Telcos dial up international roaming perks to take on eSIM companies
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As the holiday season bumps up foreign travel, the country's telecom operators are enhancing their international roaming services to ward off competition from affordable eSIM providers Over the last year or so, flexible plans for international travellers had helped telecom operators corner the market, pushing players like Matrix to the periphery. But now, they face a growing threat from low-cost travel eSIM providers, which are offering similar services at lower rates.While a typical telco plan might cost ₹3,000-5,000 for 7-10 days of validity with limited data, eSIM providers such as Saily, Jetpac and Matrix offer data-only plans for less than half that rate, said industry executives and analysts.The companies did not immediately respond to ET's emails seeking comments.Analysts, however, point to the low penetration of eSIMs in India as a challenge for the low-fee service providers. Nevertheless, telecom operators are sweetening their offerings in a bid to keep their higher revenue generating subscribers from opting for the services of low-cost travel eSIM providers. Indians travelling abroad have generally been using a basic telecom plan, primarily for receiving one-time passwords (OTPs) that are needed for financial transactions, and supplementing it with a travel eSIM or local physical SIM for data, said Siddhant Cally, research analyst at Counterpoint Research. Over the last one month or so, both Airtel and Vodafone Idea have come out with upgraded international roaming plans, with enhanced data benefits, flexible activation, seamless coverage across countries, and longer validity in a bid to shore up benefits to premium customers travelling abroad."Telcos are increasing their focus on international roaming plans, despite it not being a very high-revenue contributing business segment," said Balaji Subramanian, analyst at IIFL Securities . "Any additional revenue, even if a small percentage (estimated potentially at 1-1.5% of mobile revenue, or ₹1,000-1500 crore annually), is welcome." He said offering attractively priced roaming plans is viewed as a very effective tool to improve customer stickiness and reduce churn, especially among higher average revenue per user (ARPU) customers who travel abroad frequently. Meeting the needs of higher-segment customers who travel abroad enhances their overall experience with the network, Subramanian said.Earlier, top telecom executives such as Bharti Airtel managing director and chief executive Gopal Vittal had highlighted international roaming as strategically important for retaining high-value customers and differentiating the company's offerings in a competitive market, despite being a relatively small contributor to overall revenues.International travel by Indians has rebounded sharply since the pandemic, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, outbound departures rose to 30.2 million, up 8% from 2023, which had recorded a 29% year-on-year jump, according to a Thomas Cook report. The previous peak was 26.9 million in 2019.Globally, foreign travellers spend $12-20 per trip on travel eSIMs, Counterpoint Research said.Providers of eSIMs typically operate as light MVNOs (mobile virtual network operator), which purchase connectivity in bulk from roaming aggregators, offering predominantly data-only plans, often excluding SMS or voice services, which keep costs low.
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India Today
15 minutes ago
- India Today
From the India Today archives (2025)
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated January 6, 2025)Gukesh Dommaraju doesn't have many childhood memories but there is one that's clearly etched in his mind. As a seven-year-old rookie chess player, standing with his father far back in a packed room at Chennai's Hyatt Regency hotel to watch Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen duel it out for the world championship title. The kid couldn't see the black-and-white squares but the sight of the two greats 'was inspiring' enough that he envisioned a dream then and there. 'I thought it'd be cool to be inside that glass box one day,' he says. Four years later, in a now viral clip he'd articulate the desire better: 'I want to become the youngest world chess champion.' On December 12, 2024, Gukesh, all of 18, fulfilled the wish by winning a thrilling contest against Ding Liren that lasted 56 hours, spread across 14 days. In doing so, the teenager not only broke legend Garry Kasparov's record to become chess's youngest world champion ever, but also became only the second Indian to win the title (after Anand's heroics in the noughties).advertisementBut Gukesh's splendid run in 2024—winning the Candidates face-off to become the challenger, a team and individual gold at the Chess Olympiad, then the world title—is a story within a story. The larger one is that India is today a bonafide chess powerhouse, a fecund ground for grandmasters (GMs) who are captivating the world. It's a whole Gen Z army out there. Take Arjun Erigaisi (21) who, earlier this month, entered the elite 2800 Elo ratings club, only the 16th player in history to do so. Besides these two, R. Praggnanandhaa (19) and Vidit Gujrathi (30), their partners from the gold medal-winning Olympiad 2024 team, are among the five Indians in the FIDE (Fdration Internationale des checs) top 20 rankings. Meanwhile, at the Global Chess League in October, 20-year-old Nihal Sarin was adjudged the season's most valuable player after guiding his team, PBG Alaskan Knights, into the CHECK AND MATE: Gukesh moments after beating Ding Liren of China in the 14th and last game, Dec. 12. (Photographs by FIDE) THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHTIndia's groundbreaking year in chess isn't over yet as Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani (19), Aravindh Chithambaram (25) and Pranav V. (18) are among 10 Indians competing in the ongoing World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York (December 26-30). Also in the Big Apple are the rising queens of the chessboard: R. Vaishali (23), who was tied second at the Candidates; Divya Deshmukh (19), the reigning junior girls champion; and women's International Master (IM) Vantika Agrawal (22). The trio was also part of the women's team which won gold at the Chess Olympiad in has described it as 'an Indian earthquake in chess'. For India now has 85 GMs, over half of them coming after Anand's world championship triumphs. Currently, an estimated 200 Indians are professional chess players. Hear Generation Next talk of chess and one gets a sense that this is less about success and big money and more about mad love and respect for the game. 'One move just changes the whole position and result,' says Pragg. 'It's what keeps me excited about looking at games and learning new things.' In elder sister Vaishali, the 2023 World Cup finalist is lucky to have someone at home with whom he can discuss all things chess. The duo is world's first brother-sister grandmaster pair. 'You have these opening ideas which you want to show but you cannot discuss with others,' he says. 'If I find something fascinating about a position and vice-versa, we discuss. We learn from each other.'advertisementThis generation also has distinct personalities and playing styles. If Gukesh and Pragg step into the field with vibhuti on their foreheads, Divya's game mode is hair down and lipstick on. If Gukesh appears as impassive as a poker player, Vidit Gujrathi is all emotion when on the board. International Master Sagar Shah, who is also the founder and CEO of popular content platform ChessBase India, singles out their differences. 'Gukesh has this huge ability for creative play at the board, Pragg has amazing endgame technique, Arjun has the ability to create complications which very few can navigate,' says Shah. Their strong showing has seen India emerge as the second biggest market after the US for the game's most popular website. That's 18.5 million registered users and a monthly active user base of 8 million. 'In terms of viewership, we are the fastest growing market,' says Avadh Shah, country director for Pragg and Vaishali have their mother, Nagalakshmi, accompanying them for tournaments, Gukesh relies on his father, Rajinikanth, an ENT specialist who put his practice on hold to travel with his son. Contrary to popular perception, chess is an expensive pursuit, with training fees coming at a hefty cost for families from middle-class backgrounds. Gukesh's mother Padmakumari, who teaches at the Madras Medical College (MMC), speaks of a time as recently as 2018-19 when the couple 'had no money' to fund their son's dream to be the youngest Grandmaster, which in turn required participation in tournaments abroad. The Dommarajus had their batchmates from the MMC pool in money to help them out. 'They were our first sponsors and we'll be grateful to them forever,' says KING'S GAMBITThe story of India's chess boom begins with the Covid pandemic when all the world was confined to their homes. The Netflix 2020 series, The Queen's Gambit, had generated a wave of interest in chess globally with many taking to playing chess online, but back home in India it was a king in not-so-shiny armour who was making a big push. His name? Viswanathan Anand. Having just hit 50, the five-time world champion's decision to step back a bit from his own playing career to give back to the sport would become a game-changing move for Indian December 2020, Anand partnered with WestBridge Capital to start WestBridge Anand Chess Academy a.k.a. WACA and identified a few promising GMs to take under its wing. 'For a couple of decades now, India has been one of the strongest countries in youth championships. The goal we set for ourselves was to help our most talented youngsters break into the top,' Anand told INDIA TODAY. Among the earliest benefactors of Anand's mentoring and online training sessions with top GMs like Grzegorz Gajewski, Artur Yusupov and Boris Gelfand were Gukesh, Pragg, Sarin and Raunak Sadhwani. 'Vishy Sir's is the biggest contribution,' says Gukesh. 'He and WestBridge did a great job of finding talent and providing amazing support. We were working super hard, and we had the best technologies also.' Adds Pragg, 'We didn't have tournaments in 2020 so the classes came at the correct time and we were all excited to attend the sessions. You can discuss anything with Vishy Sir, the games, what to focus on in training, what's lacking in one's game....'advertisementTo deploy Kasparov's now-famous comment, it wasn't long before 'Vishy's children' were on the loose. At the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, both the men's and women's team won bronze medals, with Gukesh and Nihal winning individual golds too. The men's and women's team would also win silver at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou. Anand says, 'I saw that Gukesh was very talented. Gukesh and Pragg, their work ethic was just off the charts. Nihal was a bit more mysterious. They were all very ambitious. I noticed this pattern that they all motivate each other. The moment one gets something, the others are driven.'Anand was the mastermind, but a host of other factors abetted the rise of the young bloods. The first generation of IMs and GMs started coaching academies which produced players like Vishnu Prasanna (one of Gukesh's longstanding coaches), R.B. Ramesh (coach of Pragg and Vaishali), Srinath Narayanan (Arjun, Nihal and Divya) and Abhijit Kunte. Anand likes to say that they coached 'the golden generation' of CHESS INTO HOMESThe credit for chess's growing appeal in India also goes to the unlikeliest of suspects—stand-up comedians. Popular comic Samay Raina, a chess enthusiast himself, started streaming games with peers such as Tanmay Bhatt, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Anirban Dasgupta and others on his YouTube show, Comedians Over the Board, in 2022. In March 2023, Raina would play Gukesh and lose after being in a winning position. The seven-minute video streamed on ChessBase India's YouTube channel has thus far netted 7.3 million views. Samay's chatty style and humorous commentary has gone a long way in changing the perception of chess being a game for nerds. Or as Anand, showing his funny side, told Samay: 'You've turned chess into a joke.'The chess fraternity acknowledges the impact of online creators like Samay and Biswa Kalyan. The latter even co-directed the documentary, Candidates, on India's chess prodigies, which will release in 2025. 'The difficult part about chess was that it was conceived as a hard, intimidating game. We had to take down that glass barrier,' says known chess commentator and IM Tania Sachdev who was part of the Olympiad gold-winning team. 'Getting a non-professional chess player voice like that of Samay into the scene really exponentially grew the game. The audience could relate to the game, have fun with it.' Sachdev and Anand also lauded the efforts of Sagar Shah and ChessBase India which 'opened up the game to audiences'. Starting in 2015, Sagar began covering the chess scene in India, interviewing its youngest and most talented practitioners as well as providing technical material for chess enthusiasts to hone their recently, both Samay and Sagar were at the centre of the first ever screening-cum-livestreaming of the 14 games of the World Chess Championships, held at The Habitat in Mumbai. Partnering with it had Anand and comedians like Samay, Bhatt and others joining Sagar and Tania Sachdev giving commentary through the long games. 'In chess, visuals don't do the talking,' says Sachdev, who is backed by Red Bull. 'You have to make chess accessible and entertaining while being true to it. You cannot make viewers feel like yeh kya ho raha hai.'Audiences cheered the breakthrough moves, broke into Gukesh chants and there was even a live rendition of a song dedicated to him, 'Go Go Guki Go'. Online viewership was impressive too. The average reach of each game was 1.5 million views with the highest coming for the final game, 3.9 million views. Another promising stat—as much as 70 per cent of the online audience was from the 19-34 age group. While Tamil Nadu continues to be the mecca of chess in India, the most views for the livestream came from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and the run of the past two years is anything to go by, India's chess future looks extremely promising. For professional players, it's an expensive pursuit, finding funding for the training and the travel to tournaments abroad. Luckily, apart from public sector companies, more private companies are now betting big money to support India's bright stars. Gukesh and Vaishali have WestBridge, Quantbox and Adani back Arjun and Pragg respectively, and Nihal Sarin's got Akshayakalpa. The All India Chess Federation also plays its part; a portion of its Rs 65 crore annual budget is used in contracts for 42 top players in seven different age categories (up to 19 years) as well as free coaching to 320 other selected players. Federation president Nitin Narang says, 'Often, players drop their passion owing to financial constraints, but with financial support and other facilities, they will be better positioned to excel.'The question now is, can they shun the noise and stay focused on the game, more so in this age of social media where scrutiny is relentless. 'I have told them how I do and did things,' says Anand. 'They have to take that and adapt it to a new time. Many of them have impressed me with how quickly they have grown into their own.'It helps that chess's Gen Z generation of Grandmasters are committed and value their role as the game's ambassadors. 'Gukesh will be the next Virat Kohli of India,' proclaims Sagar Shah, who has been tracking his evolution since 2016. 'When he says, 'I don't want to cheat at anything in life,' it's just the person he is. All of them are hardworking, honest and prioritise the processes over result. For youngsters, they are great role models.'For the world champion, reaching the summit of chess is only the beginning of his journey in chess. Gukesh brings a Rajini-like swagger to what is perceived as a serious sport just in the manner he strides his way to the chessboard or adjusts his shirt collar during the game. A fan of biographies of sporting greats, he understands the significance of a healthy mind which is why he engaged mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton—of Indian cricket team fame—in his team. There's also a self-awareness, which is why even after becoming world champion he declares he isn't the best and has much to do to catch up with the mighty Magnus Carlsen. If the games at the world championships were anything to go by, Gukesh is an audacious challenger, who refuses to give in. Persistent, he sits with eyes closed calculating moves that seem to bamboozle opponents. Ding certainly seemed frazzled. 'I just like to play chess, yeah,' Gukesh said at a press conference after one of the games. In the simplicity of that statement is hidden a grand ambition, a player who wants to be a GOAT (greatest of all time).The real rewards of Gukesh's achievement and those of others of his generation will perhaps be felt in the decades to come. For now, at the end of a tumultuous year, India's young grandmasters spearheaded by Gukesh have done enough to lift our collective pride and justify why the INDIA TODAY editors declared them the 2024 Newsmaker of the Year. Here's hoping India's chess tribe rules the squares for many more years DESHMUKH, 19IM, World Junior Girls Champion (Photo: Mandar Deodhar) Boring. That was five-year-old Divya Deshmukh's first impression of chess until the competitive streak kicked in. 'After I started playing tournaments, I wanted to finish on top of the table and be best at it,' says Deshmukh, who is vying to be Nagpur's third GM and only the fourth female to achieve the honour. After a breakthrough 2024 which saw her clinch team gold and individual gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, become the girls' world junior champion and cross 2500 Elo ratings, Divya's goals for 2025 are simple: 'Focus on mental and physical wellbeing, be healthy and happy.', 21GrandmasterRanked higher than Gukesh at No. 4 and with a better Elo rating (2801), the boy from Hanamkonda, Telangana, is seen as the one most likely to challenge the champion for the throne. An erstwhile protg of the WestBridge Academy, Arjun will aim to qualify for Candidates 2026. Adept at rapid and blitz formats, he is known for his positional clarity and ability to leave his opponents perplexed with complex moves.R. PRAGGNANANDHAA, 19 & VAISHALI RAMESHBABU, 23Grandmasters (Photo: Mark Livshitz/FIDE) She thinks he's 'messy'; he thinks she does 'things perfectly', which can at times be 'annoying'. What binds them is their unbridled love for chess. Four years her junior, Pragg took to the game only after watching big sister Vaishali play it. The duo became the first siblings to attain the Grandmaster tag and qualify for the prestigious Candidates tournament. While father Rameshbabu manages their media engagements and playing calendar, mother Nagalakshmi is a constant presence by their side at key tournaments. Says Pragg, 'There were many difficult moments financially but we never felt the pinch because they never told us about it. They have motivated us and kept us going during tough tournaments. They have been very important in our journey.'Subscribe to India Today Magazine
India Gazette
16 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Trade and terror can't coexist, says BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj in Liberia
Monrovia [Liberia], June 3 (ANI): As India intensifies its global campaign against terrorism, BJP leader and Group 4 member of the all-party delegation, Bansuri Swaraj, highlighted the country's unwavering commitment to promoting peace and partnership during the conclusion of their diplomatic visit to the UAE, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. 'Together, trade and terror cannot work. Blood and business cannot flow together,' Swaraj said, emphasising India's belief in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam--the world is one family--and its consistent efforts to act as a global friend. She highlighted that terrorism is not a regional issue but a global threat, and said that seven parliamentary delegations had been dispatched with this clear message. 'Our Group 4 delegation, under the leadership of Shrikant Eknath Shinde, visited four countries to carry this message forward,' she noted. Recalling the support from the UAE, Swaraj said, 'This wasn't just a diplomatic visit--it was a declaration of India's resolve. The UAE was the first country to condemn the barbaric attack, expressing its friendship through this clear stand.' She highlighted the West African leg of the visit, saying, 'Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia are not only longstanding partners of India with strong bilateral ties, but they also hold important roles on the global stage. Our visit was aimed at recognising and reinforcing this influence,' she added. Reflecting on the impact of the mission, Swaraj said, 'Our diplomatic efforts were highly successful. In Sierra Leone and in the Parliament of Liberia, a moment of silence was observed in memory of the Pahalgam terror victims. The DR Congo also issued a strong statement of support, standing with us in the global fight against terrorism.' She expressed confidence in India's growing international stature under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying, 'The resolve of 140 crore Indians against terrorism is now being echoed around the world.' The delegation, led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, includes BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Atul Garg, Manan Kumar Mishra, Indian Union Muslim League's ET Mohammed Basheer, Biju Janata Dal's Sasmit Patra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy. This group aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in key countries. This multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump admin implements controversial hiring process for new federal employees. Here's what you need to know
Write essays for federal jobs in US Live Events Trump's shake-up of federal government The essay questions are as follows: (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Trump administration is ready to start civil service hiring after a month-long freeze on hiring new federal employees and the Elon Musk-led DOGE cuts to the government workforce. Those who want a want in the federal government will now have to write an essay in support of President Donald Trump's executive orders, reveals a memo from the Office of Personnel Management The Office of Personnel Management last week quietly published a memorandum authored by Vince Haley, the White House's head of domestic policy that was addressed to the head or acting head of every agency across the entire executive branch. The Office of Personnel Management said in the memorandum: "The American people deserve a federal workforce dedicated to American values and efficient service."In a memorandum dated May 29, Haley outlined a new hiring process requiring all civil service applicants to complete a series of essay questions, including one about how they would support President Trump's policy priorities. This requirement applies to all individuals seeking civil service positions at any level — from entry-level roles such as janitors and nurses to professional roles like economists and initiative is part of a 'merit hiring plan' designed to implement an executive order issued by Trump in the month of January. The order emphasizes the recruitment of individuals who are 'committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government,' passionate about the ideals of the American republic, and dedicated to upholding the US Constitution and the rule of law, reports The plan also seeks to exclude candidates who are 'unwilling to defend the Constitution or to faithfully serve the Executive Branch.' Among the essay prompts, applicants are asked to reflect on their 'commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States.' Another prompt requires them to explain how they would help advance the president's executive orders and policy priorities, including identifying one or two specific initiatives they personally find important, and describing how they would contribute to implementing whose responses are deemed strong enough to merit an interview must then undergo an 'executive interview' with a political appointee from the agency's leadership. This interview is intended to assess the candidate's 'organizational fit and commitment to American ideals.'The new screening process has raised serious concerns among civil service experts and advocates for good governance, who warn that it could politicize the traditionally nonpartisan federal has overseen a shake-up of the federal government employees, implementing hiring freezes and mass layoffs to downsize the government in the name of efficiency after he made a historic return to the White House in January. The president's actions have sparked criticism and legal challenges. With the federal hiring freeze scheduled to end on July 15, the government has begun to consider how it will recruit workers moving to the memo, the federal government's strategy to hire people to the civil service, dubbed the " Merit Hiring Plan . It will require certain applicants to write four 200-word essays about their work ethic, skills and experience, commitment to the Constitution, and plans to "advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities."1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this memo outlines a plan to streamline hiring by reducing the time to bring on new candidates to under 80 days, adopting a skills-based hiring strategy to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements, and discontinuing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in recruitment, which the memo characterizes as a form of racial new policies could allow the administration to recruit an equal number of MAGA devotees who would eventually acquire protection from removal by future administrations.
