

A few months back, Airtel was on the receiving end of much public backlash following its decision to introduce differential charges for various online services. This was the first direct assault on Net Neutrality principle in India and the telecom major was forced to roll back the new policy. The company has introduced a new service called Airtel Zero which attempts to split services but with a friendlier face.

Airtel Zero is a new platform that will let companies buy data to offer their apps to consumers for free. It will allow users to access these apps without incurring data charges. This can be seen as a direct violation of net neutrality as it will give priority access to some apps over others.

Net neutrality principle states that all data on the internet should reach their destination with equal speeds and service providers cannot charge extra for priority access. Airtel will rope in extra revenues through Airtel Zero and companies with enough capital would be able to pay for this access while the budding apps will be left back to fend for themselves.

E-commerce giant Flipkart is also receiving criticism for signing up for the service that violates net neutrality. Airtel has reportedly called the new service a “B2B platform that is open non-discriminatory and will be a win-win for customers and businesses.” They added that they intended to include as many vendors as possible. But they haven’t made public the agreement or the fees paid by the vendors to reach the consumers. This raises the question whether the platform will be inclusive of new apps or will give priority access to just a few apps.

In the light of recent worldwide demand for tougher net neutrality laws, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) has brought forward a consultancy paper in the public domain. It has asked stakeholders that include the general public to share their views on net neutrality.

It is Airtel’s second attempt at undermining net neutrality, and it can be potentially dangerous for the growth of the information based economy that demands a free and fair internet. So if you want to get your voices heard at TRAI and want the Indian government to keep the internet open for all, you should send in your comments at [email protected]. You can find more information on the net neutrality consultation paper on TRAI’s website.

April 6, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Getting Better Pre-Orders than Predecessor

Samsung is finally breathing a sigh of relief with the number working once again in their favor. The Korean smartphone and electronics giant has seen a bump in the number of pre-orders received for their latest marvels : The Galaxy S6 and The Galaxy S6 Edge .

The number is much higher claims Samsung, than the pre-orders received for the Galaxy S5, which was simply the poorest selling Samsung Galaxy S series phone ever.
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Samsung has tied in a lot of schemes and payment options in India with the handsets making them easily accessible to the end buyer. The company has also brought back 0% EMI schemes in India to lure their buyers into getting onto the Galaxy S6 bandwagon.

Reports have confirmed that, even though the numbers of pre-orders globally are extremely high, they are 70% less than what were received for the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at the time of their launch and linger in the 1-2 million bracket vs the 8-9 million received by Apple.

Samsung and its partners are aiming for heavy sales, but the numbers are not expected to beat Apple’s best selling Smartphones till date. In Q4 alone Apple sold 75 million of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units, taking a heavy lead on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge which are yet to launch.

Watch our hands on Video Below.

April 4, 2015
Telecom Minister : India to Play an Important Role in the Future of the Internet

The internet is in a process of updating itself. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the non-profit organization that is responsible for overseeing the growth of the internet. Its primary mission is to make sure that every domain has a unique identifier or URL, and that each domain has a unique IP address. The organisation was under the influence of the US government but considering the importance of the internet, it is now shifting to model where it will be answerable to multiple stakeholders and not just the US government. The CEO of ICANN recently said that India’s role is central in the conversation about the future of the internet.

ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade made the comments during an event in New Delhi where he said:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Fadi Chehade” author_title=”CEO, ICANN”]

I know everyone speaks about Digital India, but the digital world without Digital India simply loses its digital way. India is not simply getting into the digital world; India is already an incumbent, a driver in the Digital world in every sense of the word.

[/quote]

The US government decided to let go of the stewardship of ICANN last year in the month of March. ICANN’s contract with the US government expires in September of this year. The organization is looking at multiple transitional plans for the future. It has welcomed governments, civil societies, and other internet organizations to discuss the future of the internet architecture.

The Minister of Communication, Mr. Ravi Shanker Prasad was also at the event. He said that the future architecture of the web isn’t a prerogative of a few and should be open to all. He also added that the Internet must be equitable, effective, open-for-all, and no one should be able to claim an early arrival benefit.

At present, the official policy of the government of India on the future of the internet is yet not clear. The various ministries of the government have varied views the matter that has lead to a delay in talks. Industry experts and activists have stressed that it’s high time India makes its stand clear at global platforms. Mr. Chehade said that India has to engage now to have a greater say in the future. The government should take his suggestion and work towards making India an important decision maker in the future working of the global internet.

March 10, 2015
To Strengthen Connectivity Everywhere, Qualcomm To Set Up LTE-U Devices

Qualcomm, the American chip maker, has expressed the desire of setting up new technology that would offer mobile phone users better connectivity in places like subways and shopping malls. The company said on Thursday that it will soon start to sell components which will feature LTE technology which can be adapted for a smaller scale.

LTE, short for Long-Term Evolution and commonly marketed as 4G LTE, is a wireless communication standard for high speed data for mobile phones or other wireless devices. The newer LTE Unlicensed, which will be introduced at the MWC 2015, adapts the technology to be used over short distances by sharing radio spectrum, like WiFi.

Qualcomm said that adopting the LTE-U will provide much faster performance for phone users and save money that the operators would have had to pay on setting up cell phone towers. Thousands of LTE-U connectivity devices could be set up in different locations like building or places which has poor network connectivity.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Matt Grob” author_title=”Qualcomm Chief Technology Officer “]

The performance is better. It’s not a large cost adder and it also provides a lot of advantages flexibility to the operators

[/quote]

Qualcomm claims that the problem of LTE-U signals disrupting WiFi signals has been overcome, which had drawn criticism of this technology in the past. This technology will be one of the first steps towards a departure from cell tower based connectivity. With the demand for all round access to internet increasing with each passing day, new innovations need to be brought into let people stay connected 24/7.

February 27, 2015
Winning! FCC Sides with Net Neutrality and Free Internet

The fate of the internet was hanging by a thin thread. Telecom corporations were leading a massive, expensive attack on the free and fair internet by deleting an essential clause called Net Neutrality. The news came into prominence leading to a tremendous backlash from the public who overwhelmingly told the government to keep the internet open and free. Last night the Federal Communication Commission sided with the demands of the people and has voted for net neutrality.

The net neutrality principle states that the internet is one singular entity, and it cannot be broken down into its various services. It orders the internet providers to allow access to all Internet content at the same speed. The telecom companies were after this principle so they could establish fast lanes for the highest payers and slow lanes for everyone else.

In a 3-2 vote, FCC classified Internet as a public utility under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Internet will now be treated just like water, electricity, landlines, or any other essential service. The Title II classification also gives FCC greater authority to regulate the internet. These new rules apply to wireless as well as wireline internet providers.

It is official: Net Neutrality is the law of the land.

— Tim Wu (@superwuster) February 26, 2015

Tim Wu, who coined the term net neutrality, welcomed the decision.

BREAKING: @FCC has voted to uphold #NetNeutrality: pic.twitter.com/2WBnGSJEwv

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 26, 2015

Today’s #NetNeutrality ruling marks a huge victory for free speech. Thank you to everyone that stood up to keep the Internet open & free -Al

— Al Franken (@alfranken) February 26, 2015

US Senators Al Franken and Bernie Sanders, who were the major supporters of the net neutrality principle called it an “enormous victory” for the people. The decision only affects the United States, but it sets a benchmark for other countries to follow. It also shows how emotional a subject the internet has become; it is an essential cog in the everyday life of people. It’s not just an endless vortex of cute babies, puppies, and cat videos but is a platform for establishing the information age economy for everyone.

Here in India, Airtel was on the receiving end of the backlash when it attempted to break the internet to charge more for the services. The pubic response led Airtel to roll back its decision. This teaches you an important lesson that if you don’t want to be ruled by corporate greed, you have to protest their unruly decision.

February 27, 2015
Lenevo.com Hacked in Response to Superfish

Lenovo has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Cyber-security experts reported that the a pre-installed adware called on Lenovo computers made them vulnerable to hacking. Lenovo is also facing a class action lawsuit after admitting that it willingly installed the adware on their systems. The company seems to have really touched a nerve as a group of hackers called Lizard Squad have taken over their website.

The Message currently showing on Lenovo’s website

When some users went to visit the site in the morning, instead of the usual content they just found a slideshow. The slideshow had webcam pictures of kids with a Twitter link claiming to be members of Lizard Squad. If you visit the website, now all you get is an apology page stating that the website is unavailable and will come online soon.

We’ll comb the Lenovo dump for more interesting things later.

— Lizard Squad (@LizardCircle) February 25, 2015

The hackers have also gained access to Lenovo’s emails and data. The group is claiming that it will be combing through all the data that it has captured. We might even anticipate leaks like the previous Sony hack.

Superfish removal bricks some devices? Great work Lenovo pic.twitter.com/phXiBS3KzO

— Lizard Squad (@LizardCircle) February 25, 2015

The hackers have already released screenshots of emails that say that some devices got bricked when users attempted to remove Superfish adware themselves. Superfish has become a major bone in the throats of Lenovo. The company had till now enjoyed a healthy fan base, but the adware seems to have the potential to severely tarnish the company’s image. Come back to iGyaan for more updates on Lenovo.

February 26, 2015
And the Award For the City With the Most Infected Internet Goes to New Delhi

Internet in India is slow, we all know that. In fact, it’s the slowest amongst all its contemporaries. It’s a shame that even with an economy as big as India, internet, the basic necessity to compete in the 21st century market is available at dismal speeds. A new report from F-Secure states that New Delhi, the capital of India is the worst place to connect to the internet.

F- secure, the Finnish computer security company has come out with its “The State of Internet in India” report. It states that the Indian capital ranks on the top of the ranks of most infected computers. The city has 20 percent of all the infected systems in India. Following Delhi, with 9 percent each is Chandigarh and Hyderabad and with 7 percent is Chennai.

One of the reasons cited for these high levels of infection is the use of pirated softwares that are often tainted. Botnets were found to be one of the major infections affecting the systems across the nation. Hackers use Botnet to take control of PCs and use them for their malicious intentions such as spams or DDoS attacks. The lack of computer awareness amongst users is also seen as a cause for the high levels of infections.

Smartphones are also at risk of these attacks. Mumbai with 22 percent tops the chart in smartphone infections and following it, of course, is New Delhi. The major malwares in the Android ecosystem are Android/SMSSend and Android/FakeInst. These malwares send malicious SMS to the contacts of the user and thus multiply. Another malware called Android/SMSreg gets on the system when the user connects to free wi-fi. Hackers can gain access to all the personal information including GPS location, IMEI number, network operator, package name and SDK version.

All of this point to the fact that Indians are in a desperate need of a safety and security lesson when dealing with the digital market. We need to get more serious in terms of cyber-security and tackling malware. In the digital economy, the threats will be digital too, so preparedness needs to be the biggest priority.

February 25, 2015
After Internet.org, Google Plans to Bring Project Loon to India for Affordable Internet

Facebook recently launched Internet.org initiative in India which offers affordable Internet connectivity and basic services on the Rcom network. It is one of the major initiatives to connect the folks who still don’t have access to the information superhighway. Google’s Project Loon is also one of the major connectivity initiatives, and the company is bringing it to India.

Google has said that it is working with the Government of India to bring its balloon and kite powered internet initiative to India. The company plans to provide the entire planet with internet coverage by the year 2016. This is the brainchild of Google X, the companies secretive research wing.

Project Loon balloons travel 20 kilometers above the surface of the planet and use wind to pilot themselves. From there they offer access to communications at 3G-like speeds. It will be beneficial to empower users in rural parts of the country. This network will also be a boon during emergency situations such as natural disasters.

The communication age demands a population to be connected with the world, in order to grow. Currently, a massive population of 3 Billion people around the world are oblivious to the benefits (and the few misgivings) of the internet. Initiatives like Project Loon, Internet.Org and proposed satellite-based space internet will allow the entire humanity to interconnect.

February 13, 2015
Facebook Brings Internet.org to India to Provide Free Basic Internet

Facebook founder has been working on an audacious initiative to provide free internet to people who haven’t yet received the benefits of the information superhighway. Internet.org was launched on August 20, 2013 and has till now provided services more than 150 million people total across Africa and Latin America. Now the biggest social network has introduced the service in India.

Internet.org is in partnership with Facebook and six mobile phone companies, namely Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Microsoft, Opera Software, and Qualcomm. It is one of the initiatives along with Google’s Project Loon and Space-Internet plans by Tesla founder Elon Musk. They intend to reach the last 3 Billion people untouched by the internet.

Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Facebook has announced the introduction of the initiative in India. The initiative will begin offering services on the Reliance network in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Telangana. The users will now have free data access to more than three dozen services.

Mr. Zuckerberg also hoped to one day connect everyone, and the power of the internet will serve every community across India and the world. He added that the day is coming soon. This initiative from Facebook is surely appreciable and will help empower the vulnerable communities in the world.

Want to know more about Internet.org? Click here.

February 10, 2015
Flipkart Imposed With Rs. 23.51 Crore Fine For Evading Taxes

Flipkart is the king of the e-commerce space in India. In just a few years of its existence, it has made a name for itself as a trustworthy marketplace. The company has a base of more than 26 million registered users. But it found itself in an unfavorable situation when the Income Tax department slammed a penalty of Rs. 23.51 crore.

The Income Tax (IT) department from Noida and Ghaziabad carried out raids at the Dasna based warehouse of the company in Ghaziabad. The books of the firm were seized by the authorities, and several irregularities were observed. According to the officials the company collected taxes from the consumers but didn’t deposit it with the tax department.

The officials of the department also said that the trading partners listed by the company were also bogus firms. These are some serious allegations against Flipkart and all it said in return is that it would extend full support to the authorities.

E-commerce companies have worked under the government radar for a while but recently there has been an increased focus on their workings. E-commerce markets are also opposed by the conventional brick and mortar shop owners as they provide heavy discounts that discourage customers from buying the products from shops, especially in the electronics arena. We’ll be looking into this story as more details arrive; keep checking this space for more.

January 12, 2015