@ksh@T

hey please post under spectrum discussion

thats a chaos like hera pheri! another sequel in the process

NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has mandated that while customers can buy international roaming SIM cards and global calling cards of foreign telcos in India, the same cannot be used for making or receiving calls within the country. Currently, international roaming SIMs as well as global calling cards of several global long-distance operators can be bought in India. However, these are largely purchased by Indians who travel abroad as it is more economical when compared to using their own mobile connections on account of the exorbitant international roaming rates. “The cards being offered to Indian customers will be for use only outside India. These cards cannot be used in India for making outgoing as well as receiving incoming calls while in India. Proper proof of the customer shall be maintained like photocopy of the passport (before the card is sold to any person). Customers will also not be permitted to make calls from India using this card,” the DoT said in a directive. Sources say that the DoT move is based on security grounds. This is because, if these cards are used within the country, it would not be possible to ensure that all calls are routed through national and international long distance operators who are licensed to offer services in India. The DoT has also laid down strict guidelines for players who sell both international roaming SIM cards and global calling cards in the country. Agencies and outlets who sell these cards must first obtain a no objection certificate (NoC) from the DoT. Besides, if the agency must also furnish a copy of an agreement with the foreign telecom company of which it wants to sell the card. Importantly, the DoT has also laid the onus on the seller of such cards in India to furnish certificates from the respective foreign companies confirming the blocking of Indian origination of calls on these cards. The seller in India must also submit the procedure of making the calls from any country including a list of codes being used for making calls from various countries, the DoT directive added. The DoT directive also states that foreign telecom companies, who wish to sell their cards in India, must take the requisite clearances from government agencies, including the customs department. With regard to tourists and others who purchase such cards from abroad for use when they travel to India, the DoT has said that foreign telcos, who sell these cards must ‘ensure that traffic originated in other countries for termination in India will be routed through the valid international long distance (ILD) licensee and valid ILD gateways

happy new year rimwebians! nj0| and celebrate

NEW DELHI: India’s largest private telecom operator, Bharti Airtel is set to enter into a deal with yet another global major. Airtel and internet solutions and security major, VeriSign will sign an MoU this week, under which the latter will extend its digital identity protection and fraud detection services to Bharti, who in turn will pass it on to its subscribers and partners. Additionally, as part of the partnership, Bharti Airtel will utilize a number of VeriSign’s capabilities to improve significantly the internal capabilities of its infrastructure and to serve better the growing customers. Importantly, Bharti Airtel and VeriSign will offer co-branded services on a revenue-share basis. Besides, the MoU will also permit Bharti to become an issuing authority for SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certification in India. Any business that provides solutions or transactions on the internet, if it is SSL certified, implies the transaction is secure. “The deal also envisages that VeriSign will help Bharti develop the next-generation internet infrastructure in the Indian market. Using Bharti’s infrastructure like its data centres, VeriSign will also provide Internet security,” says the Bharti CIO and director (IT & Innovation), Dr Jai Menon. At the same time, VeriSign, will also offer security to various IT platforms that Bharti and IBM are jointly developing. Another focus area would be creating infrastructure to enable e-commerce around identity management. The two partners realize a huge challenge is in promoting the idea of online transactions being safe. “A lot of our effort goes into making people comfortable with the idea of transacting on the Internet and the mobile phone,” Chris Parsons, senior VP, global channel, VeriSign, told ET. For VeriSign, the deal is a solution to its year-long search for a major strategic partner to enter into India in a big way. “The partnership with Bharti is one of our major partnerships on a global basis. We will jointly go to market,” Mr Parsons added

DoT may take back excess spectrum NEW DELHI: In what could be another blow to existing GSM mobile operators, the government may soon demand return of excess spectrum held by them beyond eligible limit. The move comes after the government last week decided to allot additional spectrum based on telecom regulator TRAI's subscriber linked criteria and GSM lobby Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) accepted the decision. Going by TRAI norms, which suggested up to six times more subscribers to become eligible for additional spectrum, the operators may end up holding excess airwaves. These surplus airwaves can accommodate 4-5 new players, sources said. DoT has already conducted a detailed study of all GSM players with regard to their subscriber base and equivalent spectrum they hold. Most existing GSM players have 10 MHz of spectrum in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai, sources said. Since new spectrum quantity would be decided as per TRAI formula the operators would have to return excess airwaves in many circles, they added. However, no decision has been taken on whether DoT would enforce the rule that spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz would not be allocated, the sources said. At the same time, DoT has begun the process of revising spectrum usage charges to maximise the revenues to the government. The Telecom Commission has been given 15 days to complete the exercise to rework the charges. Sources also denied that the report of Telecom Engineering Centre has been completely rejected while accepting TRAI's recommendations. TEC, which is the technical wing of Department of Telecom, had suggested up to 15 times more subscriber base for spectrum allocation. In fact, the government is planning to appoint another panel for a detailed study to discover spectrum allocation formula based on scientific analysis. This may take about six months and TRAI norms would be implemented as an interim solution till then.

maybe like moto F3C he he anil will u use it ;-)

Reliance Communications Launches "Diwali Dhamaka" Mumbai, November 7, 2007: With the objective of enhancing customers delight during the upcoming festive season, Reliance Mobile has launched Diwali Dhamaka for millions of its esteemed customers. With this latest initiative, Reliance Mobile has taken the lead to offer superior value and choicest opportunities for the customers during Diwali. Diwali is not only the festival of lights, but it is also the festival of purchase of gold for the traditionals, purchase of modern amenities for the rich and involves buying of glittering clothes, crackers and sweets for ordinary man. People are on the buying spree, which naturally results in enormous flow of money in the market. During the span of Diwali week there is meteoric rise in the expenditure of average individuals as they are gripped by the euphoria of purchasing essential things. In this context, there is also an upsurge on mobile spending and customers always look for innovative content to celebrate the festive spirit of the season. Reliance Mobile?s Diwali Dhamaka allows customers to download their favourite Diwali wallpapers, animations of celebrations, ringtones, true tones and exciting games at a price which ranges between Rs 5 - Rs 15. Mr. Krishna Durbha, Head ? Sales and Marketing, Applications, Solutions and Content Group, Reliance Communications said, ?The launch of Diwali Dhamaka offers a very attractive value proposition and will provide our esteemed customers a variety of applications to choose from. With a mix of great original ideas and fantastic execution, we have really added value to our mobile offerings on Reliance Mobile World platform, giving festival goers mobile content that is genuinely fun, relevant and practical.? To access Diwali Dhamaka, Reliance Mobile users have to click on ? Rworld>>HotNNew>>DiwaliSpl>>Diwali Dhamaka. Earlier, Reliance Communications has offered Durga Puja Live on Reliance Mobile phones. bekaar!

NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI has proposed the setting up of a National Integrated Directory Enquiry Service through which the public can obtain all details about any person in the country, including name, fixedline and mobile telephone numbers, address, business and classified information. The regulator has also said this that this directory enquiry service will have an opt-out clause, where any mobile or landline subscriber can choose to not provide his name, telephone and other details to the directory services. The proposal is part of a consultation process initiated by the Authority on Monday with regard to publishing of an integrated telephone directory for fixed line phones and national integrated directory enquiry service for fixed and mobile connections. Justifying the move, TRAI said: “Directory services are largely unavailable today for fixed line telephones and for mobile services provided by the private operators. Presently, the printed directory is also provided only by BSNL. However, in the present multi-operator scenario integrated directory services are required.” “In the case of mobile customers, there may not be a printed directory. For directory enquiry services, there should be National Integrated Directory Enquiry Service containing both fixed and mobile telephones (both pre-paid and post-paid) to be managed by a separate agency,” TRAI added. TRAI has also pointed out that in most of the European Union countries the incumbent sets up the database and end users are charged a reasonable fee for availing the information contained in this database. Besides, one must also pay to have additional data of themselves included in this database. The regulator has also used the success of the directory in the United States to push for a similar system in India. “In USA, the Pierz Group’s 2005 forecast indicates American consumers are avid users of Directory Assistance (DA)/Directory Enquiry (DQ), with 55 billion US look-ups expected by 2010, generating revenues of $11.4 billion,” TRAI said. It also pointed out that according to The Pierz Group forecast, Americans looked for phone numbers over 43 billion times in 2004 and six and a half billion of those phone number look-ups in the US were calls to directory assistance. “In the United States, consumers call directory assistance an average of 35 times per year from a home, business or mobile phone. The ability to quickly and easily obtain a phone number is very important to anyone, but apparently even more so to Americans.

NEW DELHI: This is one much-talked, debated but delayed `flight’ that will finally take off in 2008. Air travellers will be able to use mobile phones in flight. A new technology that creates micro cellular sites called `picocells’, within an aircraft, without interfering with the airplanes communication or other systems will make this possible. The picocell networks within the aircraft will send the mobile signals to satellites which will relay them to ground links, providing interconnection between the aircraft, ground, public networks and home operators. Satellite links will ensure that calls be made even while flying over oceans, offering connectivity throughout a flight. More than a dozen global airlines including Indian carriers are deploying these miniature cellular networks within their aircraft to enable mobile services in air. The call costs at around $3.50 to $4 per minute are much cheaper than the current charges of cumbersome satellite phones in aircraft ($10-12 per minute) and are expected to fall to levels of global roaming rates as the service become common. OnAir an Airbus and SITA-(provider of air transport applications) owned company and AeroMobile, a UK-based company are installing the miniature networks within aircraft. Global airlines including Air France, Emirates, Quantas, Turkish Airlines, Air Portugal, BMI, Kingfisher and low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Ryanair are deploying solutions that will enable mobile services in air. While the technology enables complete gamut of mobile services to be offered, some carriers will initially offer text messaging and data transfer services before they allow voice communications as well. Says AeroMobile marketing director David Coiley, “Three developments have enabled this: equipment that can be installed without interfering with the aircraft systems, regulations that permit it and commercially viable call rates. However, telecom regulators around the world don’t want interference with external ground systems hence the system onboard will be activated only when an aircraft reaches cruising altitude, that is at least 3,000 meters.” Earlier this year AeroMobile tested its systems on domestic flights within Australia as part of an evaluation project supporting GSM text messaging and GPRS data services, with over 19,000 passengers using their own phones on over 1,200 flights. In India Kingfisher has signed a MoU with OnAir to install a system enabling data services on board its long haul flights. A Kingfisher Airlines official told ET: ``In April next year, when we receive our wide-bodied aircraft, we plan to launch internet services on long haul flights. We will subsequently allow voice calls.’’ Kingfisher expects permission to fly international routes by mid 2008 and will offer communication services on its proposed Bangalore-San Francisco, Mumbai-New York, Mumbai-London and Delhi-London flights. Adds an OnAir spokesperson: ``TAP (Air Portugal) and BMI will also run commercial trials, both starting in the first quarter of 2008. In addition, Ryanair will have the technology on 25 planes by the end of March. Other airlines that have signed up with OnAir are Royal Jordanian, Kingfisher, AirAsia and Shenzhen.’’ On Air’s service is based on an onboard server and connected to the ground infrastructure through SwiftBroadband, Inmarsat’s broadband satellite infrastructure. Phones are used just like on the ground. To make a call on board the aircraft, passengers simply dial the international prefix (+) or 00 + country code + full number (without the 0). Adds the OnAir spokesperson: ``Passengers will be able to use the service in exactly the same way as when they are in another country on the ground. Therefore, cost of calls, SMS messages and e-mails will be in line with international roaming rates and will be included as part of the passenger’s regular bill. The cost will be the same on all flights.’’ It remains to be seen how people react to this much delayed service. Though for some passengers disturbance while flying may not be just due to air turbulence but a chatty co-passenger.

well maybe i am the laziest theese days! well thanX rimweb . . .the only forum that i indulge in and that too damn seriously! thatnx am in list 200rs voucher bingo! . . . and yes this is not individual winning it is a prize for all Rimweb congrats! . . and especially all members for making what rimweb is today! enjo|

ne user please clarify! . . .buhuuuuuuu

well yesterday TOI had an advt of worldphone. no ned of pc. but its a type of landline!

ne news abt DUO

MUMBAI: Reliance Communications, India's second-largest mobile firm, added 326,682 GSM subscribers in November to have 5.67 million users on the popular platform, an industry body said on Thursday. The Cellular Operators' Association of India said, including Reliance Communications, 6.1 million GSM users signed up in November, taking the total user base to 166.2 million. Reliance Communications mainly runs on the rival CDMA platform but also has GSM services that it is expanding. It is yet to release its total subscriber additions in November. It had 37.8 million wireless subscribers at end-October, according to data from India's telecoms regulator. Bharti Airtel, which added 2.05 million users in November, is India's top mobile operator with nearly 53 million mobile customers.

NEW DELHI: FLAG Telecom, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Communications, has awarded a contract estimated at $350 million to France-based vendor Alcatel to build a fully IP-enabled trans-Pacific undersea cable. The cable is a part of the $1.5-billion expansion plan for FLAG Telecom unveiled by the company earlier last year. The expansion plan will see FLAG add 50,000 km of optics to its existing 65,000 km of undersea cable network across the globe, the company said. The expansion plan would primarily be funded by internal accruals, pre-sales, cash flows and external debt. The FLAG Network would cover 1,15,000 km by 2010, the company added. “The construction contract of the trans-pacific cable with an approximate length of 11,000 km, crossing the world’s largest ocean is estimated to cost around $350 million. The trans-Pacific cable will link Japan and West Coast of US. This cable will be seamlessly integrated with the other Cable assets of FLAG Telecom, including the existing FEA Cable (Europe, Indian Sub-continent, East Asia), FLAG Atlantic (East Coast US to Europe), FLAG North Asia Loop, FALCON (Egypt - Middle East- India) and the forthcoming cables connecting Mediterranean, Africa and East Asian countries,” company sources told ET. When contaced, the RCOM spokesperson confirmed the development and in a written reply said: “Worldwide, the global market for enterprise and institutional data services is worth $90 billion (Rs 3,60,000 crore). With completion of this next generation network cable, FLAG will be the only service provider to reach over 60 countries on a private cable system”. The trans-Pacific route is the second busiest route after the trans-Atlantic route for the undersea cable industry. However, considering the growing traffic between China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Indian sub-continent to the West Coast of US, the demand on this route is expected to grow faster than trans-Atlantic, sources added. The contract also marks Alcatel’s second major contract with Reliance Communications. The French telecom infrastructure major had also built the $400 million Falcon under sea cable for RCOM. This cable was commissioned for commercial use in September 2006, and FLAG has already sold capacities worth $500 million in this network, the company said.

Bharti's spectrum offer anti-competitive: Tata NEW DELHI: Tata Teleservices on Tuesday dubbed as "anti-competitive" the offer by Bharti Airtel to pay Rs 2,650 crore for spectrum, and said the proposal confirmed that the Sunil Mittal-led company was hoarding surplus airwaves. "Bharti's offer wipes away all that they had been advocating as a principled stand," a TTSL spokesperson said. The GSM player's offer was due to "guilt conscious" and a "pittance against the gains that they make every year", the official said. Bharti Airtel made the offer for all-India spectrum yesterday, and had evoked sharp criticism from rival Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications. Tata Teleservices and RCom are both CDMA players and opposing GSM-based service providers' contention on allocation of airwaves. Reminding Mittal of the position he had taken earlier, Tatas said that "when Tatas offered to pay for 3G spectrum Sunil Bharti Mittal said the Prime Minister's Relief Fund was always available to anyone who wanted to donate money. "The offer of Bharti now confirms that they have been hoarding spectrum beyond contracted amount and because of their guilt conscious, the said amount is now being offered as pittance against the gains that they make every year," the TTSL spokesperson said. The CDMA camp has been demanding a level playing field with regard to allocation of spectrum in equal quantity and TTSL had earlier rejected the proposal made by Department of Telecom (DoT) on the ground that it talked about spectrum in ratio of 2:1 in favour of GSM players.

boss govt's gonna gain a lot from this fight Govt discriminating against us: Idea Cellular NEW DELHI: Idea Cellular Ltd on Tuesday accused the government with adopting a discriminatory attitude on allocation of spectrum that adversely impacted the company. "We have expressed our chagrin at the discriminatory and arbitrary treatment meted out by the government in its actions as impacting our company," Idea managing director Sanjeev Aga wrote in a letter to telecom secretary D S Mathur. He said Idea was the only large operator who has been deprived a nation-wide licensed footprint, which is essential to compete and to serve its 20 million subscribers. "Successive government policies have facilitated a nation-wide licensed footprint for every other large operator, some of whom were not even mobile licensees to begin with," he added. Charging the government with acting in bias against Idea, he said DoT did not act as per its own rules and should have issued the company its first license on the same terms as provided to other large operators. "We are astonished that the government's pre-occupation and priority is the provision of, howsoever it may be labelled, a de-facto second license with a parallel GSM spectrum stream. Our prior applications for our first licenses lie unattended while second helpings are being prioritised." Aga said having failed to obtain either fair play or adherence to its own policy from the government, "we have with regret been compelled to seek justice from the judiciary, a process which will run its due course". aaj idea ki baari thi!

@parth chineese and warranty no way! kyon!

well indeed it was feeling good enuff that we are using the services of the TOP cdma operator of the world! but enuff . . . a lotta things need to be changed !

@supernova i think rim cc are eager to talk to you! aint it!

RCom files 6 RTI applications on spectrum decisions NEW DELHI: Within days of receiving permission to start GSM-based mobile services, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communication has sought information on various spectrum-related decisions taken in the past by the government. The company has filed six applications through Right To Information (RTI) Act seeking information on whether Vodafone-Essar (earlier Hutch-Essar) and Bharti Airtel were allocated spectrum in 900 MHz band or 1800 MHz in West Bengal circle. RCom has been saying that spectrum needs to be reframed between 900 and 1800 MHz bands as in the 900 band the capital expenditure is far less compared to that in the other band. The telecom major, in his presentation to the spectrum review committee, had said that most of the spectrum in 900 MHz has been cornered by the dominant GSM players and this needs to be reframed among the new entrants. In one of its RTI applications, the company has asked for information on the basis on which additional spectrum from 8 MHz to 10 MHz was allocated to the first and second operators in various circles and whether any one-time fee was charged from these players for the additional spectrum. The applications have been filed by Bharat B Anand, President, Reliance Communications. The company has got the licence to enter GSM-based mobile services as the government amended the Unified Access Service (UAS) license last week allowing dual technology (CDMA and GSM) for mobile services.