Ramchi

Indian market dominated by volume low end users and mean high end consumers. Never in the past foreign companies could provide "Services" for Indian market;because you have lots of factor into considerations like high-pressure operating cost, regulatory risks, stiff competition, razar think profit margin, ever demanding customers, poor over all infrastructure etc... These White & Might Vodafone executives will have tough time providing "services" for poor brown people like us!!!

Even the P1 fails to have EDGE ! It just has super slow GPRS. But yes it has improved on the SE P990i's problems. EDGE is not available but comparing that against CDMA phones, it is far better. Anyways, 3G is the way to go not EDGE. But it has WIFI which is a good way to connect if you have wireless Broadband at home. Without switching your laptop you can browse thru this phone. This has a decent browser Opera. I would go for E61i but for the touch screen capabilities which is handy especially when you use your mobile phone browsers and menu selections etc....

If you do not like P990i, you have P1i which costs Rs 22,000 which has 3G, touch screen, blackberry connect, 3 MP Camera, .....This phone is much more stable because it has 128 MB RAM. Allows true multi-tasking and very sleek.

Watch out for the Frequency range. In US they use some special frequencies which are not used by other countries, even in CDMA. If you are a good hacker, may be you can live with it.

Obviously, your comparisons are not on par; SE P990i Vs E61i <> BB 8703e. You probably meant, BB 8830. In comparison SE P990i Rs 18,000 Nokia E61i Rs 18,000 BB 8703e Rs 24,000 BB 8830 Rs 34,000 BB 8703e does not have expandable memory, you cant unlock, no camera, no multi-media bla bla... and still they have the courage to ask customers Rs 24,000!!! 8830 is EV-DO capable without Camera. Changing Operator will be quite difficult. EV-DO is not official and they expect it would take another 6 months to one year for complete rollout (minimum, time frame!) None of the BB has touch screen capabilities. SE P990i has everything, I mean everything you ask for, except EDGE. It has decent Camera, QWERTY, Flip Keypad, Touch Screen. Whereas, E61i, is NOT ONLY beyond BB 8830 in terms of features but also, tremendous cost advantage. It lacks Touch Screen capabilities, if that is going to stop you from buying. I would go for SE P990i @ Rs 18,000 simply because I can change my operator at my will, it has 3G, good entertainment, messaging (including Blackberry connect) capabilities and it is a complete PDA phone in every little sense. It has many third-party solutions available.

There is no need for Indian customers obsessed with the name Blackberry. They need to come out of the mindset. This piece is expensive NOT because it is made of metal or advanced technology or totally new features etc…Since this piece is manufactured in North America where production cost is more and also it is being exported to India contributes more. If it were manufactured in China or some other country, it should probably cost 50%-60% less than what it worth today. As some one mentioned buying such entirely new range of phones in India without proper service centers is a big risk. Since BB phones are already outdated in terms of feature list or technology, resale value will be next to nothing. I am not sure about its voice quality, speaker phone capabilities etc… In my opinion, E61/E61i is far better equipped at half-the price with better service options.

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14525162 Bharti, Vodafone-Essar under MRTPC scanner Tuesday, 11 September , 2007, 17:13 New Delhi: After landing in trouble at telecom tribunal TDSAT, two of the country's biggest mobile players Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar have now come under the scanner of anti-monopoly watchdog MRTPC which has ordered a probe into their suspected cartelisation in raising tariffs. The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Commission has directed its investigative arm Director General of Investigation and Registration (DGIR) to conduct a probe into the manner in which the companies raised tariffs last month. The Commission suspects these companies have formed a cartel and are distorting competition in the market, sources said. MRTPC took suo moto cognizance of newspaper reports over the price hike, sources said, adding the tariff hike was almost simultaneous and the Commission suspects that it was a coordinated action. Another leading telecom player Idea Cellular may also be included in the probe later, they said. The Commission's action comes days after Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) pulled up sector regulator TRAI for not intervening in the issue of price hike by the three telecom operators. While hearing a petition by an NGO Telecom Watchdog, the tribunal had also said the matter had a direct bearing on consumers. The companies last month raised tariffs for STD, local calls, SMS and value-added services. But while even a small cut in rates is announced with fanfare, they refrained from publicising the tariff hike and brought out customary notices by way of small advertisements tucked inside newspaper pages. The three companies control around 86 per cent of the GSM-based mobile services market and raised local call charges by 20 per cent and STD charges by 20-32 per cent.

Regulators pretending like taking actions and operators paying the right babus and politicians to keep things business as usual! It is a nice act put together by both!! We have seen many such things in this world

As per my understanding, 8800 is a pure GSM phone whereas 8830 is a Global phone with GSM (900/1800) and CDMA (800/1900) with EVDO for better data rates plus 8830 has WiFi which is missing in 8800. BB 8800 may work only in GSM networks.

Looks like this phone was meant for North American customers travelling around the Globe! Thats why it does not have 850 & 1900 frequency which was very common in US. They did not want to make this phone available for their American counterparts (I mean, GSM providers). I am not sure whether this mobile phone 8830 is a locked phone and whether it requires us to unlock before using it in GSM networks? Unlike some Korean handsets which are capable of having two SIM Cards, one CDMA and the other GSM, this may not have such feature.

I am not sure why there is a separate website instead of launching this service from their own website? As per my guess, the cost of the handset 8830 is Rs 34K. Though it says it is GSM/CDMA compatible, on GSM it works only on 900/1800 frequencies. I am sure Indian GSM operators use 1900 frequency as well. This phone may not work on all networks (those which are operating on 1900 frequencies). I am not sure if it allows you to change your CDMA operator from Reliance to Tata Indicom (TUIM Card or something). If that is not the case, spending 34K for this instrument which is already lacking many useful features may not be such a great idea. You pay Rs 34K only to get locked to Reliance for ever! I had almost done this mistake earlier by procuring Rs 12.5 K worth handset [Nokia 6255] before selling the newly replaced handset [due to durability issues] for 10K and get out of Reliance. I forewarn those who may be planning to spend Rs 34K and have no option to quit!

In my opinion, Blackberry was never scheduled for launch in Reliance! Some people in this forum creating some unnecessary hype. All along Reliance has not done anything revolutionary in the past 4 years or so. Their handset portfolio, plans, services (voice or data) remained more or less same (you may call it stable); otherwise, there was no big launches, no big innovative products etc... It may have started initial product offerings around 2002 or so but nothing great afterwards. Blackberry will ONLY remain in the wish list but will take lots of time before it reaches the hands of mobile consumers.

I have not seen Reliance subsidizing PDA handsets so far. Even 6265 was sold @ Rs 12,800 [3 years back] which was not a great phone by any means. Even in Amrika Blackberry handsets are slightly expensive than Nokias. But Amrikans prefer Blackberry and iPhone even if they are not the best phone! For them mobile phones must weigh and size like them. Unfortunately, SE is not best in making bricks, naturally out of the US Market. Though, Nokia does make some brick like equipments (E90) US market is outdated in terms of technology when compared with more popular markets (Asia, ME, Europe) where Nokia is really concentrating. Coming back to the question of Reliance offering Blackberry for cheap, is OUT OF THE QUESTION! Ambanis are good in milking Indians forever!!!

I dont understand how Reliance can sell 8830 which is yet to be released even in US at Rs 23,000 while GSM version of the same phone (8820) is sold at Rs 33,000? May be you are confusing with Blackberry versions! Kindly, do not mislead people with incorrect info in the name of heresay. We can bet on the price, which will NOT be anything less than Rs 34K for sure. Even for Rs 23K, this phone offers very little except Qwerty keyboard and flashy design! It does not even come with camera!

This information is available if anyone visits Blackberry website! But there is no mention of Reliance is going to use these devices - because, it is going to cost hell a lot for ordinary customers here. Blackberry as a device can not compete with advanced GSM handsets which are atleast 3 years ahead of technology and feature. The premium attached to it does not justify considering its outdated feature lists and technology. Nokia E61i has much more advanced feature lists exactly half the price of existing Blackberry 8820. Soon Indian operators must subsidize hand-sets by making customers to commit for contracts (1 year or 2 years). Otherwise, Reliance can not sustain the competition by serving only their shareholders.

For High-End Customers (retail customers) - Unlimited Local Calls (Mobile/Landline inclusive), Cheap STD/ISD Charges (around Rs 1.00 Per Minute for STD), unlimited Data Plan (For Rs 500), with Email solutions - Rs 1500-2000 Per month For Average use Customers - Unlimited Local Calls, Slightly expensive STD/ISD Charges (STD around Rs 1.50 PM), very good data plan (2 GB Download/Upload for Rs 400) - Rs 700-800 Per month For Below average use customers - Unlimited local calls, expensive STD/ISD rates, reasonable data plan (500 MB at Rs 150 per month) - Rs 400-500 per month. Student plan, spouse plan, group plans etc...can be tailored accordingly.

Another information was, 3G consumes lots of bandwidth compared to WiMax or 4G standards which uses spectrum resources efficiently. Though in India the actual reason for not deploying 3G is cited as the above, the real reasons are different which has been mentioned under different thread. Some of the proponents of anti-3G lobbyist mention that India is better-off skipping 3G and directly implement 4G; I am not sure whether it is technically/financially feasible, if not impossible.

No. CDMA and WCDMA are different standards though it may sound similar. Based on what I hear from various sources is, neither GSM nor CDMA will have automatic compatibility with WCDMA (also called as UMTS).

It may take another two years if not 5! All these talks means nothing which has been happening for the past 3 years or so. Only ministers getting changed, chairmens getting!

Mobile operators in this country forcing the country to march backwards simply due to lack of competition in the market. Everyone has attained critical mass in terms of number of customers and revenue. Now our famous entrepreneurs from great families to milk Indian mobile subscribers without sweating further thru cartel process, since only selected big families control mobile operations in this country. With the help of traitor Misra (TRAI Chairman), DOT bobus and corrupt DMK Raja (plus Maran) they have stalled any further development in the mobile sector for another few years. Since elections are on the cards, decision making will be further delayed as much as possible to keep these big wicks indulge in any form of tariff hike or even swindle customers with total impunity. Citizens like us are as lazy as buffalos who will accept anything without shame. Our country is a disgrace of humanity.

Let us not forget that 20-25 years back no one thought we could do video conferencing; we did not realize that Laptop can be used by everyone to do their office work etc… The “future” is going to be communication and mobility. Whichever technology allows you to take your work along with you wherever you are, wins the race. Obviously, you cannot develop IT solutions using Mobile Phones nor solve business problems using Mobile Phone Excel sheet. But you can send meaningful emails to your colleges when you are away to make their lives easier. Mobile phone features such as HSDPA, EV-Do may not be a such a glamorous idea just because it has limitation such as battery life, continuity of use, cost involved etc…But Camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Blackberry connect, task synchronization, voice dialing, WAP Browsing are very valuable tools for future business needs. Don’t forget its capabilities to play music and connect you to FM Channels. Its entertainment values equally interesting. Just think of a situation, a device which can do 50 % of the managers jobs (emails, PowerPoint, excel, word document, mass storage), 100% of walkman capabilities, 100% of your PDA functions, 50% of digital camera/camera features; apart from its main function of voice connectivity in one instrument. Already it has replaced your wrist watch, alarm clocks and landline phones.

As far as technology is concerned, I prefer GSM/WCDMA/HSDPA over CDMA/EV-DO simply because of choices for handsets and features offered in handsets. There is not much options as far as CDMA handsets and providers are concerned. From network provider point of view, I do not see any big difference but as far as Customer service is concerned, I can only say Reliance starts from the bottom. My father owns Tata Indicom and I have not seen him talking to Customer representative for the past 2 + years for once – since there was no need! I am not sure whether he was watching his balance or not to even feel that he was having problems with billing and other things. As far as our TRAI-DOT, number portability all seem to be distant dream. I am not seeing any clear cut time frame even for the rollout of 3G services with DOT is blocking every initiative towards upgrading the network infrastructure. Network providers are happy milking the cows (I mean we all, the customers) without having to upgrade their network which means lots of money need to be spent.

Such news are good for Reliance shareholders who may gain in the market due to speculation about many "plans" of Reliance which keeps unfurling every other day. It keeps their presence relevance in the market in which Reliance supposed to dominate technology front due to its CDMA advantages and its supposedly well laid fiber optic cables across the country. But in the end what we get is only hypes in the market with NIL in substance. Even if Reliance is ready to move further, we have DOT, TRAI and our Government which will ensure that we will stay where we are today. 3G, 4G, EV-DO etc...have become distance dream for Indian mobile users.

TRAI is a toothless body without any objectives. Mere postures alone will not make consumers happy. Look at 3G spectrum policy, they are unable to bring concerned paties into agreement within a fixed time frame. Stil it is going on without any commitment from anyone. They can only play destructive role as far as consumer interests are concerned. What is preventing them from reviewing their licenses for unfair practices? They would not allow many operators competing in the market by enforcing licence fee nor would properly regulate the market with conviction.

Mittals and Aruns are already making billions as profit, why they are trying to steal more of poor people's money? These corrupt rich brates have no heart in their souls. I am not sure what they will do with all the billions they make by sipping the blood of poor people? These guys must be dusted out of the country for ever.