Rupee opens 2 paise lower against dollar

MUMBAI: The rupee opened 2 paise lower at Rs 45.64 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today amid demand for the American currency from importers and appreciation of the greenback against other currency rivals overseas.

The rupee had strengthened by 13 paise to Rs 45.62/63 per dollar in the previous session.

Forex dealers said gains registered by the dollar against euro overseas, in addition to demand from importers, mainly weighed on the rupee sentiment.

However, a higher opening in the stock market and closure of Asian markets to mark the Lunar New Year restricted the rupee losses, they said.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 57.32 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 18,147.94 in opening trade today.

TOI

BSNL launches 3G services in 11 cities

DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), said on Friday it had launched third-generation (3G) services in 11 cities and planned to expand Smartphones services to other areas in the country.

BSNL said in a statement it had invested Rs 2,700 crore ($530 million) on rolling out 3G infrastructure and would cover all district headquarters and important commercial towns.

India will hold an auction of 3G spectrum later this year, but state-run firms have already been given one slot in each service area, and will have to match the highest bid from private operators.

Third-generation services give users a chance to enjoy fast Internet access, games and a host of multimedia content from maps to music on their cellphones.

BSNL provides telecoms services across the country except in the major cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, which are covered by another state-run firm, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam.

Soruce:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Rupee-hits-record-low-against-dollar/articleshow/4198725.cms