By Erick Wow, we are halfway through the year!
On a personal note, let me thank each and every one of you for your feedback, encouragement and support that kept me doing these weekly roundups without missing a single week! I would love for more people to read my posts, so please share this with your friends and family. Ultimately, all your loved ones should stay informed about tech in India.
So here’s the most important tech news of the week:
- Honda opens India’s first-ever EV concept store in Bengaluru. They beat Tesla to it, who’s opening their first showroom in India mid-July this year.
- Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with US-based satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile to deliver satellite-based mobile services directly to smartphones across India, without the need for specialised hardware or apps. This is kinda a direct rival to Starlink – if either or both ever launch in India that is. Although I’m not sure what’s up with Vi – on one hand they and others say they won’t survive beyond 2026 without Government bailout, on the other hand they are going and partnering with satellite provider and all.
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is set to establish a new 20-acre office campus at Bengal Silicon Valley in Kolkata, with the project expected to generate 25,000 direct employment opportunities. I mean, a few months back TCS got 21 acres of land in Andhra (famously for 99 paise); are they really going to create that many jobs?
- Mumbai-based autoricksaw unions Seva Sarathi Autorickshaw Taxi & Transport Union (SSATTU) and software development company Metazen Labs have launched a new auto booking app, Yatri Mitra, for Mumbai and Thane commuters. Chennai boys will remember namma auto from way back when.
That’s it for now, see you next week! Btw between each TWITI I put out at least one blog post where I deep-ish dive into a topic that’s very relevant and important for you to know. Check out the other posts on my blog page!