Arun

BSNL denies advantage in 3G field 7 Aug 2008 Times News Network Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has denied any first mover advantage in the 3G arena, despite the award of 3G spectrum ahead of private sector players. Last week, telecom minister, A Raja, while announcing the 3G guidelines, had said BSNL/MTNL would be given 3G spectrum with immediate effect and would pay the eventual highest bid price only after the 3G auctions. "Our system of processing orders is agonizingly long and cumbersome. This will nullify any head start on spectrum, which means we will not be able to launch services ahead of private operators", a senior BSNL official told TOI. BSNL's statements seem to point at a potential 3G launch not before 2009-10 or closer to the end of the UPA government's tenure despite the head start in terms of spectrum allocation. This apart, how BSNL/MTNL will embark on business case planning with no clue about the total project cost which depends on the final spectrum bid amount, remains a mystery. It is quite possible that in the case of 3G, the cost of acquiring spectrum could be as high as half of the total project cost, depending on the total number of blocks available. However, BSNL has already placed an order for 3G and 2G equipment for 10 to 14 million lines with Ericsson. BSNL sources further confirm that an advance purchase order for 18 million lines has also been placed on ITI, which will be serviced by Alcatel Lucent in the west and Huawei in the south. Earlier, BSNL chairman, Kuldeep Goyal had said BSNL plans to invest upto $3 billion per year over the next 3 years on overall capex. With the imminent allocation of 3G spectrum, it appears the company would want to expedite its equipment orders hoping to at least match if not beat the private sector to a 3G services launch. While BSNL believes that it owes this priority allocation of 3G spectrum to TRAI's recommendations, this was denied by TRAI chairman, N Misra. "We did not even discuss the subject in our recommendations. We never made any distinction between public sector companies and the private sector," he clarified. Finally, whether DoT will be in a position to allocate this promised spectrum and whether this will translate into a competitive advantage for BSNL, remains to be seen.

Virtual mobile networks set to enter India Business Standard August 07, 2008 02:58 IST Mobile users can expect a sharp fall in tariffs and access to a range of sophisticated services if the government accepts recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to permit mobile virtual network operators. MVNOs do not own spectrum, the radio frequencies that enable wireless communications, but can provide mobile services by leasing or buying capacity from mobile licensees. The move is expected to bring in a bevy of new international and Indian players in the mobile space that could drive down tariffs even more. Reliance Communications [Get Quote], for instance, has held preliminary talks with France Telecom to offer Orange MVNO services in India. With RCom rolling out a pan-Indian GSM network, it is expected to have sufficient surplus capacity to lease out to MVNO operators. Subhash Chandra's Essel group might be first off the block. "Now with the policy we will explore an association with service providers and handset manufacturers," said Ishwar Jha, CEO, Digital Media Convergence, a part of the Essel group. Sources said the Essel group is in talks with BSNL to offer an MVNO service that will offer entertainment information on the mobile. Broadcasting companies like ESPN, Star TV, Disney and MTV, which have a presence in the MVNO space globally offering niche services, might tap the opportunity in India too. "TRAI's recommendations open a whole new opportunity to offer differentiated services and options for Indian consumers," said Viren Popli, senior vice-president, Star Mobile Entertainment. Virgin Mobile, the world's largest MVNO, already offers youth-targeted services through a marketing tie-up with a Tata group company and is expected to convert itself into an MVNO once the policy is approved. The company declined to comment Earlier this year, the tie-up came under attack from GSM operators who alleged that Virgin was making a backdoor entry into the country when MVNO policy was not in place. Incumbent operators, however, are sceptical about the entrance of MVNO. "This model was successful abroad mainly because there were two or three players and the average revenue per user was high, so they could still make margins," said T V Ramachandran, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India. "But operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular will undercut MVNOs' business," he added. Ramachandran also doubted whether players will have surplus capacity to lease.

My Controls (on the top of all pages) > Edit Profile Information (left side) > Reliance Mobile Handset (select from the drop down) You can also add one more handset (if you have one more) by selecting in the "Secondary Reliance Mobile Handset" option (scroll down in the "Edit Profile Information" page) << Moving to Feedback forum >>

uh so no EVDO?

Indiabulls too joins telecom bandwagon India Infoline News Service / Mumbai Sep 26, 2007 15:22 The list of new companies seeking a slice of India's fast-growing telecom sector just keeps growing. After Parsvnath Developers and Unitech, another real estate player, Indiabulls Real Estate plans to enter this space. The company, part of the Indiabulls Group, applied for licences in 22 circles yesterday. The move comes a day after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said it won't accept new applications for licenses after October 1. Meanwhile, newspaper reports also suggest that DLF, India's largest property developer, is also contemplating entering the telecom sector with 7-8 million new subscribers being added by wireless operators every month. Over the last few weeks, the DoT has received about 160-180 new applications for new universal access service licences and many more could be in the pipeline. However, in view of the paucity of spectrum it may not be possible for the DoT to entertain all the new applicants. Some say the rush for getting new telecom licences is due to telecom regulator TRAI's latest recommendation that the number of players in a circle should not be capped. In addition, TRAI has suggested that the current norm of allocating 2G spectrum based on the number of subscribers should be increased several times before existing players are allocated fresh spectrum. If these recommendations are accepted by the DoT, then several new applicants will be eligible to get spectrum to launch telecom services. However, some experts are of the view that the scramble for telecom licences is aimed at making a quick buck by first getting the licences and then selling the same to overseas players at a hefty premium. To get to the bottom of the matter, the DoT is believed to have set up an agency to establish the actual identities of the promoters and shareholders behind the new applications for telecom services. Telecom Minister, A Raja, on Monday, announced that the ministry will prepare a fresh set of guidelines for grant of licences to new applicants. "I have asked DoT secretary, DS Mathur to form a committee to frame guidelines for grant of licence to new applicants,” Raja said. DLF planning to enter telecom business 24 Sep, 2007, 1314 hrs IST - Times New Network The flurry of companies seeking telecom licences seems no sign of ending. ET has learnt that India‘s largest realty firm DLF is also planning to foray into the telecom business. According to sources, DLF is examining two options – applying for universal access service licences in all 22 circles with the department of telecom (DoT) and joining the queue for allocation of spectrum, or buyout any of the existing applicants or operators. Put simply, after Parsvnath Developers and Unitech, Delhi-based DLF is soon set to be the third real estate player which intends to enter the mobile telephony space. However, when contacted over this issue, the DLF spokesperson refused to comment. Over the last couple of weeks, close to 180 applications have come in for new universal access service licences and many more are expected to be filed. It was just last week, that India’s second largest realty firm Unitech said it would apply for mobile licences in all 22 telecom circles. “The continuous rapid growth in India’s telephone services business indicates the enormous potential for future growth in this business. Further, it would help boost the group’s telecom and transmission tower manufacturing business,” Unitech said in a statement to NSE. Although a nation-wide application will cost a company just about Rs 1,700 crore, a pan-India license, if awarded, comes with 2G spectrum, 4.4 MHz in the case of GSM players and 2.5 MHz in the case of CDMA operators. A licence with the initial spectrum is worth several multiples over the Rs 1,700 crore entry fee. Sources say DLF’s decision to venture into full-fledged telecom services could stem from the fact that the country is setting global records every month in subscriber additions . For instance, GSM and CDMA operators combined together added over 8 million new mobile connections last month. Additionally, industry analysts estimate there is further scope for growth as the number of monthly adds is likely to touch the 10-million mark soon. The rush for licences comes as Trai had recently recommended that there be no cap on the number of operators offering telecom services in a circle. Another factor that has played a major role in the slew of applications is related to 2G spectrum. This is because radio frequencies on which mobile services operate are allocated based on the order of the applicants, or in a first-come-first-serve queue system . If Trai’s proposal, that the subscriber base linked spectrum allocation criteria be hiked several times before existing players are allocated fresh spectrum is accepted by the DoT, then several new applicants in queue will be eligible to get spectrum to launch services. It must also be noted that with companies making a beeline for new cellular licences, DoT is learnt to have constituted an agency consisting of members from different departments of the government to establish the actual identities of the promoters and shareholders behind the new applications for telecom services.

The following is the likely number series for new Reliance GSM circles as per the new 90 MSC allocation: 9014 Reliance GSM Andhra Pradesh 9015 Reliance GSM Delhi 9016 Reliance GSM Gujrat 9017 Reliance GSM Haryana 9018 Reliance GSM Jammu Kashmir 9019 Reliance GSM Karnataka 9020 Reliance GSM Kerala 9021 Reliance GSM Maharashtra 9022 Reliance GSM Mumbai 9023 Reliance GSM Punjab 9024 Reliance GSM Rajasthan 9025 Reliance GSM Tamil Nadu 9026 Reliance GSM UP (east) 9027 Reliance GSM UP (west) 9098 Reliance GSM Madhya Pradesh I've attached the other operators new 90 numbering schemes with this post. edit: added the new 91 MSC for other operators as well 90MSC.txt 91MSC.txt

well, it is an automatic process... so when you reach 1000 posts, it will promote you to the RIM Guru group. It can be changed manually though, but is there any reason why you need it like that?

Newcastle's owner denies seeking Indian takeaway The Guardian, Monday August 4 2008 There is fresh speculation surrounding the future ownership of Newcastle United, with the Indian billionaire Anil Ambani reported to have been in discussions "for several weeks" with the current owner, Mike Ashley, over the sale of the club for between £260m and £300m. Newcastle denied the report had any foundation, as they have with similar ones recently, but wittingly or not it was Ashley who lent credence to such stories when speaking of wanting new investment at the announcement of interim results of his core business, Sports Direct. On 10 July Ashley stated that Newcastle was not for "outright" sale but said that he was "keen to have partners – if we had some multibillionaire that wanted a stake in Newcastle, it will help." Reliance denies talks with Newcastle United Mon Aug 4, 2008 3:31am EDT Reliance Communications, India's No. 2 mobile operator, on Monday denied reports that it was in talks with English Premier League soccer club Newcastle United. Media reports in the U.K. said the club's owner Mike Ashley was in talks with Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani about a 260 million-pound ($513.5 million) takeover by the Indian billionaire. "The news report is completely false and baseless. There are no such plans," Reliance Communications said in a statement.

No 3G auction for CDMA players - Reliance Communications has advantage The Hindu Business Line New Delhi, August 2, 2008 CDMA-based mobile operators can get third generation spectrum without having to participate in any auction. The policy announced on Friday stipulates that CDMA operators including Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices can seek one slot in the 800 Mhz, which is the most efficient and cost effective frequency band for 3G services as far as CDMA is concerned. The catch, however, is that Communications Ministry has decided that spectrum in this band will be allocated to the operator with most number of subscribers in a circle. 4 players There are 4 pan-India CDMA players at present – Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, State-owned BSNL and the new entrant Sistema-backed Shyam Telecom. However, there are only two slots available in the 800 Mhz frequency band. Of these, state-owned PSUs MTNL and BSNL will get one slot, leaving space for only one more operator in this band. According to the subscriber-related data (for June 2008) put up on the Web site of the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI), which is the industry body for CDMA operators, Reliance Communications has the most number of subscribers in almost all the circles across the country except Delhi and Maharashtra, where Tata Teleservices is the number one player. This means that Reliance Communication will probably be the only private operator to get bandwidth in the lucrative band in most circles unless the Department of Telecom manages to convince the Defence to release more. First mover advantage Even if the Defence does agree to release additional spectrum, it will take at least a year more to set up an alternative medium of communication for the armed forces. By that time, Reliance Communications would have launched its services. While the DoT has made additional provision for allocating spectrum in the 450 Mhz and the 1900 Mhz bands for CDMA operators, technical experts confirmed that these bands are inferior compared to the 800 Mhz band. Rolling out 3G services in bands other than the 800 MHz band could be more expensive and also less efficient. DoT is yet to get clearances from the Defence forces for allocating 450 Mhz and 1900 Mhz bands. The CDMA player will have to pay a fee proportionate to the amount quoted by the highest bidder during the auction for GSM-based 3G services. For example if a GSM player bids Rs 5,000 crore for 5 Mhz spectrum, the CDMA player will have to pay Rs 1,250 crore for 1.25 MHz in the 800 MHz band. Rival operators said that they would be taking up the issue with the Communications Ministry. One option being suggested is to permit all CDMA operators to use their existing spectrum for rolling out 3G service.

Reliance Communications awards GSM BTS Equipment contract to TenXc 3 Aug, 2008, 13:55 hrs IST Press Trust of India Private sector telecom operator Reliance Communications has contracted Canadian firm TenXc Wireless for increasing the efficiency of using the scarce spectrum for its GSM network. TenXc Wireless, an innovator in Intelligent Radio Frequency (RF) solutions would supply Spectrum efficient Bi-Sector Array antennas for the nationwide GSM rollout of Reliance Communications, sources said. Department of Telecom has been urging telcos to efficiently use spectrum. TenXc Bi-Sector Array Antennas, use the patented beam-shaping technology to maximise efficient use of radio spectrum and provide superior call quality. "Reliance Communications is committed to provide superior customer experience and enhance value for our many million shareholders by optimal utilisation of resources, especially scarce national resources like Spectrum", said company spokesperson when contacted. "With the deployment of TenXc's next-generation BTS Antennas, Reliance Communications nationwide GSM network would offer mobility services to millions of Indians in the same amount of spectrum as compared to the existing GSM networks", the spokesperson added. "Radio Spectrum remains a scarce resource for mobile operators in India and its efficient utilisation is much required for accommodating more subscribers," said an industry analyst. Other benefits of TenXc Bi-Sector Array Antennas are they increases site capacity, maximises performance, maximises coverage, and minimises installation and site costs.

Looks like this is the second time BSNL's 59.x.x.x. IPs were blocked by RapidShare recently. Here is a reply from RapidShare received by someone...

Belated birthday wishes Hetal, Dheeraj and others!

Reliance Communications to close GSM rollout by ’09 DNA India Friday, August 01, 2008 03:20 IST Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications (RCom), the second largest mobile service provider in India, is set to roll out its GSM (global systems for mobile communications) service in new circles by the end of the year. The company has GSM operations only in eight out of 23 telecom circles in the country. RCom expects to finish pan-India rollout of the GSM service by mid-2009, chairman Anil Ambani said in an analysts’ call after the company’s June quarter results were announced on Thursday. RCom is a CDMA (code division multiple access) major and sees good opportunities in the GSM business. The company said that the GSM service would help the company expand market share and increase its average revenue per user (ARPU) as GSM ARPUs are usually higher than those of CDMA players. The company currently has 43 million CDMA subscribers and 8 million GSM users. It was given start-up spectrum to become a pan-India GSM operator earlier this year. The GSM market is dominated by players such as Bharti, Vodafone, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Idea, and Aircel while RCom and Tata Teleservices rule the CDMA market.

uh, did they start already? Could you provide a link to it? 3G policy evokes mixed reactions 2 Aug 2008 Times News Network The government’s 3G guidelines have evoked mixed reactions from industry, dividing existing operators who benefit from the policy and new entrants, who find themselves denied a level playing field. New entrants — on condition of anonymity confessed to the entry barriers for new players being a serious disincentive. “There has never been any case in the world where new entrants are expected to pay more than double the price of existing operators even to start the bidding,” said an official in one firm. Another aspirant stated that there was nothing new in the policy that allowed firms to start planning their bids. “The policy leaves many crucial issues unanswered which are critical to the financial modelling process,” he said. “The ability to find an Indian company with nearly $2 billion of cash as a 26% equity holder and getting an FIPB approval within the next three to four months is virtually impossible. Unless FIPB approval is waived or FDI limit raised to 100%, global telcos have no hope of meeting the deadline,” said a global operator. However, industry body Ficci said the 3G auctions will be watched by investors all over the world in terms of addressing many years of controversies in licence and spectrum allocation. “This will help build greenfield pan-India state-of-the-art communications infrastructure and services and bring in fresh investments to the tune of $8 to 10 billion over the next 2-3 years,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and Ficci president. However, FICCI urges government to announce as early as possible the details of e-auction and number of blocks of 3G spectrum available in each service area as this will allow bidders to plan and execute bids efficiently. The GSMA, the global trade body for the mobile industry, and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said the automatic extension of the underlying 2G licenses will ensure continuity and stability of service and is in the interest of Indian consumers. “The rollout of mobile broadband in rural India will bring access to the global information society to millions of unconnected Indians,” said Tom Phillips, GSMA’s chief government & regulatory affairs officer. TV Ramachandran, director general, COAI said, “The government’s plans to allocate additional spectrum should ensure the fullest possible breadth of competition in 3G services. Equipment maker Qualcomm said the policy will benefit the entire wireless communications ecosystem. 3G will bring efficient voice and rich data services to Indian consumers. CDMA Development Groups (CDG) India country head, B V Raman said CDG hopes that DOT will make spectrum available in the 450 & 1900 MHz bands for auction at the earliest.

BSNL's EVDO service is 3G, says DoT CIOL Friday, August 01, 2008 NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Department of Telecom (DoT) today confirmed that the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's (BSNL) Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) offering is third-generation (3G) service. BSNL has been providing 2.4 Mbps (million bits per second) EVDO service in select locations in the country for more than a year, even before the government announced its policy for 3G spectrum allocation. The government made the announcement today. While confirming that EVDO falls under the 3G, DoT Secretary and Chairman of the Telecom Commission Siddhartha Behura told CIOL that public sector units such as BSNL and Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) are incumbents and they needed government's support and concession to take on big players. Kuldeep Goyal, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of BSNL, however, refuted Behrua's claim and said the EVDO service falls under the 2.5G category. Experts, however, have a different opinion. "EVDO is certainly 3G, as it has been standardized by 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards," according to Atul Chitnis, Senior Vice-President of Geodesic Information Systems Limited. EVDO is one of the two major 3G standards for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals. The other standard is W-CDMA. Experts also said that the 2.5G was invented only for marketing purposes, while the terms 2G and 3G are officially defined. The Telecommunications Industry Association termed EVDO as "CDMA2000, High Rate Packet Data Air Interface." "Some protocols, such as EDGE for GSM and CDMA2000 1x-RTT for CDMA, can qualify as '3G' services (because they have a data rate of above 144 kbit/s), but are considered by most to be 2.5G services (or 2.75G which sounds even more sophisticated) because they are several times slower than 'true' 3G services," a Wikipedia entry said. "A 2.4 Mbps EVDO connection is certainly a 3G service," said Prasanto K Roy, Chief Editor at CyberMedia. "Even if it's hiding behind a 2.5G fig leaf for licensing convenience." No undue advantage The DoT chairman added that rolling out 3G service is a very tough process and will take considerable time, and a little head start would not be of undue advantage for these players. BSNL and MTNL have got a head start over its rivals, as they need not participate in the 3G spectrum auction and can rollout its 3G services anytime they are ready. Minister of State for Communication and IT Jyotiraditya M. Scindia disagreed with the view that state PSUs were getting a head start over others. "BSNL has to pay the same amount as the other bidders and hence doesn't entail undue advantage." Both BSNL and MTNL have to pay the highest bidding price for the 3G spectrum, which is expected to be completed in another four months. Earlier, Goyal said BSNL will rollout 3G services in Indian metros in another six months. "We will be inviting tenders for our eight-nine million lines soon and final rollout will be in another six months," Goyal told this correspondent. According to the DoT guidelines, five operators can bid for 3G spectrum now and another five more in future, provided there is additional spectrum. The Department has allowed foreign players also to enter the fray. Chairman and managing director of MTNL RSP Sinha, while welcoming the 3G policy said that his company will take close to four months to rollout the services in Delhi and a little later in Mumbai. In Delhi and Mumbai, only three telecom operators can participate in the auction owing to scarcity of spectrum.

Press Release from Press Information Bureau: Guidelines for 3G and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services DoT Press Release: Detailed Guidelines for Auction and Allotment of Spectrum for BWA Services DoT Press Release: Guidelines for Auction and Allotment of Spectrum for 3G Telecom Services

the application works only on Symbian phones only?

BSNL has already announced 3G rollout plans since 1 slot is reserved for them... BSNL to roll out 3G in six months, MTNL in four Saturday, August 02, 2008 CIOL NEW DELHI, INDIA: Following the announcement of the much awaited 3G policy, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will be rolling out 3G services in the important metros in country in another six months. Speaking to CIOL, chairman-cum-managing director (CMD), BSNL, Kuldeep Goyal said decks for 3G roll out have been cleared and BSNL will be offering services in the another six months. "We will be inviting tenders for our 8-9 million lines soon and final roll out will be in another six months," said the CMD. BSNL and MTNL have got a head start over its rivals as they need not participate in the 3G spectrum bid and can roll out its services any time they are ready to roll out. Goyal's statement follows the guidelines from the telecom ministry, which opened the 3G spectrum for bid to five operators for now, and another five more operators in future, provided there is additional spectrum. However, in Delhi and Mumbai, only three players can bid for auction of spectrum due to the scarcity of spectrum in these metros. However, both the state PSUs have to pay the highest bidding price following the auction of the 3G spectrum that will be completed in another four months. RSP Sinha, CMD of MTNL or Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd , while welcoming the 3G policy told CIOL that the company will take close to four months to roll out the services in Delhi, and a little later in Mumbai. Undue advantage? On whether the head start over the other rivals gave BSNL and MTNL undue advantage over its rivals, the Department of Telecom (DoT) said that the PSUs need to have to some concession from the government for they are incumbents and need some support to take on the big players. However, the DOT chairman added that rolling out the 3G policy is very tough process and will take considerable time, and a little head start won't be undue advantage for these players. The Minister of State for Communication & IT also didn't agree that the state PSUs were getting a head start. "BSNL has to pay the same amount as the other bidders, and hence, doesn't entail undue advantage," he added.

CorePlayer Mobile

All players should have given the oppurtunity to pilot test the service especially when the policy announcement date keeps on extending depending upon the political developments forever.

Please try the code: 720829771104 If the phone is dead, then check the box and it could also be mentioned beneath the battery compatrment.

well, thats what happens when telecom operators are "over selling" already.

Reliance Communications takes US$ 500-mn loan from EDC Canada Business Standard - Mumbai July 28, 2008, 5:28 IST Reliance Communications (RCom) has received a $500-million loan from Export Development Corporation of Canada (EDC), which the private telecom major will use for the procurement of GSM equipment. This increases the Anil Ambani group firm’s overseas loan procured for GSM operations to $1.25 billion, including an earlier $750 million received from China Development Bank.

Thursday, November 09, 2006, New Delhi: EFY News Network - EFYTimes.com UTStarcom and Reliance Communications have launched India’s first CDMA Windows Mobile 5.0 pocket PC -- PPC 6700 "Reliance Mobile Pocket PC". The multi-functional service with data and video transmission capabilities of up to 144 kbps, with average download speed ranging from 60-80 kbps, on high speed Reliance Communications network, is targeted at the enterprise segment and executives on the move. Speaking on the launch, Vijay Yadav, managing director, South Asia operations at UTStarcom, said, "We are glad to partner with Reliance Communications for the launch of our award-winning PPC 6700 in India. This is in keeping with UTStarcom's ongoing endeavour to provide the technologically best and cost-efficient solutions to our customers across the nation." Prakash Bajpai, president and CEO, Reliance Communications, enterprise business, said, "Reliance Mobile Pocket PC is a step forward in our endeavour to provide best and competitive services that harness technology for enhancing effectiveness. We are confident that enriched features, easy-to-use applications and high-speed download capabilities of the device would add significant value to the upwardly mobile customers on Reliance Communications network. It will offer our customers to integrate their business applications seamlessly across the broadband infrastructure to mobile use." Mohit Kapoor, director, South Asia, UTStarcom Personal Communications, added, "The Indian CDMA carriers are technologically advanced and have a lot of options on these data devices. As of today, UTStarcom has a stronghold in North America and is gaining traction with the key global carriers by offering unique designs such as the PPC 6700."

IDG News Service May 06, 2008 4:50 AM PDT High Tech Computer (HTC) announced the HTC Touch Diamond on Tuesday, a smartphone running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and with a touch screen designed for one-handed use. The new handset is the next generation of HTC's popular Touch smartphone, which has sold over 3 million units in the 10 months since its launch. The Touch Diamond updates the series to 3G (third generation mobile telecommunications), beating rival Apple to the punch again. Last year, HTC launched its first Touch handset nearly a month ahead of the iPhone. The Touch Diamond will be available throughout Europe starting in June, followed by Asia and the Middle East. The handset will hit North and South America in the second half of the year. Apple has not said when it will launch a 3G iPhone, but industry analysts expect one within the next few months. The HTC Touch Diamond works on WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks and offers data rates up to 7.2M bits per second using HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) thanks to a chipset from Qualcomm. HTC CEO Peter Chou is so excited about the Touch Diamond that he predicts it will be an even bigger seller than the original Touch. "This is going to be the biggest product of my life," he said by phone from London. HTC's focus on improving touch-screen technology on the Touch Diamond's 2.8-inch, 640 pixel by 480 pixel display pays testament to how serious it is about competing against the iPhone. The company revamped its TouchFlo software to make give a 3D effect to screen images. People can access photos, music, messages, use push-e-mail and more on the touch screen. The company also upgraded the Web browser, which is built on an engine from Opera Software but was designed specifically for HTC. The browser fits the screen, and users can zoom and pan Web sites with one hand. Turn the device sideways, and the view automatically rotates as well. The Touch Diamond includes customized applications for watching YouTube videos and using Google Maps for map and traffic data. The handset has a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. The 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus allows video-calling. Despite the big screen size, camera and other features, the Touch Diamond is small, just 102 millimeters by 51mm by 11.33 mm. The HTC Touch Diamond also boasts Bluetooth for wireless data transfer, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g for wireless Internet access. The battery on the device is rated for 4 hours of talk time. One area where Apple's iPhone still has the edge is in data storage: the Touch Diamond has only 4G bytes of flash memory for storing music and videos, compared to the iPhone's 8G bytes or 16G bytes. Notable features: Runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional 7.2Mbps HSDPA and HSUPA 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201A processor 192MB RAM; 256MB ROM; 4GB internal storage 480 x 640-pixel display Product Page