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Always online: In India, an average of 11 GB per month is consumed on mobile phones
Cheap data volumes, affordable smartphones and the growing popularity of video streaming services and 4G network have helped to increase the average usage of mobile data in India to more than 11 GB per month. This figure was quoted by Nokia, the manufacturer of infrastructure for mobile phones and devices, when it published its Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index report in early January. Total data traffic in India in 2019 has increased by 47 per cent, mainly due to rising user numbers on the 4G network. Data usage on the 4G network accounts for 96 per cent of nationwide traffic, while data usage on the 3G network has seen the sharpest decline to date, at 30 per cent.
A Nokia spokesperson said the annual increase in data volume is 16 percent. He added that data consumption in India is probably the highest in the world, ahead of China, the US, France, South Korea, Japan, Germany and Spain. With 1 GB of data, it is possible to stream about 200 songs or an hour of video. It depends on the quality, standard resolution, HD or Ultra HD, in which the data is transferred.
Although coverage with mobile broadband Internet in India is still relatively low at 47 percent, experts believe that this will be caught up quickly. In comparison, coverage in China is 95 percent and in European countries between 95 and 115 percent. Prices for mobile data in India are among the lowest in the world, with 1 GB of data costing an average of just 7 Indian Rupees (9 cents). The number of users with 4G data is estimated to be 598 million, compared to 44 million with 3G. According to the Nokia report, the amount of data will continue to increase due to higher resolution (4K/8K) video streaming and usage through the ‘Industry 4.0’ initiative. The number of 4G devices has increased 1.5 times from 330 million in 2018 to 501 million today. Indian network operators will have to continue to expand their infrastructure to benefit from this development and to cope with the increasing number of users and data volumes. A WPC license is required for importing all wireless devices into India. The WPC (Wireless Planning & Coordination) is the national broadcasting authority and is part of the Indian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. We will be happy to advise you on WPC certification of your products.
Here you can find more information about the AIS certification, BIS certification, WPC certification and TEC certification.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769150, US: +1 773 654-2673).
You can also download our brochures about the compulsory certifications here.
New version of IS standard for safety glass
The Indian standard IS 2553 (Part 2) describes the certification of safety glazing of glass used for road transport such as windscreens and window panes. On February 20, 2020 the latest version was published in the Gazette of India and replaced the 1992 version. All safety glazing products falling under this standard must meet the described requirements and will need to be marked with the Standard Mark of the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS).
The updated standard version now includes further glazing materials with additional testing requirements (e.g. abrasion tests and humidity tests).
The standard is linked to the automotive industry standard AIS 037 which describes the procedure for Type Approval and Establishing Conformity of Production for Safety Critical Components.
It will be enforced starting August 2020.
Vehicles and vehicle components for the Indian market require certification in accordance with the Indian AIS (Automotive Industry Standard). The AIS certification process can be a challenging and complex process to navigate alone. Feel free to contact us for a free check, without obligation, if your product is subject to AIS certification.
We can also check the BIS certification requirements for your specific case. You can send us an email or call us any time +49-69-2713769261.
You can find more information about our BIS Service Package and the BIS Certification Process here.
Our free information booklet “BIS Certification – The Booklet“ will also give you an introduction to this topic.
You can find more information on our AIS/TAC Service Package here. For AIS/TAC certification, please find our free information booklet “AIS/TAC – The Booklet“ here.
Indian authorities extend deadline for certification of steel products by another 3 months
The Indian Ministry of Steel has extended the deadline for certification of steel products on 23 April 2020 by three months. The decision was taken due to limitations of the coronavirus situation in India and the rest of the world. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had to shut down its operations and laboratories. The implementation of the new guidelines was therefore postponed by three months, according to the Ministry’s instructions.
The operation of the BIS, their laboratories and also the certification and control of the process does not fall under the category of necessary services under the safety lockdown and quarantine measures, a BIS spokesman said. Some steel products are sourced outside India and are subject to mandatory certification for which business travel is required. Due to the current situation, however, this is not possible for an indefinite period, the BIS continued.
The industry associations are sceptical, however, as to whether a three-month extension of the deadline is appropriate. It is assumed that it will take at least one year to implement the directives. Siddahrta Bothra, the CEO of IQ Minerals & Metals, agrees with this and said BIS inspectors cannot visit foreign suppliers and producers for the next 8 to 10 months due to travel restrictions. Even after a relaxation he sees further delays. The visit of the BIS inspectors is part of the certification according to the legal requirements and the complete process will take at least 8 months, Bothra added.
India imports iron-silicon, iron-nickel alloys as well as hot-rolled flat steel from countries such as Bhutan, Norway and China, among others. The annual import volume is around 300,000 tons, as India can only cover one third of its needs from its own production. The Bureau of Indian Standards, or BIS for short, is a national Indian certification organisation under the umbrella of the Indian Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food & Public Distribution. In addition to many consumer products, raw materials also fall into the category of monitored products. We would be pleased to support you in BIS certification and are also available to answer any questions you may have.
India becomes significantly more attractive as a business location
The Indian Finance Minister Sitharaman informed Parliament at the end of January of the results of an analysis of the domestic economy last year. The country climbed 79 places in a list drawn up by the World Bank regarding trade and business relations. India has thus risen from 142nd place in 2014 to 63rd place in 2019. Countries neighbouring in the ranking include Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. India has improved on 7 out of 10 parameters, with reforms in VAT and insolvency law making a major contribution to India’s rise in the rankings. India has significantly improved the foundations for companies with an improved tariff structure and a more friendly legal situation. Nevertheless, there is still some catching up to do in the areas of business start-ups, registration of properties, tax payments and contract compliance.
Although the number of steps required to set up a business in India has been reduced from 13 to 10 and the duration has been shortened from 30 to 18 days, the government would like to optimise these figures further. For example, the time taken to obtain a building permit has been almost halved from 186 days to 98 days in just five years. For foreign trade, the government wants to improve the standardization of forms and processes as well as the cooperation between different authorities. The creation of a single digital platform is one of the most important goals in the coming years.
Maritime trade has also shown improvements. The time needed for goods handling has been reduced from an average of 4.67 to 2.48 days in the period from 2010 to 2019. A case study for the export and import of electronic goods at Bengaluru airport confirmed that the logistics process there is world-class. Another study found that, surprisingly, importing goods is easier than exporting. This applied to both air freight and container shipping. Importing goods to India often requires specific certification such as AIS (ARAI), BIS, WPC, TEC and PESO. We offer certification services for all product areas and support you with India certification. Our experienced team will be happy to advise you on the appropriate certifications for your products.