Arun

Many many happy returns of the day, Honest and others !!!

Times News Network (TOI) 13 Nov 2007, Mumbai Industrialists Anil Ambani and Vijay Mallya, football teams from the English Premier League, some members of the American National Basketball Association, two foreign banks with operations in India and as yet unnamed investment bankers are among those who have expressed interest in owning cricket teams in India. Sources said these parties had submitted their bids to the Indian Premier League, a body created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to stage the T20 format of cricket matches. BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said, "All I can confirm is that the Tatas and the Mahindras are not among the bidders. But many business houses, investment bankers and film personalities have expressed their interest in bidding for a team." TOI had reported in its November 5 edition that Hollywood star Russell Crowe was one of the interested bidders. Matches under the IPL banner are scheduled to be played during April 2008. Under the format, interested parties can bid for one of the eight teams that will represent an Indian city. The floor price for each team has been set at $50 million, Modi said. While 15 bidders have said they will bid only for Mumbai, nine have expressed interest in Delhi. Until now, 90 bidders have expressed their intention to participate in the auctioning that will be telecast on television, Modi added. Having done that, the successful bidders then get to bid for players of their choice. According to Modi, the pool of players the bidders can compete for will include the top 50 cricketers according to ICC's current rankings and every player in the current Indian team. Players ranked higher up on the listings will command as much as $300,000 while those lower down the rung can take home roughly $100,000. The caveat here is that "iconic Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly can only play for their home teams", Modi said. Else, he explained, the sentiments of fans in their home state could be hurt.

Official report regarding Number Portability as released by The Press Information Bureau of India: Keeping in view the interest of consumers, the Department has decided to introduce mobile number portability in the four metro cities i.e. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta and Chennai in the initial phase. This will provide the customer the facility to retain the same number while switching over from one operator to another within the same service area. · This facility is likely to be available to the mobile subscribers by the fourth quarter of 2008. · All UASLs/CMSPs will implement the Mobile Number Portability. · Mobile operators, through neutral third party, shall establish logically centralized database. The cost of the data base shall be borne proportionately by each operator. · Mobile operators shall adopt Central Clearing House, preferably electronic processing approach, for processing porting requests. Cost of such Clearing House shall be borne by all operators. The neutral third party will administer such Clearing House. · Customer shall approach the recipient operator for porting his number. · The method of tariff transparency will be decided by TRAI after due consultations and also considering the cost aspects of different solutions. · TRAI will issue various relevant regulations in this regard. · The upgradation of their network shall be borne by the operators. Common setup costs such as Number Portability Administration Centre(NPAC), Clearing House etc, shall be borne by the operators based on the subscriber market share. · Introduction of MNP in A circle will be reviewed in April 2008. Guidelines for 3G Services: Ø The 3G (3rd generation) mobile telecommunications is the generic name for the next generation of mobile networks that will combine wireless mobile technology with high data rate transmission capabilities. The 3G networks will be capable of providing higher data rates and will also be capable of supporting a variety of services such as high- resolution video and multi media services in addition to voice, fax and conventional data services. Ø 3G spectrum will be permitted in the 2.1 GHz band. Ø The 3G licences would be granted through a controlled, simultaneous ascending e-auction, by a specialised agency to ensure transparency in the selection process. Ø Besides the initial, one time spectrum charge, it has been decided that the successful service provider would pay additional spectrum charge of 0.5 % of their total Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), as the recurring annual spectrum charge. This additional revenue share is proposed to be 1% of AGR after 3 years from the date of spectrum assignment. Ø The roll out requirements, including rural roll-out, as well as stiff penalties for non compliance of the same has been stipulated. Ø Mergers will not be allowed during the initial five years. No trading/ reselling of spectrum is allowed. Ø The CDMA spectrum in 800 MHz band for EV-DO applications would be treated separately from 2.1 GHz spectrum. If the CDMA based service provider(s) ask for the EV-DO carrier of 2 x 1.25 MHz, they would have to pay an amount proportionate to the highest bid for spectrum in 2.1 GHz band.

COAI blasts govt policy on 3G, number portability; AUSPI hails The Hindu - Monday, November 12, 2007 New Delhi: Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the lobby of GSM mobile players, on Monday alleged the government was favouring a particular CDMA operator wanting to start GSM services by allowing mobile users to switch their service provider while retaining their number. "Mobile number portability was being introduced to benefit a select operator desirous of entering the GSM segment and thereafter poaching on the subscribers of existing GSM players," COAI Director General T V Ramachandran said. Although the statement did not mention the name of the "select operator", Anil Ambani-led CDMA player Reliance Communications has announced mega plans to start GSM services. In contrast, CDMA players' association AUSPI lauded the new policy and said this would benefit customers. Ramachandran said number portability should also cover fixed line operators. There was a need for increased competition in the fixed line segment where 90 per cent of subscribers are with one operator (state-run BSNL). COAI also opposed the policy for third generation (3G) services, saying the government was trying to create a monopoly while allowing only a limited number of players. "The Government policy suffers from serious legal infirmities as it violates Section 11 of the TRAI Act, as it did not refer regulator's recommendation back to it for reconsideration," Ramachandran said in a statement. He said the 3G policy is at direct variation with telecom regulator TRAI's report, which had recommended that 3G spectrum be given only to existing operators. "It was bizarre that the government was proposing as many as 8-9 operators in every service area in the case of 2G, while seeking to introduce a near monopoly market/regime in 3G," Ramachandran added. GSM operators to face real competition in metros: Anil Ambani 2007-11-12 20:37:14 - MoneyControl.com Commenting on the mobile number portability, Anil Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Communications said that, for the first time in four metros, GSM operations will face real competition, reports CNBC-TV18. He added that this is a forward-looking intiative and is pro-competition, pro-consumer and above all pro-choice. He welcomed DoT’s announcement to introduce mobile number portability. He said, “This is a forward-looking initiative. It is pro-competition, pro-consumer and above all pro-choice. For the first time in the four metros, GSM operators will face real competition.”

Anil Ambani writes to PM, slams GSM operators' claims on spectrum The Hindu Business Line New Delhi, Nov. 11 The war of letters between honchos of mobile companies over Government's spectrum policy has intensified further with Reliance Communication's Chairman, Mr Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, writing to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in support of the decisions taken by the Communications Ministry. Mr Ambani told the Prime Minister that the policymaking process adopted by the Department of Telecom was completely transparent and the GSM operators are adopting an anti-consumer and anti-competitive stance in spreading false and misleading propaganda against the policy makers. Earlier, existing GSM operators including Mr Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel; Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Idea Cellular; and Mr Arun Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone; had shot off letters to the Prime Minister criticising the Communications Ministry's spectrum allocation policy that allegedly favoured a few companies including Reliance Communication. However, Mr Ambani has backed the Communications Ministry's policies and said that the GSM players were spreading myths that it was favouring any particular company. "The motivated game plan of a few large GSM operators in the country is simple - prevent the entry of new players in the GSM space, hoard spectrum, and limit new competition, indulge in anti-consumer practices such as cartelisation and price fixation, delay implementation of all new initiatives indefinitely through a combination of litigation and policy uncertainty to enhance their own dominance, and make the cost of entry for new players prohibitive and unviable," Mr Ambani said in the letter. On the specific allegation made by the GSM operators that RCom has been arbitrarily allowed to offer GSM services, Mr Ambani said that the DoT had followed a due process which included a comprehensive public consultation by the telecom regulator. He added that contrary to the perception that dual technology approval has been given only to Reliance, DoT has granted approvals to two other operators and is in the process of granting approval to Tata Teleservices. Excess spectrum On GSM operators' claims that the subscriber linked spectrum allocation norms specified by the Telecom Engineering Centre was unrealistic, Mr Ambani said that the large GSM operators had so far taken spectrum free of charge and far more than 6the .2 Mhz which was what they were entitled to. "In line with the global practice, there is a strong case for DoT to now demand the surrender of excess spectrum wrongfully being enjoyed by the existing GSM players, far in excess of their needs, and far beyond anything they were entitled as per their original licence conditions," Mr Ambani said in the letter. On the issue of auctioning spectrum, Mr Ambani said that auction of spectrum will only benefit existing mobile operators as it will push the cost of entry for a new player, making it unviable for them. Mr Ambani has urged the Prime Minister to "see through the motivated agenda of a few existing GSM operators and not succumb to their pressure tactics."

Happy Birthday Ganesh !!! Into the thirties !!!

There is no maximum limit either if you have a verified PayPal account. However, a non-verified PayPal member can only withdraw US$ 500 per month. (This is for the Indian bank withdrawal) This is an Electronic Fund Transfer in Indian Rupees, so there are no other charges other than the Rs.50 for transfers less than Rs.7000

Happy Diwali !!!

Already posted here.

You can have a look at these threads: http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?showtopic=10909 http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?showtopic=10706

lol, looks like they just wanted to announce "something" for the sake of a Diwali offer announcement.

did you buy it from Reliance or got it imported ?

some email clients have the option for retrieving email from the last few days only. FlexMail email client on my PPC 6700 supports that feature, so only the latest emails can be downloaded instead of retrieving all the emails.

Monday, 05 November , 2007, 08:04 Sify.com Closing in on its arch rival in the telecom space, Reliance Communications (RCom) on Friday halved the gap to Rs 8,794 crore with Bharti Airtel in market capitalisation. This week may see a new leader emerge in the telecom space, though many would argue rightly that leadership should be measured only from market share in telecom, and not the share market. When the stock exchanges closed on Friday, both telecom shares ended up losers. But the gap got smaller. Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel lost 5.10 per cent and Anil Ambani's flagship company shed a marginal 0.63 per cent of its shareholder value. Bharti has more subscribers than RCom. On Thursday, the difference between the two telecom service providers was as much as Rs 16,907 crore in favour of Bharti Airtel. Thus the battle fought so far in the telecom circles and in the corridors of the regulator's offices has investors rooting for RCom as they perceive Anil Ambani's group to leading the rounds. That is, if investor's perception is a true indicator. In recent days, brokerage houses have given bullish calls on RCom even as Sunil Mittal and his flagship company made public their disapproval of how the telecom regulator has purportedly made a wrong decision favouring their rival technology. When Reliance Communications was listed on the premier bourses in mid-September 2006, the difference between the two was as high as Rs 40,955.4 crore. The gap became wider as it touched Rs 68,568 crore, the largest chasm between the two on April 24, 2007. Analysts say the latest kicker for RCom is the government approval to allow it to diversify its telecom technology to include GSM along with its CDMA technology. CDMA technology is supposedly spectrum-efficient even though subscriber acquisition is costlier. Spectrum or airwaves are the main raw material for telecom companies. GSM telephony players, including Bharti Airtel, have been crying hoarse for some months now for additional allocation of spectrum, which inhibits their growth and quality of services now. Sunil Bharti Mittal is leading the battle, having already made his stand clear. There is a perception that RCom was favoured by the new TRAI dictum of allowing one company to have two technologies. But to be fair to Anil Ambani, he has been on the overdrive ever since the telecom company fell into his lap. He wrote off a sizeable amount of bad debt and restructured the telecom portfolio by sweeping all the allied businesses into Reliance Communications. He called it transparency but it also improved valuations. He appeared aggressive to acquire Hutchison Whampoa's stake in Hutch Essar when Li Ka-Shing, the Hong Kong billionaire, put his stake on the block. It improved RCom's valuations though he preferred to withdraw from the race after he put in a low bid for the GSM company. Anil Ambani was also the first mover in many other counts. He was the first player to hive off the tower business and on the anvil is a plan to make DAKC, the RCom headquarters into an SEZ. Another plan is to list Flag Telecom, the international long- distance telephony company, in Singapore. Thus, he is on an overdrive, building shareholder value. On the other hand, Sunil Mittal may have shifted his sights a wee bit from telecom in the past, as he put efforts to cobble a retail and insurance plan. This may change now. All this has heightened investor appetite. The move to hive off the telecom tower business sparked off a stampede with other telecom players including Bharti, Tata Tele, Vodafone Essar and Idea announcing similar plans. Anil Ambani's GSM telephony game also gave the Tatas the idea to apply for the same license. But nobody will bet Sunil Bharti Mittal to sit tight. He is equally adept at influencing decisions he has already made. The telecom battle, which spread into the rural hinterland and the regulator's corridors, meanwhile, is getting reflected in stock valuations.

COAI action on spectrum issue unwarranted: Anil Ambani 2007-11-05 16:00:43 - MoneyControl.com Anil Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Communications said that the move of existing GSM players will curb competition, reports CNBC-TV18. He added that the Cellular Operators Association of India, or COAI, action on spectrum issue was unwarranted. Excerpts from CNBC-TV18’s interview with Anil Ambani: Q: What is your take on the entire spectrum issue? A: The Cellular Operators Association of India, or COAI, action is not representative of the Indian mobile industry. There are eight or nine players, who operate on the mobility platform. Initially, five companies out of nine took the matter to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, or TDSAT. I believe two of them have already withdrawn from the case and only three are left in this matter. So, clearly we have disassociated; being a member of COAI and a GSM operator in eight circles. Others have also realized that this was an unwarranted, unnecessary and misguided action by the COAI, against the future of competition and the future of the consumer. Q: There has been a lot of controversy around your going into GSM and getting spectrum over the other operators. What is your take on the regulation and how do you think it should pan out? A: When you look at the propaganda by COAI, the reality is something that they do not want to recognize. The reality is that the licenses are technology neutral, they were upheld by TRAI and recommended to the DoT. We were issued permission to operate on both the platforms and we have paid a fee of more than Rs 1,650 crore. Our spectrum eligibility date, which has been misrepresented by certain parties, is October 19, 2007. It is unnecessary, unwarranted and misleading propaganda. Q: Do you think that the implications could derail your GSM plan? A: We respect the judiciary process and see absolutely no reason. The entire approach of two-three players left in this petition, is to ensure that there is no new competition in the GSM space and stall any further stronger players from coming into this business. If you look at what some of these players have done and practiced in the last three-six months, it is a visible sign of price fixation. They keep increasing their tariffs and changing their service cost parameters. I think this is anti-consumer from their perspective. Q: What is the course of action you are going to take? A: We have no course of action. Interview Video

hey sunny, so will we get all features of Windows Mobile 6 on PPC 6700 using this ROM ?

Reliance Communications, Aircel, Vodafone, Idea may get more spectrum The Hindu Business Line - New Delhi, Nov 3, 2007 Reliance Communication (RCom), Aircel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone Essar could get more spectrum for expansion. The Ministry of Communications is set to approve allocation of spectrum to these operators ahead of the other 46 applicants as these four companies have already paid the required licence fees. Spectrum circles While Aircel is likely to get spectrum for 14 circles, Idea Cellular is expected to win spectrum for Mumbai and Bihar. Vodafone Essar is likely to be allotted six new circles in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, North East and Jammu and Kashmir. RCom, despite objections from the Cellular Operators Association of India, could also be given the go-ahead for a pan-Indian GSM rollout. The Ministry is also set to direct the Department of Telecom to issue letter of intent to other new applicants who fulfil the eligibility criteria. First in line The Ministry’s proposal, however, means that once the Defence releases spectrum, these four companies would be the first to get it. This also means that the Government is in favour of continuing to award spectrum on a first-come first-serve basis despite DoT’s suggestion to conduct an auction. The Defence is likely to release 20 Mhz spectrum in which one more operator can be accommodated other than the four. Pan-Indian operators The four companies will now be all set to become pan-Indian GSM mobile operators and join the league of Bharti Airtel, which is the only operator with a national footprint. The spectrum allocation proposal, would, however be bad news for Bharti Airtel, which is the only major telecom company not to get spectrum this time around. Even State owned BSNL and MTNL have been given up to 10 Mhz. This could also divide the GSM industry, which has filed a legal petition against the decision to give permission to RCom to offer GSM services in addition to its existing pan Indian CDMA mobile services. While Aircel has already withdrawn from the legal proceedings, it could now be difficult for Idea Cellular and Vodafone to support COAI’s petition as they are also now benefiting from the Government’s decision. However GSM industry sources said that the operators would remain united as the opposition was to allowing RCom’s entry into GSM services ahead of the other 46 applicants and larger issues related to increasing the subscriber base criteria for additional spectrum were yet to be resolved. They pointed out that RCom had applied for GSM spectrum citing shortage in CDMA radio waves, which is contrary to the Government’s new policy asking operators to pack in more subscribers within the given frequencies.

Reliance Communications plans price war encore in GSM, to slash GSM call rates by 30% Business Standard / Mumbai November 3, 2007 After four years, Reliance Communications, India's largest mobile service provider offering Code Division Multiple Access technology, is set to start another price war in the Indian telecom space by cutting Global System for Mobile call rates 30 per cent when the service is launched. The company recently received permission to launch GSM services within its existing license and is awaiting allocation of spectrum, the radio frequency that enables wireless communications, from the government. CDMA and GSM services cannot be operated on the same spectrum. In 2003, when RCom (then Reliance Infocomm) launched its CDMA operations, GSM call charges were at around Rs 4.50 per minute. Reliance Infocomm, under its Dhirubhai Ambani Pioneer Scheme launched on May 1, 2003, offered a free mobile phone, unlimited free incoming calls and national long-distance calls at 40 paise a minute. Though the scheme was withdrawn later, it had forced rivals offering GSM to slash their rates. GSM accounts for the bulk of mobile services in India. The company, now controlled by Anil Ambani, plans to slash GSM mobile call rates -- rental as well call charges -- to bring them in line with CDMA service charges. At present, the GSM mobile call charges are higher than that of CDMA services (see table). All-India average tariff* Post-paid Pre-paid Blended GSM Rs 1.02 Rs 1.14 Rs 1.11 CDMA 93 paise 82 paise 85 paise * Figures as on quarter ended June 30, 2007 RCom is planning to cash in on the difference in the average tariff between GSM and CDMA operators. On average, GSM services are 33 per cent higher than CDMA operations. With RCom intending to offer services on dual-chip phones, the company thinks it is necessary to have uniform prices. A difference in prices will result in different billing and other issues, informed sources told Business Standard. A company spokesperson, however, declined to comment on the issue. Moreover, the company expects more subscribers to move from other GSM networks to RCom's network if prices are comparatively low. RCom's potential competitors in the GSM space said they will take a view on the new tariifs after the company announced its intentions. RCom has paid the license fee for GSM service license and, therefore, is high up in a long queue of telecom aspirants for spectrum allocation. The issue, however, is currently the source of litigation, with GSM operators contesting RCom's GSM permission before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appelate Tribunal. On Thursday, Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani told an analysts’ conference that his company’s GSM expansion would leverage existing infrastructure and the dual network for cheaper tariffs. Analysts feel Reliance Communications could just about do it, because every new customer it adds bolsters its earnings.

Reliance Communications to invest Rs 5,000 crore for GSM set-up Business standard / Mumbai November 02, 2007 Reliance Communications will invest an additional Rs 5,000 crore for GSM electronics, over and above the investment earmarked for setting up the telecom infrastructure for its GSM foray. The investment would be made in the first year of operations itself, which was in addition to those planned for setting up the passive infrastructure (including towers) through Reliance Telecom Infrastructure Ltd (RTIL), RCom Chairman Anil Ambani said today at a meeting of analysts. He, however, did not comment on the passive infrastructure of the company. Recently, RCom received the government’s permission to start GSM operations in the country and is now awaiting the allocation of spectrum. “Our GSM expansion will leverage RCom’s existing infrastructure. The dual network operation will lead to capital expenditure rationalisation and even to stronger margins. RCom expects to get over 30 per cent share of new subscribers from existing dual network areas,” he said. India is the fastest growing telecom market with 10 crore net additions annually, and “RCom is well-positioned to participate in growth opportunity,” he added. When asked whether the company would phase out its CDMA operations, Ambani said that Reliance had no such plans. Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani on Thursday gave an upbeat assessment of the company’s performance in the second quarter and reiterated a strong outlook for the next six months. Mr Ambani elaborated upon the numbers for the second quarter in perspective and shed light on where the company is headed in the near future. Mr Ambani said that the Indian telecom market is probably the fastest growing telecom market in the world with an annual run rate of 100 million net additions. More importantly, he said that RCOM was well positioned to participate in this growth advantage and said that the company was looking to add 300 million into RCOM’s network coverage by year end. He also pointed out that close to one out of every three new subscribers in existing dual network areas signed up with RCOM. Given the increasing presence of the company in the GSM space, he said the company would benefit to a great extent thanks to its ability to leverage from the existing infrastructure and that dual network operations would help in capex rationalisation and even stronger margins. He also said that the aggressive growth plans would not mean a slowdown in profits and that the company was fully committed to delivering ‘profitable growth’. Given all of the above he said that RCOM was well positioned to further improve returns and drive shareholder value. Evidence of this, he said, could be seen in the fact that the RCOM EBITDA margin is among that of the top 10 global telcos and that RCOM’s ARPU is amongst the highest in the country. Currently RCOMs asset base is Rs. 60,000 crore, operating cash flow is at Rs. 8,000 crore and liquid asset base stands at Rs. 12,500 crore. Mr Ambani also addressed the speculation that has been rife about the listing of the tower business and Flag Telecom. Said Mr Ambani, “RTIL will be the leading telecom infrastructure player in India and will be listed by next year. As for FLAG, it will make a private placement of equity within this fiscal year.”

I do not see any withdrawal charges and a minimum amount shown... could you let me know what it is ?

Yeah, I got the news from TATA officials earlier that they will launch WiMAX in Bangalore by November. Hope it would work out with TATA Communications !

Just wanted to let you know that PayPal now allows withdrawal to Indian banks via Electronic Transfer ! There is fee as well for amount over Rs.7000, else just Rs.50 is below Rs.7000... it will take a week to get credited.

Press Trust of India July 05, 2007 02:40:58 PM The Department of Telecom may soon allow US telecom firm Verizon Wireless to offer national and international services in partnership with domestic consumer durables giant Videocon Group. Official sources said Verizon's license application was under process and "there should be no problem in issuing them Letters of Intent for National and International Long Distance (NLD/ILD) business". "There were some gaps in their documents and those anamolies have been corrected," a source said. Verizon has tied up with Videocon for a foray in long- distance telephony venture. The company will offer virtual private networks/managed private line services (VPN/MPLS). Global telecom majors Orange and Cable & Wireless (C&W) have also sought NLD and ILD licenses and have approached Foreign Investment Promotion Board to get an entry into India. Verizon's proposed entry follows that of other global firms like AT&T and BT. AT&T was the first multinational firm to receive NLD/ILD licences under guidelines that allowed 74 per cent foreign direct investment in the sector. It was also the first to launch services. AT&T has partnered with Mahindra group, which has interest in IT and automobile sectors. British telecom firm BT has a partnership with Jubiliant Group, which has interest in pharmaceuticals and media. BT had early this year inaugurated one of its nodes in Chennai to operate VPN/MPLS services. Another British telecom player Cable & Wireless (C&W) has already obtained approval to launch NLD/ILD services in India. The company acquired 74 per cent stake in Cable & Wireless Networks India, an entity incorporated in January. The remaining 26 per cent will be picked up by an Indian partner. The business generated by the long distance segment in India is estimated to be worth over Rs 10,000 crore. The long-distance sector in India was opened up for competition in December 2005, when the government slashed the entry fees, revenue share and waived the roll-out obligations on all players in this segment. Since then, DoT has received more than 25 applications for NLD and ILD licences and cleared several of them.

Rediff.com October 31, 2007 07:24 IST Contrary to popular perception, India, and not China, will add the most new subscribers to the international mobile telephony market, a just released research study says. The report, 'The next billion: How emerging markets are shaping the mobile industry,' released by the Boston-based Pyramid Research, says that the global mobile market will go through unprecedented changes over the next few years, adding one billion new subscribers to the current 2.8 billion base over the next three years. But these next billion subscribers will come from very different markets -- the emerging economies. 'Fully 87 per cent of the next billion mobile subscribers will come from emerging economies. And India, not China, will add the most new subscribers,' it said. While India and China are the largest markets in terms of growth, they represent only 35 per cent of the next billion mobile users. At the end of 2006, there were nearly 2.8 billion mobile subscriptions around the world, translating to a penetration rate of 44 per cent. The share of the population with mobile subscriptions is far higher in the richer economies of the world than in the emerging markets -- regions such as Western Europe exceed 100 per cent, whereas in most of Africa and South-East Asia, penetration rates average less than 20 per cent. 'It is thus evident that the bulk of future mobile growth will come from emerging economies,' the study says. Of the 30 fastest-growing markets, 10 are in Africa and the Middle East, and eight are in emerging Asia. Of the next billion subscribers, 71% will come from parts of the world with urbanization levels below 50 per cent, it says. 'Clearly, any vendor, carrier or investor with global ambitions needs to understand the differences among these markets,' it says. According to the report, by 2010, 74 per cent of mobile subscribers will live in emerging economies, and while they will only contribute 40 per cent of global revenue due to lower average revenue per user, they are among the most profitable given the lower cost of serving them. There are tremendous differences among and within these emerging markets in terms of end-user preferences. The mobile networks will be the access points to broadband services in many of these markets, the report says.

Reliance Communications to launch all India GSM services within a year of getting spectrum 2007-10-31 16:56:43 Source : moneycontrol.com Anil Ambani has said that Reliance Communications will launch nationwide GSM services within a year of receiving GSM spectrum. He added that Reliance Communications is committed to support strong teledensity in India. Reliance Communications will be at forefront of affordable connectivity to 500 mn by 2010. The company's EBIDTA is highest in indian telecom, he added. Q2 capex spend of Rs 5300 crores is highest in Indian telecom. He plans world's largest telecom network roll out this year; Reliance Communications network will cover 23,000 towns and 6 lakh villages this year, Ambani said. ... well, so maybe by 2008 end only