Honest

Maxis, Siva take Aircel dispute to arbitrators 18 Jul, 2008, 0117 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: Malaysian telecom operator Maxis Communications and serial entrepreneur C Sivasankaran are going in for arbitration over Indian telco Aircel, which the Chennai industrialist had sold to Maxis in January 2006 at an enterprise value of $1.08 billion. The Sivasankaran camp has alleged that Maxis is exploring stake sale in Aircel in violation of share purchase agreement by Maxis. The development will all but end US major AT&T’s hopes of buying into Aircel to get a toehold in the red-hot Indian mobile phone market as the Sivasankaran camp contents that Maxis is entertaining AT&T in violation of a three-year lock-in period as per the agreement. The arbitration will take place in Singapore, a venue mutually agreed to go to in case of any legal dispute when Mr Sivasankaran sold Aircel stake to Maxis in January 2006, sources said. “Arbitration proceedings are expected to begin in the next four to five weeks. Both the sides will appoint their arbitrators, who will, in turn appoint the third arbitrator. The three-member panel will resolve the matter,” a source said. Mr Sivasankaran could not be reached for comment while Maxis CEO Sandip Das did not return calls made on his mobile. Last week, Maxis had given an undertaking before Justice Chitra Venkataraman of the Madras High Court that it will not sell stake to any party across the globe. This was done after a petition was filed by Siva Ventures, the original shareholders of Aircel, seeking to restrain Maxis from selling equity in Aircel to any third party. The cumulative effect of initiation of arbitration and the undertaking given to the Madras High Court is that Maxis will not be able to sell stake in Aircel in the foreseeable future. In April this year, USA’s AT&T approached Maxis for a possible stake purchase in Aircel, which has 12 million subscribers across 10 circles in India with around 4% market share. The Malaysian telecom giant was learnt to be negotiating sale. “There was a lock-in period for Maxis, which it has not adhered to by entertaining talks for sale within three years of buying the equity. This is a violation of the agreement,” a Siva Ventures insider said. Sources also said Mr Sivasankaran could be having the right of first refusal in case of sale by Maxis. However, since contents of the agreement could not be independently verified by ET, it is not known if these are the issues behind invoking the arbitration clause. Aircel is the latest in the list of telecom companies locked in arbitration. While BPL Mobile (offering services in Mumbai) is the bone of contention between Vodafone and joint venture partners Ruias of the Essar Group, the Birlas and Tatas are in arbitration over Idea Cellular. Arbitration is a technique for dispute resolution outside the courts, wherein the parties refer it to one or more persons (the arbitrators) by whose decision they agree to be bound. Maxis has an overall equity interest of 74% in Aircel. While it holds 65% stake directly, its joint venture company with the Reddy family of Apollo Group holds the remaining 35%, giving Maxis an overall equity interest of 74%. While Maxis is offering services in 10 circles, it has also received start-up spectrum in the rest of the circles and hopes to be a pan-India player by the end of this year. Aircel, which has invested $2 billion in operations till now, has 6,000 base stations and aims to double revenues to join the $1-billion club this year.

^^^ My dear friends, actually we are expecting much lower rates from MTNL then what is offered by private telecom operators. As MTNL and BSNL always been on the cheapest side in matter of call rates. Anyways, something is better then nothing. Regards.

Take back excess spectrum or price them properly: AUSPI 17 Jul, 2008, 2125 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : CDMA operators on Thursday approached sectoral tribunal TDSAT, saying the spectrum held by the GSM players beyond the contracted limit should be priced appropriately. According to sources, CDMA operators association AUSPI has said that the spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz should be taken back or the government should charge appropriate price for the excess radio frequency. The Department of Telecom is considering various models as part of one-time settlement to regularize the excess spectrum allotted to GSM operators by levying a fixed charge and also increasing the annual fee as percentage of gross revenue. On other hand, GSM players on Thursday charged CDMA operators with hoarding of the spectrum under the dual technology licences. "The charge of hoarding spectrum can actually be applied in respect of some dual spectrum allocations, where the recipient got 4.4 MHz spectrum on virtually all-India basis, in a selective and preferential manner," GSM players association COAI has said.

^^^ @Traghu My dear friend, just click the link in that thread. The link will take you to another site. Their you will get the option to download. First save the file on your PC and then copy it to your mobile. Then enjoy viewing. Regards.

^^^ It seems a great news from MTNL my dear friends. But in which circles did this launched ? Is it launched for Delhi circle or Mumbai cirle, or for both the circles. Unlimited download / upload is the best part of this offer. Regards.

^^^ @H1ghlander My dear friend, the above handset is GSM. Regards.

COAI seeks PM support to guard excess spectrum to GSM players 17 Jul, 2008, 2001 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : Fighting to retain excess spectrum, the GSM operators on Thursday counter attacked saying rival CDMA operators are hoarding the scarce radio frequency under the dual technology licences. Seeking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's support, GSM players association COAI said, "The charge of hoarding spectrum can actually be applied in respect of some dual spectrum allocations, where the recipient got 4.4 MHz spectrum on virtually all-India basis, in a selective and preferential manner." In a veiled attack on Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices, the two dominant CDMA players, COAI said many of the start-up players were denied spectrum because of allocation of radio frequency for dual technology. The government is in the process to offer one-time settlement to GSM players holding spectrum (radio frequency) beyond the contracted limit of 6.2 MHz and may impose a fixed charge as well as increase annual fee as percentage of gross revenue. COAI said that the contention that spectrum is being "hoarded" by them is completely baseless, mischievous and misplaced. Hoarding implies that the product is bought and not used but kept aside for subsequent sale at a profit, neither of which is applicable in the present instance. Additional spectrum is given only after fully justifying the requirement for the same, so the question of it not being used does not arise, COAI Director General T V Ramachandran said in the letter to the Prime Minister.

No plan to review M&A norms in telecom: DoT 17 Jul, 2008, 1850 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: The new telecom operators, which are yet to start services, are free to sell majority stake in their companies as the government on Wednesday said there was no plan to review the merger and acquisition norms announced in April this year. "Currently no exercise is on to review the existing M&A norms," Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura said, adding the companies even do not have to come to DoT for acquiring or selling stake up to permissible limit. It is only in case of merger of two licenses, like in case of merger of Idea Cellular and Spice Communication in Punjab, a prior approval of DoT is required, he said. Idea Cellular had recently bought over B K Modi-owned Spice Communications which had operations in Punjab and Karnataka. Asked whether DoT would consider amending some of the norms like three-year lock-in-period for merger at later stage, Behura said "that stage has not come as yet". Most of new telecom operators have been talking to foreign as well as Indian companies to rope them as partners to ensure timely setting up of network and start services by first quarter of next year. Videocon promoted Datacom, real estate major Unitech and other new players are in talks with foreign telecom service providers to sell up to 74 per cent stake to mop up funds to set up infrastructure. The new operators have paid Rs 1,651 crore for acquiring start-up spectrum for pan-India presence and they are allowed to sell up to 74 per cent stake (as per the FDI norms) in their ventures, DoT officials said, adding that no prior approval was required for such transactions.

Samsung to launch new brand campaign with Aamir Press Trust of India / New Delhi July 17, 2008, 18:35 IST Mobile handset manufacturer Samsung Telecommunications would launch the sequel to its advertisement featuring actor Aamir Khan this week-end. The new television commercial exhibits Samsung's philosophy of constantly pushing the limits of technology which goes in hand with the actor's philosophy of life. This would be the second campaign that the company is releasing with Aamir, following the Samsung Beat 450 Music Phone, which is still on air. Conceptualised by Cheil Communications and produced in collaboration with Ravi Udyawar Films.

RIL kicks off arbitration against RCom, sent 4th letter threatening action over MTN Press Trust of India / New Delhi July 17, 2008, 18:31 IST Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries today started arbitration process against RCom and nominated Justice B P Jeevan Reddy as arbitrator for disputes with younger brother Anil's group firm, which is talking to South African telecom giant MTN for a merger deal. In a statement, that almost coincided with RCom's charge that RIL issued a fourth letter threatening legal action on MTN discussions, the Mukesh group's flagship company said, "RCom has refused to participate in the conciliation meetings under the alternate dispute resolutions provisions contained in the Non-Competition Agreement. "RIL has commenced arbitration proceedings by nominating Justice B P Jeevan Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court of India as an arbitrator for the resolution of the disputes." RCom spokesperson, on the other hand, said that "RIL's notice for arbitration proceedings is legally and factually unwarranted".

And here is another song on Mausam, my dear friends. Mausam Mausam, Lovely Mausam ! Kasak Anjaani, Hai Madham Madham ! Chalo Ghul Jaayein, Mausam Mein Hum ! Mausam Mausam, Lovely Mausam !! Mausam_Mausam_Lovely_Mausam.mp3

My dear friends, here is the most popular song by Bappi Lahiri. Mausam Hai, Gaaney Ka, Gaaney Ka, Bajaane Ka ! Sun-ney Ka, Suna-ney Ka, Hasne Ka, Hasaaney Ka ! Raaton Ko Jagaaney Ka, Naino Mein Samaaney Ka ! Ye Jiwan, Ye Duniya, Sapna Hai, Deewaane Ka !! Mausam_Hai_Gaaney_Ka.mp3

^^^ @Loving17 My dear friend, its not possible to send you the full song. As this is against the forum rules. And the above song is from the movie "Dard". Regards.

^^^ @Sunil My dear friend, it seems that their is a problem with the battery of your handset. Take your handset to the nearest Nokia Care Centre and check if the battery is faulty. Regards.

Spice Launches Dual SIM Phone Spice Mobile has launched the D-1100, a dual SIM handset (GSM/GSM) that offers users the ease of being accessible on two different numbers. Spice Mobile claims that unlike other dual SIM phones available on the market, the D-1100 has two live SIMs working at the same time. The company prefers to call the D-1100 a PDA; the device runs the latest Windows Mobile 6.0 operating system providing users with access to email and business applications including ngpay, a premium m-commerce service. The D-1100 comes with a 2 mega pixels camera, stereo Bluetooth, Windows Media Player, expandable memory up to 2GB, and Google Search. Also, a touch panel, an integrated stylus, and alpha-numeric keypad -- all for a MRP of Rs 16,999. Courtesy : Techtree

Telecom majors may see 28% rise in profit Mumbai, July 16 Riding strong net additions in subscribers, the domestic telephony service providers are expected to report an average growth of 28 per cent in net profit for the first quarter ended June 30, 2008. The top three listed mobile operators in the country — Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications (RCom) are likely to post an average revenue growth of 39 per cent, according to reports from leading brokerage firms. This is because the industry is expected to add over 25 million subscribers in the previous quarter, thereby, taking the wireless subscriber base to 276 million, Mr Himanshu Shah, analyst with Religare Securities, said in a recently released report. Capex spend The momentum in subscriber additions continues to be strong primarily driven by better coverage and fierce competition on the tariff front. However, the profit growth on a sequential basis is expected to be flat because of higher interest and depreciation costs towards capex funding. The sector is undergoing a capex-intensive cycle with launches in new circles and expansion in the existing circles, each player trying to grab market share ahead of launch of services by the new players, Mr Shah said in the report. While RCom has committed Rs 24,000 crore as capital investment for the fiscal ending March 2009, Idea Cellular will spend about Rs 10,000 crore. According to a research report from Motilal Oswal Securities (MOSL), margins from the wireless business for the quarter would be impacted negatively due to discontinuation of the two per cent waiver on licence fee that was available to incumbent GSM operators (the first two operators in each circle) till the previous fiscal. ARPU from wireless operations, which currently are the lowest in the world, are expected to decline by about 3-4 per cent on a quarter on quarter basis, according to the MOSL report. In April, ARPU for the GSM segment stood at Rs 264, while that for the CDMA sector stood at Rs 159. Revenue growth Analysts expect that revenue growth will be the highest at Idea Cellular, which is expected to grow 43 per cent (the company would be growing from a smaller base than the top players, of course) on a year ago basis, followed by Bharti at 41 per cent and Reliance Communications at 32 per cent. “As is the case for Bharti and RCom also, we expect the strong growth (of Idea Cellular) to be driven chiefly by continuing scale benefits and operating leverage,” Mr Harit Shah, Telecom Analyst for Angel Broking, said. However, some analysts feel that the rupee’s steep depreciation in the first quarter could drag those companies, such as Idea Cellular and Bharti Airtel that have foreign currency loans on their books.

^^^ My dear friends, actually Vodafone, the biggest looter has now proved that indeed they are the best Copycats. Infact, BSNL and MTNL seems to be the best, as they do not copy others. Regards.

Hutchison informs SEC of likely tax liability 17 Jul, 2008, 0134 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: Hutchison Telecommunications International has admitted in a document submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that there could be a tax liability on it in India on account of its $11-bn sale of telecom company Hutch-Essar to Vodafone. The document submitted to SEC says that if the company pays the tax, it will have an adverse impact on its financial health. It has also stated that the company did not believe that either it or Vodafone is liable to pay tax in India. Vodafone faces a tax demand in India, amounting to about $2 bn, in the wake of $11-bn acquisition of Hutch-Essar from Hutchison International. Vodafone has already dragged the income tax department to the Bombay High Court claiming that the Indian tax authorities have no locus standi on a transaction that took place between two parties outside India. The I-T department took a totally different view, claiming that since the profit had been generated in India, proportionate capital gains tax is payable in India. The tax authorities sent notice to Vodafone, claiming that the company should have withheld taxes before making payment to Hutchison. While the matter was being hotly debated in the high court, the Indian government brought in an amendment to the relevant provisions in the income-tax laws, to the effect that if the seller of the shares did not pay tax in India, the buyer is bound to pay the same. The Bombay High Court last week completed the hearing of the case. The verdict is going to be out in a couple of months. The document filed before the SEC says, "We may have financial exposure as a result of warranty or indemnity obligations assumed in connection with the sale of CGP Investments Holdings (an associate company). We may be subject to claims or have to make payments as a result of warranty or indemnity obligations assumed in connection with the sale of interests relating to CGP to Vodafone... Furthermore, Indian tax authorities may consider the gain arising from this sale to be taxable in India. Indian tax authorities have initiated an attempt to investigate certain aspects of such sale, focusing on whether Vodafone should have withheld tax from the acquisitions proceeds. Vodafone has taken court action in India to quash such attempt." The company further said: "We believe that the sale is not taxable in India and therefore, neither is any Indian tax payable by us nor was Vodafone required to withhold any Indian tax. Accordingly, we have not provided for any claims or Indian tax liabilities in connection with the sale. However, we cannot assure you what the final outcome will be. If we eventually make any such payments or suffer any Indian tax on this sale, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial position."

DoT defers decision on spectrum fee 17 Jul, 2008, 0123 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has deferred its plan to finalise the one-time additional spectrum charge for GSM operators holding spectrum beyond the 6.2 MHz limit. The Telecom Commission (TC), DoT’s apex body, was to take a call on the quantum of this fee in its meeting on Friday. However, DoT has withdrawn this issue from the agenda. Sources attribute this to DoT being confronted with too many different models to calculate the fee, the muddling of matters with Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh’s letter to the PM’s Office suggesting two other models and sector regulator Trai’s objections. DoT had planned to impose a one-time fee of Rs 267.4 crore/MHz of spectrum held by GSM players over the 6.2-MHz limit. It arrived at this figure by dividing the Rs 1,651-crore entry fee by 6.2. But, this model differs from that of Trai, which recommended a one-time fee of Rs 3-16 crore per MHz but only for operators with spectrum over 10 MHz. Trai had also recommended an increase in the revenue share paid by operators. On the other hand, the finance ministry has written to DoT asking that all players be charged a one-time fee of Rs 1,312 crore for every extra MHz of radio frequency allotted to them. The ministry wants this fee to be applicable to new players as well. If implemented, all new entrants, who have paid Rs 1,651 crore entry fee that guarantees them 4.4 MHz of GSM spectrum, will now have to shell an additional Rs 4,121 core. As per this formula, several leading GSM players will have to cough up an additional Rs 3,000 crore as some telcos hold up to 10 MHz of radio frequencies. CDMA players like Reliance Communications as well as Amar Singh have demanded that GSM players be charged Rs 1,312 crore/MHz for "excess" spectrum. While it’s in line with the finmin proposal, there are two key differences. First, CDMA operators want this one-time fee to be charged for spectrum held by GSM players in excess of 4.4 MHz. Secondly, the finmin had wanted all existing and new players to pay the one-time fee, but CDMA operators want this applied only to GSM players.

Android Developers Upset With Google The third-party software developer community for Google's Linux-based Android seems to be very upset with the Internet giant over the absence of public software development kit (SDK) updates. The reason behind this not just the regular lack of update but also lack of transparency. In fact, Nicolas Gramlich, the operator of AndDev.org - an online Android developer forum has gone ahead and filed a petition on Google's official Android discussion platform complaining about the lack of updates, lack of communication and unresolved bugs. "I'm starting this petition, to express my personal frustration about the release cycles and the information policy of the Android SDK. Before m5 we were waiting about 2 months, now we are waiting almost 4 months! Partially the SDK is buggy (i.e.: the MediaPlayer) and features like built-in Geocoding are not working," wrote Gramlich. This petition has received support from various other third-party developers expressing similar frustration and concern over the SDK updates. Just to add to this problem, now there are reports saying that Google is making the new versions of the SDK secretly available to the Android Developer Challenge (ADC) finalists under a non-disclosure agreement. This news was leaked when David McLaughlin, an employee at Google accidentally sent a notification of a new SDK release to a public Android mailing list. The message, which was intended only for ADC Round Two entrants, says that SDK build 84853 is available through the private ADC download site. A detailed report on the same is available on Ars Technica. Amidst this avalanche of unofficial communication comes a defiant note from Jean-Baptiste Queru, an Android engineer at Google. Queru has said, "We (the Google Android team) are very much focusing on playing our part in getting an Android device on the shelves as soon as we possibly can, and that focus comes at the expense of other tasks, like getting an SDK out. Courtesy : Techtree

iPhone 3G Cost Apple Less Than Original! Teardown experts iSuppli has revealed that Apple, like most other manufacturers, has managed to keep the manufacturing costs down with the current iteration of the iPhone. The manufacturing cost is down by as much as $53. In fact, the whole kit (minus the software) costs Apple a measly $174.33. This added with the estimated $50 royalty that Apple shells out for each iPhone, works out to a grand total of $224. How did they manage to keep the costs down in spite of the addition of the 3G and GPS chips? Simple. They chose to stick with the same Samsung processor as before, the circuit board is now a single, durable affair unlike the two tightly connected ones earlier. As for the battery, it is no longer soldered to the device. That's good news for technicians who help you replace your iPhone batteries! That's about the hardware. In terms of compatibility with non-US networks, Apple has included the Infineon chipset that will ensure that the iPhone works in markets like Japan and Korea where the previous iteration would have been incompatible. Considering the unsubsidized cost of about $499 for the 8GB version, Apple is assumed to get almost $300 from AT &T for each customer who purchases the phone at $199. That is a substansial 55% profit margin before accounting for marketing and software!

Nokia Tube Makes its Movie Debut I was never skeptical when I first heard that Nokia decided to compete with Apple and jumped on the i-Killer bandwagon. But the Tube or rather the 5800 XpressMedia is making its mark all over the place. From videos on YouTube showcasing Nokia’s Touch Sensitive UI in ads and new technologies coming up to blockbuster movies the Tube is making the scene. It looks like we could expect it anytime soon. My fingers are crossed. As a bit of a spoiler, which might I add, you’ll get a chance to see a live working model of the Tube in the new Batman movie the Dark Knight and believe you me, though I seriously doubt the handset is capable of what they show, it still looks quite good. Courtesy : Tech2

TRAI okays DoT request to hike spectrum usage charges 2008-07-16 18:19:21 CNBC-TV18 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given the go ahead to the Department of Telecom (DoT) to hike spectrum usage charges. The spectrum usage charge hike is likely to be around 1- 2% across slabs. It could happen as early as this week when the Telecom Commission meets this Friday to take a final call. TRAI had originally recommended a marginal hike in this levy last year in its recommendation. Now, DoT wants to further increase the charges over and above what was originally recommended by TRAI and so wanted to seek the approval of the telecom regulator. TRAI is seeking details on the imposition of the one time spectrum acquisition fee for allocation beyond 6.2 MHz. The hike in spectrum usage charges is negative for operators like Reliance Communications, Tata Tele, Bharti, Idea and Spice Communications.

^^^ My dear friend, we are already discussing about the above handset in another thread. Please search the forum before posting a new thread. You can continue further discussions related to Spice S-707 here : Spice Launches Handset With M-commerce, S-707n Regards.

ADAG jet flies into customs net; seizure notice issued NEW DELHI: Tightening noose on Corporate India for alleged customs duty evasion, the government has issued a notice to seize an aircraft belonging to Anil Ambani group, sources familiar with the development said. No immediate comment could be obtained from the Anil Ambani group. Customs issued the notice for an estimated Rs 150 crore on Global 5000 Bombarider plane belonging to the Reliance Transport and Travels Pvt Ltd for over Rs 37 crore as duty. Till now, the authorities have seized about 10 aircraft obtained by corporate entities, including a Mukesh Ambani group firm, GMR, Oberoi and Indiabulls under non-scheduled operator permit, but released the same on bank guarantee and bonds. ADA group firm Reliance Transport and Travels said immediately that though it had done no wrong, it offered a voluntary bank guarantee and indemnity bond, a move spurned by the customs on the ground that without issuance of seizure notice no such offer can be accepted. - PTI