Arun

Business Standard October 12, 2009 - 15:32 IST Aditya Birla Group company, IDEA Cellular, on Monday announced the lowest tariff for mobile users in the city offering all local calls for 40 paise per minute for a period of one year, and STD and SMS at 50 paise per minute, on any mobile and landline network. The existing IDEA pre-paid subscribers can recharge with the new special tariff voucher priced at Rs 47, and validity of one year. The new pre-paid subscribers of IDEA can avail the reduced call rates from the first recharge itself, a release said. However, regular tariff will apply for the first minute of the day. Subsequently, the special call rate of 40 paise for local calls and 50 paise for STD calls will be applicable. This plan will be available at all retail outlets and My IDEA showrooms in Mumbai. The company believes that the new offer will enable over a million IDEA subscribers in Mumbai to call and SMS their friends and family members across the country at low rates for a longer duration of time, the release said.

New Delhi, October 15, 2009 AirTel.in Bharti Airtel, Asia’s leading integrated telecom service provider, signed an agreement with Twitter, allowing over 110 million Airtel customers to send and receive SMS Tweets. With this agreement, Airtel customers can now receive text messages from people they opt to follow via SMS and send text messages to a short code (53000) to Tweet or message someone directly on Twitter. With this, Bharti Airtel customers will also be able to access links included in SMS Tweets. To date, Twitter services work either on the web or a WAP site. New Twitter users can also sign up via SMS. The twittering community across the globe has been gaining popularity at a fast pace. In fact in India, the community has been growing so fast that it is now challenging to become one of the most poplular countries for twittering in the world. “We are delighted to introduce the globally popular Twitter service to Airtel users. We have always believed in bringing the best and most innovative services from across the world first for our users.” Said, Mr. Atul Bindal, President, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd. “With social media becoming immensely popular in India and across the world, we now empower the Airtel customer community of over 110 million to follow or provide tweets while on the move and at their convenience.” ”Twitter has mobile DNA given its initial design focusing on the ubiquity of SMS. Working with world class network operators, such as, Bharti Airtel is essential for Twitter to build a valuable messaging platform that facilitates the open exchange of information.” Said, Biz Stone, Co-Founder of Twitter. The new service is compatible with all handsets and offers fast mobile access to one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. The service will go live from October 15 2009 for all Airtel mobile users across India. Mobile registration to Twitter: New Users • SMS ‘Signup’ to short code 53000 at Re. 1/- • Follow the instructions to complete the registration process • Start Tweeting Existing Users • SMS ‘Start’ to short code 53000 at Re. 1/- • Follow the instructions to link mobile with Twitter account • Start Tweeting Wednesday, October 14, 2009 blog.twitter.com Twitter is committed to fostering the open exchange of information because we passionately believe it can have a positive global impact. When people can exchange information freely and publicly they are able to accomplish great things. As powerful as the Internet has become for the democratization of information, its range is limited when compared to mobile texting—a format uniquely native to Twitter. There are over one billion people with internet access on the planet but there are more than four billion people with mobile phones and Twitter can work on all of them because even the simplest of these devices feature SMS. We have seen people use Twitter to help each other during fuel shortages, track the spread of wildfires, check in during earthquakes, organize major charitable events, spread urgent news efficiently around the world, and much more. In many of these scenarios, texting has been the key. People exchanging information quickly and efficiently with the device that has become essential to everyday life, their mobile phone. In many parts of the world people do not have Internet access but they can text—and that means they can access Twitter. As we grow, we seek to partner with organizations that share our vision for positive global impact. Our partnership with Bharti Airtel, the largest mobile operator in India, means a huge population of people can now send tweets at standard rates and receive tweets for free. Bharti Airtel is offering people in every city, every village, every remote taluk and even the smallest panchayat the opportunity to connect to Twitter and enjoy the open exchange of information with no added fees. We are proud to have Bharti Airtel as our partner. Give Twitter a try with your Airtel phone by sending START to 53000. And spread the word! Twitter is not about technology, it's about people. We worked quickly to establish full SMS service in India with the largest operator because organic growth in the region has been unusually strong and there is huge potential for positive impact. India already shines brightly with Twitter advocates like film stars Priyanka Chopra @priyankachopra Gul Panag @gulpanag, and Mallika Sherawat @mallikala, director Karan Johar @kjohar25, Minister of State Shashi Tharoor @sha****haroor, upper house member Pritish Nandy @pritishnandy, news anchors Barkha Dutt @bdutt and Vir Sanghvi @virsanghvi, plus media outlets MTV India @MTVindia and NDTV @ndtv just to name a few. Despite growing global awareness, Twitter has under 80 employees altogether but our little mobile team packs a punch. Kevin Thau with help from Tim Huske have built a mobile team of six people within Twitter and they've made considerable strides bringing full SMS service to the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and now India. As long as you keep asking for Twitter, we'll keep working to activate full service in your region with no extra charges. Don't forget to activate your mobile—visit the Devices page or text START to Twitter.

Yeah its working. I was getting that error because I had that number entered for another Twitter account that I have. Once I removed it the validation went fine.

Yeah, the introduced it nationwide it seems: Vodafone finally succumbs to competition in launching one paise per sec tariff Telecom Tiger | Mumbai | 30 Oct 2009 Vodafone Essar today announced the one paise per second tariff model for its prepaid subscribers in Karnataka with local calls and STD calls to be charged at one paise per second under the new plan. The difference in Vodafone’s plan when compared to others is that the first call made daily will be charged at 2 paise per second for the first 6) seconds and then after the 60 seconds the calls will be charged at one paise per second. The new scheme will be priced at Rs 74 for new subscribers bundled with a free SIM card and comes with Lifelong validity. For existing subscribers the scheme is available for Rs 70. A recharge of Rs 251 with talk time of Rs 225.50 and 30 days validity offers the one paise per second tariff. SMS, Roaming and ISD rates remain unchanged and will be applicable as per the customers’ base tariff plan. K. Sankara Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer - Karnataka, Vodafone Essar South Limited, says “In our continued effort to empower customers, these new tariff offerings are not just economical, simple and convenient but also pack in a host of benefits. We assure our customers with excellent customer service and the best GSM network in the state.”

You will not be able to activate Reliance CDMA's BlackBerry service on it. You can use it for voice calls after unlocking though.

Shoutbox = Yes possible though I have to review the CPU usage in the server after running it for a few days. Chat = Not possible for now as IP.Chat is expected to be available by December only. I will also have to review the costs as it is a paid addon.

Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is understood to be in talks with leading Indian telecom companies like Tata Communications (formerly VSNL), Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications that could bid for broadband wireless access spectrum to be auctioned by the government in January 2010. Talks are currently centred on Intel offering Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMAX (which provides for wireless transmission of data and up to 75 Mb/sec speed) technology -- one of the popular BWA technologies -- to the operator, and the possibility of taking a minority stake through its venture capital arm, Intel Capital. A global debate is still on, but most experts consider technologies like WiMAX close to fourth generation (4G) services, offering better speeds than 3G on GSM networks. It is constrained by the fact that it does not provide enough mobility currently and experiments are on in some countries to offer full mobile voice and data service on such networks. Unlike in countries like Sweden and Bangladesh where Intel has bid for spectrum directly to run WiMAX services (with other partners), the model in India will involve partnerships with current telecom players. Intel has, however, made it clear it isn't interested in becoming a service provider to push WiMAX. A source close to the development says Intel plans to float a new company for its WiMAX foray in the country. "Spectrum farming is not Intel's idea. Rather, it's spectrum partnership," adds the source. Asked about the talks, an Intel India spokesperson declined to comment, as did Bharti Airtel, RComm and Tata Communications. Intel also plans to follow a consortium approach in India to roll out WiMAX-based broadband services in India, similar to its approach to the US and other markets, including Japan, where it has partnered with the likes of Google and Sprint. The Department of Telecommunications recently released the information memorandum to auction spectrum for third generation (3G) and BWA services. Under the memorandum, DoT plans to auction two blocks of BWA spectrum at a base price of Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India licence. The spectrum, which is the radio frequencies that enable mobile communications, will be given in the 2.3 GHz band. Once the defence services vacate more spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, this will be open for BWA aspirants. Currently, the country has just around 6.5 million broadband subscribers, much below the estimated 20 million projected by the government by 2010. About 80 per cent of broadband is offered through digital subscriber line technology, another 8 per cent through cable and only 1 per cent through wireless. The government hopes that by auctioning BWA spectrum, broadband through wireless technology would spur growth. However, many mobile operators say that GSM 3G services will provide high-speed Internet data to the masses and is far superior to WiMAX, which is still not "established" and its equipment is very expensive. Last December, state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, had invited bids from potential franchisees to provide mobile WiMAX to its customers in 16 circles last December. Around 28 companies, including majors like Intel Technology India, Alacatel-Lucent India, Motorola India, Moser Baer Industrial Infrastructure, Huawei, HCL Infosystems, Larsen & Toubro Infotech and TCIL, figured among those who bought the tender documents.

Simple plan is not available NetConnect

Cost of 3G auction delay to companies: $6 billion Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 CNBC TV18 It's not just telecom operators who are disappointed with the delay in 3G spectrum auctions. Equipment suppliers say deals worth USD 6 billion are hanging in the balance. CNBC-TV18’s Kenan Machado reports. For telecom equipment manufacturers, orders worth USD 6 billion have temporarily gone out of reach — all because of a delay in the auction of 3G spectrum. Players like Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Z-T-E and Huawei, for whom the Indian telecom growth story has been a treasure trove, now have to rework plans to keep revenue flow going. Says Pankaj Gandhi, Head - Customer Marketing, Nokia-Siemens Networks, “We have been waiting for 3G to happen and we did have plans. After recent announcement of delays, there has been a shift in our plans. We have been eagerly waiting but it’s not happening on time.” As of now only public-sector telecom companies BSNL and MTNL have ordered 3G equipment. BSNL's order is worth USD 100 million while MTNL's order is estimated to be in the range of USD 25 million. Suppliers are now taking hope from the fact that the government has only delatyed the auction, not cancelled it. “The fact is that the government is keen to go ahead with auctions in general. If it gets delayed by a month or so, to me it’s a time shift we are not too concerned about because from a practical point of view, it is evident that the government as a whole has decided to go ahead with it. So we welcome that,” says P Balaji, VP- Marketing & Strategy, Ericsson. The delay is also affecting players who supply equipment to consumers. The 3G spectrum auctions are expected to create demand for equipment like data cards and low cost computing solutions, for which they can tie up with hardware manufacturers. But with this delay, even these orders are taking a backseat.

Nope!

October 27, 2009 08:36 IST Business Standard Google, the world's largest search engine and one of the biggest Internet brands, is understood to be eyeing opportunities in the third generation of mobile telephony, or 3G, in India. Sources in the telecom industry say Google is looking at broadband wireless access, or BWA, in the country and may participate in the auction with an Indian partner. BWA is also known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX. As an alternative, Google could be just a technology partner to a telecom service provider. Foreign companies can buy up to 74 per cent equity in such a venture. A spokesperson for Google in India, when contacted, said the company would not comment on speculation. The Department of Telecommunications, or DoT, is offering spectrum both for 3G services as well as BWA and hopes to auction spectrum by the middle of January next year. It finalised the information memorandum last week. Google is not new to mobile telephony. It shook the world two years ago by announcing that it would bid for the US government's auction of radio frequencies that could be used to deliver the next generation of internet and mobile phone services. The company's plan was to provide a nationwide wireless broadband service that would take on digital subscriber line services and cable internet access. However, it lost out in the auction as incumbent telecom behemoths like AT&T and Verizon stole a march. Analysts say there are many reasons for Google to look at 3G. "With the wave of consumers adopting BWA as the likely scenario in India, it is expected to bring about a shift in the focus of advertisement revenue from fixed line internet to mobile internet. Search-led advertisement is the biggest of all in the online business, and Google is the natural stakeholder in the Indian BWA space," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting. Others cite other reasons. "Google wants to create a global space in wireless internet, since mobile subscribers outnumber internet users. In India, 3G subscribers will outdo WiMAX users. Given these estimates, it makes sense for Google to bid for 3G spectrum," says a telecom analyst who did not wish to be named. Google has also submitted a proposal to regulators in the US for clearance to use unused channels, which the company calls Wi-Fi 2.0 and on which it is possible to offer wireless broadband services at very high speeds. The BWA spectrum to be put up for auction by DoT will be in the frequency of 2.3 GHz, with a base price of Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India licence. The government will auction two blocks in BWA spectrum and reserve one for state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd [ Get Quote ] in Mumbai [ Images ] and Delhi [ Images ] and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd elsewhere. Spectrum in the 2.5 GHz for BWA will also be auctioned after the outstanding issues of interference with the mobile system of department of space are resolved.

October 27, 2009 15:53 IST Press Trust of India American mobile chipmaker Qualcomm Inc on Tuesday said it hopes to launch a low-cost computing device 'Kayak', which could also be used as a phone, in India in the second half of next year. The device, to be priced at or under Rs 10,000, will be a 'personal computer alternative' and will undergo trials early next year and is basically targeted at users in rural areas where digital divide is huge, Qualcomm Inc Senior VP Kanwalinder Singh told reporters. It can offer internet access and the user would also be able to make phone calls. The San Diego-based wireless technology provider is in talks with major Indian telecom service providers like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications for the launch. "We believe we can build a device consisting of display, keyboard and mouse for less than Rs 10,000. It will make internet access simple, affordable and run for 9-10 hours. The device would also allow users to make calls," he said. "Early next year, we will start the trial and we hope we should be able to commercialize it in the second half. We are talking to telecom operators like Airtel, Tata Teleservices [ Get Quote ] and Reliance to bring this alternative (Kayak) to India," he said.

October 21, 2009 - 13:44 Telecom Tiger Reliance Mobile has introduced the call manager service on its GSM network on supporting handsets. This unique service enables Reliance mobile subscribers a wide range of call completion service. Offered through a server-less client protocol, the Call Manager service enables allows customers to respond to incoming calls with pre-recorded voice messages. The Call Manager also features SMS based chatting and voice mail on mobile. It allows one to respond to answer phone calls without any need to talk or type, using an intuitive user interface. The Voice Message feature enables caller to leave a message once a call is left unanswered. The recorded messages are deposited in the mobile phone's Inbox folder, and can be played, forwarded, replied to or removed. The Voice Message feature can be activated either manually by selecting it from the ringing menu. Reliance allows use to customize its greeting message or the duration after which the voicemail automatically answers a call through the application's settings. Sometimes, when dialling a number, the call may ring without an answer. In such cases where the called party might not notice the call, or may not be able to answer at the moment, the application provides options like Call another number. This will offer you to dial the other available numbers of the same contact. This way, if someone is not available at work, you can try reaching them at home with just a click away. It also enables the caller to start chatting. The Chatting option allows user to start an instant messaging UI-like chat session and communicate conveniently using text messaging. Reliance Mobile is offering the Call Manager service through a subscription module. It will not charge the user for downloading the application. Moreover, post the installation of the service, the customers can avail a free 7-day offer. The subscription for the service will be activated post the expiry of this free-trial period. Reliance Mobile will charge Rs 15/month as subscription fee.

Attached. Can you post your screenshot?

tweeted and posted on face book wall

20 October 2009, 01:58am IST Times News Network Chandigargh: Reliance Communications has been directed to pay Rs 2,000 as compensation and litigation cost to a customer for not installing broadband connection at given time and thereafter harassing him unnecessarily. The District Consumer Forum, headed by Jagroop Mahal, passed these orders while deciding a complaint moved by Sector 45 resident, DL Trehan. In his complaint, Trehan said after repeated assurances by an agent of the Reliance Communications, he agreed for getting a broadband connection and signed some documents. He was told that the broadband connection would be provided to the complainant within two days, but it wasn’t done. In fact, he was sent a bill despite the fact that he wasn’t provided the broadband connection. Even after the matter was taken up with the company, he was sent several more bills. To top it, the firm even sent him a legal notice regarding the alleged outstanding amount as per their bills and threatened initiating civil and criminal proceedings against him. Company also continued harassing the complainant by sending recovery agents at his office for threatening him. Annoyed with the company’s attitude, the complaint approached consumer forum. After hearing both parties, the forum found that no connection was provided to the complainant and held that company was not justified in sending the bills. Forum directed the company to pay Rs 500 as compensation and Rs 1,500 as litigation cost to the complainant within 30 days.

You will need atleast the first 5 digits to know that

The Station Head Officer should take up your complaint. You can also submit a complaint copy to the concerned Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) if they still insist for affidavit.

there was a change done couple of days ago. I have reverted it for now so that the login issue would be resolved.

Was anyone able to add AirTel number in Twitter? I keep getting the error message... "There was an error validing 999xxxxxxx. Please try again in a few minutes." when adding the mobile device in Twitter.

To confirm whether you are connecting to HSD signal, change it to HSD alone and check that first. << Moving to Reliance Netconnect Broadband+ HSD (EVDO) / Netconnect CDMA 1x ( R Connect ) forum >>

For watching normal TV channels, a CRT TV is the best over a LCD for now. It will take a lot more time before we can start to see High Definition TV channels in India. I heard Zee TV is coming up with a Hindi and English movie HD channel by this year end. The picture quality on my Videocon Bazooka 21" CRT TV is much better than my Samsung 32" Full HD LCD TV. I voted for LCD though as its great to watch HD and BluRay on it.

It is to all local numbers. I have updated the confusing sentence so that it would be clear.

Sunday, October 11, 2009 8:35 pm IST Reuters India Chairman of Reliance Communications Anil Ambani called on Sunday for a renewed effort to end a bitter feud with his brother triggered by the carve-up of up a vast family business stretching from energy to telecommunications and financial services. He said in a statement he believed "all disagreements can be sorted out in a constructive, cordial and conciliatory manner", and called for "a generous heart, a willing mind and accommodating spirit to resolve issues". The row between Anil Ambani and his brother Mukesh has unnerved investors considering oil and gas exploration in India. Their latest dispute is over a deal for Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries to sell gas to Anil Ambani's Reliance Natural Resources at below-market rates as agreed in a 2005 family settlement to divide the business following their father's death in 2002. The gas dispute has led to a near-daily exchange of words, and Anil Ambani has accused the petroleum ministry of taking the side of Reliance Industries. The government has lodged a petition with the Supreme Court to intervene in the case, arguing gas is its property, and that the private pact is not valid. The court, in a hearing on July 20, did not exclude the government from the case. It is due to hold another hearing on the dispute on Oct. 20. In his statement, Anil Ambani said that others too wanted an end to the impasse, adding that there could be no better gift to the two brothers' mother, Kokilaben, who had brokered the 2005 settlement that has not been made public. A spokesman for Reliance Industries said he had no comment. This latest move towards reconciliation is expected to nudge up shares of some Reliance companies and boost market sentiment, said V.K. Sharma, head of research at Anagram Capital. "There has been a lot of uncertainty lately, so this will have a positive impact and a temporary salutary effect on the market overall," he said. "Then it will come down to details of any new settlement." Following is the text of the statement issued by industrialist Anil Ambani seeking reconciliation with his elder brother Mukesh:

Idea introduces per-second billing option Press Trust of India October 10, 2009 Idea Cellular today introduced per-second pulse rate for its subscribers in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, intensifying the already existing tariff war among operators. The 'Super Second' plan will allow customers to make local and STD calls on any network in India at the rate of 1 paise per second. Idea cellular becomes the first operator after telecom regulator TRAI suggested earlier this week that per second pulse should be made a mandatory option along with other tariff plans. The move could lead to differences among the GSM operators as a section of old service providers have opposed making per-second pulse option mandatory saying tariffs are under forbearance and should be left to market forces. Idea Cellular has also lowered rates for local and long distance calls to any network for its customers in Himachal and Rajasthan. Under 'Super Saral' local calls will be charged at 40 paisa a minute and STD at 60 paisa a minute. To avail of the tariff plan, existing prepaid subscribers will have to buy a voucher at Rs 26, and new subscribers for Rs 48, an Idea release said here today. "This is yet another 'first from Idea' to offer world class and affordable telephony services to mobile consumers in the region," Anish Roy Chief Operating Officer-Idea circle for Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajashtan and Jammu said. The new tariff vouchers will be available at My Idea Showrooms and Idea Points in Himachal.