Honest

^^^ @Tushar My dear friend, actually it seems that you need Reliance Netconnect software (Reliance Dialer). But the same is not still available at Reliance's website for this Motorola Model. Now you have to manually create a modem on your PC and use the same. For the procedure, just search the forum and you will get all the details. Regards.

^^^ @Har**** My dear friend, actually Motoroal V9m do have network problems, but in Samsung 2On their is no network problem. Although the handset seems to be highly priced. Regards.

Many happy returns of the day my dear Hetal, Cracker and all others.

Govt starts download of 3G bids, number switch 2 Aug, 2008, 0338 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: India's 300-million mobile subscribers have reasons to cheer. From mid-2009 they will be able to access third-generation (3G) services such as high-speed internet, interactive gaming, and instant downloads of movies, video clips and music on their mobile phones. And that’s not all. They will also have the option of changing their telecom operator without having to change their mobile numbers. After nearly two years of debate and controversy, the government on Friday finally announced its plans for a global auction of third-generation (3G) radio frequencies, a move that could bring in billions of dollars for the government. The government also announced the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) as well as a separate auction for broadband wireless access (BWA) services spectrum, popularly called WiMAX. All this will of course come at a price for the consumer. Monthly phone bills went up by as much as 50% for subscribers in some countries when they switched from the normal 2G services to 3G services. Moreover, many subscribers may have to upgrade their handsets to avail 3G services. The starting price for a 3G-enabled handset is about Rs 6,000 compared to an entry level phone of Rs 700. Finally, India is primarily a ‘voice’ market and it remains to be seen how many subscribers take to 3G-driven data services. It took nearly eight to ten years for customers in Europe to adopt 3G services in a big way. 3G rollout in India may be impacted by a parallel WiMax rollout. WiMax, an evolving technology is considered a threat to 3G as it offers data download speeds that are 10-30 times faster than 3G. And so while consumers can choose between opting for the two services, telcos would probably want to offer both services. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, India’s communications and information technology minister Andimuthu Raja said that the government hopes to raise between Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 crore from the auction of 3G spectrum. The government will try to award 3G spectrum for five players per circle in the first phase though for spectrum-scarce cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, only two to three 3G service providers may be allowed. The minister said the DoT, within the next fortnight will issue a request for proposal (RFP) for selecting two centralised operators who will administer and implement mobile number portability (MNP). The DoT has said that the centralised agency must port the customers number within of 48 hours of the consumer’s request. ET first reported this development earlier this week. The global 3-G auction offers a lifeline to both new entrants and international communication majors such as AT&T, Verizon and others to gain a foothold in the world’s fastest-growing mobile market. DoT has set a reserve price for a pan-India 3G licence, which is the minimum price that a company must pay for these frequencies at Rs 2,020 crore. This is double the reserve price recommended by telecom regulator Trai. In addition, new entrants, who are successful in their 3G bids will have to acquire a telecom licence which costs Rs 1,651 crore, over and above their bid price, Mr Raja explained. “International players will have to furnish proof that they are experienced in providing 3G services, but this is not applicable to Indian telcos,” he added. One slot of 3G frequencies will be reserved for state-owned telcos, BSNL and MTNL. “The PSUs will not participate in the auction, but will match the price of the highest bidders. They will be given the 3G spectrum immediately — as of today,” Mr Raja said. This implies that both these telcos can launch 3G services about three months ahead of private operators. While telcos have welcomed the 3G policy, concerns of over-bidding have been expressed. COAI, the industry body that represents all GSM operators in the country has pointed out that the reservation for MTNL and BSNL may result in over-bidding in circles such as Delhi and Mumbai where spectrum is limited and demand will be more. The chairman of India’s largest private telco, Bharti Airtel, said: “Sensible bidding should be the case, but who knows,” An international operator said Friday’s policy did not shed any light on when the auction would take place, and how many slots would be available in each circle. The 3G auctions in India also offers business opportunities for global telecom hardware bigwigs such as Nokia Siemens, Ericsson, Alcatel Lucent, Motorola, ZTE and Huawei as successful bidders are set to spend billions of dollars to set up 3G networks. Mr Raja said the government proposes to conduct the 3G airwaves auction by the year-end. “There will be an e-auction conducted on a circle-wise basis by a specialised agency,” he said. According to him, in the first phase, the government would try to accommodate up to five operators in every circle for 3G services. At the same time, he also cautioned that the availability of 3G airwaves was limited in key circles such as Delhi and Mumbai and these zones could therefore accommodate only about two to three players. “When more radio frequencies are vacated (by the defence forces), at a later stage, we can look at the possibility of up to 10 operators per circle,” Mr Raja said, while refusing to specify a time frame for this. The Rs 2,020-crore reserve price for a pan-Indian licence has been computed as follows. The base price of Delhi, Mumbai and A category circles is Rs 160 crore, while for Kolkata and category B circles it is Rs 80 crore and for C circles it is Rs 80 crore and Rs 30 crore respectively. India has five category A circles, eight category B circles and 6 category C circles. Mr Raja also added that the government will auction spectrum for broadband wireless access (BWA) services, also called WiMAX services, while adding that the reserve price for this has been set at 25% of that for 3G. Initially, about three licences would be offered for WiMAX services, which will be doubled at a later date depending on the vacation of spectrum by the defence forces. Defending the government’s decision to award 3G spectrum with immediate effect to both BSNL and MTNL, Mr Raja said that government-owned operators would require more time for clearances for their network deployment when compared to private players. “The head start would help the PSU operators have their plans in place and compete effectively with private players,” he added. GSM operators will be awarded 3G spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band, while for CDMA players the policy lists out three frequency bands — 450 MHz, 800 MHz and 1900 MHz. A the same time, the DoT has also added a rider that CDMA players will be allotted spectrum in these radio frequencies ‘as and when they will be available’. “We are trying to get spectrum in these frequencies for CDMA players. I am confident that the auctions for both sets of operators can be held at the same time. We hope to have space for at least two CDMA players,” Mr Raja added. CDMA players such as RCOM and Tata Teleservices, who are set to roll out their GSM networks, are expected to bid for both CDMA as well as GSM 3G spectrum. For MNP, the DoT has said that two centralised operators will be given 11 circles each. These operators will be chosen through a techno-economic evaluation. Only those companies which have a combined net worth of over Rs 100 crore and have provided this service successfully to not less than 25 million customers in a minimum of two countries during the last two years will be eligible to participate in the process, he added. The centralised operators will have to pay an entry fee of Rs 1 crore and also a license fee of 1% of their total revenues. Besides, the FDI cap for these operators will be similar to that of telecom companies, which is fixed at 74%. Market surveys have shown that between 25-50% of mobile users in India are unhappy with their operator, and are willing to switch to another service provider if allowed to retain their number. The introduction of MNP will result in a significant churn in the telecom market and is likely to impact well-entrenched bigger players the most. The move will benefit new entrants such as Datacom and Unitech. Besides, CDMA majors such as Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications, who are launching GSM services, also stand to benefit. While telcos say that MNP may not impact their subscriber base as the number of exits will be balanced by the addition of new users, the introduction of this facility may hit their bottom lines as operators will be forced to increase the costs of retaining one’s subscribers.

MTNL, BSNL jump 3G queue Business Standard, New Delhi August 2, 2008, 0:26 IST State-owned telcos to launch services in 6 months. Indian consumers will have their tryst with 3G telecom services in the next six months, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announcing that it is issuing state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) spectrum to roll out all-India services. 3G or third generation services offer consumers internet access at speeds that are at least 30 times faster than 2G. The move will give the state-owned corporations a four-to five-month head-start in the 3G space over private sector rivals. The government, which announced the broad guidelines of the 3G policy today, said details of the auctioning of spectrum — radio frequencies that enable wireless communications — and the number of players allowed in each circle will be finalised within four months. The state-owned corporations, for which spectrum has already been reserved, will have to match the highest bid after the auction for private companies is completed. Announcing the new 3G initiative, Communications Minister A Raja said: “We expect to earn Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 crore through this 3G auction.” BSNL Chairman Kuldeep Goyal added: “We will roll out an all-India 3G network in six months starting from the north and east.” The company has placed orders for equipment and said 25 per cent of the 40 million-line GSM order is for 3G services. Industry experts predict 45-70 million 3G customers by 2012, roughly 10 per cent of the mobile customer base. New players that win bids will, however, have to pay additional cash (Rs 1,650 crore for an all-India 3G licence) for mandatorily taking a universal access service licence (UASL) also. The industry is divided on today’s announcement. "The government’s plans to allocate additional spectrum should ensure the fullest possible breadth of competition in 3G services," said T V Ramachandran, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India, which represents GSM mobile operators. “This will surely push our valuations up since new players who win bids for 3G, will have to tie up with us for 2G,” said Mahendra Nahata, a shareholder in all-India licence-holder Datacom Solutions. But new players interested in entering the country (AT&T, Sprint and some West Asian telcos) said the guidelines will make it unviable for them until they also get 2G spectrum simultaneously. “You can’t sustain a business in which 10 players are fighting for only 70 million 3G customers. You need a mass consumer base of 2G subscribers to survive, so getting 2G spectrum with 3G is essential,” said a senior executive of a telco with plans to enter India. Although new players have to pay more for a UASL, there is no guarantee that they will get the 4.4 MHz start-up 2G spectrum that comes bundled with the licence because such spectrum is in short supply. Also, a new player would need $3 billion to $3.5 billion to roll out a 3G network from scratch. A 2G incumbent can roll out 3G operations for half the cost, giving it a huge competitive advantage.

Handset, service costs key to 3G success in India 2 Aug, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET Bureau MUMBAI: 3G or third-generation services are set to change the dynamics of the Indian telecom sector. While consumers will finally get to download movies on mobiles and make video calls, there’s a lot more they will be able to do if handset makers offer affordable mobiles. The success of 3G will depend on pricing. The entry barriers will be handset prices, availability of content and cost of services. “Unless you have a lot of content for users, 3G will not take off,” Ernst & Young India’s telecommunications leader Prashant Singhal told ET . Put simply, 3G is enhanced data application along with multimedia. It allows high-speed internet surfing, faster movie and music downloads, video streaming and video calls on handsets. 3G has been highly successful only in Japan and Korea, which are data-oriented markets. Gaming is popular in these countries and has been a key driver of 3G services. In India, value-added services contribute 7-8% to operators’ revenues, which largely comes from SMS. Content revenues are not more than 2-3% and this is due to high pricing as well as inadequate variety of content. Also, the high cost of getting 3G spectrum may be passed on to consumers. “The problem with the auctioning mode is that bids may be too high. In the past, auctioning has gone beserk in other countries and the cost is passed on to consumers. This will make services unaffordable to users,” said KPMG executive director (telecom) Romal Shetty. Further, 3G is going to work well only in metros and tier-I cities. There will be higher margins from few users and lower from the most, he added. Mr Singhal agreed that the reserve price of Rs 2,020 crore for pan-India spectrum is too high. “Operators will not be ballistic in bidding for 3G. We may see 3-4 big companies bidding and new operators are unlikely to participate. Too high bids may lead to huge interest costs, leaving little focus on content development,” Mr Singhal added. While operators will upgrade their networks to 3G, it will be left to users to opt for services. Those who want to go in for services will need 3G-compatible handsets, which are being offered by all major vendors. In India, the prices range from Rs 8,000 to Rs 62,000, but their features vary. A major plus of the 3G guidelines is that they compare favourably with similar policies in other countries. “DoT’s policy of bringing in 3G services in internationally harmonised bands will lead to economies of scale in equipment manufacturing, competitive market for equipment procurement and increased spectrum efficiency,” said Accendia Consulting’s Alok Shende.

BSNL board clears $10-b IPO plan 2 Aug, 2008, 0003 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: The BSNL board has cleared the company’s proposed $10-billion listing, a top Department of Telcom (DoT) official told ET on Friday. This will bring the company in direct conflict with its employee unions, which have threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the PSU goes ahead with the IPO. When contacted, a top BSNL executive said: “The BSNL board has recommended the IPO and asked the government to facilitate the listing of the company.” The executive also added that the company has already begun the process of appointing merchant bankers. On July 24, ET had reported that the government had initiated steps to put state-owned telecom major BSNL’s proposed $10-billion listing back on track. The report also said the finance ministry had asked BSNL to start preparing for the country’s largest-ever listing. The unions are against the BSNL management’s contention that listing is necessary for expansion and grant of navaratna status. “It is also decided that if the government moves with the IPO proposal, the entire BSNL workforce of three lakh will get into direct action, including indefinite strike. Other PSUs, including HAL, have been granted navaratna status without listing. As such, the arguments put forth for IPO in BSNL are a ploy to disinvest BSNL and gradually privatise it like Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL),” the employee unions of the PSU said in a statement late Thursday night. Faced with opposition from its unions and the Left parties, the government had shelved BSNL’s IPO twice. The DoT official said the government would try and bridge “differences between the BSNL management and its employee unions, to ensure that talks between the two sides continue and all outstanding issues are addressed”. BSNL sources also added that the PSU was planning to offer ESOPs and other packages to employees to win their support for the IPO. It also plans to deploy a portion of the proceeds for a new pension package and for training and redeployment of its employees. If BSNL does manage to raise Rs 40,000 crore by selling a 10% stake, the telco would be valued at Rs 4,00,000 crore (around $100 billion). This will catapult BSNL into the league of top telcos in the world in terms of market cap. Incidentally, the market valuation of Bharti Airtel is just around $37 billion.

^^^ My dear freind, whats their to try, you had bluntly told that the above is happening for you instantly. Then where is the matter to try. Just pick up the camera and record the same. Thats it. If you provide enough proofs for the same then I confirm, that I will send a media team at your place who will cover the whole story and telecast the same on the prominent channel. But for this you have to produce enough GENUINE proofs. Otherwise no member at Rimweb will ever believe your words. Regards.

^^^ @Asit My dear friend, although the CC guys try not to transfer the call to their team leaders / supervisors, but if any customer still insist to talk to the supervisor then they have to transfer the call. And the call transfered is to the team leader / supervisor only and not the colleagues. As all calls are been recorded at their end, so if they try to misguide any customer then they will be sacked on the spot. In actual terms the call goes to FLOOR SUPERVISOR. Regards.

GSM operators hail 3G policy 1 Aug, 2008, 2033 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: GSM industry on F hailed the 3G mobile telephony guidelines announced by the government saying the move will boost mobile broadband in the country. The world-wide association of GSM operators (GSMA) and lobby of domestic players COAI in a joint statement said, "The Indian government's 3G policy is a fair and transparent way of allocating additional spectrum among the service providers." Further, the automatic extension of the existing 2G licences would ensure continuity and stability of services, the associations added. A leading telecom vendor Ericsson termed the 3G policy a next step in the telecom revolution. "This will help bridge the urban-rural digital divide and lead to penetration of broadband services in the country," P Balaji, Vice President (Marketing and Strategy), Ericsson India, said. CDMA operators' association AUSPI, however, said they were still studying the guidelines. But the CDMA Development Group, a CDMA user group, welcomed the policy and said DoT's decision to open globally harmonised band in 450 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz is good for the industry. Industry body FICCI said the 3G policy would attract huge investments in the country to the tune of 8-10 billion dollars over the next two to three years. "The 3G guidelines would allow an open global and transparent auction process consistent with best global practices," FICCI President Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a statement. CDMA technology innovator Qualcom said the 3G policy will benefit the entire wireless communication eco-system.

Govt announces new 3G norms; BSNL, MTNL benefit Updated at Fri, Aug 01 at 19:37 Source : CNBC-TV18 The government has announced the 3G spectrum guidelines. Telecom Minister, A Raja said the government would invite global bids for the 3G spectrum. Five operators will be allotted the 3G spectrum as of now and five more operators are expected to be allotted the spectrum on a later date. He added that BSNL, MTNL would be allotted one slot of the 3G spectrum today. Currently 60 Mhz of the 3G spectrum is available. Raja said that three slots of the 3G spectrum would be allotted to CDMA players. He added that only two or three operators would get the 3G spectrum in Mumbai and Delhi. He said that the reserve price for Pan India 3G Auctions would be Rs 2,020 crore. A Raja said that the rollout obligation of the 3G would be the same as that of the 2G spectrum. He further said that the 3G-spectrum fee is to be 1% of the adjusted gross revenue from the second year and there would be no annual spectrum fee for the 3G auction in the first year. Raja expects the auctions to be completed in two months. Raja said the bid winner could get 20 Mhz of spectrum for broadband. He said the auction crosses would be conducted by a specialised agency. He also said that the the ministry would implement the mobile number portability by mid 2009. Kuldeep Goyal, CMD, BSNL said that his company would be rolling out 3G services within six months. The prices could be higher than the base price that the government announced, he said. Goyal said that MTNL would operate in Delhi and Mumbai and BSNL in rest of India. He estimates a good market for 3G services. Goyal said that ITI has presented a merger proposal with BSNL, which the BSNL employees have opposed. Bharti said it is ready to launch 3G services as soon as the company gets spectrum. COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) said it welcomes the 3G guidelines. However, it fears over bidding in Delhi Metro Circles. Sanjay Chawla, JPMorgan said that the base prices have increased compared to what the TRAI suggested. He added that the risk of high price is to be paid by the telecom companies. He expect the bid price to be very significant and said it could hurt MTNL. Excerpts from CNBC-TV18's exclusive interview : Q: What does it strike you as? Who are the winners and losers now? A: We are still waiting for the fine print and the detailed guidelines from the DoT. Based on what the Minister has said, it is pretty much in line with what we had been anticipating, based on the press reports. The base price has increased as compared to what the TRAI had suggested. It is a pretty hefty price at over Rs 2000 crore. Since most of the potential is in the metro circle and the ‘A’ circles, it is very likely that the ultimate bid price for these circles could shoot through the roof and that is a risk. The premium that operators would eventually end up paying for circles like Mumbai and Delhi over the base price could be pretty significant, whereas for the remaining circles the premium over the base price may not be that significant. Given the fact that one slot is already going to be allotted to MTNL and BSNL and that in Mumbai and Delhi there might be just one or two additional slots, I expect the bid price to be pretty significant. In that scenario, it is going to hurt MTNL because they may be required to pay the same price for the 3G license and the spectrum. Q: Do you expect it to hurt even the other players like Bharti, and Idea who would be seriously bidding for it? A: Yes. But ultimately to some extent a high bid price from a Bharti or a Vodafone can be justified because they have that kind of a customer base. But for a complete newcomer they may get deterred looking at the aggressive bidding and the prospects of bidding in the market. Q: Just a quick word on R Com, I believe you would be one of the analysts who has got a negative view after the kind of results that came out. Assuming that they bid on a very high frame from hereon for the Mumbai and Delhi circles, since in the concall they said that they want CDMA in both these circles. How negative could it turn out for R Com from what it already is? A: I would not specifically point out this issue for R Com. The government has raised the base price and have opened the door to completely new entrants, the cost of just the spectrum acquisition could be pretty significant. In this environment, investors are just going to write off any original capex. For example; if Bharti ends up paying say USD 600-700 million for pan India 3G spectrum and they may incur additional overall network cost of USD 500 million initially. Investors may just want to write off USD 1 billion initially.

We will match 3G bid at any price: MTNL Updated on Aug 01 at 17:57 Source : CNBC-TV18 In the government's announcement of the 3G spectrum guidelines, Telecom Minister, A Raja said the government would invite global bids for the 3G spectrum. Five operators will be allotted the 3G spectrum as of now and five more operators are expected to be allotted the spectrum on a later date. He added that BSNL, MTNL would be allotted one slot of the 3G spectrum today. RSP Sinha, CMD of MTNL or Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, said they will be able to launch 3G in in Delhi within next three to four months, but Mumbai may take a little longer. Sinha said during the auction process they will match the bid whatever be the price. Excerpts from CNBC-TV18's exclusive interview with RSP Sinha: Q: How would you react to it? How much time do you think it will take to roll out the 3G services? A: We have got the first fair treatment vis-à-vis other operators in GSM play, because we were the third to get the license. They had already launched their operations. As far as 3G is concerned, in Delhi we will be able to launch within next three to four months, Mumbai may be taking a little longer time because in Delhi we have already got our four equipments, now we only have to take some notes to fully start the services. Q: The private GSM operators are likely to get it in three months because the government says that the entire auction process will take at least two to three months, so you will have a significant head start over your competition in Delhi and Mumbai? A: We started our GSM service after six to seven years after they had done. So this is no time to compare these three months with six years. I do know that as a government company, we have to follow certain procedures. So that will take a longer time because for them they can order across the board, but we cannot. Q: As far as bidding is concerned, you will have to match whatever is the highest bid given the fact there are only two stocks available for Delhi and Mumbai; do you fear that this is likely to be very aggressive bidding because among the private players you will have to end up matching a bid that could be very unbuyable? A: That is not an issue, we are going to match it whatever be the price. Our 3G is really going to be in great demand because of the data capability and other things. Therefore we do not want to miss the bus again like before. Q: In your assessment, what will be the price? The government has come out as a result price of Rs 2020 crore? A: This is very difficult value; very aggressive pricing will be taking place especially in metros. So it is difficult to predict, but I am comfortable whatever price is finalised, we will be doing it. Q: One word on the merger with BSNL - no word from the government yet, but the BSNL CMD said that they are looking at an option of hitting the market with an IPO. Post an IPO, I guess the merger would be feasible. Originally MTNL has reservations to a merger with BSNL. Do those reservations still remain? A: We have no reservations because it was not a listed company; our shareholders should not suffer due to the merger and I am sure whatever step the owners of both companies will take, they will keep in mind the interest of American Depository Receipt (ADR) and Global Depository Receipt (GDR) holders or the people who are the shareholders of MTNL.

^^^ My dear friends, actually MNP will initially be started in four Metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kokata & Chennai). And within next 6 to 12 months it will be rolled out throughout the country. Atlast we can hope for the best, as many of the subscribers are not satisfied with their respective operators, so now atleast they will have to change the operator without changing their mobile number. I think this will bring now more competition for reduced tariff rates. Regards.

MY choice is the default skin. The default skin is really cool. Regards.

^^^ Yes my dear Techack, as of now, call conference is not allowed on Reliance Prepaid. Only postpaid subscribers have this facility. Regards.

Govt allows mobile number portability; to start in 2 months 1 Aug, 2008, 1553 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Mobile users unhappy with their current service providers will soon have the option of switching operators without changing numbers, thanks to the government announcing guidelines for the same. Telecom Minister A Raja on Friday said MNP would first start in the four metros in next two months and subsequently roll out in rest of the country over the next 6-12 months. As per the guidelines, the whole country will be divided into two MNP zones consisting of 11 service areas with two metros in each zone. The MNP service provider and the mobile operators would not be allowed to have equity (direct or indirect) stake in each other's operations. "No single company/legal person/the MNP License applicant or MNP Licensee company either directly or indirectly will have any equity, in any of the telecom service provider (basic service, UAS, Cellular Mobile, NLD or ILD) and vice-versa," Raja said. Government would distribute the licenses for MNP soon and the eligible applicant should have an experience of operating successfully, number portability solution for a mobile subscriber base of not less than 25 million in one or more countries for at least two years. According to guidelines, the applicant company shall have a minimum paid up capital of Rs 10 crore on the date of application and a networth of Rs 100 crore.

My dear friends, it is not advisable to believe in this at all until and unless it is presented with enough proofs. Regards.

^^^ @Techack My dear friend, just search the forum for Call Conferencing and you will get the solution for the same. Regards.

Videocon to start DTH operations by September 1 Aug, 2008, 1122 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: Videocon Industries expects to start its direct-to-home television services by September, Chairman Venugopal Dhoot said on Friday. The company also plans to raise the prices of some of its consumer durables marginally, he said. However, the price rise will not affect demand, he added. About 70 percent of consumer durables are bought in cash and 30 percent through finance, he told reporters on the sidelines of a banking conference. "Interest rate rise will not affect demand, but rise in input costs are a concern," he added.

Govt releases guidelines for 3G service, MNP 1 Aug, 2008, 1245 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The government today set the ball rolling for introduction of next generation (3G) mobile services, as also mobile number portability that would allow users to switch operators while retaining existing numbers. The new guidelines for 3G spectrum, released today, provides for a reserve price for availing of radio frequency. The price for a 2x5 Mhz block of spectrum for Mumbai and Delhi and category-A shall be Rs 160 crore and for Kolkata and category-B Rs 80 crore and for category-C Rs 30 crore. Government has also decided to allow up to 10 players in the 3G space, including eligible foreign players. The guidelines for Mobile Number Portability, also released by the government today, proposes dividing the country into two zones for implementing the scheme that is prevalent in most mature telecom markets. The 3G spectrum will be auctioned in 450 mhz band, 800 mhz and 1,900 mhz and the guidelines exempt operators from paying any annual fee in the first year of operations. Operators, however, shall be liable to pay an annual spectrum charge of one per cent of AGR after a period of one year. All those who hold a Unified Access Service Licence or those who are otherwise eligible for obtaining UASL as per DoT guidelines of December 14, 2005 would be eligible to apply for 3G radio waves. As per the guidelines, "the applicant company shall have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs 10 crore on the date of application. Foreign equity shall be subject to extent guidelines and regulation. However, equity of foreign partner in the company shall not be less than 26 per cent." On MNP front, the guidelines said a one time non- refundable entry fee of Rs one crore is required to be paid for securing the service license. "No single company/legal persons/MNP license applicant or MNP licensee company, either directly or indirectly, will have any equity in any of the telecom service provider and vice-versa," the guidelines said.

Panel formed to issue guidelines for e-auction of 3G spectrum 1 Aug, 2008, 0306 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: A day ahead of unveiling the policy for third generation (3G) services, the Department of Telecom (DoT) on Thursday constituted a high-level committee headed by its member (finance) to frame guidelines for the e-auction of these radio frequencies. While the communications & IT minister will spell out the 3G policy on Friday, these guidelines will be limited to specifying the reserve price, the eligibility criteria, revenue-share and rollout obligations of successful bidders. The policy will also state that a ‘simultaneous ascending e-auction’ will be conducted on a circle-wise basis, but it is this committee that will spell out the finer details of how exactly the auction will be conducted, sources close to the development told ET . The broad guidelines for the e-auction have already been finalised. The auctions will begin at the reserve price, which has been fixed at Rs 160 crore for Mumbai, Delhi and Category A circles, Rs 80 crore for Chennai, Kolkata and Category B circles, and Rs 30 crore for Category C circles. A slot of 3G spectrum will be reserved for state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL, at a price equal to that of the highest bidder. International communication majors and new entrants will also be allowed to participate, but these players will have to pay an entry fee of Rs 1,651 crore (the cost of a telecom licence) over and above the auction price. The e-auction will be conducted separately for each circle—this is because the reserve price is different across circles and the availability of 3G spectrum is uneven across the country. Here’s how the ‘controlled ascending’ auction, which will be conducted online, works: If only four operators are to be chosen for Delhi, all players will first place their bids. If more than four players place bids above the base price, the auction will continue after eliminating the lowest bidder and the second-lowest bid will be the base price for the next round. At the same time, the amount of the second-lowest bid and the highest bid will also be made public. In the next round, bidders can increase their bids or keep them at their older value. The process will continue till four operators emerge as winners. Finally, all four players will have to pay the same spectrum charge as the highest bidder. This method was first developed for the US Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) spectrum auctions in 1994. The top bidders are called in the decreasing order of their bids to choose which block of spectrum they wish to be allotted. In case of a tie, the operator with the higher subscriber base will be given preference, but, if the subscriber base too is tied, then the operator with higher revenues will be selected. In the case of a tie between an existing player and a new entrant, the former will be preferred. In the case of a tie between the new entrants, the player with the higher net worth will be selected.

Nokia Knocks Off BlackBerry Connect RIM's BlackBerry Connect e-mail system has long worked in tandem with smartphones from various other manufacturers, including Nokia. But starting with the upcoming E71 and E66 smartphones, Nokia is planning to offer the option of connecting to other e-mail services. Simon Ainslie, Nokia's UK managing director, in an interview with Mobile magazine said, "RIM is a competitor and has done a reasonable job in a space that is traditionally ours, so it's no great surprise that we see this as an opportunity to give consumers a proper choice on what e-mail solutions they want." Furthermore, he elaborated, "Our approach is to make e-mail a mass-market proposition for everybody, not just for the corporate boardroom group of individuals where BlackBerry has established itself." The recently launched Nokia E71 is the latest smartphone to lack the BlackBerry Connect feature - leaving owners to rely on Nokia Email service which is still in beta. Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ I think now its available at Rs.7050/-, but I'm not sure about the same. Regards.

Sony Ericsson launches first 'radio' mobile phone 31 Jul, 2008, 2040 hrs IST, ET HYDERABAD: Sony Ericsson on Thursday launched its first made in India mobile phone R300 radio phone. The phone targets the entry level customers in small town. The handset comes with a unique radio-inspired design with volume boosters for clarity of sound Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications General Manager Sudhin Mathur told media persons. Alongwith the FM frequency channels the phone also comes with AM frequencies, a first for radio phones in India. This is Sony Ericsson's attempt to address the needs of its customers in tier 2 markets, Mathur said. R300 Radio is priced at Rs 4,395 he said. "We are witnessing unprecedented growth in smaller towns and cities and plan to increase our geographic presence in such places with the launch of the Radio phone R300. "The growing popularity of the radio in the tier-two and tier-three cities has created a tremendous opportunity for penetrating such markets and we are confident that our new offering will be well received by our customers", Mathur said. Further strengthening their position in Radio category handsets, the company will launch R306 model with 1.3 mega pixed camera priced at Rs 6,000, Mathur said.

^^^ @Akshat My dear friend, I think that the above feature will be available in their next upcoming model in the same series. The upcoming model number is R306 with 1.3 mega pixed camera and is priced at Rs 6,000/-. Regards.