Honest

Tata Indicom cuts prepaid tariffs Business Line, Hyderabad, Aug. 29 Tata Teleservices Ltd has brought down the STD rates for their Prepaid Fixed Wireless customers. Under the new tariff, Prepaid Walky subscribers can make STD calls at Rs 1.50 a minute, while local calls to any other network within the circle will be charged at 0.90 paisa a minute and all local and national SMS charges will be Re 1. This offer is valid across the country for all existing and new subscribers activating with prepaid Indicom200 starter kit.

^^^ Ooooooh, it just reminded me of your previous posts my dear Dr. Ali. Cheers !

Number portability: DoT not for fee on subscribers Business Line Mumbai, Aug. 29 Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is not in favour of imposing a fee on mobile subscribers who want to retain their telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another. However, it will finally boil down to the recommendations that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India will issue, Mr Siddharth Behura, Telecom Secretary, told newspersons on the sidelines of the ‘Telecom Energy Summit’ held here in Mumbai. From April next Number portability will be operational in metros by April next year following which there will be a phase-wise launch in the rest of the circles. According to a survey by IDC, over 30 per cent of mobile users will change their operator if they have this service. However, GSM mobile operators are in favour of having a fee for number portability. This is because implementing this service would require operators to fork out over Rs 4,000 crore. Mr Behura also said that the auction process for 3G spectrum licenses will be completed by September 30, as the DoT wants mobile operators to launch services by the year end. According to some reports, State-run BSNL and MTNL would launch high-end 3G services by the end of this calendar year.

Every second Indian will go mobile by 2012 30 Aug, 2008, 0548 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: With India now adding 8-10 million mobile subscribers every month, up to half the nation’s population-or one in every two citizens-will own a mobile phone in India by the middle of 2012. According to Business Monitor International, a renowned London-based research firm, 612 million mobile subscribers by 2012 will help India clock a mobile teledensity of roughly 51% by 2012. This scorching pace of growth is unlikely to falter unless the sector faces unforeseen policy disasters or if India’s operators fail to roll out their networks. International Telecom Union’s (ITU) projections are in the same range.India is already the world’s second largest mobile market, behind China’s 500 plus million mobile subscriber base. Increasing incomes, changing lifestyles and lower cost of technology are allowing more and more Indians to ride the telecom wave. The new numbers overtake earlier estimates, including from UBS, Citigroup and Credit Suisse, predicting a mobile population of 400-450 million by March 2010. Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers have been more even conservative, betting on a base of just 400 million by 2010. However, India will reach this milestone in 2009 itself. India’s mobile revolution has been a huge social leveler, with the growing number of users tying a diverse nation in a manner rarely seen before. Its youth are expected to contribute significantly to these surging numbers. Sir Richard Branson, founder, Virgin Group, which tied up with Tata Teleservices to launch branded services in India recently said, “An exciting market, with over 215 million Indians aged 14-25 years. Over the next three years we expect to be adding 50 million new youth subscribers.’’ While companies like Virgin are currently focused on the urban market, it is clear that the next set of growth will come from B and C category cities as well as rural India. Mobile penetration of this magnitude has the ability to revolutionalize long distance learning and health care quickly reaching some of the most far flung and difficult terrains. Where mobile content is concerned most analysts agree that, largely on the back of India’s popular film industry, music services will grow very quickly, even if other content related revenue lags behind. Given that a reasonable part of the population by 2010 will be children below 14 and senior citizens, it seems mobile access among the youth and working classes will be more in the range of 70-80%. In policy terms, government needs to quickly turn its focus on redirecting funds for rural mobile access, manage spectrum efficiently and invite multi-billion dollar investments at a pan-India level to fuel this already scorching telecom growth.

Mobile user verification compliance rises to over 85%: Govt Business Standard Government today said subscriber verification compliance has increased to 85 per cent from the earlier 60 per cent, amid rising security concerns. "Mobile subscriber verification audit conducted by the Vigilance Monitoring Cells in the field has resulted in enhanced compliance to subscriber verification by the Service Providers, from 60 per cent to more than 85 per cent", Department of Telecom said in a note. DoT had cracked the whip on mobile companies ever since security agencies raised concern over fake addresses and bulk connections in a single person's name. Security agencies had raised an alarm earlier over the rise in number of cases of fake addresses and unidentified SIM card buyers, which helped the terrorists to escape after carrying their modus operandi over mobile phones. Although it is mandatory to carry out subscriber verification, operators fearing loss of customers did not stress on this aspect and as a result security agencies for whom mobile call details are crucial to nab culprits were not able to track the offenders. As a result DoT tightened the subscriber verification norms, as per which telecom operators will have to pay a penalty and immediately de-activate the pre-paid mobile connection if they fail to follow the new norms issued by the government to strengthen the subscriber verification system.

Yes my dear friends, as Kshah also told above, Nokia's service for CDMA handset is really horrible. Once the handset gone to the service centre, then forget to get it back before one month. Nokia's service is really pathetic my dear friends. In matter of service LG seems to be best. As they offer 2 Hours speed service for all repairs. And if the handset not been repaired instantly then they will provide you a temporary handset for use for 1-2 dyas and in the meantime they repair your handset. LG service rocks. Regards.

Bharti emerges leader in STD, ISD traffic 30 Aug, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel has stolen a march over its rivals in carrying both national and international long distance calls. While state-owned BSNL has a larger fibre network in India, Trai data reveals that Bharti earns more revenues than the PSU for carrying STD traffic. Similarly, Tata Communications (VSNL) and Reliance Communications (RCOM) may have larger international long distance networks (under sea submarine cables), but Bharti’s revenues in this segment are significantly higher that that of its competitors. According to Trai, Bharti earned Rs 1189.6 crore for carrying STD calls and Rs 624.1 crore for ISD calls for the quarter ended June 08. In comparison Rcom had revenues to the tune of Rs 591.4 crore and Rs 426.5 crore from carrying STD and ISD traffic respectively during the same period. State-owned BSNL which has traditionally been the largest player in this domestic long distance segment earned Rs 721.5 crore as STD revenues and Rs 179.4 as ISD revenues. Similarly, the Tata Communications (VSNL) which was earlier the dominant player in the international long distance segment had revenues only to the tune of Rs 417 crore from carrying ISD calls. An analysis of Trai data also reveals that Bharti has taken the slot only over the last couple of months. As of 2007-end, BSNL was the largest player in the STD front and Tata Communications (VSNL) in the ISD space. Market watchers attribute several reasons which has helped Bharti pull away from its rivals in both the national and international long distance space. First, Bharti has nearly a 20 million lead over its rivals in customer numbers. This combined with a strong subscriber base in metros and large cities, Bharti has an unique advantage as its own subscribers account for large volumes of the company’s STD and ISD traffic. (Bharti’s cellular services extend to all the 5,100 census towns in the country). Importantly, many of the regional operators route their STD traffic on Bharti’s domestic network.

Android Market - Apple App Store Killer? At the Android Market, the content developers will have freedom to make their content available openly unlike the Apple App Store. Google's Android developer community has announced Android Market, a service similar to the Apple App Store. As per the post on Android Developers Blog, the Android Market is an open-content system that will help end-users search, purchase, download and install featured apps and other software directly to Android-based phones and devices. Initially, Android-based handsets will feature Android Market beta version service commercially. Google will host the content from developers with rating and feedback system. At the Android Market, the content developers will have freedom to make their content available openly unlike the Apple App Store, which has monitored and controlled membership as well as posting. Apart from that, support for free applications would also be available. Only concern about the Android Market will be licensing, security and stability of the apps. Android Market beta version will have free apps and also subsequent firmware update that will provision the phones for other paid versions in future. The mobile operating system is really picking up now. After Apple App Store and Android Market, what next? Perhaps a similar service might be started by Symbian when it goes open-source, Microsoft for the Windows Mobile or Research In Motion. Whenever Android-power handsets are available in India, developers and users will be able to enjoy the open environment of the Android Market. Courtesy : Techtree

M&A norms not against foreign telcos, says DoT 30 Aug, 2008, 0008 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: The department of telecom (DoT) has clarified that its merger and acquisition (M&A) guidelines are not “unfriendly” towards international operators bidding for 3G spectrum and ruled out any tweaking of norms ahead of the auction process. DoT Secretary Siddharth Behura said M&A guidelines, as they exist, are not an impediment for foreign players in any way. “International operators who win in the bidding for 3G spectrum will have three options—they can acquire a unified access service licence (UASL) or acquire up to 74 per cent stake in an existing operator or merge their 3G licence with an existing 2G licensee,” Mr Behura told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of Nokia Siemens Networks’ ‘energy efficiency summit’. However, since blocks of 5Mhz 3G spectrum will be auctioned, it will not be sufficient for a new player for offering both voice and high-end data services. A global operator who gets 3G spectrum will then have to be in queue for 2G spectrum to be able to offer the full range of voice and data services effectively. Also, it will get a UAS licence for Rs 1,651 crore. Alternatively, it can buy up to 74 per cent in an existing operator or merge their 3G licence with an existing 2G license. DoT’s M&A guidelines actually cover only mergers among telcos. Acquisition norms have been framed by the foreign investment promotion board (FIPB), which has capped FDI at 74 per cent in the telecom sector. He said merger in the telecom sector implies only merger of licences and is different from “merger of companies”. New licensees (like Datacom Solutions, Loop Telecom and Unitech Wireless) cannot merge their licences with another operator for three years. However, they are allowed to sell stake. Mr Behura said the auction process will be in place by October-end. “Since there will be separate auction for all the circles, it will take time. By December 31, we will be able to finish it. The final timeframe will be given by the selected auctioneer,” he added. Public sector BSNL and MTNL have already received 3G spectrum. “They had to be given a head start and should be able to offer 3G services in about six months.” On mobile number portability (MNP), which will allow users to change operator while retaining the number, Mr Behura said the DoT had already floated the tender for appointing a central agency for MNP management. “The process is on track and in three months we will appoint the agency,” he said. The DoT is looking at introducing MNP by the middle of next year.

iPhone triggers a smartphone deluge Economic Times NEW DELHI: Apple iPhone may not be a big draw yet in India because of its high cost, but Indian consumers owe it to the iconic Apple phone for a sudden rise in the number of affordable smartphones available in the market. Mobile phone majors Nokia, Samsung, LG, Blackberry, HTC and Motorola are all looking to counter the hype of iPhone by launching smartphones, including touchscreen models, and highlighting features that the iPhone lacks. Following the launch of iPhone 3G in India, the country has witnessed a spate of launches from players like LG, Nokia and Blackberry at highly competitive prices. With media reports highlighting the bottlenecks of the newly launched iPhone 3G, its rivals are rushing to provide “legitimate” alternatives. And while the iPhone is locked to the networks of Airtel and Vodafone, its rivals have access to many more outlets and can target customers across all operators. Market leader Nokia launched N96 just days before the launch of iPhone, with full web browsing capabilities over Wi-Fi or high-speed data networks, and is compatible with corporate e-mail. The handset comes with a 2.8-inch screen and has a 5-megapixel camera. While Nokia is accepting bookings for the N96, the product is yet to reach the hands of customers here. LG’s new Dare has a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and can also be used as a 3G modem for PC. The iPhone’s camera is 2 mp and lacks flash. LG is all set to unveil LG Voyger, which will be released by Reliance Communications, priced between Rs 22,000 and 25,000. LG will also soon introduce its KC550 and LG Secret, a touch sensitive handset which will be the third model in its Black Label series. Sony Ericsson too launched K608i 3G handset in India close on the heels of iPhone launch. Besides being a fully featured 1.3 MP camera, K608i has an FM radio that iPhone lacks. It comes with personal creativity tools that allow customers to personalise ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage. The K608i is also fully featured with a suite of business programs that manages personal information and PC-synchronisation via USB or Bluetooth. Motorola too has launched Motozine in association with Kodak, armed with a 5-mp camera and in-built flash. The negatives of iPhone include its failure to support multimedia messaging which means users can’t send or receive pictures via MMS. The device also lacks video recording and voice command and doesn’t allow Bluetooth file transfers. In contrast, all these features are seamlessly packed in LG, Nokia and Motorola phones. The Blackberry Bold, coming with a full keyboard, supports basic features that the iPhone 3G doesn’t have like email filters on the go and remote searching. Also, lke iPhone, it can operate on 3G networks and has a built-in GPS. Samsung and HTC offer counter products to iPhone 3G which combine both touch technology and QWERTY keyboard. HTC Touch also includes 3D user interface, a 2.8-inch display, a 3.2 mp camera and 4 GB memory. Samsung’s Ominia, a features-rich multimedia touch phone, has been rated above the iPhone in cyber space. But for its price point—it costs a cool Rs 40,000—the blogging community world over has given the Omnia a thumbs up to be a spoiler for the iPhone party. Clearly, Apple has got a lot of competition at hand and other players might just edge out the iPhone from the market considering its high price and lack of basic features. For customers, they have never had so good.

Latest update my dear friends. Now Dot says the 3g auction will be over by September 30. 3G auction to be over by Sept 30: DoT 29 Aug, 2008, 2108 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI : The auction process for the third generation (3G) spectrum service are likely to be over by September 30, Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura said on Friday. "The ideal time for the auctions will be between September and October this year." "But the auctions should most likely be completed by September 30," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Energy Efficiency Summit organised by Nokia-Siemens.

^^^ Great and very useful suggestion my dear Kumaar. It will really help Dr. Hari. Regards.

^^^ My dear friend, even I'm facing the delayed SMS receipt from Airtel networks now a days. Many times when I send a SMS to my friend who's having an Airtel Connection, it will be delivered very late, say by 3-4 hours late. LOL. Regards.

Even this feature is available in most of the LG GSM handsets my dear friends. Regards.

IPTV: iControl Now in Rural Rajasthan BSNL and Aksh Optifibre have announced the launch of iControl in Kukus village of Jaipur district, in what is touted to be the first-ever IPTV service in rural India. After catering to some big cities, BSNL and Aksh Optifibre have shifted focus to rural areas with their IPTV brand, iControl. The duo has now announced the launch of the service in Kukus village of Jaipur district. This is touted to be the first-ever IPTV to be launched in rural India. iControl is a television connection that allows the viewer to watch the programmes at their convenience with more than 120 channels, and offers an extensive movie library with Hollywood and Bollywood titles at no extra cost. The iControl service will be priced at Rs. 150 per month offering channels from STAR, Sony, NEO, TEN Sports and others. Subscribers will be provided with a setup box for free against a fully refundable security deposit of Rs. 999. Simultaneously, Aksh also announced the commercial launch of iControl in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which was originally announced for the city at the start of this month. Subsequently, it will also be launched in other cities of Rajasthan in about 6 to 8 weeks time. At the moment, iControl is also present in Delhi and Mumbai. Further, BSNL plan to expand IPTV to nearly 100 cities by this year-end. In addition, other value-added services like Video Telephony, VoIP etc. are likely to be introduced soon. Courtesy : Techtree

iPhone Security Flaw: Fix Coming Next Month The infamous iPhone security flaw is set to be fixed, thanks to a security update that is expected to be out sometime in September. The flaw, which enabled others to bypass the security lock code, was discovered earlier this month. Jennifer Bowcock, an Apple representative, in an email to Macworld, said, "The minor iPhone security issue which surfaced this week is fixed in a software update which will be released in September." Courtesy : Techtree

MOTOZINE ZN5 Launches in India Motorola and KODAK's MOTOZINE ZN5 camera phone has finally made it to the Indian market. Sony Ericsson's Cyber-Shot series has got more competition now. With features that include Motorola's "ModeShift Technology" and KODAK's "Imaging Technology" this camera could just give the other mobile in this segment a run for their pixels. The ZN5 also comes with a Xenon flash. It has a 2.4-inch TFT display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 256k colors. With regards to connectivity the handset supports Wi-Fi, EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB v2.0. Memory can be expanded via microSD cards. It also comes with a TV out feature and a 3.5mm earphone socket. Motorola's CrystalTalk technology is also present in the ZN5. Consumers can experience a totally customized Indian experience on their ZN5. They can stay updated with news on their mobile phones with access to the WAP version of printed publications including Financial Express, Indian Express, and Deccan Chronicle via the ‘Daily News’ link in the ZINE ZN5. This WAP version has been specially designed by Pressmart Media Limited. Motorola designers have specially designed wallpapers inspired by India and its people, traditions and fine arts. Consumers can download more wallpapers from MOTOMUSIC, that as a combined service on the web and WAP, allows consumers to download full songs, ring tones, music video clips and wallpapers to both their PC and mobile at the same time. In addition, three cricket games by Krish Cricket have been preloaded on the ZN5, as well as live cricket scorecards, ball-by-ball commentary, live match simulations, Series schedules, and news. Although no official pricing has been fixed Motorola says the MOTOZINE ZN5 would be priced at approximately Rs. 20,000. MOTOZINE ZN5 will be available in India from mid-September 2008 at retail stores and will come with a 2GB memory card and a TV-out cable. As part of the introductory offer, consumers will get 100 free KODAK prints of their personal photographs available at select KODAK stores until 31 March 2009. This offer includes 60 4x6 prints, 15 8x12 prints and 25 prints of photos uploaded to www.motozine.picsquare.com with free home delivery service. Courtesy : Tech2

TRAI’s report on congestion unfair, say GSM players Business Line GSM mobile operators have told the telecom regulator that its observations on high level of congestion on cellular networks were ‘unfair and unwarranted’. In a report issued the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India had said had said that the networks of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications were the most congested, but it could not take any action because the operators were taking refuge under an order by the telecom tribunal to maintain status quo on the issue. In response, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) sent a letter to TRAI saying, “Whilst the Authority has appreciated the continuous reduction in the congestion levels, it has also made some unwarranted observations with regard to the pendency of our appeal before the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal and has most unfairly and incorrectly contended that our members have been enjoying the benefit of the tribunal’s observations.” The GSM operators said that compliance with quality of service benchmarks must go hand in hand with assurance of adequate, timely and effective interconnection, for which TRAI must play the role of a facilitator.

^^^ @Savramesh My dear friend, you didn't mentioned the source of the news. Please mention the source of the news while posting. Its mandatory as per the rules. Regards.

^^^ I don't think their is any Chinese CDMA+CDMA handset available in the market my dear Dr. Hari. Regards.

^^^ Thanks my dear Hetal for the comments. But I think ARUN deserves the BIG THANKS even before me, as he started this thread. Regards.

^^^ My dear friend, I'm not sure whether you can use this handset for netconnect through Reliance CDMA or not. But you can surely use Hutch GPRS through your chinese handset. Regards.

^^^ Go for Spice mobile and use it with Reliance my dear friend. Regards.

Sagem Bleu 453X Launched in India Sagem has launched its new fashion phone called "Bleu 453x" under the Chote Ustaad series. It's a slim, stylish phone featuring an advanced mobile tracker called "Mobile Tracker Ka Baap". The Mobile Tracker Ka Baap enables the owner of the phone to turn it off just by sending an SMS, in case of loss or theft. In addition, it also allows the owner to divert all incoming calls and SMSes from the lost phone to another number. The tracking system also helps to lock the phone with a unique lock code, as well as format the phonebook and SMS storage completely. The user can also receive the number of the new SIM that has been inserted in the phone. The Bleu 453x packs MP3 ring tones, an expandable memory of up to 2GB and a VGA camera; the phone is capable of recording video as well as playback. It also offers GPRS and Bluetooth connectivity. The phone is equipped to store up to 500 contacts and the same number of SMSes. The company claims that phone offers a talk time of 120 - 240 minutes and battery standby time of 140 - 280 hours. Sagem Bleu 453x is priced at Rs. 3,299 and is available through Pratham Telecom. Courtesy : Techtree

But my dear friend, at the price of Rs.3299/- what more can we expect. It offers upto 2 GB expandable memory support, VGA Camera, Bluetooth Connectivity, GPRS and is capable of recording Video and Video Playback too. I think the feature of this handset is superb. Although as Raccoon mentioned above the screen seems to be small, but I think this handset is still VALUE FOR MONEY. Regards.