Arun

Trai to curb unwanted calls Times News Network Tuesday, November 21, 2006 03:14:48 AM New Delhi In a welcome reprieve for millions of phone subscribers, India will soon launch a ’do-not-call’ registry where subscribers can list their telephone numbers to avoid telemarketing calls and SMSs. Initiating a consultation process on the issue on Monday, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said this was essential as unsolicited commercial calls “disturbed a large number of subscribers by forcing them to respond, invading their privacy.” Trai cited the growing dissatisfaction among consumers on this issue, and said the exercise was aimed at reducing the bulk of unsolicited commercial communications. These include telemarketing calls, SMSs, or other commercial or marketing messages. “It is essential to maintain the privacy and reduce the inconvenience to subscribers who do not wish to receive such calls or messages, yet not ban the activity of telemarketing itself,” Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said. The telecom industry has welcomed the proposal. “Operators are victims of unsolicited calls. We need to examine the ways and means of controlling these calls. We will co-operate with the regulator in finding a solution for this problem,” TV Ramachandran, director general, Cellular Operators’ Association of India told ET. “Any regulation to stop unsolicited calls is welcome. This provides a good opportunity for service providers to address this issue,” said SC Khanna, secretary general of AUSPI, the CDMA lobby. Trai has said it has no intention of banning telemarketing, adding the process was only aimed at reducing the number of telemarketing calls to people who do not wish to get them. “A portion of the population wants to learn about different products and services, and telemarketing is a large industry that has generated useful employment. The telemarketing industry will benefit from this move because it will reduce the number of calls they will need to make to reach interested potential customers,” Trai said. Trai has also sought public comments on who should be responsible for stopping telemarketing calls — the service providers or telemarketers — and what type of penalties should be imposed on do-not-call violators. Many countries around the world have implemented mechanisms to reduce unwanted and unsolicited commercial communications. The US has implemented a national do-not-call register, while other countries like Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Hong Kong have also begun or are planning similar measures. Many of these mechanisms involve both regulation and legislation.

I had talked to this guy (over phone) yesterday and it seems that he has imported quite a large number of Nokia 6225 handsets from Singapore as part of a deal with his client there. Since it was imported, it does not have Warranty in India (only International warranty) and doesn't have battery. Other than that, price looks good even though it is an out dated handset. You may have to call him up and ask your price though. The other similar topic in the Nokia forum also has relation to this guy as its a friend of him. (So I guess the topics should be merged later). Since he is from near my place, I may get in touch with him soon with some orders.

So thats around mid 2007... still a long way to go Hope they will be able to bring out something extra than what the early birds have launched.

WiMax Forum warns India to sort out spectrum confilcts for WiMax The WiMax Forum India could miss the wireless broadband revolution unless it reallocates spectrum in the 2.5- to 2.69-GHz band for WiMax services, the WiMax Forum has warned. But that spectrum is used by the country's Department of Space for its Insat satellites, and DoS is refusing to vacate it. "For successful WiMax deployment, spectrum needs to be allocated in the 2.5-GHz band, but in India there are issues with its satellites," Ron Resnick, chairman and president of the WiMax Forum, was quoted as saying in a report Wednesday (Nov. 15) in The Economic Times (New Delhi). The 2.5-GHz frequency is used globally for WiMax services, but the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has instead recommended 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.3- to 3.4-GHz band for the service. That proposal has also encountered resistance, however, since DoS controls the 3.4- to 3.6-GHz band as well. The WiMax Forum, meanwhile, objects to the TRAI recommendation that each service provider be given only a 15-MHz channel for broadband. "We feel that India should go for a 20-MHz channel, which is the minimum channel requirement. Globally, WiMax equipment is configured to work on 20-MHz channels," Resnick said. To find out the possibilities of WiMax and related products, don't miss India Telecom 2006 to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from December 14 - 16, 2006. Visit the WiMAX Forum pavilion in Hall no. 6. See the latest in WiMAX products and services and talk with WiMAX Forum member companies.

DNAindia.com Nivedita Mookerji Thursday, November 23, 2006 21:27 IST New Delhi The Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications’ campaign, claiming to be the youngest, largest and fastest telecom company in the country, is under scrutiny in Parliament. Rajya Sabha MP Janardhan Poojary wanted to know whether “a private telecom company that is hardly three to four years old can proudly claim as the youngest and largest.” Stating that Reliance Communications (earlier Reliance Infocomm) is running the campaign, minister of state for IT and communications Shakeel Ahmad told the House that “the claims made by the private operator are not correct”. A Reliance Communications official, however, backed the content of the campaign. It’s the youngest because it started acquiring licences only in 2001, he said. It’s the largest, going by its global subscriber base across segments, not just wireless, the official added. And it’s the fastest because of its growth rate in network coverage and increase in subscriber base, he pointed out. On how MTNL and BSNL have reacted to the Reliance campaign, the minister said, “MTNL and BSNL have their own status and role as reputed telecom companies in their respective service areas”. He backed it up with data. For instance, BSNL has 23.31% of the total all-India market share, with over 20 million connections in mobile services. And, in landline services, BSNL has a 84.25% market share with around 35 million connections and is the largest telecom operator in the country. Among wireless companies, Bharti has the largest subscriber base with over 28 million, followed by Reliance Communications with 24 million CDMA users and more than 2 million GSM subscribers. On the falling market share of BSNL and MTNL, the minister argued that the two telecom PSUs were aggressively marketing their products, expanding their GSM networks, and adding latest technologies like 3G, IPTV and broadband.

Have a Birthday bash Honest ! Good luck for the year ahead !

Belated Birthday wishes Manoj !!!

me too, around 5K

hi .. thanks for attaching . actually i wanted std.rar in winzip format . can u post that pl. Attached. STD.zip

oh, dunno how I missed... belated Birthday wishes Ganesh !!! so the xbox was your birthday gift ?

Mumbai - November 08, 2006 Business Standard Reliance Communications (RCL) will be launching mobile video streaming for the first time in India on Thursday. It has made strategic alliance with UTStarcom for this purpose. The official announcement will be held on Thursday, during Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote address, which will be hosted on a mobile phone in India. Mobile video streaming is similar to a web cast and has potential to provide online video of events to millions of viewers on a mobile phone. Reliance, it is claimed, is the first CDMA mobile operator in India, which has the capacity to do a live relay of an event through video. Reliance Communications has tied up with Nokia and LG for handsets, which would cost around $100 (Rs. 4,475) per piece. The phones would be available at Reliance, Nokia and LG outlets. The service can be used to transmit the video on to a large screen through the mobile device at a remote location at a much lower capex and cost. Mobile video streaming is similar to a webcast and has a great potential for providing online video of popular event footage to millions of viewers on a mobile phone. There are no independent estimates of the video streaming market in India but industry pegs its potential to be around Rs 300 crore per annum. The popular events and specific-interest events industry size in India is around Rs 10,000 crore per annum and money can be made through location sponsorships and advertising during mass media telecasts. Reliance Communications has been working on a couple of revenue models. The first one is where the event organiser pays a lump sum fee to set up a zone and provide access to a set of visitors. There could also be a reverse model, which charges an access fee. There could be some hybrid models where the organiser pays a flat fee and charges an access fee. There are possibilities of the subscribers paying an access charge, the revenue of which could be shared between the operator and the event organiser, according to Reliance sources. Even telecast of specific interest events have significant potential for mobile casting and the company is looking at targeting the same in a major way. At present, around 50% of Reliance Communications subscriber base of 27 million has devices supporting video and audio streaming functionality. However, most handset models launched in India are likely to have video and audio streaming facility. Experts said revenue stream in such cases can work on two models. The first one, where the event organizer pays a lump sum fee to set up a zone and providing access to a particular volume of visitors. A reverse model could be to charge access fee per subscriber.

CXOtoday.com ...continued The product will enable seamless extension of office into the device, and a capability to conduct meetings, make power point presentations, and refer to figures in Excel, during transit. In short, it will enable quick data transfers from your desktop/laptop on the mobile PC, without hampering important transactions. The device will replace the necessity to carry a laptop. The laptop will now be used as a desktop, claimed Prakash Bajpai, president & CEO, Enterprise Business-Reliance Communications. He said the device gives ease and direct desktop connection. It has facility for voice calling. PPC 6700 will be able to work like a standard desktop on any Wi-fi network. It will have to lock into Reliance Communications for CDMA accessibility. Bajpai elaborated, "The product offers a combination of devices and applications on a single instrument. Video surveillance is one among the many features." The phone has data and video transmission capabilities up to 144 kbps, with an average download speed ranging from 60-80 kbps, on high speed Reliance Communications network. He said, "We will also target the SMEs. However, they will be catered to on a case-by-case basis, since their needs for any product are customized. Our major focus however, will be on institutional sales." Replying to a query on Reliance's dominance in the GPRS segment, and its transition into the CDMA market, he said, "This alliance will strengthen our presence in the CDMA space. Projects developed on GPRS will be easily transmitted on the CDMA." UTStarcom will continue its partnership with Reliance Communications in this segment for almost a year. Vijay Yadav, MD, UTStarcom, informed the company might look at other partners in the long run. He said, "We would certainly like to partner different players in the IP-enabled segment." He added that the alliance will enable PPC 6700 users a pan India connectivity. Explaining the importance of the device in Business Applications, Mohit Kapoor, director, personal communications at UTStarcom said, "PPC 6700's key assets include a strong post sales service and support infrastructure. It is a mature product that has been tested globally, before its launch in India. Introduced to the global market early 2006, the company has sold close to a million devices till date." The companies are talking to various corporate houses, but refused to divulge names citing reasons like discussions are still at negotiation stage. The hardware is priced at Rs 33,000 and the entire package will vary on specific requirements. ouch !

Yet to get the price, but here is the Product Page for UTStarcom PPC6700

UTStarcom PPC 6700 was released today in conjuction with the above announcement.

Sorry about that, I've added the source in the post now.

Since your web host supports PHP and MySQL, you can opt for most of the common forum softwares including Invision Power Board or vBulletin. IPB even supports MS SQL database, but mySQL is recommended. If you are looking for a free ASP/MS-SQL forum, try Snitz. Another good one is MegaBBS and ASP PlayGround. Just run the installation file in the script to get started.

Closing Topic as per request of OP

TRAI directs against unwanted calls on international roaming AgencyFAQs.com 2006-11-02 TRAI has asked all mobile service providers to provide a specific facility to their subscribers that would discourage receiving of unwanted/unimportant calls during international roaming. The Authority has observed that during the international roaming, the subscribers generally do not receive the caller information on incoming calls, making it difficult to identify and choose the calls which they want to answer. The international roaming charges being high, such calls become unwanted baggage on the subscriber. This problem has become more acute due to increased number of telemarketing calls. After consultation with the service providers, as a first step, the Authority has informed all the service providers to provide the facility of ring back tone to their subscribers availing international roaming. This facility shall play any desired message e.g. "I am on international roaming" to the calling party. With this arrangement, the calling subscriber may be discouraged to proceed with the call to the international roaming subscriber unless it is a call of an urgent nature. This facility is easy to implement and the control of switching "on and off" will be with the roaming subscriber. This will also take care of breach of privacy and requirement of taking any permission from the roaming subscribers for implementing this facility. The service providers are required to inform all their subscribers regarding availability of such a facility. For easy implementation of this facility, the Authority has asked all the service providers to devise a simple code by dialing which the roaming subscribers can activate the desired ring back tone. Mobile service providers have been asked to report the compliance within 15 days.

Yeah, its the same, I have now updated that post with the remaining part of the news article.

Hope he won't push the hell out of Reliance Mobile customers to become the richesh Indian ! hmmm... good clientele !

Reliance Communication to Hive Off Key Infrastructure Business Standard Thursday, November 02, 2006 American Towers Inc may be strategic partner. Reliance Communications plans to hive off its cellphone towers into a subsidiary and offload a significant stake to the $18-billion US company American Towers Inc, an independent owner and operator of wireless and communication sites. Reliance Communications has 15,000 existing cell sites for CDMA and GSM services in India and is setting up another 10,000 in the next 12-14 months, taking the number to about 25,000. The company’s board is learnt to have discussed this as part of a restructuring initiative. The idea was to hive off a crucial asset, normally a recurring cost on a telecom firm’s balance sheet, and convert it into a source of revenue, sources close to the development said. Reliance Communications hopes to use the expertise of American Towers Inc, which owns and operates towers at 30,000 sites in the US, Mexico and Brazil, to offer them for use by other operators. A team from American Towers was in Mumbai recently to discuss the deal with RCL officials, sources added. The subsidiary`s cash flows will fund the setting up of towers and along with American Towers will be in charge of operation and maintenance. The move is a step ahead in the current trend of private mobile phone operators sharing each others’ towers (co-location) in order to reduce costs and achieve better coverage. The costs of setting up a tower vary. Ground-based towers cost up to Rs 1 crore, depending on the site and terrain, while rooftop towers can cost only Rs 50,000. There are also variable costs like rent, fuel for generators, air-conditioning and maintenance. An official of a leading industry association pegs the average cost of a site at Rs 25 lakh, excluding the transmission and switching gear housed in a tower shelter, and Rs 35-40 lakh, including them. According to sources close to the development, electronics will not be a part of the subsidiary. Assuming just the sunk costs, the new subsidiary will have a total capital expenditure of around Rs 875 crore. However, the valuation of the sites will be higher, given the variable costs and premium on locations. An internal estimate puts the valuation at around Rs 20,000 crore. Infrastructure sharing is a key part of Reliance Communications’ plans to reduce capital expenditure and hasten its GSM rollout. The company has already signed agreements for infrastructure sharing with Hutch, BPL and Spice and is also expected to sew up similar agreements with Bharti Airtel and Aircel.

BSNL calls it FREE PHONE (FPH) SERVICE which works on "Intelligent Network" platform. Check the "Free Phone" row here for the charges. More info from BSNL and MTNL

LOL ! well, regarding the topic... manishag, please let us know what exactly are you trying to make ? something like Ashoksoft mentioned ?

oh lotta goodies there !

Book Gas Cylinders on Reliance Mobile World Indo-Asian News Service | Nov 01,2006 Nearly 26 million Reliance customers will now be able to enjoy the facility of gas booking service with the help of their mobiles. Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group's Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCL) Wednesday started this service nationwide with the commercial launch in Mumbai. It will be available to HP (Hindustan Petroleum) gas customers using Reliance Mobile World (R World) with the options of gas bookings, queries on mobile phones, real-time complaint registrations and many such facilities, stated a press release. "This service, launched for HP customers now will be extended to Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum customers in the next 30 days," said Mahesh Prasad, president of RCL's applications services group. There are approximately 22.5 million HP gas customers across the country. The customers will be given a booking number, date and time. The other features in this application include leakage, non-delivery and mechanical complaints.