KumaarShah

Wireless Data Usage in Bill section is not working. But this also indicates that they are very, very serious about Re 1 per 10kb charges. Like what HP said, this jail is not as big as Nasik Jail also. It is high time we left this jail and be a free bird!!!!

^^^ Exactly, this is what the Voda CC told me today when I complained about the poor speeds. GPRS will only give max. 40-50 kbps in Chennai. Their Voda Connect will give 100 - 110 kbps but here you pay a monthly rental of Rs 199 and then pay 5ps per 10kb usage/download charges for pathetic speeds. BTW, what is the speed of our RCOM both WAP and RConnect?

We have already passed mid-2008, probably they mean mid-2009!!! Probably we will see once again more activity in the CDMA sector with the announcement of the NOKIA-QUALCOMM deal. Hopefully, we will get to see the latest handsets, but this may take atleast 6 to 12 months time. Maybe even LG, Samsung etc will come back to CDMA.

^^^ Lucky man.... You are getting good speeds, I already know from your various posts here. I am referring to speeds of Voda Live on my mobile. I am not sure if you are referring to speeds of Voda Connect. Maybe from your post, I feel you are using Voda Connect. Voda Live is for use only on mobiles akin to WAP. And Voda Connect is like our RConnect, when one connects his mobile to the computer. For Voda Connect, you have to subscribe to a data plan, whereas for Voda Live, there is now no rental, only 10p per 10kb for data usage (unlike our great RCOM's ridiculous Re. 1.10 per 10 kb). Since I did not subscribe to Voda Connect, I use only Voda Live on my SE mobile. I will try maybe next week, with an Airtel SIM and see if their services are faster. Anyway, if you are referring to Voda Live, then there seems to be something terribly wrong with Voda Chennai as the mobile I have is a SE W660i, of course without EDGE but nevertheless, a 3G enabled phone. In any case, Voda does not offer EDGE here in Chennai. I don't know if this can make a difference.

Tata is offering both SMS and Voice on their HSIA devices but at very high tariffs. For more info click on the link provided by bala yogesh above.

Ever since 9 July, I started using my Vodafone for WAP/GPRS services. The speed is so pathetic and sometimes the page does not load at all for even 5 minutes. Since the last 2 days, I have once again started using my RCOM mobile, and I am amazed at the speeds. Only when we use other services, we will know the real difference. Voda, Chennai does not offer EDGE and hence maybe the WAP/GPRS service is very horribly slow. Some EDGE users may please update here the speeds. I do not know if Airtel/Aircel/BSNL in Chennai offer EDGE. I will try to find out and try them also before junking Reliance totally. Over the last 6 months, I have received the most horrible services from RCOM. No doubt that all issues were resolved to my satisfaction, but then the mental torture is too much. I cannot be calling them up and wasting my time always month after month on some silly billing disputes. I am certain that I will get the waiver for even my WAP usage, but I want it to be automatic and not as if I am begging them to waive it. To hell with RCOM, let them lose some high ARPU customers, after that they will wake up and maybe improve services. The problem is that RCOM has lost most of the old CC staff who knew everything. So the new CC staff are downright rude, incompetent and dole out stupid info all the time without bothering to find out from their supervisors also. But to penalise us customers for their faults and shortcomings, is not good business sense in this highly competitive telecom arena. Already Vodafone is breathing down hard on RCOMs numbers. It will not be long before they overtake RCOM. Hope they realise this fast.

^^^ A whole bunch of nincompoops only are there in CC dept. and also in CMO and LTO also. What else can you make out of the above replies? Just a couple of weeks back, they say it is applicable for all, now they find out that we are under membership plan and hence entitled to plan benefits??????? Even in circus, you cannot find better jokers!!!!!! With the kind of people they have, little pity that MTN called off all discussions with RCOM. They also would have found out the true colours of RCOM and ADA. Senseless fools.... I dare to think that if ever they come in GSM, they will have to fold up pretty fast what with their world class error free CC services.

D/l 5 songs means this a CT shuffle or what? Good initiative from Tata. Atleast people can use the service for 1 month and then decide if it is worth it. I read somewhere (yes it was on a TV ad) 10 songs. So is it 5 or 10 songs? CT Shuffle means that the system will play for the 1st caller the 1st song, the 2nd caller will get the 2nd song and so on. And if one single person calls you five times, he will hear five different songs each time. This service is available with Vodafone, don't know about Airtel/etc and as for our RCOM, they do not understand what is shuffle at all even if we explain to them in writing.

^^^ Top to bottom, RCOM's CC is always providing half-baked info. When the roaming rates went down, the entire CC right upto the CMO and also the local town office told me that my DAPO roaming rates will go up because the home roam scheme was suspended some 6 months back. When I told them that even my last months bills showed the home roam rates, they said, it must be a mistake and that it was a benefit to me. Now onwards, I would be charged the standard roaming rates of 1/1/1.50 only and no free incoming upto 400 minutes also. I was willing to surrender all my lines and the stupid CMO and LTO also were eager to get me to terminate all my connections. I waited for my bills and lo and behold, the roaming rates are still under home roam and incoming is free upto 400 minutes. MORAL of the Story: Dont ever go by what CC says (at whatever level), trust only your bills. But I agree, that they are doing a re-think on WAP access charges. Enjoy till the going is good. I got an email saying all customers existing and new will be liable to the new WAP charges and now they say it will not be charged for existing users. They have to backtrack at any cost. Voda is very near to the 2nd spot and I dont think RCOM wants to lose this 2nd spot at any cost even for a month to Voda. So folks, lie back and enjoy.....

I also have been using 6265 over the last 2 years and still hanging on to it despite several problems. The phone quality is definitely good. Otherwise it would not have lasted 2 years also. LG (except the good old warhorse 2030) has severe battery problems across all its models except with the newer models like 3000 etc. And the UI is bad with LG, not as refined as Nokia. None of the LG models have Java either. And if at all it does have, you cannot do many things that you can normally do on a Nokia. All in all, none of the brands can satisfy today's power user. Not even windows mobiles nor even Symbian mobiles. We expect more and more from a handset and if we do not get what we want, we get disillusioned with the brand. The paradox with Nokia's ASC is with their sheer numbers. We are used to getting instant services but then this is not possible because of the sheer numbers of Nokias that are there in the market. Some of the complaints are very frivolous also. So blaming ASCs also may not be correct. Servicing of CDMA Nokias is available only with very few Nokia ASCs and since we have embraced a dying technology (not too sure if the epithet is right in this context more so because Nokia has once again tied up with Qualcomm) we have to bear all the pains. Finally, I hope that this will not be the end of Nokia CDMA. I think they will now come double speed and hopefully 6638, 6639 Nokia CDMA (the only S60 CDMA phones) may also come out now. Hopefully, we may also get N and E series in CDMA. HOPE, HOPE and HOPE.

I think all operators will benefit only if they lower tariffs now. Otherwise, there are people who will only use the mobiles for missed calls. Then the ARPUs will go souther than the South Pole. Even RCOM would have reported higher minutes of usage in the corresponding period as Airtel's.

Kissing And Making Up – Nokia and Qualcomm End Legal Tangles With New Agreement by Daisy Sarma - July 24, 2008 In a step that is to end all forms of legal tangles currently existing between cell phone giant Nokia Corporation and manufacturer of cell phone chips Qualcomm Inc., the two companies have inked a new agreement for the next 15 years. Not only would the new agreement end of all legal issues currently existing between Nokia and Qualcomm, it would also clear all doubts about future licensing programs that Qualcomm may have entertained. Nokia would also withdraw a complaint it had lodged with the European Commission against Qualcomm. Earlier in the day, the possibility of an agreement coming through seemed to grow in strength after a deferment in the trial involving Qualcomm and Nokia in Wilmington’s Delaware Chancery Court and a delay from Qualcomm in making public its quarterly financial statements. The agreement takes into account not just the currently existing standards for high-speed mobile phones but also standards for the next generation of such phones. It also gives Nokia access to all Qualcomm patents through a license. At the same time, it also gives San-Diego-based Qualcomm the guarantee that the cell phone giant would not use any of its own patents adversely against it. Nokia has also agreed to hand out ownership of some of its patents to Qualcomm. These include patents critical to WCDMA, GSM, and also OFDMA. While there is no official word out on the detailed terms of the agreement between the two companies, what it effectively means is that Qualcomm can use Nokia technology on its own chipsets. Speaking about the agreement, Nokia CFO Rick Simonson said, “This is one where saying this is important is not an overstatement. It’s a big relief for everybody.” Nokia CEO Ollie-Pekka Kallasvuo said, “We believe that this agreement is positive for the industry, enabling the market to benefit from innovation and new technologies. The positive financial impact of this agreement is within Nokia's original expectations and fully reflects our leading intellectual property and market positions.” Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs also sounded pleased with the development as he said, “I'm very pleased that we have come to this important agreement.” Jacobs added, “The terms of the new license agreement, including the financial and other value provided to Qualcomm, reflect our strong intellectual property position across many current and future generation technologies. This agreement paves the way for enhanced opportunities between the companies in a number of areas.” With this agreement, a lot of problems would possibly be solved between Nokia and Qualcomm. Both have filed lawsuits against each other and also registered complaints with regulators in different parts of the world – Europe, North America, and Asia. That the agreement was a welcome event was mirrored in the stock market, with Qualcomm stock shooting up by 18% within hours of the announcement. Link: http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/2008...id-1030323.html

Qualcomm Aids Nokia's American Dream Lionel Laurent, 07.24.08, 1:45 PM ET LONDON - Nokia was rubbing its hands and looking forward to improving its position in North America on Thursday, shortly after announcing a new 15-year agreement with Qualcomm that ended a long-running legal battle over industry-standard patent infringements. "This does remove barriers [in North America] that up until yesterday were absolutely there," said Nokia's chief financial officer, Rick Simonson, in an interview with Forbes.com. He said that Nokia would now be able to take advantage of Qualcomm's wireless CDMA-standard technology in the United States, but would not comment on how much of a market-share boost this could represent. Shares in Nokia (nyse: NOK - news - people ) closed up 3.5%, or 60 euro cents (94 cents), to 17.56 euros ($27.52), in Helsinki on Thursday. Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ) was up 18.4%, to $53.05, during afternoon trading in New York, a sign of how important Nokia's global dominance is for the chip-maker's business. Nokia has struggled to get a significant lead in the United States, where it has a market share of 10.0%, compared with its slice of approximately 50.0% of Europe and 40.0% worldwide. Now that it has hammered out a new royalty agreement with Qualcomm, it will be able once again to take advantage of the chip-maker's CDMA technology--CDMA being the most common American standard for "third-generation" (3G) mobile data transmission. "Creating cutting-edge CDMA phones more or less requires close collaboration with Qualcomm," said Pablo Perez-Fernandez, analyst with Global Crown Capital. "Due to various add-ons and tweaks Verizon (nyse: VZ - news - people ) and Sprint (nyse: S - news - people ) are introducing to their CDMA services on a regular basis." He said improving Nokia's foothold in the U.S. was crucial for the Finnish handset-maker, especially with Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) and Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) knocking at the industry's door. Nokia has also cleverly guaranteed its future survival by making sure the agreement covers future technologies as well, which means that as data transmission speeds approach "fourth generation," there will be greater unity and no chance of patent battles with Qualcomm. However, Nokia competitors like Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ) or Samsung may have a battle on their hands: Qualcomm has been awarded ownership of essential patents based on the agreement, so other handset-makers may not get as good a price as Nokia. "The [new] net royalty rate is lower than the one that expired," confirmed Nokia's Simonson, but he would not give any further details. It will be interesting to see how an ongoing European Commission complaint against Qualcomm turns out now that Nokia has pulled out of it. In 2005, six companies including Nokia, Broadcom (nasdaq: BRCM - news - people ), Ericsson (nasdaq: ERIC - news - people ) and Texas Instruments (nyse: TXN - news - people ) claimed that Qualcomm was behaving in an anti-competitive way when licensing mobile patents. (See "Qualcomm Licked In Legal Battle") Link: http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/07/24/n...4markets25.html

Why Qualcomm Folded to Nokia Qualcomm struck a patent deal with Nokia when it seemed a Delaware court wouldn't go its way. So ends mobile's biggest, costliest battle by Jennifer L. Schenker The longest running, highest-stakes poker game in the history of the mobile industry came to a surprising conclusion July 23, when Nokia (NOK), the world's largest mobile-handset maker, and Qualcomm (QCOM), the largest chipmaker for cell phones, suddenly agreed to settle their legal battles over intellectual property and royalties, just as a pivotal court case in Wilmington, Del., was about to begin. The accord will have wide-ranging implications for both companies and the future of the mobile sector. The two sides said they have agreed to drop all legal complaints against each other in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The companies also struck a 15-year licensing deal that gives Nokia rights to a wide portfolio of Qualcomm patents, covering a wide range of different-generation mobile-phone standards. Nokia will pay Qualcomm an up-front sum and ongoing royalties, but the companies did not elaborate on terms. The Finnish phonemaker agreed not to use any of its patents directly against Qualcomm, allowing the U.S. chipmaker to integrate Nokia technologies into its chip sets. Nokia will also hand over to Qualcomm several essential patents in fourth-generation wireless networking technologies known as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX. The agreement, announced after European markets closed, sent Qualcomm shares soaring 16.82%. (Qualcomm, which was supposed to report earnings July 23, postponed its earnings announcement to July 24). Nokia shares were up 4%, with analysts predicting a number of upsides, including a potential increase in the Finnish phonemaker's U.S. business. Expensive Struggle So ended a standoff that crimped the expansion of both companies' businesses, cost each side hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and threatened to fragment the mobile industry's approach to fourth-generation services. "It has been a long time but it has been worth it," says Rick Simonson, Nokia's chief financial officer, explaining that the Finnish phonemaker was able to negotiate a much lower royalty rate than the one it was paying when a licensing agreement between the two companies expired in April 2007. He declined to be specific. Billions of dollars were at stake. "There is a reason this was such a decisive battle," says Ben Wood, director of CCS Insight, a British mobile consultancy. "If you are striking a 15-year agreement and Nokia is making half a billion mobile handsets every year, even a fraction of a percentage point has massive implications for both sides." Qualcomm will benefit immediately by receiving a lump sum in royalties—likely more than $1 billion for the past year. Just in calendar year 2009, the royalties could add about 30¢ per share to Qualcomm's earnings, boosting them from $2.50 to $2.80, says Mark McKechnie, an analyst with American Technology Research. San Diego-based Qualcomm, which gets about two-thirds of its profits from licensing fees on its patents, has been refusing to accept payments from Nokia ever since the contract it had with the phonemaker expired 15 months ago, preferring to defer hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties until a new bargain was struck. Patent Payments At issue was how much Nokia—and the rest of the industry—should pay to license Qualcomm's patents (BusinessWeek.com, 10/17/07) for third-generation mobile technology. When 3G mobile standards were being developed about a decade ago, the San Diego company held key patents on the underlying technology, known as W-CDMA, that were adopted by the industry. Qualcomm agreed to license those technologies to other companies on reasonable terms, and, as a result, its patented inventions became an integral part of 3G. But Nokia argued that the royalties Qualcomm demanded were too high relative to the value of the company's patents, and teamed up with a half-dozen other tech firms to try to force Qualcomm lower. The Finnish company filed a number of lawsuits and, two years ago, asked the European Commission's antitrust division to investigate Qualcomm's licensing fees. In their original complaint, Nokia, Broadcom (BRCM), Ericsson (ERIC), Texas Instruments (TXN), NEC (6701.T), and Panasonic Mobile Communications (MC) alleged that Qualcomm overcharged for its intellectual property and had used potentially abusive techniques to prolong its dominant position in mobile-phone technology. On July 23, Simonson said Nokia will drop its EU complaint. "Seeing as Nokia was the driving force for this complaint, we think that this will effectively end the EU complaint of the other plaintiffs," said a research note from Richard Windsor, a mobile analyst at brokerage Nomura (NMR). What led to the breakthrough just hours before the trial in Delaware was about to begin? On July 23 a German federal patent court ruled that a Qualcomm GSM patent asserted against Nokia was invalid, the third consecutive court to conclude that Qualcomm's patent claims against Nokia were without merit. Britain's High Court and the U.S. International Trade Commission also rejected Qualcomm GSM claims. But it was the Delaware case that was the most important in the dispute, deciding the key issue of W-CDMA royalties. Analysts speculate that Qualcomm may have settled because it feared it wouldn't win that one, either. Qualcomm was effectively asking for a royalty rate of about 4.5% of the phone's average selling price, an amount "which is fairly crippling in an industry with operating margins of 5% to 15%," according to a research note from mobile-industry analysts in the London office of Dresdner Kleinwort. Nokia wanted to pay less than 3%. "With almost the entire industry on the side of Nokia and with the principles of FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, And Non-Discriminatory) terms being widely accepted by almost all industry players for the longer-term well-being of the industry itself, we believe that the legal argument may have been in Nokia's favor," the research note said. Eleventh-Hour Deal Pressed on what led up to the last-minute agreement, Simonson says it came as a surprise to Nokia. "It was unlikely and unpredictable," he says. "We all happened to be in Wilmington, Del., and when there was movement we were well prepared and it came together." The legal battles were taking a toll on Nokia and Qualcomm's businesses, say analysts. One of the disputes led to a temporary ban on importing handsets containing the San Diego chipmaker's technology into the U.S. And Nokia's court battles with Qualcomm have adversely affected the Finnish phonemaker's CDMA business and its dealings with U.S. wireless carriers, says CCS Insight's Wood. "Psychologically, U.S. carriers were very worried about dealing with Nokia while the patent dispute was raging, and it was almost impossible for Nokia to deliver mobile phones for CDMA networks without working with Qualcomm," says Wood. "The agreement will help Nokia's efforts in North America, which is their Achilles' heel right now." Nokia's Simonson says, and analysts agree, that the end of the disputes between Nokia and Qualcomm will also boost the industry's efforts to advance fourth-generation mobile networks. The agreement could also put pressure on other companies, such as Texas Instruments and Broadcom, to settle with Qualcomm. One downside for Qualcomm: If Nokia has obtained a discount on royalties, analysts say other big mobile handset makers such as Motorola (MOT), Samsung, and LG may demand a similar cut. With Olga Kharif Link: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/cont...0724_646345.htm

Nokia's CDMA Renaissance? JULY 24, 2008 Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK - message board)'s 15-year patent agreement with Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM - message board) could once again open up the North American market for the Finnish phone giant, analysts suggest. Since 2005, Qualcomm and Nokia have been sparring over patents and royalty rates related to CDMA and GSM. The agreement announced today between the pair drops Nokia's complaint to the European Commission as well as several lawsuits in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Nokia is the No. 1 phone vendor in the world with more than 40 percent market share, but it's been struggling in North America for several years, in part due to a lack of CDMA products. There are two major CDMA carriers in the U.S. -- Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S - message board) -- and 100 million wireless subscribers using the Qualcomm-developed technology. "The reason they [Nokia] got out of CDMA in the first place is basically because of the Qualcomm suit," says Jack Gold at J.Gold Associates. "Now they are free to do what they want, where they want." That could mean low-end CDMA phones in China and India as well as higher-end products in the United States. Analyst Carmi Levy at AR Communications Inc. suggests that next-generation technology, rather than a straightforward re-introduction of CDMA-based products, will be the North American focus. "I think the CDMA battle in North America is over," he claims, suggesting Nokia will focus on new markets like Verizon's planned 2010 deployment of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology. (See Verizon Goes LTE.) "Verizon is too big for Nokia to ignore," Gold agrees. Verizon has 68 million U.S. subscribers, making it the country's second-ranked cellular carrier. The patent agreement will still be helpful to Nokia as the market moves towards fourth generation (4G) technology, Levy suggests, because Qualcomm still holds relevant patents there. Most of these relate to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), the radio technology that underpins all 4G networks. (See Qualcomm Buys Into Mobile WiMax.) Nokia hasn't returned Unstrung's calls about potential new roadmap additions for North America. — Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung Link: http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=159982

^^^ @Saurav and Honest, AFAIK, the rules regarding 6 months or 12 months notice (is it notice at all, in the 1st place?) applies only to voice calls and maybe SMS also. For data services, no one can question them. The point to be noted here is that for 6 months (maybe in future 12 months) they cannot change the tariffs, but to expect them to give us a 6 / 12 months notice to change tariffs is too much. It is impossible, I would say. Maybe I am wrong, I do not know. @ kshah, You were probably the 1st to complain to DoT, GoI. I thought you also would have been more luckier than me to get the RPAD letter from them. Further, I have the following reply from RCOM: - QUOTE: Dear Mr. Shah, This is with reference to your email regarding the billing information for your Reliance Mobile connections. We request you to email us back once your bill dated August 01, 2008 is generated for your Reliance numbers in order to assist you better. We regret the inconvenience caused to you. Thank you for being associated with us. Warm Regards, Dharmendra Singh Negi Customer Care For further information, you can contact us at Web-site : www.reliancecommunications.co.in Email : customercare@relianceada.com Disclaimer:- The information provided is based on prevailing terms and conditions of the company, which are subject to change without prior notice. This electronic message transmission contains information from Reliance Communications & is confidential or privileged. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, beware that any disclosure, copy distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received the electronic transmission in error please notify us. -----Original Message----- From: Kumaar Shah Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 04:44 PM To: corporatecentre.customercare@relianceada.com (corporatecentre.customercare@relianceada.com) Subject: Re: Reference to your email regarding your Reliance Mobile connections  Dear Mr. Negi, I came to understand that you are waiving charges for WAP diff. access for this month or maybe forever. Can you please confirm the waiver and the exact status for DAPO users. Thanks & Regards Kumaar Shah UNQUOTE What should I make of the above email? Does it mean they will waive the WAP diff. access charges for the last month or forever? Their language is very ambigious, one can never make out what they really want to convey. And one more thing is that maybe the pressure letter from DoT is working. All thanks to you, kalpak , for taking up this issue so strongly and also making us forward complaints to various agencies. Hila diya saale ko. Keep it up. Three cheers to kalpak. :cheer: Maybe some sense has now been drilled into their heads and they may re-work the WAP issue, again maybe to our satisfaction. This WAP issue clearly proves the strength of customer supremacy, if they are united, like we all are.

Some more links: 1. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home 2. http://www.informationweek.com/news/manage...cleID=209600139

I got a RPAD letter from DOT,GoI, New Delhi which is a cc of the same letter sent to RCOM,ND asking them to sort out my grievance immediately in normal course and if not possible to append reasons why the grievance cannot be resolved. DOTEL/E/2008/01066 dt 15.07.08 Letter signed by one Mr. RS Rana on 18.07.08. Wonderful, now lets see the response of RCOM in this matter. I am amazed at the speed of DOT in responding to our complaints. Anyone else received this letter from DOT, GoI?

^^^ They should be aware of this forum and also they may be taking an active interest also by daily going through it. Maybe they get ideas from here itself.....

^^^ I do not think it may be possible. Both these companies may not allow this, maybe even regulatory issues are there.

^^^ Nothing wrong in your views here. Only thing is RCOM may not allow any outsiders to access their networks etc. These are all top secret, much bigger than even the 123 agreement. he he he. Forget it.

Apple today unveiled its highly anticipated iPhone 3G. The device “climbs the next mountain” of requiring fast mobile data as well as reducing the price. The connection is the most important feature and downloads websites 2.8 times faster than an iPhone on EDGE; it’s also faster versus rival 3G-capable devices like the Nokia N95, according to Apple. E-mail also transfers more quickly and approaches Wi-Fi speeds, the company says. Despite the higher-power Internet connection, the device can last for 5 hours of 3G talk time and 10 hours of 2G — up from 8 hours on 2G. Browsing is the same at between 5-6 hours, while video and audio playback have been upgraded to 7 and 24 hours respectively. GPS is also built into the device and can combine with cell tower triangulation and Wi-Fi to help locate an iPhone. The feature allows real-time positioning in Google Maps. The device is even thinner at the edges and has a full plastic back for improve reception, but with solid metal buttons; the headphone jack is flush to allow any device. Audio quality is also improved, the company says. This is a GSM phone that requires a carrier SIM Card. Photo Gallery iPhone 2.0 software is preloaded on the device and includes access to the App Store, Exchange data support using ActiveSync, parental controls, and native support for iWork and Office files. The iPhone 3G integrates directly with Apple’s new Mobile Me service to share calendars, contacts, photos, and iDisk information in real-time between computers, iPhones, and iPod touch devices. The device will be available in 70 countries and will sell for $199 for an 8GB model — $200 less than the original. There will also be a 16GB model for $299. All of this is with a new 2-year commitment to AT&T service/tariff contract in the USA for qualifying customers.. Versions will be available in black and white. The phone is available through the online Apple Store & At&T retail stores. They will ship to 22 countries (including USA & Canada) on July 11th, with more following afterwards. So let’s ask the soon to be ‘FAQ’ (Frequently asked questions) particularly for customers in the uSA. * What’s all this talk about 3G? The 3G mobile phone network uses a different frequency band than its predecessors to deliver increased data transfer rates. The 3G network uses the 2100MHz frequency, while the existing 2G network operates at the 900MHz/1900MHz frequency band (GSM) and 800MHz (CDMA). This high-speed data capacity enables more content to be sent to and from mobile handsets through calls, messaging and Internet-based content. Networks & Data Rate 1G Analog 9.6Kbps to 14.4Kbps Voice Only 2G GSM/CDMA 9.6Kbps to 14.4Kbps Voice & Data 2.5G GPRS/EDGE 56Kbps to 144Kbps Voice & Data 3G UMTS 384Kbps up to 2Mbps Voice & Data 3G WCDMA 2Mbps, 384Kbps (wide access) Voice & Data 3G CDMA2000 144Kbps Voice & Data 3G CDMA EV-DO 2.4Mbps Voice & Data 4G 20 - 40Mbps (the * What are the bullet-point specs of this iPhone? Specifications Screen size3.5 inches (diagonal)Screen resolution480 by 320 pixels (163 ppi)Input methodMulti-TouchStorage8GB and 16GB1CellularUMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)Wireless dataWi-Fi (802.11b/g) UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR GPSAssisted-GPSCamera2.0 megapixelsBattery2Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G; up to 10 hours on 2G Standby time: Up to 300 hours Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G; up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi Video playback: Up to 7 hours Audio playback: Up to 24 hoursDimensions4.5 by 2.4 by 0.48 inches (115.5 by 62.1 by 12.3 mm)Weight34.7 ounces (133 grams) * Will AT&T increase data prices for ‘exclusive’ use of it’s heavlily , financed 3G network? - Yes! AT&T will increase data rates for iPhone customers. A data plan for standard users will cost $30 per month versus the $20 per month paid on existing plans; a separate, business-focused data plan will be available for $45 per month. The BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices receive similar pricing for unlimited data; without third-party apps. All of this is on top a $40 voice plan. * What’s the deal if I bought an iPhone (2G) before? - All iPhone 2G users will be grandfathered and won’t be required to pay more per month (3G data use) for as long as they choose to use the service, including past the end of their contract. * Will the 3G iPhone work on T-Mobile USA? Yes & No. Yes, because it still may be possible to unlock for use with the GSM radio for T-Mobile USA use @ 1900MHz. No because of specs disclosed @ the Apple On-line store reveals that the 3G frequency acquired by T-Mobile Wireless USA is 1700MHz. * Are there any negatives? Yes! You are locked to your authorized wireless carrier. Hard to switch SIM card when traveling. - In the USA; you will not be able to activate iPhone @ hone via itunes. Only an in-store activation. There will be penalties if you do not activate the phone after 30 days purchase. - still no copy/paste.. ok software is upgradable. - 2.0 mp camera is the same/no video - most new phones will have 5mp and video. (3rd party app on the way to record video?) - gps is nice to have, but will require another fee from att to use there telegps service for $10 a month. - No removable storage * 3g is the biggest selling point but most new phones that are iphone like now have 3g; a better camera and removable storage.. - Does NOT support Bluetooth A2DP. The best music player but forget about using those stereo wireless Bluetooth earphones! - No MMS (Use e-mail to send attachments!) - No Bluetooth tethering (DUN) - Phone is subsidized in USA; so you must commit for a new 2 years. - No front-side camera. (so video-conferencing vis-à-vis is impossible) - No 32GB internal RAM - No voice-activated dialing (wait for a 3rd party software developer to knock this out) - Download cap over UMTS. Network OTA download =/< 10MB > WiFi

@karki, Good move as I see many seniors on this Forum also not following this rule. It would be better maybe if you could send out a mail to all those who have completed maybe 200 or more posts on the rules and etiquettes on this forum. All these rules are constantly changing and hence this may be followed.

@himanshu, You are absolutely right, BSNL is now much better than RCOM. But this plan is available all over India or only for Bihar at present? I checked Chennai's website, no info on this plan.

@kalpak, RameshAS is referring to rworld and not the website. Rworld has the oldest info, never ever updated. Lousier than the website itself.....