Honest

Allow mobile virtual network ops: TRAI 6 Aug, 2008, 1326 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator has recommended to the government to allow mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) in the world's fastest-growing wireless market. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a statement on Wednesday the licence fee for virtual network operators would be the same as that paid by current mobile operators. MVNOs do not have spectrum or airwaves of their own, but provide mobile services to customers through an agreement with the licensed mobile operators.

Mobile payments require a legal framework as well 6 Aug, 2008, 1200 hrs IST, ET Bureau Mobile payments, the new age payment system syndrome. Do we need regulations for these payments or do we need technological standards than operational guidelines. In case we need regulations and guidelines for mobile payments; we also need regulations for internet and phone banking. The lack of technology standards will give rise to a lot of local and fragmented versions of m-payments offered by different service providers or banking service providers. Standards need to address security and privacy concerns of consumers as well as interoperability between various implementations. First movers benefit from this situation by creating de facto standards and major market share. There may not be consensus among the early players in terms of m-payments standards. The battle over standards occurs at the firm level and at the inter-consortia level for ease of use. Although m-payments may allow parties to make economic exchanges, it is not legal tender in the sense that it lacks the status of other payment instruments such as cash, which is a medium of exchange that is authorised, adopted and guaranteed by the government. At best, m-payments will have to be backed by the issuer’s promise to pay. To overcome this problem, legislation has to be put in place that will make m-payments legal tender. Else, mobile payment by itself may become an eventual unofficial tender. Strong payer authentication is the pre-condition to prevent consumer fraud and to keep the number of disputes low. This is why most schemes that provide a payment guarantee for the payee demand strong consumer authentication. Measures for integrity, non-repudiation, confidentiality and persistence further reduce the number of disputes and increase consumer trust. Financial networks follow the three domain model in order to implement interoperability. Brand and business rules are defined in a payment scheme. Issuers hold contracts with consumers, maintain consumer accounts and issue, for example, credit cards. Merchant acquirers deliver services tailored to merchants’ needs. The interchange domain ensures interoperability, computes fees and settles funds between issuers and acquirers. Stakeholders are not restricted to a single role, eg, some banks issue cards and acquire merchants at the same time. Technically, interoperability is achieved by standardised protocols like ISO 8583. Operational standards should be consumer-centric rather than being banker-centric. Consumers are reluctant to use and subscribe for a new payment method, as long as acceptance is limited to a small subset of merchants; merchants hesitate to accept a new scheme as long as the consumer base is small. Leveraging the existing infrastructure can overcome this problem. Consumers and merchants are familiar with use in cases like registration, confirming payments with a PIN, transactions (e.g. credit and debit) and account statements. Ease of use can be achieved if a mobile payment scheme copies the known payment transaction types, use cases and business relationships. Moreover, a payment system of international scope is expected to provide foreign currency conversion during the payment flow. The need of additional devices or software poses a barrier for introducing a new payment system, especially to consumers. Further, consumers prefer payment systems that provide ubiquitous access. A method bound to limits usage to home banking on / or web payments and is likely to remain in this niche segment. Since these make the consumer feel secure as well as anonymous. Cost for deploying and maintaining a new payment method as well as subscription and per transaction fees must compete with costs of existing payment schemes. On the other hand, fee distribution among the service providers must cover their efforts and risks. Educating the customer on this payment system is a compelling necessity. The majority of poor clients, who cannot read or write, only trust voice services or what the sales agents say. Prospective customers, who might be a good match for the product, may feel that the product is technologically too complex for them. The target customers may often be unaware of the terms and conditions that underlie the financial agreements. This experiment has not been so successful elsewhere across the world. Standards, therefore, become an inevitable key to the success factor.

My dear friends, it seems that IDEA has fallen short of Revenue to start its operations in Mumbai, thats why they are trying these tactics. Regards.

Nokia ready for 3G play in Indian market Newswire18 / Bangalore August 05, 2008, 5:58 IST Nokia on Monday said it is geared up for introduction of Third Generation technology in India, and about 30 devices of the company currently sold in the country are compatible with the new technology. “We have been ready for 3G for sometime because as you know talks have been going on (to introduce 3G in Indian market), and Nokia believes being slightly ahead of the curve in terms of its investments and decisions,” Devinder Kishore, director-marketing, told reporters here. “We have almost 30 devices in the market, which are 3G compliant. The day 3G rolls out (in India) consumers will not have to go searching for new handsets,” Kishore said. The government’s 3G policy has evoked mixed reaction from the industry as it differentiates existing players from new entrants. The latter has to bear extra cost compared with existing operators in offering 3G services, which is considered to be a “serious disincentive” for new entrants. Kishore said Nokia is working with its operator partners and the government to introduce more 3G devices in Indian market. “Today, I believe Nokia has the biggest range of devices across price points that would take care of 3G requirements,” he said. The global mobile handset giant also plans to introduce various value-added services including phone games and Nokia Music Store in the country during this calendar year. Kishore said value-added services would help the company to boost its revenues and maintain its leadership position, but declined to share numbers. Nokia today announced the launch of 6210 handset with navigator. Priced at Rs 18,000, Nokia 6210 would have maps of eight Indian cities, and in-built global positioning system that would provide directions to different locations across these cities. Navigation facility will also be available in nine other Nokia devices.

DoT allows operators to enter into pact for intra-circle roaming 16 Jun, 2008, 1938 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Government has allowed private mobile operators to enter into mutual agreements for intra- circle roaming with each other, a move that will help new players who are yet to roll out their networks and those who do not have licence in a particular service area. The Department of Telecom circular said: "A licensee may enter into mutual commercial agreements for intra-service area roaming facilities with other cellular operators." Industry sources said the measure may have been undertaken to benefit new operators with no telecom experience or infrastructure of their own or are in the process of rolling out their own networks. The DoT decision would not, however, change the mandatory network roll out of 60 per cent in the first year but would give them a chance to offer their customers intra-circle roaming by allowing them to tie-up with other operators. The circular said roaming arrangements are normally entered into by access service providers for service area for which they do not have licence to provide service. Therefore, so far the request for mandatory roaming facilities among the players have not been agreed to. However there is no bar in entering into roaming agreements subject to the mutual commercial agreements by various service providers.

TRAI not happy with DoT's intra-circle roaming move 5 Aug, 2008, 2123 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI has questioned the government's move to allow roaming within a circle, saying it may affect the quality of services of existing players, in yet another instance of difference of views with the Communications Ministry. In a letter to Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura, TRAI Chairman Nripendra Misra said: "in case of intra service area (within a state) roaming, if the new service providers start their services without any/limited infrastructure, then the network in which its subscribers will roam, will show an artificial and temporary upswing." "This will create a situation where the spectrum with the new service providers will be lying unused while spectrum of the service provider whose network has been used for roaming facility will be heavily used. This may affect the quality of service and may also require a re-look at the present spectrum allocation methodology." Surprisingly, TRAI uploaded the letter to DoT, written last month, on its website on Tuesday. The telecom regulator said national roaming, ensures a level playing field for the new service provider and encourages fair competition between all the service providers, both new and existing. This facility was permitted for bridging the infrastructure gaps in the network of the service providers. Earlier, TRAI had objected to entry of foreign players in the 3G mobile telephony segment, saying this would delay the roll-out process as also hit affordability of the service.

Samsung Announces the Touchwiz Phone Samsung has announced the launch of Touchwiz SGH-F480, its latest full touch screen smart phone featuring a new img4.gif user interface (UI) with specially designed widgets to customize and personalize usage of the phone. Housed in a 11.6-mm thick credit-card sized design, Touchwiz comes with a drag and drop feature allowing users instant access to functions at one touch. The widgets menu displays functions such as clock, radio player, music player, photos, and reminders that can be dragged and dropped onto the home screen. Additionally, tactile technology gives users a tangible feedback sensation on a selection of items. Touchwiz, sporting a 2.8-inches TFT LCD display, boasts all multimedia functions including integrated FM radio, 5 mega pixels camera with auto-focus and CMOS video lens, 240 MB internal music memory, and support for expandable memory up to 8GB. The camera offers digital SLR specific functions such as automatic face detection technology and image stabilizer. It also features a smile shot mode that enables the camera to detect when the subject is smiling and automatically take a picture. Some other Touchwiz features include: video recording, editing and playback, video telephony, mobile blogging, mobile printing, Google Map or email or search, and RSS reader. For Internet connectivity, the new smart phone features high-speed Internet access (HSDPA) and USB 2.0 connectivity for file transfer and downloads. Samsung Touchwiz SGH-F480 is scheduled to launch in Europe in June followed by other GSM regions. We don't still know about its India availability. Source : Techtree

Now icontrol in Jaipur BSNL and Aksh Optifibre have announced the launch of icontrol, an IPTV service, in the Pink City of Jaipur. This announcement comes a month after its launch in Mumbai and Delhi. icontrol will be the first IPTV service in Rajasthan state. icontrol is a television connection that allows users to watch programmes at their convenience. This means that users will receive a programme when they put in a request for it. The service claims to offer more than 120 channels, and an extensive movie library consisting of Hollywood and Bollywood titles at no extra cost. In addition, the service also has A-Tube-Video Classified pages feature that offers users solutions to day-to-day requirements from lifestyle, to travel, and includes restaurants, schools, beauty parlors, even plumbers! The icontrol service in Jaipur is priced at Rs 150 per month for BSNL Broadband subscribers. The set-up box will be provided for free against a refundable security deposit of Rs 999. Courtesy : Techtree

SE Launches C702, C902 at the WTA, Bangalore Sony Ericsson, the title sponsor of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, today unveiled two additions to its Cyber-shot range with the Sony Ericsson C702 and C902. The new handsets were unveiled by tennis sensations Anastasia Rodionova (4th seed), Yaroslava Shevdova and Patty Schnyder, who are currently in town participating in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's Bangalore Open. The C702 is splash and dust resistant, moreover, it also integrates GPS with a range of location-based imaging services to add a new dimension to taking and managing your photos. The C902 comes with a slide-out lens cover and sports a 5.0 megapixel camera with Face Detection and Auto Focus. It also comes with eight dedicated illuminated camera touch keys. Sudhin Mathur, General Manager, Sony Ericsson India said, "This is our third consecutive year of participation in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event in Bangalore, and we are excited to have Anastasia Rodionova, Yaroslava Shevdova and Patty Schnyder with us to unveil these new Cyber-shot phones here in India today. The C702 and C902 both place ease-of-use and best-in-class picture quality at the heart of their design. Yet both appeal to different audiences. One is engineered to let you take more pictures in more places and the other is designed to look as stunning as the pictures it takes." The C702 and C902 Cyber-shot phones are UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/ EDGE/GPRS phones. The C902 which will be available in two colors - Swift Black or Luscious Red, while the C702 is available in Speed Black or Cyan Blue. Both handsets will be launched in the second quarter of 2008.

SE Set to Launch Special 007 Handset Sony Ericsson has unveiled an exclusive partnership between the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures release of EON Productions’ 22nd James Bond adventure, Quantum Of Solace, and the C902 Titanium silver edition. The phone, as used by James Bond - played by actor Daniel Craig in the new film - will be available for a limited period and include a memory card loaded with a host of 007 content. Included is also an exclusive pre-loaded spy-style game. In addition, the full color trailer of the film, behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars and exclusive content such as wallpapers and screen savers will be available on the phone and the memory card. The C902 Cyber-shot phone is used throughout the film by James Bond to capture evidence and assist the agent on his mission. Lennard Hoornik, Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson comments, “We are excited to announce the continuation of our relationship with the James Bond films and unveil James Bond’s new phone for this year - the limited edition version of our C902 Cyber-shot phone. With the rich array of content both on the phone and preloaded on a memory card bundled with the C902 Titanium silver limited edition, fans of the secret agent will only get more James Bond with Sony Ericsson.” Don't forget to enter the C902 contest as there are just 2 days left. Contest ends on 06/08/08. Courtesy : Tech2

Telcos disagree with SC on pesky calls 5 Aug 2008, 0208 hrs IST, TOI NEW DELHI: Consumers might have heaved a sigh of relief in the anticipation of pesky calls finally stopping, thanks to Supreme Court's suggestion of a "call registry" in place of a do-not-call (DNC) registry, but the telecom industry appears completely at odds with the suggestion. The argument of the SC is that default option for all subscribers should be DNC. Only those who wish to receive calls should indicate their wish to receive unsolicited commercial calls (UCC) by registering at a call registry at the time of purchasing a SIM card or later. The telecom industry, however, fears that any directive by the court to move to a call registry will be tantamount to a blanket ban on commercial calls. "Since no consumer will sign up on a call registry, the effect will be the same as a complete ban," said a senior official in a leading telecom firm. According to the industry, low literacy among mobile phone subscribers, leading top virtual non-usage of SMS. In turn, this might mean that even those consumers wishing to receive calls cannot indicate their preference. Operators accuse non-registered telemarketers of being the real culprits. Nearly 70% of the 1 lakh telemarketers are out of the DNC registry scanner, they claim. "When detected they switch numbers and restart the activity," said an official with a top telecom company. VOICE, a consumer body has a different perspective. It talks of Trai's failure to use its powers. "A new process will be counter-productive. We need to enforce the regulation on the DNC registry," says Bejon Misra of Consumer Voice. When contacted, Trai chairman, N Misra, declined to comment. Telecom operators say they are commercially insulated from the telemarketing, but argue that harsh action will affect many jobs in the telemarketing sector. The reality may be different. Mobile companies get paid 30 paise for every minute of an incoming call. The total revenues from the telemarketing business are, therefore, not insignificant. "Mobile companies' commercial interests are inevitably linked to those of telemarketers," says a telecom analyst. Some estimates place the size of this unregulated industry at Rs 10,000 crore. According to the Trai, over 10 billion unsolicited telemarketing calls are made in India every year. "The sector employs roughly 2-2.5 lakh people, and is likely to suffer a huge setback if it is shut down by the SC. Telemarketers average revenues per user (ARPU) are upwards of Rs 3,000 to 4,000/month" confesses a source in a telecom firm. There are similarities between the pesky call and the CNG case that was pushed through by SC. In the CNG matter, similar arguments of resistance like job losses, lower costs and consumer interests were cited. The SC eventually cast those aside. It's to be seen if the SC will do the same with pesky calls.

Use and throw cell phones concept catching up among youth 5 Aug, 2008, 1528 hrs IST, ET CHENNAI: The 'Use and throw' concept seems to be fast spreading among youth of this metropolis as they throng electronics shops to buy the cheaper and feature rich mobile phones imported from China and South Korea. These phones, which vie for showroom space with costly mobiles, whose companies spend heavily on sales promotion, are selling like hot cakes, but face "reliability problems". Named SIGMATEL-T33, PANASONIO, iPHONE-N380, YXTEL-E51, ZTCT58 and CECT-K698, they have now become a rage among the mobile phone user community. "After these phones started entering Chennai early this year, there was a growing demand for them and now it is phenomenal. On an average we sell at least 25-30 phones a month and their features are a major attraction for buyers," Sheikh Abullah, a retailer in the busy Ritchie Street said. "These phones are available at a lesser rate than branded phones. many youth prefer to buy them, just to showcase their status symbol," Tamil Nadu Electronic Technician's Association President M Benjamin said. Priced between Rs 2,500 to Rs 6,500, they have large screen size and high output sound quality. Many buyers, instead of spending a huge amount to purchase a branded mobile, prefer to buy these, he said. For instance by spending Rs 6,500 one can get a dual SIM phone enabled with large screen display, radio, GPRS and Blue Tooth connectivity, which would have cost more if it were a branded phone, he added. Earlier only a few shops stocked such phones. But today at least 10 shops in Ritchie Street do brisk business, he noted. On the reliability of these phones, he said one would not be able to buy the necessary parts for even a minor problem as spares are not readily available. "Earlier there was not much demand but today along with other Chinese goods, approximately one lakh phones are shipped here thrice a week" Association Vice-President K Hasan said. Hasan also concurred with Benjamin's views on these phones, saying none of them carry a guarantee. Once a problem occurs, one either has to spend a huge amount of money or just buy another phone, he said. "I bought this phone because all my friends have it. I like the sound quality and the large screen display and those features made me buy it" Sandeep a student of a popular city college said. "These days phones have also become a status symbol and I am not interested in investing a huge amount for a top end branded phone" he said. On the safety of these phones, a popular brand phone retailer said "it remains a question mark". He said many opt to invest a good amount on these phones after hearing about them from others. They could instead buy a branded phone with lesser features for a lower price,he added.

Reliance Communications to float $500-million tender for 3G rollout 5 Aug, 2008, 0128 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: Reliance Communications is all set to float a $500-million tender for GSM 3G networks. At present, RCOM is predominantly a CDMA-based operator. However, sources close to the development say that the company is looking at 3G services only in the GSM space. Sources told ET that the decision to go in for the 3G order was taken over the weekend while adding that the tender document, which is being prepared, would be sent to leading equipment vendors in the next three to four days. “The tender covers equipment supply and servicing for commissioning of the 3G network. The leading global vendors who are in preliminary talks with RCOM for the 3G deal include Huawei, Alcatel Lucent, Nokia Siemens Networks, ZTE and Ericsson,” sources added. The move comes just days after the government unveiled the 3G policy, which listed out the frequency bands and well as the auction procedure for these frequencies. Currently, all mobile services offered in the country run on second generation (2G) networks. RCOM already offers second generation GSM service in eight circles and holds licenses to launch mobile services on this technology platform in the remaining 14 circles also. RCOM got a pan-India GSM licence in December 2007 and the department of telecom (DoT) allotted it GSM spectrum for the 14 circles earlier this year. The company plans to launch second generation GSM services in the top cities in these 14 circles by the year-end. Earlier this year, RCOM had awarded a nationwide 2G GSM rollout contract for electronics valued at about $600 million to Chinese telecom network major Huawei for these 14 circles. While the winner of the 3G tender will provide hardware components, RCOM will lease all passive infrastructure for its 3G network from Reliance Infratel, the hived off tower arm of the company. Company sources also said that the 3G networks will be overlaid on the 2G networks that are nearing completion. Besides, a bulk of the $500 million tender will be towards setting up 10 million lines across the four metros, they said. RCOM will have to compete with other GSM majors such as Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular in the GSM space. Besides, the auctions for 3G spectrum will be intensely fought battle as several international communication majors such as NTT DoCoMo, AT&T and Verizon amongst others are likely to enter the fray.

Roaming Abroad? Try Skuku! Skuku has announced a USB handset device called Skuku Stick for its Skuku Phone lineup which is an operator-independent phone intended for eliminating international roaming charges. VoIP calls and text messages can be sent and received at home country airtime charges through the home country SIM card by using the Skuku Stick with a PC. The Skuku Stick is a USB stick (like a USB modem), where the SIM card is inserted for turning the computer into a soft phone. Now the user can make and receive calls from the home country and pay home country airtime charges in place of international roaming charges. By using the home country SIM card, the user can retain the same phone number along with phonebook as well as other features. International calls can be made and received at low-IP tariffs using the Skuku phone while Skuku-to-Skuku calls are free. Skuku phone will also be available for release in India in early September of this year and shortly after in the UK and the US. Courtesy : Techtree

3G laptops to make phone calls NEW DELHI: As if to ensure that people don’t stop buying laptops, you will soon have notebooks that will incorporate a mobile phone! Indeed, laptops makers are getting their act together to compete with the all-powerful and ubiquitous mobile phone. Very soon, to make a phone call you may not have to reach out to a mobile phone. Your laptop may just do the same once 3G is launched. Hewlett-Packard is planning to talk to Indian mobile operators for a tie-up to offer 3G laptops once the 3G mobile services are launched here. “The 3G laptop has worked well in foreign markets and we are keen to introduce it in India too,” Kevin Frost, vice-president and general manager, consumer notebooks business unit, personal systems group, told ET. HP already has tie-ups with various service providers in different countries. For instance, in the US its AT&T, Sprint & Verizon, in Australia HP has tied up with Vodafone, in UK its Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile. The same may be replicated in India wherein a laptop cost may be subsidised by the operator if a subscriber takes the 3G service from him. “Globally, we are seeing laptops get smaller and compete increasingly with mobile and PDA phones. On the other hand, mobile phone makers are trying to outdo laptops by introducing more computer-like features. Mobile phone makers also want to have the sole control over offering mobile service to consumers,” he added. However, in countries where 3Genabled laptops are available, it’s the broadband application which is marketed most, as mobile phone makers don’t want to lose control over mobile services to PC vendors. HP said prices of its 3G-enabled laptops will depend on the changes on conformation to the standards of the operators once 3G is available in India. HP offers two types of broadband wireless modules–1 xEV-DO and HSDPA. 1xEV-DO modules are currently offered only in the US. With 3G broadband wireless notebooks, one can check e-mail or connect to the Internet from virtually anywhere in the country where the mobile operator offers coverage. Currently in India, users can access wireless internet only through WiFi zones or WiFi cards. With 3G laptops, a user won’t need to rely on mobile phone to have seamless and hi-speed web connectivity. Courtesy : Indiatimes

Mobile VAS players line up offerings 5 Aug, 2008, 0126 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: Gear up for 3G life. A far more meaningful retailing, socialising, banking, blogging, movie watching and more will come your way via 3G mobile services. The mobile value-added services (MVAS) players are going all out to offer content, which, to say the least, will change social habits forever. So, be it your favourite Saas Bahu serial last night or Sachin swinging his bat, you can catch it all up while on way to office. Or, you could make a video call to your boss to tell him you are caught in the traffic jam (some things just may not change!). Be it TV, matrimony, classifieds or job interviews, most web content may be ported to the mobile phone, once 3G kicks in by mid-2009. The $2-billion MVAS sector is now gearing up for just that. The 3G bonanza, which will offer very high-speed mobile wireless services (@384 kbps while in a moving car to 2 mbps while walking or stationary) is all set to kick off a new ecosystem in mobile advertising, mobile TV and mobile content, say industry experts. “We have started developing ads for mobile. Once the industry matures in 3-4 years, we may see live and delayed telecasts and advertisers buying spots exclusively on the mobile. The morning 8-10.30 am alongwith evening 6-8 pm slots when office goers commute, may see huge jump in mobile ad revenues. There will be a plethora of free ad funded `mobisodes’ (TV episodes on handhelds) and multi-player games. A few mobile TV rating agencies may also emerge,” says Rajiv Hiranandani, co founder and country head of Mobile2Win. Currently, there are about 30 million GPRS phones in the country with an estimated five million people already possessing 3G phones. But still, the cost of 3G phones will have to come down as a basic 3G phone in the market currently retails for about Rs 7,000-8,000. Most Nokia N-series and many Sony Ericsson and Samsung phones are 3G compatible. Sensing the opportunity, many MVAS companies have already developed 3G content. Delhi-based One97 Communications has developed video ring back tones (VRBTs). In video ring tones, a person dialing a number can watch a video which a receiver has chosen to play on his screen. He can select from a number of video options. “We have already launched VRBTs with the 2G platform but expect it to become robust once 3G kicks in. We will also see a surge in video SMSs where a person’s camera will record his video in a SMS and send on the network, for a higher cost obviously. Video Greetings, mobile tourism and m-classifieds will also see a boom,” One97 Communications CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma says. So, you may be able to see a video of an apartment or a car you are planning to buy on your mobile screen. It will definitely give a boost to the stagnant m-commerce market. Matrimony and dating sites may also get a boost where people will be able to see each other via the mobile, before meeting. 3G is likely to give a sigh of relief to gaming experts too. “We were unable to launch many high-end games. With 3G, we will be able to launch our most popular games overseas like Fifa Online, Need for Speed and Harry Potter in the Indian market. 3G games will ofcourse be priced at a premium,” says Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondol. The average cost of a mobile game download in India is about Rs 50 which goes up to Rs 99 for a high-end game. Multi-player Games in the passive category (like chess) and Active (like tennis, cricket, soccer) will arrive in India with the arrival of 3G, says Mobile2Win’s Rajiv Hiranandani. “We will soon be launching massive multi-player online games for mobiles in India. Our largest revenue globally come from VCAST, our gaming platform which Verizon has launched overseas,” adds Indiagames’ Gondol. TV entertainment companies are also expecting big bucks. “3G is an exciting opportunity to port rich media on the mobile. Live and delayed video along with movies and news may be ported to the mobile in future. We will also see a host of enterprise applications like web conferencing and downloading of heavy presentations via mobile,” says Viren Popli of Star TV. Still there will be challenges in terms of adoption. “Though we have a large number of people having GPRS phones, those services have still not taken off in a big way. Operator pricing will be critical. Whether the service is free or available at Rs 99 or Rs 599 will be critical adoption factor,” says a Indiatimes 8888 spokesperson. Currently VAS forms about 9% of telco revenues. 3G may help increase average revenue per user for operators and MVAS players. It could also kick off a whole new boom in terms of opportunities for small IT companies, mobile video production houses and increase the telecom GDP, if its priced affordably. Perhaps ad funded free mobile video content may do the trick.

Content is king: Telcos going all out to firm up deals for content 5 Aug, 2008, 0124 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: With all telcos already having completed 3G trails, operators are now going all out to firm up deals for content. This is because the availability of content will be the most crucial factor that will determine if there are takers for 3G services. Market watchers agree that content will be bigger driver for 3G than even handsets. This is because about 15% of the India’s close to 300 million mobile phone users already have 3G-enabled handsets. In comparison, telcos are looking to migrate about 10% of their subscriber base to 3G services by 2010. Little wonder then that all telcos have got cracking on the C-side, that is content. State-owned BSNL, for example, has floated multiple tenders for exclusive tie-ups for services such as entertainment, TV schedules, sports, movies, serials, travel, downloads, astrology and cricket, amongst others. India’s largest mobile player Bharti Airtel’s $100-million project with IBM for developing a service delivery platform (SDP) has gone fully operational. With this, all content and application developers can just plug into this platform to reach Bharti subscribers. CDMA-majors like RCOM and Tata Teleservices are also learnt to be in talks with content majors. All leading operators are also in talks with Nokia for introducing the handset maker’s Ovi series here. Ovi is a single-click application that allows users to experience the complete range of internet services—e-mail, chat, downloads, music, navigation, entertainment and games, among other services. “We are working with key operators and content providers towards offering consumers newer experiences in terms of navigation, gaming and music, among others, on our existing as well as future devices. 3G will further provide a fillip to our internet services under the Ovi brand,” said Nokia India country head-GTM Vineet Taneja. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director-general TV Ramachandran points to the example of Japan’s NTT DoCoMo to highlight the important of content to drive 3G services: “NTT is a pioneer of 3G services. The company got into multiple alliances for content and ensured that the offerings for its customers were very rich. Such was the demand from its services that this model has become a case study the world over. Even in India, unless you provide attractive applications, nobody will use 3G services.” Bharti Airtel’s president for mobility Sanjay Kapoor said the company was looking at exclusive deals both for content and also on the handset side. “The SDP platform will give us a strategic edge.” According to Bharti executives, the company, which so far operated numerous content platforms, has migrated these to the SDP. Going forward, all future applications that Bharti plans to introduce, such as mobile money transfer, mobile wallet and other value-added services, will be plugged into the SDP platform. This is because SDP will cover integrated portal, content management, digital rights management, messaging gateway and transcoding systems. Importantly, for VAS and content providers, this will also be the first instance in the country where reconciliation and settlement process will also be automated. Vodafone, on the other hand, is working towards ensuring that the content it provides is upgraded on to its 3G networks as and when it’s rolled out. “We have had an ‘edge’ network (2.5G or 2.75G) in India for the last four years. We are looking at adapting this content along with new offerings to the 3G platform,” explained the company’s marketing head Harit Nagpal. For BSNL, this marks the first time the PSU is going in for multiple deals simultaneously to cement content offerings. BSNL is slated to launch 3G services by the year end, months ahead of private players. Unlike the Bharti model, the PSU has directed all potential partners to set up the platform to operate the services they plan to offer.

Samsung TouchWiz Launched in India Samsung Telecommunications India (STI), has announced the launch of its full touch screen, ultra-slim lifestyle segment mobile phone – the Samsung TouchWiz (F480)- in the Indian market. The TouchWiz is being launched to coincide with the Olympic Games 2008. Announcing the launch of this new phone, Sunil Dutt, Country Head, Samsung Telecommunications India, said, "Given the growing consumer interest in touch screen phones , the Samsung TouchWiz offers a brilliant full touch navigation experience; widgets with 'Drag and Drop' technology and User Interface with Haptic Feedback which makes the experience of using the phone highly interactive and easy." The TouchWiz has 'drag and drop' technology, which allows widgets to be selected from the left panel of the screen and dropped anywhere on the home screen. Since the Widgets comprise widely used applications like clock, calendar, alarms, music player, FM, games and profiles, this equips the user to set hotkeys on the touch menu for all these functions as they please. Haptic feedback offers a tangible feedback when a user makes a selection on the touch screen. The phone encased in a metal body with a leather cover, features a 2.8-inch TFT LCD display and has a 5.0 Megapixel camera with face detection, image stabilizer, auto focus, CMOS video lens and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR). It also includes the 'Auto Smile Shot' feature - making its worldwide debut - that enables the camera to detect when a person is smiling and automatically take a picture when in the 'Smile shot' mode. The Samsung TouchWiz is equipped with 240MB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 8GB via the microSD memory card slot. It is compatible with GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA (7.2mbps) networks and functions on GSM 900/1800/1900, and WCDMA 2100 bands. The Samsung TouchWiz costs Rs. 20,990. Courtesy : Tech2

New iPhone by December-end? 4 Aug, 2008, 1721 hrs IST, Indiatimes News Network NEW DELHI: Wondering what's next in iPhone? Seems Apple is taking cue from its hugely popular next-generation iPod, iPod nano. According to Daily Mail, Apple is set to launch a 'nano' version of its popular iPhone. Not surprisingly, the phone is said to ape iPod Nano in its design and features. The new version of the iPhone is expected to hit the market sometime during Christmas. Quoting an industry source, the report says that the product will be launched in the UK at £150 for pay-as-you-go customers. The report, however, is quite on if and when the phone will be launched in other parts of the world. The report also suggests that the nano iPhone would have a touch wheel on the back and display on the front so that numbers can be dialled from behind.

^^^ Hmmm My dear friend, actually in Cdma it should show you CU-CDMA. Try setting your handset to "RESTORE FACTORY SETTINGS" from the setting menu. Hope your problem could be resolved. Regards.

GSM players to provide interconnectivity to Rcom: Trai Press Trust Of India / New Delhi August 04, 2008, 19:19 IST Telecom regulator Trai today asked GSM mobile service providers including Bharti, Vodafone to provide interconnectivity to Anil Ambani group Reliance Communications for starting its services in dual technology. Trai directed Bharti, Vodafone, Idea, Spice and BSNL to allow interconnection of RCOMs' GSM network with these operators so that the company can launch its Global System for Mobile communications-based Cellular Services without any further delay, sources close to the development said. The telecom watchdog also cautioned these operators that non-compliance would invite action as per the act. Rcom has been offering Code division multiple access (CDMA)-based mobile service throughout the country and has recently been allowed by the government to start GSM service simultaneously. The GSM operators had been opposing the entry of Rcom in GSM mobile services sector. The operators had also petitioned in TDSAT and High Court against the policy of government to grant Dual Technology Spectrum to the company. Rcom had already done the soft launch of GSM service in Delhi. To begin with, the company has offered over 1,000 connections to its employees as part of soft launch and after review Rcom would offer services on commercial basis, sources close to the development said. Launch of GSM-based cellular services by Rcom will bring in more competition, better choice to the customers, affordable tariffs and better quality of services.

^^^ Thanks my dear Arun ji for the very informative forthcoming numbering schemes of different operators. Regards.

Future Group plans to foray as virtual network operator 4 Aug, 2008, 2223 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Business conglomerate Future Group said it is planing to enter in the fast growing mobile services as a franchisee for virtual network operators by next year. "We are not in a hurry. We have just began talking with some network operators," Future Group Chief Executive Kishore Biyani said in their newsletter. The company is likely to invest about Rs 100 crore for foraying into the mobile service , he added. "We are looking at all consumer segments for growth in our business and mobile is one of the segments we are looking at," Biyani said. Future Group, which has interests in real estate, logistics and media, has appointed consulting firm McKinsey and Co and UK's Value Partners Group Ltd as advisors for the business. The idea is to allow customers to pay less for airtime as it has a grocery item such as rice or sugar he said adding "We plan to offer free outgoing calls to customers who buy food , groceries, clothes and mobile handsets from our stores. A mobile virtual network operator is a company that provides mobile phone service but does not have its own licensed frequency allocation of radio spectrum, nor does it necessarily have all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service. The government currently does not allow mobile virtual network operators in the country

India Developing $10 Laptop? The IDG news service reports that the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Technology are developing a $10 laptop. Although no specifications or other details have been released, the IDG News Service is reporting that the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Technology are working in conjunction with the Indian government to develop a $10 laptop computer aimed for use in higher education. The announcement came at a conference in New Dehli, where the Minister of State for Higher Education D. Purandeswari noted the laptop would help increase the quality of higher education in India. The Indian government has also announced plans to improve distance learning programs my making free bandwidth available for educational purposes to every Indian, along with developing a very low-cost (and low-power) network access device. The minister also didn't reveal whether the proposed laptop's price tag would be supported by government subsidies. As a nation, India has one of the world's largest populations—currently estimated to be over 1.3 billion people. However, currently fewer than 5 million have access to broadband in their homes. The Indian government did not sign on to the One Laptop Per Child program (famously branding the program as "pedagogically suspect"), although Indian telecom provider Reliance Communications has been conducting pilot programs with the OLPC XO since late 2007. Courtesy : Digital Trends

Now, ADAG partners Negroponte in OLPC program 4 Aug, 2008, 2150 hrs IST, BusinessWeek Nicholas Negroponte has found it tough going in India. For years as the head of MIT's Media Lab, the famed computer scientist promoted radical ways to use technology to transform society. His best-known idea is the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, a plan to make a simple, $100 laptop that would create a digitally literate generation in the hardscrabble classrooms of emerging-market nations. The laptop, now dubbed the XO, is finally being mass-produced in China. In 2001, the computer scientist came to India to promote the Media Lab, but failed to impress New Delhi. Negroponte clearly fell off the India map, when then-Information Technology Minister Arun Shourie dismissed his efforts as "pedagogically suspect" and wanted more accountability. When Negroponte's nonprofit One Laptop per Child foundation approached the Indian government in 2006, his project was again rebuffed by India's then-Education Secretary, Sudeep Banerjee. Two years later, Negroponte is back to open a new office in New Delhi and launch the OLPC program in India on Aug. 4. Despite all the rebuffs, Negroponte's urge to sell in India is stronger than ever. "India is the largest market for us, and I had to be here," he says. More important, Negroponte has a new partner—one of India's politically influential private-sector conglomerates. The Digital Bridge Foundation, part of Reliance ADA Group, owned by Indian billionaire Anil Ambani, is providing the technology backbone and logistics for the installation of OLPC's white and green XO laptops in primary schools. Seeking inroads into India This new partnership is a complete change from OLPC's global moves, which generally involve exclusive deals with governments in various countries as the best way to reach students. Today, Negroponte and his band of evangelists are ready to try anything to sell their laptops quickly: "Scale," says Negroponte, "is key to OLPC." So unlike other countries like Peru and Uruguay, for instance, where the XO laptops are completely funded by the federal state, the Indian blend will include corporations, industry bodies, and state governments. Recruiting Reliance and other allies may overcome New Delhi's lingering reluctance toward technology spending in primary education. "Our primary school children need reading and writing habits, not expensive laptops," says Arun Kumar Rath, India's Education Secretary. For Negroponte, the Reliance partnership is an opportunity to make inroads into the huge Indian market: There are 370 million children studying in 1.2 million schools in India. Of these, primary schools pack in 150 million students, compared to 220 million in high school. For Reliance, India's second-largest telecom player, those big numbers provide a great commercial opportunity to expand its base of customers to the bottom of the pyramid. In the last few years, Reliance has been aggressively laying underground cables to increase bandwidth connectivity. "Reliance is in this whole networked economy. The OLPC initiative will help us bring in more users," says Sumit Chowdhury, chief information officer at Reliance. The company will sell bandwidth as the laptops will be connected to servers powered by Reliance. So far, the Reliance strategy has been to sell the XOs to nongovernment organizations (NGOs), which then donate them to schools. An OLPC prototype project in India is already up and running at Khairat village, 26 miles south of Mumbai. Operating from a 10-by-12-foot room, the state-run school has 28 boys and girls from first to fourth grade squatting on thin, long mats on the floor. The self-motivated Sandeep Surve, 29, is the lone school teacher, who effortlessly goes from teaching spelling to the first-graders to explaining the solar system to the fourth-graders on their English-language XOs. Since Aug. 1, the laptops have also been operating with an interface for the local language, Marathi. "Now the children will be able to move ahead even faster. The XO will replace their notebooks completely," says Surve. For the students, who had never heard of a laptop until a year ago, the XO is more than a toy. Fourth-grader Geeta Akade proudly displays her work on the XO. In another corner, a group of young students are practicing their English alphabets, while 6-year-old Rahul is busy chatting online with his teacher. "I never let anyone touch my laptop," he chirps. Skeptics point to more pressing issues This is only the beginning for OLPC in India, which has given its Indian partners a total of 500 XOs for distribution. Chowdhury says that many Indian state governments and NGOs have shown interest, but they have yet to approve budgets for the XO, which is more expensive than originally advertised. The XO, when conceived, was supposed to cost $100. Partly because the laptop is still made in fairly limited quantities, the cost of the XO in India is around $200. Negroponte expects that with increasing volumes, the XOs will actually sell for $100 in three years. "It becomes viable only if you build an ecosystem around the laptop. You have to train teachers and build a curriculum around the XO," says Nitish Rane, of the Swabhimaan NGO that runs schools in rural Maharashtra state. Rane has already deployed 100 XOs and plans to buy 500 more by yearend. Not everyone is as gung-ho as Rane. There are many who believe that there are other big issues confronting Indian education that need to be addressed first. India's spends 3% of its gross domestic product on education, compared with 4% in China. There's a paucity of teachers in India, many schools lack basic facilities like toilets, power outages are frequent, and many subjects are not taught because there are no instructors. "Technology has a limited role to play when you are short of funds," says Atanu Dey, chief economist at tech innovation company Netcore Solutions. Negroponte is not deterred. He claims that despite the problems, the XO has an important place in the hierarchy of India's education needs. "The laptops can fast-track traditional methods," he says. It is still early to say how the OLPC effort will pan out in India. With five state elections around the corner, some politicians may be reluctant to back this unusual project. Satish Jha, the head of OLPC India, says that he will tap corporations with a social conscience and industry bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industry to fund and promote the XOs. There's a tieup with Amazon.com to display the XO on its front page. The demand for the XOs is also coming from unusual quarters in different sectors. These include insurance agents, census representatives, and even rural outsourcing units eager to deploy the sturdy, easy-to-use laptops. No deal, says Negroponte: He is committed to providing the laptop only for education.