Honest

Bharti Airtel crosses 75 mn subscriber base 17 Aug, 2008, 1555 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: India's largest private telecom company Bharti Airtel on Sunday said it has crossed the 75 million customer mark to become the fourth largest in-country mobile operator in the world. Bharti Airtel is now behind China Mobile, China Unicom and American AT&T in terms of subscriber base, a company statement said. The subscriber figure includes customers from all business units of the company, mobile services, telemedia services and enterprises services, the statement said. The mobile services devision has a customer base of 72.07 million as of July, 2008, it added. The mobile business provides mobile and fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles. Commenting on the landmark Bharti Airtel CEO and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said, "We are happy to have achieved this milestone of being the largest integrated telco in the country, in customer terms. For us, the benchmark of real leadership is customer delight and would like to thank all our customers for placing their faith in us." The company had crossed the 60 million customer mark in February 2008 and the 50 million mark in October 2007, thereby becoming one of the fastest growing telecom companies in the world, the statement added. China Mobile with 414.5 million customers as on June 2008 is at the No 1 position followed by China Unicom with 170.7 million subscriber base. AT&T is marginally ahead of Bharti with a subscriber base of 72.9 million in June this year.

TRAI differs with DoT on mobile number portability 17 Aug, 2008, 1547 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: In yet another instance of disagreement with policy makers, TRAI has questioned DoT's decision to divide the whole country in two zones instead of one as recommended by the telecom regulator for mobile number portability facility. "The guidelines envisage two number portability zones. You would kindly recall that the Authority had recommended a single zone having one country operator for licence of MNP clearing house and number portability database and this was also accepted by the DoT," TRAI said in a letter to Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura. Mobile number portability offers a facility to subscribers to have the option of switching operators without changing numbers. Communication and IT Minister A Raja had said that the service would first start in the four metros by the end of this year and in rest of the country over the next 6-12 months. According to the guidelines announced on August 1, the whole country will be divided into two MNP zones consisting 11 service areas with two metros in each zone. TRAI Chairman had also objected to DoTs decision to issue new licences to successful bidders in 3G spectrum auction saying that for such a decision TRAI's prior recommendation was a must. On the MNP front now, TRAI pointed out that it seems the decision to have only one operator was reviewed in the Standing Committee on MNP in DoT, which also has a representative from TRAI. The representative from the TRAI during these meetings had drawn the attention of the Standing Committee to the technical, financial and regulatory arguments in favour of retaining a single licence for the entire country, TRAI said.

Hike in spectrum usage charges on anvil 17 Aug, 2008, 1957 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : The Department of Telecom is likely to give a go-ahead to the proposed hike in spectrum usage charge by one to two per cent, across the slab, in the next meeting of its policy making wing, Telecom Commission. As and when it happens, the increase will fetch additional revenue to the Government. Official sources said the matter was listed for consideration of the Telecom Commission last month but could not be taken up as 3G policy was to be discussed threadbare, leaving little time for this issue. One issue that was approved by the Commission in July meeting was the removal of fixed line revenue from the calculation of Adjusted Gross Revenue. Telecom Regulator TRAI has already approved the proposal for the government's consideration. At present, all mobile operators pay 2-6 per cent of their annual revenues, depending on the amount of spectrum they hold, as usage charges to the government. The DoT move implies that all telcos will have to pay higher spectrum usage charges, irrespective of the quantity they hold.

TRAI asks Bharti, Idea, BSNL, Vodafone to link Rcom 17 Aug, 2008, 2004 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : TRAI has directed GSM operators, including Bharti, Idea, BSNL and Vodafone, to provide interconnection to Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications' GSM network immediately and report compliance by August 21. "Report the compliance within seven days of the date of issue of this direction that is latest by the 21st August, 2008, TRAI said in separate direction to all these players. It has also issued similar direction to Spice Communications. This is the second time the regulator is taking up the issue with the GSM players which have refused interconnection with the Anil Ambani group company. GSM players say for providing interconnection to a new network, RCom had to negotiate fresh commercial terms. The existing interconnect agreement with Reliance was limited to providing links for its CDMA network. TRAI has rejected this contention saying the case for renegotiating comemrcial terms is devoid of merit. "This is not tenable as the DoT's instruction dated the 24th March, 2008 for opening of allotted codes and and TRAI's direction of 6th January, 2005 are not subordinate to or conditioned by negotiations between the service providers", the regulator said. It also turned down the GSM players argument that new points of interconnection will have to be created once Reliance Communications Ltd's network is established saying the Licensor (DoT) has issued instruction to all service providers for opening the codes and once instruction has been issued by the DoT then there is no reason for any service provider to contravene the instruction issued by the licensor. Economic Times reports... Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will ask the Department of Telecom (DoT) to take action against GSM operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular if they fail to connect their networks to Reliance Communications’ (RCOM) GSM network by August 21, 2008. TRAI is also considering “to launch criminal proceedings against GSM players if they fail to comply”. “We will ask DoT to penalise GSM players for violating licensing conditions if they do not provide links to RCOM. The other option is to bring criminal proceedings against these operators, but we hope it does not come down to that,” a top TRAI source told ET. However, with leading GSM operators hardening their stance and deciding to defy TRAI’s directive, the issue may be dragged to the court.

My dear friends, here is a great MP4 Video Caller Tune from SINGH IS KING. Jee Karda bai jee karda, Tenu kol baithawa jee karda ! Jee Karda bai jee karda, Tenu kol baithawa jee karda !! Ek vari ek vari ek vari ho ek vari Tu seeney naal hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Tu seeney naal lag soniye O balle balle Tu seeney naal lag soniye O shawa shawa Tu seeney naal lag soniye Everbody wanna join, party wanna have some fun and get down tonite Everbody put ur hands, in the air, its time to sail on with the time tonite Jee karda bai jee karda, Tenu jhaphiya pawa jee karda ! Jee karda bai jee karda, Tenu jhaphiya pawa jee karda ! Ek vari ek vari ek vari ho ek vari Tu haath mera hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Tu haath mera phadh soniye o balle balle Tu haath mera phadh soniye Oye shawa shawa Tu haath mera phadh soniye Link 1 : http://rapidshare.com/files/137923286/Jee_Karda.mp4 Link 2 : http://www.adrive.com/public/7ee5174db9b8a...9a4cb7f6cc.html Size : 3.7 MB You can get MP3 Ringtone of the above song HERE

My dear friends, here is a great MP3 ringtone from SINGH IS KING. Jee Karda bai jee karda, Tenu kol baithawa jee karda ! Jee Karda bai jee karda, Tenu kol baithawa jee karda !! Ek vari ek vari ek vari ho ek vari Tu seeney naal hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Tu seeney naal lag soniye O balle balle Tu seeney naal lag soniye O shawa shawa Tu seeney naal lag soniye Everbody wanna join, party wanna have some fun and get down tonite Everbody put ur hands, in the air, its time to sail on with the time tonite Jee karda bai jee karda, Tenu jhaphiya pawa jee karda ! Jee karda bai jee karda, Tenu jhaphiya pawa jee karda ! Ek vari ek vari ek vari ho ek vari Tu haath mera hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Tu haath mera phadh soniye o balle balle Tu haath mera phadh soniye Oye shawa shawa Tu haath mera phadh soniye You can get MP4 Video Caller Tune of the above song HERE. Jee_Karda.mp3

MY dear friends, as we all knows that IDEA is going to launch its services in Mumbai from September onwards, only GOD knows what they are going to do with their "would be" subscribers of Mumbai ? Regards.

BSNL selling 3G service in India? Ciol News The state-owned telecom player has been selling 2.4Mbps wireless data service in the country even before licenses were awarded. BANGALORE, INDIA: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is offering third-generation (3G) Internet service in the country on a commercial basis, even before the government has announced guidelines for the service. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to award 3G license to any telecom player in the country. The Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) service, which BSNL is now offering in select Indian cities, is third-generation (3G) Internet service. BSNL is offering this service on a pilot but commercial basis. The central government is expected to announce the 3G and WiMAX guidelines on Friday (August 1). Though BSNL officials refused to term its EVDO (or EV-DO) service as 3G, an expert confirmed it as 3G. "EVDO is certainly 3G, as it has been standardized by 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards," Atul Chitnis, senior vice-president of Geodesic Information Systems Limited, said. EVDO is one of the two major 3G standards for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals. The other standard is W-CDMA. The Telecommunications Industry Association terms EVDO as "CDMA2000, High Rate Packet Data Air Interface." Chitnis termed the BSNL EVDO service as technically illegal, since it is being offered even before the government has announced guidelines for its 3G policy. He added that BSNL will be one of the 5-10 licensees, to offer 3G service in the country. A Member of the Indian Parliament also termed BSNL's EVDO service as illegal. "If BSNL is providing 3G service even before the government has announced the 3G guidelines, it is improper and illegal," said Dr Sebastian Paul, a CPI-M-backed Lok Sabha member and legal expert from Kerala. "The government should take a decision (regarding the service)." The EVDO service, which BSNL is now offering, is likely to give it an unfair advantage over other players in the 3G space. "It is a bit tasteless that a state-owned organization is allowed to break the rules and get away scot-free, while private operators are made to toe the line," Chitnis commented. When contacted, wireless Internet service provider Tata Indicom refused to comment. "On one hand, I am happy that a fuddy-duddy government-run company has pioneered 3G in India, even if a little surreptitiously," Prasanto K Roy, Chief Editor at CyberMedia's ICT Publications, said. "On the other hand, this is not quite a level playing field­ - Airtel or Reliance would not have been so confident about doing this." BSNL officials confirmed that they are providing 2.4 Mbps (million bits per second) EVDO service in the country. The officials did not reveal the number of cards sold so far. This correspondent visited a BSNL office in Bangalore and was told the EVDO cards were all sold out. An official document, which CyberMedia News accessed at the BSNL office, said it is offering the service after receiving permission from "competent authority". This document was circulated to all BSNL circles offering the EVDO service. The document revealed that BSNL is offering 2 Mbps EVDO card for Rs 6500 and charges a monthly rental of Rs 750. BSNL, however, refused to name the "competent authority". Though the document said the offering is of 2 Mbps, the actual speed is 2.4 Mbps, a senior BSNL official in Bangalore said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said the offering is "not at all 3G service", but declined to elaborate. Incidentally, BSNL is running a commercial in Bangalore cinema halls to promote this service. Meanwhile, Charlie Mathew, BSNL's Princpal General Manager in-charge of Ernakulam (in Kerala) Secondary Switching Area, confirmed that the telecom provider is offering 2.4 Mbps EVDO service within Ernakulam city limits. "This is being offered in Bangalore too," he told this correspondent over the telephone, adding that the EVDO service was started in Ernakulam more than a year ago. He, however, could not provide the exact date on which the service was initiated. Anil Kumar, DGM, BSNL, in Thiruvananthapuram also confirmed that BSNL is offering 2.4 Mbps service in Kerala. Both Mathew and Kumar denied that the service is 3G. The DoT in September 2006 had allotted 5 +5 MHz spectrum in the 2 GHz band to BSNL to conduct experiments in 3G in Pune, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Coimbatore. It is not immediately known whether BSNL is using this spectrum to offer its EVDO service. When contacted, TRAI refused to comment on BSNL's EVDO service. "I have no idea. The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has to answer this question. The DoT being the owner of BSNL, the entire 3G is in the court of the department," Nripendra Misra, TRAI Chairman, said. However, according to a 2006 Reuters report, TRAI had allowed BSNL, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel and Hutchinson Essar Limited (now Vodafone) to use 3G spectrum for testing equipment. Sources said MTNL has been testing its 3G service in and around Minto Road in Delhi on a non-commercial basis. Subodh Kumar, Additional Secretary (Telecom), DoT, could not be immediately contacted, as he was said to be in a meeting. RP Agarwal, Wireless Advisor, DoT, said BSNL is not offering 3G service in the country. Japan-based telecom major NTT DoCoMo launched the first pre-commercial 3G network in May 2001 on W-CDMA-GA3Y technology. The same year on October 1, the firm launched the first commercial 3G network.

^^^ The above offer seems to be good my dear friends. Could be really beneficial for some subscribers. Regards.

Wish you all Rimwebians a very HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY.

Idea ready to ring in Mumbai 16 Aug, 2008, 0236 hrs IST, ET Bureau MUMBAI: Two years after it first got the Indian government’s approval to launch wireless telephony services in the country’s financial capital, Aditya Birla group’s Idea Cellular has finally landed in Mumbai. According to an Aditya Birla group official, the services will be formally launched in the next few days with the entire infrastructure now in place. “We are ready... all of us at the Birla group have shifted to the Idea network,” the official said asking not to be named. The company has set up a network of 200-odd stores to offer its services, the official added. In some places, the marketing team is also offering the product. The official said all beta tests were successful and now the sales and marketing team would takeover for the rollout of the operations. When contacted, Idea managing director Sanjeev Aga declined to comment on the impending launch of services. India’s fifth-largest network, Idea Cellular’s journey to Mumbai was fraught with hurdles over spectrum allocation and it was finally allocated to the company this March. Idea had earlier targeted to launch its service by the last quarter of calendar 2007. According to an extraordinary general meeting notice sent to the shareholders, Idea Cellular said it had set aside Rs 650 crore for the Mumbai roll out from its initial public offering funds raised in February last year. Idea would be the seventh wireless telephony services provider in Mumbai which has more than 10 mn customers with Vodafone Essar leading the pack with 37.89 lakh customers, according to Cellular Operators Association of India statistics till end July. The Mumbai launch also comes at a time when the Department of Telecom (DoT) has asked the company to surrender one of the two telecom licences it holds for the circles of Punjab and Karnataka. Idea Cellular, which had acquired a controlling stake in Spice Communications for around Rs 2,700 crore in June, now holds two licences in these circles on account of this acquisition. The DoT, however, ruled out any move to refund the licence fees paid by Idea after it surrenders the licences.

RCom links: TRAI, GSM players stand-off continues Business Line -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GSM players say the regulator did not give them an opportunity to present their case before issuing the notice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Delhi, Aug 15 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has once again rejected GSM operators’ stand on offering links to Reliance Communication and has issued a fresh deadline of August 21 for complying with its orders. The telecom regulator has earlier asked all the GSM players to provide links to RCom’s GSM network. The existing GSM players had refused to offer interconnection to Reliance on the grounds that the company had to negotiate fresh commercial terms. GSM operators had said the existing interconnect agreement with Reliance was limited to providing links for its CDMA network. They had said that since RCom’s GSM service was a new network,the terms of the interconnection had to be renegotiated. Without interconnection, Reliance Communications will not be able to start commercial services as it means that a Reliance GSM subscriber would not be able to call any of the 200 million GSM subscribers belonging to the existing operators across the country. RCom had recently announced a soft launch of its GSM services in Delhi for some of its employees. Rejecting the GSM operators’ stance, the telecom regulator has issued notices to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular and BSNL to provide links to RCom. The telecom regulator said Rcom’s GSM service was part of its existing licence and therefore links have to be provided as per current laws governing interconnection. Misplaced intervention’ GSM operators said TRAI’s intervention in the case was misplaced because interconnection terms were supposed to be negotiated mutually between two operators. They said even if the TRAI had to step in, it had to follow a process before issuing deadlines and notices to comply with orders. GSM players said the telecom regulator had not given them an opportunity to present their case before issuing the notice. “The Authority in its draft Reference Interconnect Order has also provided for a review of the Interconnect Agreement every time there is a material change in license conditions. Clearly, the permission to a CDMA licensee to set up a new GSM network is a material change in licensing conditions and necessitates a re-negotiation of the interconnection agreements,” the Cellular Operators Association of India, said.

ISPs, DoT up in arms over WiMax NEW DELHI: Internet service providers (ISPs) like Sify and Spectranet are up in arms following the government’s decision to take back the 2.5 GHz WiMax spectrum allotted to them. ISPs claim they had already firmed up investment plans and ordered equipment when the Department of Telecom (DoT) shot a letter asking them to return the spectrum. The ISP Association is going to court over the government’s decision. “We will be going to court against the government’s notice. We had already started our commercial pilots and will incur a commercial loss due to the government’s decision. Now, auctioning of the spectrum could lead to inflation in Internet service charges, which is not a good thing for India as we are still poorly developed in terms of broadband penetration,” says Sify’s president for consumer infrastructure Naresh Ajwani. The government had allotted 2.5 GHz spectrum (for mobile wireless broadband) in 2003 to seven players including Bharti, R-Com, HCL Infinet, Sify and Spectranet. But now the government has issued them a notice to return the spectrum. The government plans to put forth the 2.5 GHz spectrum for auction for a base price of about Rs 550 crore. It will be about one-fourth the bidding price which is fixed at about Rs 2,200 crore for a pan-India licence, according to DoT guidelines. “The government should come forward and talk to industry players to resolve this tangle. Some players who have already started offering wireless broadband to corporate customers based on the spectrum allotted and ordered equipment will suffer a loss. There’s no way any ISP will be able to shell out Rs 550 crore for a WiMax spectrum,” says advisor to Spectranet, Amitabh Singhal. “It’s like changing the rules of the game just when a match is going to start. It will only lead to increase in valuations of universal access licence holders (UASL) or the telecom operators, who will hoard the WiMax spectrum. We will be going to court against the DoT decision,” said Internet Service Providers Association of India president Rajesh Charria. Courtesy : Indiatimes

ISPs too want DoT to review WiMAX policy 16 Aug, 2008, 0037 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: After telecom regulator TRAI and the finance ministry, the department of telecom (DoT) is set to face further opposition to its WiMAX auction policy. The Internet Service Providers Association of India, the body representing all standalone ISPs, has decided to ask the DoT to review the WiMAX policy, failing which it plans to haul the communications ministry to the telecom tribunal. “We will approach the DoT over this issue next week,” ISPAI president Rajesh Charia told ET. First, standalone ISPs do not want the base price for the WiMAX auction to be linked to that of 3G. At present, the policy stipulates that the base price for WiMAX spectrum auction will be 25% of that for 3G radio frequencies — this implies, the reserve price of a pan-India WiMAX licence comes to about Rs 505 crore. “WiMAX is predominantly for wireless high speed internet or broadband services where the platform of usage is computers. On the other hand, 3G is for mobile services,” explained Mr Charia. According to him, if the auctions are carried out as per the base price proscribed in the policy, no ISP would be able to bid. “A minimum of one slot must be reserved for standalone ISPs. Here only ISPs should be permitted to bid against each other,” he added. ISPAI wants an alternate formula where its members be charged only 25% of the highest bid that a telco makes for WiMAX spectrum in that particular circle during the auction. Meanwhile, as reported by ET first, ISPs such as Sify and Spectranet are also planning to haul the communications ministry to the courts over the government’s decision to take back the 2.5 GHz WiMAX spectrum allotted to them. Any move by ISPs to go to the courts over these issues could delay the WiMAX spectrum auctions which are scheduled to take place by the year-end. Besides, the DoT can only go ahead with the auction if ISPs vacate the radio frequencies they hold in the 2.5 GHz band.

BSNL to offer bundled CDMA handsets 16 Aug, 2008, 0040 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: State-owned telecom operator BSNL has invited global CDMA handset makers for tie-ups as it readies plans to launch full-fledged mobile services on this technology platform across the country. The telco, which is currently investing about Rs 2,000 crore on a CDMA network roll-out, will offer bundled handsets. Its move spells big business opportunities for CDMA majors such as China’s ZTE and Huawei, Samsung, LG, and Nokia, among others. At present, BSNL offers mobile services on the GSM platform across the country, except in Delhi and Mumbai, and has about 38 million customers on this technology platform. The telecom company does not offer bundled handsets with GSM connections. In a communication to all handset manufacturers, BSNL has said that it will enter into tie-ups at both the national and state level on a non-exclusive basis for CDMA devices. Handset manufacturers have been asked to submit their replies by August 19, along with technical descriptions and the price of the models they plan to offer. “BSNL will monitor the performance of the handset manufacturer and the arrangement may be terminated if the latter does not meet the requisite standards. The offered (handset) models should be locked for use in BSNL network only. The manufacturer should also offer a 2-year replacement guarantee for all handsets. BSNL reserves the right to functionally test the offered devices. The responsibility for marketing of the scheme shall be shared by BSNL and handset manufacturer on mutually agreed basis,” the PSU’s communication adds. BSNL has also added that if it receives limited response, then all bidders fulfilling the eligibility criterion will be selected and be allotted circles, zones or even be made pan-India partners. “In case a large number of players respond, then the evaluation of bidder will done based on the strength of the company (turnover, distribution channel, after-sales centres etc), suitability of offered product (specification, features etc), cost competitiveness etc.,” the BSNL communication said. BSNL’s move to offer full-fledged CDMA services comes even as existing players in this segment such as Reliance Communications and the Tatas are moving to the GSM turf. In the initial stage, BSNL will limit its CDMA offerings to the top 500 towns and cities across India. Early this year, the government had approved BSNL’s proposal to offer CDMA services and granted it a full-fledged CDMA mobility licence and spectrum to launch services. BSNL is in the process of setting up 10,000 towers for its CDMA networks.

3G policy: Foreign players want PMO to intervene Business Line New Delhi, Aug. 14 Stung by the recently announced policy for third generation (3G) mobile services, a delegation of foreign telecom players has approached the Prime Minister’s Office seeking intervention for a review of the guidelines. One of the demands made by the foreign players is to dilute the merger and acquisition rules to allow them to pick up stake in existing 2G mobile operators if they win the bid for 3G. According to the current laws, the Department of Telecom has put a three-year lock-in period on new 2G mobile players from selling out. Global telecom operators, including AT&T, Verizon, NTT DoCoMo and Deutsche Telecom are interested in entering the Indian market. Some of the foreign operators have told PMO that the guidelines for 3G auction were unattractive for any new player and, therefore, they may not participate in the bidding process. If that happens, the auction would be limited to existing players such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, which would reduce the level of competition during the bidding and, therefore, result in lower revenues for the Government. According to the 3G policy announced by the Communications Ministry, foreign players will have to cough up at least Rs 4,000 crore for acquiring spectrum. This includes Rs 1,650 crore for taking a unified access licence. In comparison, existing telecom players will have to pay a minimum of only Rs 2,020 crore. Foreign players are also at a disadvantage because they do not get 2G spectrum along with the unified access licence. Existing players have been given between 4.4 Mhz and 6.2 Mhz after they were given 2G licence. This means that even if a foreign player wins spectrum for 3G mobile services, it will be difficult for it to compete with existing players without 2G spectrum, which is essential to offer basic voice services.

Dhoot-Nahata battle over Datacom hots up 15 Aug, 2008, 0032 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The bitter corporate battle between the Dhoots of the Videocon group and Mahendra Nahata of Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL) over telecom service provider Datacom has spilt over to lenders, regulators and potential foreign investors. HFCL chairman Mr Nahata, who owns 36 per cent in Datacom, has sent a communication to State Bank of India and Datacom’s auditors alleging that the Videocon group has passed off a Rs 1,000-crore loan from the bank as its own contribution to Datacom’s equity, which is a violation of banking and company law norms. Mr Nahata has alleged that he possesses documentary proof of several other financial irregularities in Datacom by the Videocon group. Mr Nahata has also dismissed Mr Dhoot’s offer to buy out his stake in Datacom for Rs 1,360 crore. Instead, he sent a counter-proposal that he would be willing to buy out the Dhoots, but with several riders: First, he will not buy the stake at a premium, but only at the original consideration. Next, the Videocon group will have to take back the money it has put into Datacom so far. At the same time, Mr Nahata has maintained that he is open to exiting Datacom if the Dhoots pay him Rs 2,116 crore for his entire stake in the company. Last year, the Videocon group had bought a 64 per cent in Datacom from Mr Nahata. Datacom was among the nine new players who were given telecom licences early this year. Industry sources say the stand-off between the two promoters could delay telco’s plans to become the first player among the new entrants to launch mobile services. The Videocon group has hit back and termed Mr Nahata’s allegations as baseless. “The balance sheet of Datacom will be ready by August 31, and it will clearly indicate that the Rs 1,000 crore is shown as a loan. We also know that Mr Nahata and a minority shareholder of Datacom by the name of Manjit Singh have sent a communication to SBI and the auditors. They are only trying to malign the names of Datacom and its management with such misleading allegations,” Videocon group chairman Venugopal N Dhoot told ET. According to Mr Dhoot, Datacom had been forced to prepare provisional financial statements as Mr Nahata wanted these in a short time. But these, he said, were not final, adding that Mr Nahata had circulated these documents at various forums. “They are showing these statements not as provisional but audited statements in their bid to pressure us to agree to their illegal demands. Datacom shall respond to all such communications in an appropriate manner and also take necessary action to safeguard its interest,” he added. When asked about a possible settlement, Mr Nahata said that no solution was possible as Videocon had failed to adhere to the investment agreement for Datacom. “I feel both deceived and hurt that an industrialist of Mr Dhoot’s stature could so brazenly go back on his commitment,” Mr Nahata said. He is of the view that against a promise of bringing equity capital of $901 million into Datacom as part of their 64 per cent, the Dhoots were trying to bring their investment commitment in the form of a loan and later recover the money by selling their stake to foreign players. “In effect, they are trying to get 64 per cent equity for free,” Mr Nahata added. Mr Dhoot on the other hand said that Videocon had kept to its side of the bargain. “On the contrary, the deadlock is created by Mr Nahata by insisting that we should invest $901 million in equity of Datacom and that too by way of preference shares at a premium of Rs 1,490 per share and because of this attitude and Mr Nahata’s approach, the shareholders agreement could not be completed. I categorically say that in the entire investment agreement, there is no mention that $901 million shall be by way of investment in equity. It is grossly incorrect that we have failed to adhere to the investment agreement,” he added.

TRAI calls for changes in number portability format, WiMAX auction 15 Aug, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Telecom regulator TRAI has warned the department of telecom (DoT) that if mobile number portability policy is implemented under the current format, the consumers may be forced to pay higher tariffs and quality of services too may fall. Number portability empowers consumers to retain their number but change their operator. In addition, TRAI has also called for a review of the WiMAX spectrum auction policy unveiled by the DoT and has listed out several loopholes in the guidelines. These objections come close on the heels of TRAI pointing out that the government’s decision to allot third generation (3G) spectrum to CDMA players without an auction was against the principles of equality. In effect, TRAI wants a review of all the three policies — 3G, WiMAX and number portability — announced on August 1 by communications minister A Raja. Mr Raja, when unveiling the MNP policy, said the government would select two centralised agencies, who would be given 11 circles each to implement number portability. He also added that these agencies would be chosen through a techno-economic evaluation (beauty parade). TRAI has now told the DoT that only one centralised operator should be given the task of implementing MNP. “We are only sticking to our earlier recommendation. If we have two centralised players, the cost to the telecom service provider and the carriage charges are likely to increase. Therefore the cost of MNP also increases. This is because, the mobile number will have to be scrubbed, cross checked or moved across two different directories,” TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra told ET. He also added that TRAI wants the centralised operator to be chosen via an auction process. “A beauty contest will not be objective and transparent,” he added. It is learnt that five players — Telcordia, NeuStar, Syniverse and IBC, and CDoT are in the fray to become centralised operators. TRAI has also said that DoT has failed to specify the porting fee — the amount it would cost the subscriber to change his operator. The regulator has also observed that national and international long distance carriers (operators who carry STD and ISD traffic) will be required to route calls on the ported numbers, but the policy remains silent on the modalities. Besides, it has also added that as per the DoT’s guidelines, all operators would become dependent on the two centralised operators to provide MNP. This may impact the quality of service, the regulator warned. “We do not in any way want to be seen as stopping the process of MNP. We are all for it. Being a regulator, we have only expressed our concerns over the guidelines,” Mr Misra said. With regard to WiMAX spectrum auctions, TRAI has pointed out that successful bidders should be given 20 MHz of radio frequencies either in the 2.3 MHz band or the 2.5 MHz band. Put simply, Trai is of the view that the 20 MHz of spectrum cannot be spread across both these frequency bands. The WiMAX guidelines also say that successful bidders shall deposit 25% of the bid amount within five days of the bid and the remaining amount within 15 days, failing which, the earnest money (which is 25% of the reserve price) shall stand forfeited. But Trai believes that in case the successful bidder deposits 25% of the bid amount within 5 days and fails to deposit the balance sum (bid amount — bid deposit) within 15 days of the bid, then both the earnest money as well as his bid deposit should be forfeited.

DoT invites proposals for 3G e-auction agency 15 Aug, 2008, 0013 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The department of telecom has invited requests for proposal (RFPs) to select an agency to conduct the e-auction for spectrum allocation for third-generation (3G) and broadband wireless access services in 22 telecom circles. The move comes just a week after the finance ministry asked DoT to put the 3G guidelines on hold until they get approval from the North Block. The RFPs would be issued on August 18, while submission of bids would be allowed till September 3. Technical bids by eligible bidders would be opened on September 17, while the financial bids would be opened on September 19. The bidder could be a registered company under the Indian Companies Act, a foreign firm incorporated in another country or a joint venture of such companies. It would have to pay a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 50,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency. The bidder should neither hold any stake, direct or indirect, in an Indian telecom company or ISP nor have a telco/ISP as a stakeholder.

DoT seeks PMOs nod to raise 2G spectrum usage charges for telcos 15 Aug, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Telcos will soon have to shell out more for holding second-generation (2G) spectrum. The department of telecommunications (DoT) has sought approval of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to raise 2G spectrum usage charges for all telcos. The department’s proposal is backed by telecom regulator TRAI. Currently, all mobile services in the country are offered on 2G frequencies and telecom operators pay 2-6% of their annual gross revenue (AGR), depending on the amount of spectrum they hold, as usage charges to the government. The DoT move implies that all telcos will have to pay higher spectrum usage charges, irrespective of the quantity they hold. This differs from its earlier plan to increase spectrum charges only for those telcos who hold over 6.2 MHz per circle in case of GSM players and above 5 MHz for CDMA. The DoT has now told the PMO that it cannot increase spectrum charges only for operators holding more than 6.2 MHz of spectrum. Its rationale—only large GSM players and state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL hold radio frequencies above 6.2 MHz and increasing the charges only for these operators would be a discriminatory and lopsided move. No CDMA operator holds more than 5 MHz of radio frequencies. Telecom regulator Trai had recommended that the government increase spectrum charges by 1% only for telcos who hold radio frequencies beyond 6.2 MHz. However, DoT’s proposal will see a 1% increase in spectrum usage charges for upto 6.2 MHz for GSM and 5 MHz for CDMA. Beyond these limits, the DoT has prescribed a 2% increase in spectrum charges. DoT has told the PMO that it has Trai’s approval for its recommendations. In its communiqué to the PMO, the DoT has noted: “We are suggesting an across-the-board rise of 1% of AGR along with the introduction of a new spectrum slab of 8 MHz. Effectively, it will mean a 1% increase for spectrum allocations upto 6.2 Mhz and 2% beyond that compared to existing rates. Trai has agreed with the current DoT proposal on spectrum usage charges.” Justifying the move to increase spectrum charges for all operators, the DoT said: “Over 60% of the current revenue is provided by spectrum range up to 6.2 MHz. (This is because, most players hold less than 6.2 MHz spectrum per circle and even large players have radio frequencies beyond this mark only in select circles). Accordingly, if this range is not included in the revision of spectrum usage charges, the overall contribution from the rate increase would appear lopsided and unfair.” The DoT has said that as per its estimates, the government is slated to earn about Rs 3,812 crore as spectrum usage charges in 2008-09. Touching on the impact of the decision, DoT notes: “The estimation of the impact of the 1% rise in 4.4 MHz spectrum indicates an average increase of Rs 1 crore for every Rs 100 crore that the operator earns. This is very significant as the revenues of operators are increasing.” Currently, a GSM operator holding 4.4 MHz of spectrum and a CDMA player with 2.5 MHz pay 2% of their AGR as spectrum usage charges. For GSM players holding 6.2 MHz and CDMA operators with 5 MHz of spectrum, the usage charges stand at 3% of AGR. The DoT has sought approval to increase these charges by 1%.

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Nokia To Launch a New Flip Phone Nokia’s latest offering is a stylish flip phone or clamshell handset called the 3640 fold. This GSM handset is equipped with an internal display of 2 inches with 256K colors and it also has an external 1.36-inch display that also features 265k colors. It features a large analog clock as a screensaver. The 3640 fold comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera and 30MB of internal memory with microSD card support as well. Other features will include a media player for audio and video, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.The handset will also support GPRS/EDGE. According to reports, the handset should start shipping anytime soon and is priced at approximately Rs. 7,910 (125 Euro) before taxes and subsidies. Courtesy : Tech2

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Indian-American devises nano-springs to protect mobile phones WASHINGTON: An Indian-American scientist has devised tiny, shock-absorbing carbon nano springs to protect delicate electronic devices like mobile phones from damage. Apparao Rao, physicist at Clemson University, who led the researchers, working with California University collaborators, showed that layers of these tiny coiled carbon nanotubes, a thousand times smaller than a human hair, can act as resilient shock absorbers. Similar coiled carbon nanotubes have been fabricated, yet Clemson researchers said this method is unique since beds of coiled carbon nanotubes can be grown in a single step using a proprietary hydrocarbon-catalyst mixture. The group also envisions coiled nanotubes in soldiers' body armour, car bumpers and bushings and even as cushioning elements in shoe soles. "The problem we have faced in the past is producing enough of these coiled carbon nanotubes at a reasonable cost to make a difference," said Rao. "Because our current method produces coiled nanotubes quickly in high yield, it can be readily scaled up to industrial levels." In earlier studies, Rao and his team, along with collaborators, tested more conventional straight carbon nanotubes against coil-shaped nanotubes. When a stainless steel ball was dropped onto a single nanotube layer, the coiled nanotubes completely recovered from the impact, while the straight ones did not. "It's like an egg toss," said Rao. "If you move your hand backward as you catch the egg and increase the time of contact over which the impact occurs, the impact will be less forceful and the egg will not break. It is the same phenomenon experienced in catching a baseball." Courtesy : ET