ZDNet introduces India edition, writers
If you're a regular visitor to our site, you've probably noticed a marked increase in news and blogposts from India over the past couple of months.
We've put together a great team of local contributors, based in Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi, who have been steadily beefing up our ICT coverage of the world's second largest country with 1.21 billion residents.
To access this content more easily, you can now toggle to the new India edition located on the drop-down menu top-left of the main navigation bar on the ZDNet site. The site also recognizes your IP address so you should be automatically directed to this new edition if you're based in India. And it still runs on an adaptive framework, automatically adapting to the device from which you're accessing ZDNet--be it a desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
The India edition is an important addition to the site, providing news and insights for ZDNet readers--both local and global--and offering a broader global perspective for the country's ICT customer base which is largely US and EU. Supported by an international editorial team based in Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the US, the ZDNet news site is a unique platform delivering both local and global coverage that connects India with the rest of the world.
We aim to document and analyze the Indian ICT industry as it reaches a tipping point in scale and maturity, where growth drivers will come from infrastructure enhancements, education, skills development, and improving investment climate.
According to Zinnov Consulting, there are currently over 45 million SMBs in India which contribute 40 percent of the country's manufacturing output and 17 percent of the overall economy. Nationwide, Indian companies are expected to invest at least US$10 billion to US$15 billion in modern IT over the next five years.
Industry body Nasscom also is aiming to transform and drive India's software revenue to US$300 billion by 2020.
In addition, the local mobile value-added services market is projected to hit US$9.5 billion in 2015, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent. By 2016, the country is expected to have over 367 million mobile broadband users.
These are some pretty cool stats so it's an exciting time to be in the Indian market. Our roving contributors will be on the ground uncovering how technology is impacting India's broader population and a domestic market that portends future growth. Together, they'll be focusing on key segments including startups, SMBs, outsourcing, and ICT innovation, as well as the "SMAC" stack--social, mobile, analytics, and cloud.
Team ZDNet India comprises...
Mahesh Sharma
The team's roving reporter, Mahesh files daily reports of major announcements and industry developments that impact India's business landscape. He is based in Bangalore, having moved there to assume this position.
Mahesh is an Australian with Indian heritage, and hails his move as a "return to his spiritual homeland".
Nitin Puri
Nitin hosts ZDNet's Mobile India blog, covering key mobile communications developments in the country. Originally from Canada, he has been residing and working in India since 2009.
He is also an avid follower and apps developer in the local mobile sector.
Srinivas Kulkarni
A tech enthusiast who has worked for a couple of startups, Srinivas is well suited to helm the Startup India blog. He has worked with technology clients dealing with tech startups in India and Asia-Pacific, giving him an insight on the country's startup space.
While not blogging on ZDNet, he listens to audiobooks, podcasts and is a passionate travel blogger.
Abhishek Baxi
The face of ZDNet's SMB India blog, Abhishek talks shop about what matters to India's small and midsize enterprises, touching on a wide range of issues including online collabroation, SMB innovation, and cloud computing.
He is also an independent digital consultant and freelance technology consultant.
All of them have Twitter accounts so do check them out as well as ZDNet's Asia main account.
And if you have any feedback or suggestions on content you would like to see out of our India coverage, I'd love to hear from you. Lay them out in our Talkback platform, or ping me at eileen.yu@cbsi.com