Honest

Apart from Idea and BSNL, some other operators too agreed to provide link to Rcom GSM. The other operators are MTNL, TATA, Aircel and Spice. Five operators agreed to provide link to RCom GSM Economic Times NEW DELHI: Ahead of the deadline of TRAI's direction to give interconnection to RCom GSM network, five operators, including Idea Cellular, MTNL and Tata Communication have agreed to provide link of their network to the Anil Ambani group company. According to sources, Idea Cellular has agreed to provide interconnection to RCom thereby not becoming a part of COAI's likely petition against TRAI's directive on the same. Besides, other operators to provide interconnectivity to RCom GSM network are Aircel and Spice Communication. The other PSU BSNL, which has also been directed by TRAI, is in negotiation with RCom. "We are in a dialogue with them (RCom)... There has been no conclusion yet on the outcome of our talks on a agreeable interconnection arrangement," BSNL CMD Kuldeep Goyal had said yesterday. So now, it is Bharti and Vodafone, who are yet to consider giving interconnectivity to RCom. However, the latest position could influence COAI's decision to challenge the TRAI's order although it could not be confirmed whether COAI would change its position or not. On August 14, telecom regulator TRAI had directed GSM players Idea Cellular, BPL, Vodafone Essar and Bharti Airtel to interconnect with RCom by August 21. Aircel, Spice, Idea are members of COAI.

^^^ My dear friend, the above news is already posted in the below mentioned thread. You can continue discussions about the same their. http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?showtopic=14966# Regards.

Idea agrees to interconnect RCom`s GSM services Newswire18 / New Delhi August 20, 2008, 0:33 IST Idea Cellular has agreed to provide interconnection to Reliance Communications' GSM services, according to industry sources. On Thursday, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had directed Idea Cellular, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Bharat Sanchar Nigam to provide interconnection to Reliance Communications' GSM services. The country's leading CDMA services provider had recently soft launched its GSM services in New Delhi. Following Idea's move, Vodafone Essar is also expected to agree to interconnect. The only companies left out will be Bharti Airtel and BSNL. The four GSM operators had earlier refused to provide interconnection to Reliance Communications' GSM services saying that the previous agreement pertained to the latter's CDMA services and hence a separate agreement needs to be signed for GSM operations. Reliance Communications will roll out GSM services nationally by the year-end. BSNL in talks with RCOM for interconnection 20 Aug, 2008, 0031 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Directed by telecom regulator TRAI, state-run BSNL is in dialogue with Reliance Communication (RCOM) to work out an amicable interconnection arrangement for the Anil Ambani group firm's GSM network. "We are in a dialogue with them (RCOM)... There has been no conclusion yet on the outcome of our talks on a agreeable interconnection arrangement," BSNL CMD Kuldeep Goyal told reporters. When asked whether BSNL would challenge the TRAI directive, he said "Whether we will challenge the TRAI directive on providing interconnection to RCOM or not depends on the outcome of these talks. Let us see what happens before August 21," he added. On August 14, TRAI had directed GSM players Idea Cellular, BPL, Voadafone Essar and Bharti Airtel to interconnect with RCom by August 21. It has also asked state-run BSNL to link up with RCom but the PSU is not a part of the COAI petition. In a related development, Aditya Birla Group company Idea Cellular is understood to have also worked out a similar interconnection pact with RCOM, according industry sources. However, it could not be confirmed as Idea Cellular Chairman Sanjiv Aga declined to comment. A company official, however, said Idea was negotiating with RCOM on the interconnection. But he declined to comment on the outcome. When contacted T V Ramachandran Director General of COAI, the GSM operators' body, said he had no idea about Idea Cellular's interconnection pact with RCOM. "But if Idea agrees to interconnect with RCOM it does not become a part of our proposed petition to TDSAT. However, our position to challenge TRAI directive stands," Ramachandran said. Bharti, Vodafone and BPL now are part of COAI's petition.

You can soon pick your best STD plan 20 Aug, 2008, 0104 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: You’ll soon get to choose the cheapest STD and ISD tariffs, irrespective of your service provider. After recommending that internet telephony be opened up, telecom regulator TRAI this week will mandate that telcos offer their subscribers the freedom to choose a carrier of their choice for making long-distance calls, whether domestic (STD) or international (ISD). This will start a new era of competition in long-distance calls, provided the government acts promptly to amend licence conditions to enable telcos comply with the TRAI directive. What TRAI has in mind is not quite implementation of the carrier access code (CAC) project mooted several years ago. In the face of resistance by telcos to CAC and the willingness of the Department of Telecom (DoT) to play along with them, TRAI has come up with a variation. This is how it will work. Suppose, you are a Bharti subscriber and you find out BSNL is offering the cheapest long-distance tariffs. You then buy a pre-paid long-distance package from BSNL for a specific duration. You punch in a set of numbers specified in the package to get on to the BSNL network, and then proceed to make the long-distance call you wanted to, and talk for as long as your pre-paid package permits. The regulator will also mandate that all telcos offer their customers the facility to purchase pre-paid long-distance packages or virtual calling cards on the internet. Globally, long-distance tariffs have fallen between 20% and 53% after customers were allowed to choose their operator. Even players like PowerGrid, RailTel and Gail, who have long-distance backbones, can offer this facility along with telcos that provide customer access. The TRAI directive is bound to hit the bottomlines of major operators. Telecom stocks were already down on Tuesday following TRAI’s recommendations on net telephony. Net telephony may hit telcos’ bottomlines Because, if the DoT accepts TRAI’s proposals on net telephony, it will adversely impact the business models of all telcos. In Tuesday’s trading, Idea Cellular was down 5.05%, Reliance Communications fell 3.06% while Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices slid 2.1% and 1.8%, respectively. ET has learnt that TRAI has decided on this move as the DoT has failed to implement the much-delayed CAC. The implementation of CAC would have allowed subscribers to choose the long-distance operator of their choice to make STD/ISD calls without having to purchase any pre-paid package. Telcos have always opposed CAC on the grounds that each player will have to shell out about Rs 5,000 crore for network upgradation before they can offer this facility. “Allowing consumers the freedom to choose their long-distance service provider over pre-paid packages is our answer to DoT’s failure to implement CAC. TRAI will no longer push for the implementation of CAC and the issue will be buried. Under the new system, telcos can no longer complain about network upgradation costs and stop its implementation. All telcos have intelligent networks in place to handle this service,” a top TRAI source told ET. “This will be a directive to telcos. We will ask the DoT to make the requisite changes in the licence conditions of telcos so that they can offer this facility,” the TRAI source added. TRAI officials also say that in addition to increasing competition among service providers, offering customers the freedom to choose their long-distance operator will also open up revenue streams for other long-distance licence holders. For instance, players such as PowerGrid, RailTel, Gail, Sify, AT&T, British Telecom and Tulip Telecom, among others, who have fibre networks in India can now directly compete to carry calls of operators. This implies, Bharti, Vodafone or Idea customer can now specifically buy a package from Gail or PowerGrid to carry his STD calls if these companies offer cheaper tariff rates. TRAI sources also added that all long-distance carriers would have to enter into mutual agreements. “In case operators do not agree on interconnect agreements, we will step in and facilitate timelines and also stipulate penalties for delay in signing contracts and implementation,” they added. This facility will, however, not be extended to local calls. Several NLD operators have pointed out that due to large volumes of local calls, customers prefer to work with incumbent operator. Besides, globally extending this facility for local calls have not yielded customer preferences and they have continued to use the incumbent operator.

^^^ @Kaushik You are welcome buddy. I will upload the Trumpet music as Ringtone for you within a couple of days my dear friend. Regards.

^^^ @Vikasmahajanz We are still waiting for your MAGICAL VIDEO my dear friend. What happened ? Did the magic came to end now ? Regards.

^^^ My dear friend, we are already discussing about the same in the below mentioned thread. Please carry on discussions their only. http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?show...mp;#entry119621 Regards.

^^^ @Kaushik Here is your Ringtone my dear friend. Kya Hua Tera Waada, Woh Kasam, Woh Iraada ! Bhoolega Dil, Jisdin Tumhein, Woh Din Zindagi Ka Aakhiri Din Hoga !! Kya_Hua_Tera_Waada.mp3

My dear friends, MTNL has launched a new Unlimited Landline Plan for its Mumbai customers. The details are as follows : Unlimited Landline Plan-799 within MTNL Mumbai & Delhi network Unlimited landline plan-799 within MTNL Mumbai & Delhi has been introduced as a promotional plan for 90 days w.e.f. 15.08.2008 to 12.11.2008 In this plan, unlimited MTNL Delhi (landline/CDMA/GSM) calls are allowed. This plan is available in NT exchanges, not available in E-10B exchanges. All other terms & conditions are same as per the existing Unlimited landline plan-699 Migration from other plans is permitted.

EXCLUSIVE: MTNL to Launch 3G for the Common Man "MTNL hopes to bring the best possible 3G services to the common man at affordable rates," says MTNL's Chairman, J. Gopalan. While BSNL has announced the launch of its 3G services by this December, the state-owned telecom operator's metropolis counterpart, MTNL, too has plans to offer this next generation service to consumers around the same time. Says J. Gopalan, MTNL's Chairman, "Our basic core network is ready for 3G. We're trying to give 3G as a New Year gift to our customers." The following are excerpts from an email interview with J. Gopalan. Techtree: What services can a consumer expect to use after immediate launch of 3G services by MTNL? J. Gopalan: High speed data download up to 2 mbps, streaming services, Mobile TV etc. will be available immediately; video calling will be introduced subsequently. Techtree: What steps will MTNL take to capture the interest of consumers, so it retains them and increases subscriber-base even after other operators start rolling out 3G services? J. Gopalan: We will strive to provide the finest services to our customers like good speed, best content, M-commerce based services; services which develop stickiness to operator. Techtree: Does MTNL plan to tie-up with mobile phone manufacturers to promote and sell its 3G services? J. Gopalan: At present we do not have any such plans. We're open for anything which will give better services to our customers. But as of today, I cannot elaborate on this. Techtree: Will MTNL have binding data plans for its 3G services where a user won't be allowed to shift to another telecom operator for services? J. Gopalan: This is not permitted as per current regulations. In fact, subscribers will soon have the freedom to shift operators retaining his/her old number. Techtree: Finally, how much will the 3G services cost a mobile phone user? J. Gopalan: We're working on end-user pricing. But it's a fact that MTNL will provide 3G services at the most affordable rates as we believe that common person should be able to use all new services. When asked about how MTNL plans to leverage the first-mover advantage for rolling out 3G services before the private telecom operators, J. Gopalan clarified, over telephone, that the quality of 3G services they will provide will help MTNL garner high revenues. So, there it is, from the MTNL Chairman himself: MTNL hopes to bring the common man the best possible 3G services at affordable rates. Of course, the common man will have to judge for himself what's best in the market once private players jump in. For now, let the 3G services flow, please. Courtesy : Techtree

Samsung Introduces Software to Increase Efficiency of Embedded Memory Solutions for Smart Phones Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it is introducing software designed to optimize the high performance features of its proprietary embedded flash memories: OneNAND, Flex-OneNAND and moviNAND, in smart phones, using the major mobile operating systems – Windows Mobile(CE), Symbian, Linux, and RTOS (real-time operating system). "The new software, which significantly upgrades performance of our embedded memory solutions, is expected to make OneNAND and other high-performance, high-density memory solutions such as the 16GB moviNAND even more desirable for advanced handsets, speeding the adoption rate of Samsung’s embedded memory solutions," said Young Joon Choi, vice president, Memory Division, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung's new software optimizes data transactions within its memory chips as they interact with the operating system. The new file system/flash driver combination, when working with any of the memory chips and the operating system, will boost performance through faster booting, downloading and searching. This results in improving multimedia intensive operations common in smart phones, 3rd generation phones, digital still cameras, digital camcorders, memory cards, and digital TVs. Samsung's new embedded-flash software is comprised of several file systems and supportive flash drivers. The file systems – UniFS, PocketFS and RFS, execute typical file operations like creating, removing, reading, and writing files. The flash drivers – UniStore, PocketStore, XSR and FSR – prolong the CE device’s lifetime by wear-leveling and bad-block replacing, as well as converting file system requests into low level flash operations including programming, reading and erasing. Samsung provides a version of its new flash-optimized software for each of the major mobile operating systems. The new embedded flash-optimized software is expected to shorten application design-in times and, as a result, broaden the adoption of advanced embedded-flash solutions, particularly where management of high-speed video images and high-resolution still images is important. Samsung’s most popular advanced memory, OneNAND, is offered in a broad range of densities – 256 Megabit (Mb) through 2 Gigabit (Gb). Having achieved 100 million units of sales (512Mb-equivalent) in two years after initial shipments in 2006, Samsung expects its OneNAND business to exceed 500 million units by the end of this year. The move to 60nm production technology last year and 50nm this year has reduced memory prices and accelerated OneNAND’s market acceptance, while increasing interest in Samsung’s newest embedded memory: Flex-OneNAND. Introduced earlier this year, Flex-OneNAND is a single-die solution with the high-speed characteristics of SLC (single level cell) NAND and the high-density of MLC (multi level cell) NAND. MoviNAND, introduced in 2006, combines a MultiMediaCard v.4 (MMC) controller with NAND to simplify system design requirements for embedded non-volatile storage in data-intensive multimedia handsets. Courtesy : Physorg

Nokia Unveils the N96 Nokia’s much awaited, fully loaded, dual slider, the N96, has been unveiled in India almost a month and a half before the UK launch that was set to be the first. Bravo - is what I have to say. This cross between the N81 with its glossy trims and the N95’s dual slide component makes for a great handset overall. I’ve mentioned the specs of this handset more times than is perhaps necessary but it does seem like quite an exciting handset. Take it from me, since I’ve been lucky enough to play around with a prototype. The N96 has a 2.8-inch TFT display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 16 million colors. It runs on a Dual ARM 9 264 MHz CPU and comes with 128MB RAM, 256MB storage memory and a whopping 16GB of internal memory as well as microSD card support in case you feel that 16GB is just not enough. The handset also has an accelerometer for automatically rotating the display. For net connectivity the N96 is equipped with Wi-Fi, 3G support with HSDPA speeds, EDGE class 32, GPRS/WAP, Bluetooth with A2DP and microUSB v2.0 for data transfer. When it comes to multimedia the N96 should feel like a pro with a 5 MP auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics. It’s also capable of video capture (VGA 30fps) and it comes with an LED flash which in my opinion is not a good thing since the N82 has a Xenon, but ok. Just around the camera’s lens is a kickstand that when opened allows the handset to be propped up for comfort of viewing. The N96 also has a secondary VGA videocall camera in front. Thankfully the N96 comes equipped with a 3.5mm earphone socket that doubles as TV Out. It even has an FM radio with RDS and Visual Radio. It also has 3D stereo speakers and supports the N-Gage application for gaming. The handset comes with an inbuilt GPS module (Nokia Maps 2.0 pre-loaded) and also supports A-GPS. It also has a DVB-H TV broadcast receiver. Other features include a document reader and a built in handsfree but that’s nothing new. The Nokia N96 comes pre-bundled with WaveSecure, an application that allows consumers to secure everything on the device wirelessly. One can save and create a back up of all data (contacts, SMS, call logs and calendar entries) through the Internet. Additionally, in the event that it is lost or stolen, WaveSecure helps remotely wipe out all data from the device to prevent misuse, lock the device remotely and even track any new SIM card inserted. Speaking of pre-loaded features, Nokia has been gracious enough to the Indian audience by providing plenty of Bollywood freebies. The N96 will come preloaded with the movie ‘Om Shanti Om’, 50 music videos, music tracks in Hindi and English and 3 N-Gage games with an unlimited license on for the 3rd edition of Asphalt Urban. It will also have 3 country Nokia Maps that include Singapore, UAE and of course India and a 3 month Navigation license for 8 Indian cities. The handset will hit stores at an estimated price of around Rs. 36,000 but there is no official word on the same. In case you’re wondering if this beats the iPhone due to launch in a couple of days, why don’t you be smart about it and wait till we’re done giving them a thorough once over. The handset can be pre-booked by logging on to www.nokia.co.in/n96 and registering, though it'll be on shelves only in September. Just follow the instructions but know this - a booking amount of Rs. 4000 will need to be paid. Courtesy : Tech2

COAI may challenge TRAI's directive on RCom interconnection 19 Aug, 2008, 1304 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: GSM operators may approach TDSAT challenging TRAI's directive, which asked them to give interconnection to Reliance Communication GSM network. "We are certainly examining legal option and will take a call on this today," GSM operators association COAI Director General T V Ramachandran told reporters. The telecom regulator in the second ultimatum to GSM operators, including Bharti, Vodafone and BSNL, has given August 21 as the deadline to give interconnections to the RCom GSM network. TRAI has cited it as a licencing condition to provide interconnection among the service provider implying if a mobile operator does not give interconnection to another based on mutual commercial agreement, it is a violation of license condition attracting penalty. GSM operators on their part said, Reliance GSM has a new network for which commercial term has to be re-negotiated. The existing arrangement between RCom and GSM operators are for the CDMA network.

COAI pleads for an early hearing on spectrum issue 19 Aug, 2008, 1724 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: The GSM operators on Tuesday pleaded before the telecom tribunal TDSAT to start hearing at the earliest on their petition challenging government's decision to allow dual technology for offering mobile services. The government had on Monday filed an affidavit refuting GSM operators' allegation that the policy of dual technology has eaten into their quota of additional spectrum and placed before the TDSAT actual allocation of airwaves made by the government to existing players in the last eight months. After TDSAT directing the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to file reply on government's affidavit, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for GSM players, said the process of filing replies and rejoinders would delay the whole process and requested the tribunal to immediately start the hearing. This was turned down by TDSAT Chairman Justice Arun Kumar saying "Why are you taking it so lightly. I do not like this casual approach." Justice Kumar asked COAI to file its reply by August 22 and also directed DoT to file rejoinder over it September 1 and fixed September 4 the next date for hearing. Reacting to Singhvi's observation that there was unnecessary delay in hearing, government counsel Additional Solicitor General Vikas Singh said the matter would have been decided five month ago, if they (COAI) had not gone to the Delhi High Court on this issue. On Monday, in an 18-page affidavit filed through Solicitor General of India Goolam Vahanvati, DoT had placed the actual position of spectrum allocated to leading GSM operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, since October 23, 2007 when the COAI challenged the government's new policy.

Vodafone, Tatasky, Sify top most consumer unfriendly list 18 Aug, 2008, 2002 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Leading telecom firm Vodafone, DTH major TataSky and internet service provider Sify have topped the list of most consumer unfriendly companies in India. According to a list of "Brands not Friendly and not Caring for Consumers" by the Consumer Online Resource & Empowerment (CORE), as many as 11 companies have not responded and cared to redress grievances brought to their notice. The list is topped by Vodafone with 210 complaints against it and no replies and no resolution to any of the complaints. It is followed by TataSky and Sify Broadband & Online Shopping with 45 complaints registered against each and none resolved. "While replying to our emails most of the companies say that they will respond soon, but they never turn up," Core Centre Manager (complaints) S Yadav said. The list also inlcudes, Air Deccan with 10 complaints against it, Sahara City Homes (11), Club Mahindra Holidays (17), Discount Premium Club (6), Omaxe Developers (6), Vian Infrastructure (2), Sterling Resorts (2), and Indigo Airlines (15). "Air Deccan and Club Mahindra have said they will reply in 10-15 days...in case even after their respective reply if the complainants are unsatisfied, we suggest them to go for consumer court for redressal," he said. Among the 11 companies, only Air Deccan had replied to five of the complaints lodged against it by consumers, according to the CORE list.

Policy tweak may help 3G winners buy telcos 19 Aug, 2008, 0031 hrs IST, ET KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: The government plans to tweak M&A guidelines to facilitate the entry of foreign telcos in the 3G space. It proposes to allow winners of 3G licences to acquire or merge with existing or new 2G operators without waiting for the mandatory three-year time period to lapse. Current guidelines bar a 3G licence holder (who is a new entrant) from merging with an existing 2G licensee for a period of three years from the time it secures a license. Existing guidelines also make it mandatory for successful 3G bidders to buy UASL licences for Rs 1,651 crore but do not provide them with 2G spectrum. These guidelines were being cited as major deterrents for the entry of international telcos in the 3G market. Foreign companies without a presence in the 2G market had complained that they would be at a disadvantage compared to the incumbents as they could not offer both voice and high-end data services with a mere 5 MHz of 3G radio frequencies. Existing telcos, however, can make do with just 5 MHz of 3G spectrum as a bulk of their services will continue to be offered via the existing 2G air waves and networks. The revised regulations will dilute the objections of foreign entrants as it gives them to leeway to acquire additional spectrum through the inorganic route. ET has learnt that senior officials of the Department of telecom (DoT) thinks there is a strong case for introduction of the new dispensation to remove regulatory hurdles in the existing M&A norms. “3G guidelines allow UAS licence holders who already hold 2G spectrum to bid for 3G. Which means, a 2G operator is not only uniquely qualified, but also in a position to combine 2G and 3G spectrum. But a 3G bidder cannot combine with a 2G licensee who hasn’t completed three years of operations. Accordingly, there is scarcely a chance for a new entrant to come into 2G unless he is determined to set up a 3G only network with a mere 5 MHz of 3G spectrum for at least 3 years. The M&A norms are discriminatory and impose an additional entry barrier for new entrants keen on consolidating 3G spectrum with 2G licenses. There is thus a need to allow a reverse merger of a new 3G licence with an existing operational 2G licensee,” an official said. But since 3G spectrum and UASL licence have been de-linked, it’s unclear whether a successful 3G spectrum bidder would also be allowed to merge with a 2G licensee without first having to pay the Rs 1,651-crore license fee. This is because the DoT’s M&A norms involve the merger of two licences, and not between a standalone spectrum holder and a UASL licensee. “It remains to be seen if DoT makes it mandatory for a global telco who successfully bids for 3G spectrum in the upcoming auctions to also shell out the requisite entry fee to procure a UASL licence, and only then proceed with a reverse merger with an existing 2G licensee,” said another government official. Telecom regulator Trai has already pointed out that the ‘merger’ guidelines announced by the DoT in April 2008 has several loopholes that can be challenged in the courts. While Trai had issued recommendations for mergers & acquisitions in the telecom space, DoT, while announcing the policy, had dropped the word ‘acquisition’. This led to some ambiguity on whether these norms seek to make a distinction between ‘mergers’ and ‘acquisition’ and led to several telcos seeking clarifications from the DoT on this issue.

Idea to use own funds for 3G spectrum buy 19 Aug, 2008, 0036 hrs IST, ET Bureau MUMBAI: Idea Cellular, India’s fifth-largest cellular operator will not seek promoter funds to bid for the Rs 40,000-crore worth 3G spectrum. The AV Birla group company has turned almost debt-free following transactions with private equity firm Providence Partners and Telekom Malaysia ™ and will now bid for the spectrum on its own. “We are practically a zero debt company and we have enough capacity to do it (bidding) on our own. ” Idea Cellular MD Sanjeev Aga said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) guidelines on 3G allows foreign players to bid for the spectrum which is expected to push up the price for scarce airwaves. Mr Aga, however, ruled out any over-bidding for 3G. “There is enough international experience now. It is no longer a black box. The price that is being talked about is too high. I don’t see operators overbidding.” he said. Idea Cellular claims it is now geared for the business with top quality vendors, in IT or networks and a lot of the investment is ‘nascent’. Idea is also set to launch operations in Mumbai later this month. It will be the seventh player in the market, which generates the highest average revenue per user per month in India. The networks here are also 3G-ready and expected to give competition to existing players. With over 28 million subscribers, Idea is hoping to benefit from the partnership with Malaysian telecom giant TM, which already has 3G operations in three countries through its subsidiaries — Celcom in Malaysia, XL in Indonesia and Dialog in Sri Lanka. “TMI has experience of operating in international markets. They have experience in offering value-added services and this will be of value to Idea. Benefits will be in terms of know-how,” Mr Aga said. TMI has nearly 45 million users across 10 Asian markets. After the acquisition of Spice Communications, announced in June this year, Idea will make a preferential allotment of 464.73 million shares to TM at Rs 156.96 per share, representing 14.99% of Idea’s equity capital post-allotment. This will bring in Rs 7,294 crore to Idea Cellular. Also, it sold 20% stake in Indus Towers through Aditya Birla Telecom (ABTL) to Providence for $640 million. The two transactions, when completed, will make Idea a debt-free company.

Cellular operators oppose TRAI's recommendations 18 Aug, 2008, 2033 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Cellular operators on Monday fiercely opposed telecom regulator TRAI's recommendation to allow internet service providers to offer unrestricted internet telephony services, saying it would be against the basic principle of level-playing field. The GSM operators lobby COAI Director General T V Ramachandran demanded that there should be level playing field and that telecom regulator TRAI's recommendations are against the very basic principle of level-playing field since they allow unrestricted internet telephony to ISPs at no additional cost. The existing UASL/BSO/CMTS operators have obtained access licence after paying a huge entry fee which is as high as Rs 1,650 crore for all India. In February, access licences have been issued by the Department of Telecom upon payment of Rs 1,650 crore. Many of the new applicants are still awaiting allotment of spectrum to start the service. Against this backdrop, it is very unfair to allow unfettered access to ISPs. COAI has also claimed that ISPs should be required to migrate to UASL license. However, welcoming TRAI's suggestion Internet Service Providers Association of India President Rajesh Chharia said the telecom operators should not treat ISPs as competition. "We acts as resellers of the services...the move is likely to lower the tariffs by 50 per cent which will encourage more people to use the service." IT industry body NASSCOM also welcomed the move and said that the step is likely to benefit the country's BPO sector.

DoT refutes COAI charge; spectrum allotted in orderly manner 18 Aug, 2008, 2044 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Refuting GSM players' allegation that policy of dual technology has eaten into their quota of additional spectrum, the government today asserted that the air waves have been allocated in an orderly manner and the needs of existing players have been addressed ahead of others. In an affidavit filed before telecom tribunal TDSAT, the Department of Telecom (DoT) placed the actual position of spectrum allocated to leading GSM operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, since October 23, 2007 when the COAI challenged the government's new policy. According to DoT, Bharti has been allocated additional spectrum in West Bengal, Assam, UP (West), twice in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Vodafone was also allotted in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Besides, Vodafone and Idea have also been allocated initial start-up spectrum in various circles. "The petition (by COAI) has been filed on October 23, 2007, upon misplaced apprehensions expressed by some quarters that all players in telecom industry would not be allotted spectrum in an orderly manner as per their respective entitlements," an 18-page affidavit filed by Goolam Vahanvati, Solicitor General of India, on behalf of DoT, said. "It is submitted that the passage of events over the last few months, prove that available spectrum has been allotted in an orderly fashion and that the apprehensions expressed in the petition have proved to be unfounded," he said.

^^^ @Arnuld Thanks for the handset review my dear friend. Regards.

^^^ Dear Mr. Narayanam, actually the above is not possible at all. Our Police department is already overloaded, and if still it is applied then nearly every common man will have to grease these babus before getting the approved police report. Just imagine yourself going to Police Station again and again for verification purposes. The life would become hell for the common person if the above is implied. Regards.

^^^ My dear Ali bhai, the tone is really SEXY. Keep it up buddy. Regards.

In search of the perfect network provider Cellular phones are no longer luxuries, but necessities. No wonder the network providers’ customer base keeps increasing exponentially. Now, which one should you go for? First, there are two major kinds of network providers in India, those with GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) Ugh. Acronyms you don't really need to know, other than that only a SIM card with a GSM phone can be easily removed and put into another phone. The popular GSM providers in India include Vodafone, BPL, Idea and Airtel, whereas Tata Indicom, Reliance and Garuda (MTNL) provide the best CDMA service. A unique facility given by network providers in India is free incoming callsperhaps one of the biggest reasons for the enormous growth of mobile phone users in such a short span of time. No wonder we now live in the “missed-call ” era! Just as cell phones come with a range of prices, so do phone plans. Each company offers to its customers plans from which they choose one which best suits their own needs. —While some subsidize the cost of text messages others may bring down the cost of outof-town or STD calls. Either way, service is the buzzword. College student Jyotika Jhangiani, a Vodafone subscriber, recently had a pleasant experience with her network provider. Keen on switching from a post-paid to a pre-paid plan, she approached the company. They put her on to a “relationship manager” who analysed her previous bills and came up with a customized plan that would best suit her needs. After that, she didn’t bother switching! The different schemes offered by each provider would be impossible to analyse in one article. However, there are a few unique facilities offered by each company. Rakesh Yadav of BPL recommends the Value 199 scheme offered to post-paid customers, “perfect for college students and people who make many STD calls, as with the Rs 199 rental, the user gets 199 minutes of talk time and 199 local SMSs free.” On the pre-paid front, an interesting facility offered by BPL is its Mini Validity. So if, on a Sunday or a bank holiday, when one urgently needs to refill one's balance, one simply has to SMS “mini” to 51515 and get up to Rs 3 a day refilled . Vodafone offers Night Speak which cuts prices by 50% between 11PM and 8AM and Wait till Night where an SMS between 10 PM and 10 AM costs 10 paise. The Campus Pack is especially useful for college students as well. Reliance offers an International Calling card which enables the user to call abroad at a cost-effective rate. MTNL’s Garuda is also a popular choice because of the low rates it offers; its One India Plan sets the tariff for all outgoing calls, anywhere in country, at Rs 1 (per minute) with a nominal monthly charge of Rs 180. Airtel, whose new advertising strategy has caught people’s attention, offers various features, including being able to pay one's cell phone bill via a text message or being able to refill talk time through SMS. However, users report that the recent fire at Airtel's Lower Parel server has impaired its service and reliability. Reliance Communications and Tata Indicom offer attractive handsets as well as rates. But remember that opting for a CDMA service restricts the flexibility of buying a new cell phone as and when one desires, as the phone has to be compatible with the CDMA service. For those who don’t want to constantly changing their handset, this service is the way to go as it offers the best rates. Recently, most of the network providers have also begun providing facilities for Blackberry phones at a reasonable rate, somewhere between Rs 999 and Rs 1,500 a month. (Blackberry phones are used as cell phones as well as to check email) Corporate plans also exist where a company can take a number of lines under the same provider and can get highly subsidized rates between those numbers. This usually requires the registration of five lines or more. Airtel and Vodafone have begun pre-registration for Apple’s popular i-Phone which will be launched in India later this month. Phew! So, if that hasn’t confused you already , go figure! Courtesy : Indiatimes

New location technologies worry privacy advocates SAN FRANCISCO: Millions of people around the planet now carry personal tracking devices with them every day. Their mobile phones broadcast their location all the time. Tech firms and marketers see it as a huge opportunity, but privacy advocates are squirming at the implications. The worries grew this week. Web giant Yahoo has unveiled an application called Fire Eagle that allows users to easily share their location via their mobile phone with friends, Internet programmes, their home automation system or anything else that's connected to the world's vast digital net. Yahoo has made the programme freely available to any developer who wishes to use it. A tour-book company could sell online tours that self-narrate over the phone as users move from landmark to landmark on a visit to London. "For years, we have been talking about location-based services as the next frontier of the Internet," says Internet development consultant Tim McCullen. "Fire Eagle is a huge step in making that happen." Yahoo didn't invent location-based services. GPS navigation devices already offer drivers numerous options. But the feeling is that with devices like the iPhone spreading the mobile Internet, the sector is about to take off. Already 50 programmes are incorporating the service into their applications. A start-up called Loopt allows you automatically broadcast your location to selected recipients on a real-time basis. Blogging platform SixApart allows users to automatically geo-tag their locations, and the Doppler social network allows frequent travellers to share their locations. Of course, there are more obvious uses for LBS programmes such as finding the nearest business or service, such as an automated-teller machine or restaurant, navigation aids, and the tracking of people, vehicles or traffic. But the major beneficiaries could be advertisers, who are drooling at the prospect of sending promotions to mobile users based on their locations - alerting them to special discounts at nearby stores, for example. The use of location-based services is moving beyond the Internet. California regulators recently passed Pay As You Drive insurance legislation that would allow insurance companies to place tracking devices in cars and calculate rates according to actual mileage driven. Not surprisingly, privacy advocates are deeply concerned about the implications of the new technology. "Where I drive, when I get there and whether I stop on the way is not the business of my insurance company or any other corporation who wants to place eyes in my car," says Carmen Balber of the group Consumer Watchdog. Yahoo counters privacy concerns by noting that Fire Eagle differentiates itself from other services by the ease with which it allows users to control what information is released about them and to whom. But that's of little comfort to privacy advocates who note that most people do not delve down into software programmes to customise features. "For individuals who do not want their location to be known, these services could be harmful," said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Critics wonder if users will realise that copies of their data will be stored by virtually every application that connects into Fire Eagle as well, making it extremely difficult for anyone to completely erase their tracks. Telecom expert James Middleton wonders whether the attraction of location-based services may be overhyped, pointing out that people who go to a restaurant generally won't wait until they are standing on an unfamiliar street corner to decide where to eat. "The industry has been wandering around in circles looking for killer services and applications that might not exist," he said. "As the joke goes, a really useful LBS application would be one that could point you to a really useful LBS application." Courtesy : ET

DoT amends licence of telcos to curb misuse by terror groups 17 Aug, 2008, 1913 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : Tightening the policies on telecom operators, the Government has informed the service providers that DoT is the final authority to direct operators (private as well as PSUs) to cancel or penalise any agent or franchisee if their conduct found detrimental to the security of the nation. The move comes on the heels of investigations in a terror incident leading to a case in which a person had acquired nearly 50 SIMs without any proper verification, which was followed by misuse of WiFi Internet wireless technology in Ahmedbad blasts. The step is also seen as a bid to further tighten the grip on terror networks which were using mobile phones for triggering the blasts. DoT has amended all licences, be it Unified Access Service, Cellular Mobile, Basic or any other type issued on or prior to 2001 saying "the licensor (DoT) shall have the right to direct the licensee (telecom company) to warn, penalise or terminate the franchisee or agent or distributor or servant after considering any report of conduct or antecedents detrimental to the security of the nation," sources said. DoT has sent a communication to the telecom firms recently incorporating the amendment in their respective licences and said "the decision of the licensor (DoT) in this regard shall be final and binding." The DoT has also said that the telecom firms shall bear all liabilities in the matter and keep the licensor (DoT) indentified for all claims, cost, charges or damages in this respect. The mobile companies would generally lease out the operations to its franchise where the Government had no control.