Honest

iPhone fans line up for the 'Apple' of their eye 10 Jul, 2008, 0144 hrs IST, ET TOKYO/WELLINGTON: Seeking to be one of the world’s first to grab the new-generation iPhone, fanatical Apple fans around Asia are queuing up two days before its launch, undiscouraged by rain or freezing temperatures. The July 11 launch will be the first chance for Asian consumers to own an iPhone, and related websites have been swamped with inquiries and early orders. In Japan, one of the world’s most advanced mobile markets, about 20 people were lined up outside Softbank Corp’s flagship mobile store in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, with a sign at the head of the queue reading ‘We Love iPhone’. “The big appeal (of the iPhone) is that this is an Apple product,” said Hiroyuki Sano, a 24-year-old graduate student who early on Tuesday arrived in rainy Tokyo from Nagoya, 225 miles west of the capital, to be first in line. He will turn 25 on Thursday while waiting to get his hands on the high-end version of the iPhone with 16 gigabytes of memory. Apple also offers an entry-level version with an 8 gigabyte memory. “I’ve told my professor I was going to go buy an iPhone, and he gave me permission,” said Sano, wearing a T-shirt with an Apple logo. “He is an Apple-lover too, and he sent me off cheerfully.” The long-anticipated 3G iPhone, which has faster Web links than its predecessor and supports third-party applications such as games and email, will debut in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand on Friday as part of the global launch in 22 countries. The original iPhone was only available in the United States and Europe, and the next-generation model is expected to go on sale in 70 countries by the end of the year. Softbank, Japan’s third-biggest mobile carrier, will start selling iPhones at its flagship store at 7 am on Friday and expand sales nationwide at noon. Targeting a far bigger market with its new iPhone, Apple slashed the handset price and is allowing carriers to subsidise the phone this time around, making it easier for users to bring home the device. Research firm Enterbrain said 6.7% of 1,200 people it surveyed in Japan wanted to buy an iPhone immediately. Four New Zealanders with deck chairs, sleeping bags and a small tent started queuing on a chilly Tuesday night outside the Auckland shop of Vodafone, which will launch the iPhone at 12.01 am Friday , the first in the world. “I’m really just doing it to be able to say that I’m the first one in the world with one of these phones,” 22-year-old student Jonny Gladwell told the New Zealand Herald. Vodafone, New Zealand’s top mobile carrier, is selling the phone for as little as NZ$199 ($150) in the country if consumers sign up for a two-year contract. Demand for pricing details was so heavy it crashed Vodafone’s New Zealand website on Tuesday.

Vodafone, I-T dept battle may shift to SC 10 Jul, 2008, 0227 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: The next battle between Vodafone International and the Income Tax (I-T) department will be fought in the Supreme Court. The party that loses in the Bombay High Court will approach the apex court, both sides confirmed to ET. Lengthy arguments by Vodafone and the I-T department before the division bench of Justice S Radhakrishnan and Justice AV Nirgude concluded on Wednesday. The bench is expected to pronounce its judgement after July 18. The final hearing in the case, having ramifications for MNCs and cross-border transactions, had started on June 23. The British telecom giant has been fighting against the imposition of a $2.1-billion capital gains tax on the purchase of 67% stake in Hutchison Essar from Hutchison Telecom International (HTIL) for $11.2 billion. The division bench has asked the two parties to make written submissions in the case. While Vodafone will give its submissions by July 14, the I-T department will have to do so by July 18. After that, the bench will pronounce its judgement. The bench has not specified any date for giving its verdict. The party that loses will almost certainly approach the Supreme Court. The I-T department, being represented by Additional Solicitor-General Mohan Parashar and counsel Beni Chatterjee, has sought a copy of the agreement between Hutchison and Vodafone. They argued that the company was liable to pay tax. On May 16, Parliament passed an amendment to allow the government to take action against companies which do not withhold taxes when making a transaction. It also stipulates that tax has to be paid even by the buyer of shares of an Indian company. This amendment will come into effect retrospectively from 2002. Effectively, the department is seeking capital gains tax of $2.1 billion as well as 18% interest on it as penalty for not withholding tax, taking the total claim to nearly $2.5 billion. Appearing on behalf of Vodafone, counsel Iqbal Chagla reiterated that Vodafone has no withholding obligations in India as provisions of the I-T Act do not apply to non-residents who do not have any presence in India. While Vodafone International is based in the Netherlands, HTIL is a Cayman Islands firm. Assuming, if tax authorities establish that the transaction is taxable in India, then they can proceed against Vodafone only if Hutch does not discharge its tax liability, he argued. Further, the amendments to Section 191 and 201 of the Income-Tax Act in the latest Finance Bill, retrospectively seeking to hold a person who has not withheld taxes under Section 195 as an assessee in default are “unconstitutional”. The transaction is not taxable in India because it was for an overseas sale of shares in a foreign company. There is no business connection that would give rise to taxable income in India nor is there transfer of any capital asset or property situated in India.

^^^ @Prathod Yes my dear friend, don't worry, you will see the information on above from Reliance by 2010 in relevant medias. Regards.

^^^ Than TATA is the cheapest my dear Anurag. Regards.

^^^ Let the final price be known my dear friend. Hope it should be around 10-11K. Regards.

^^^ @Kaushik Very clever thinking my dear friend. Hope the handset should be launched by the date as you imagined. Regards.

^^^ Ditto. Nokia should introduce the above handset with all the CDMA operators in India my dear friends. Regards.

^^^ @Anupe MY dear friend, your point has been noted. Actually sometimes new members who are not aware of the old threads running on same topics, posts their querries without searching the forum. Although we do merge those threads with the old ones which are already running. But sometimes we too miss to merge some of the threads. It will be more easier for us, if you people try to provide the link also, to which the unnecessary thread to be merged. Regards.

HC reserves order on Vodafone capital gains tax issue 9 Jul, 2008, 2122 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the dispute between the Income Tax Department and Vodafone over capital gains tax to the tune of around $2 billion, arising out of the telecom major's acquisition of Hutchisson-Essar in 2006. The division bench of Justices S Radhakrishnan and Anand Nirgude has asked Vodafone and the Income Tax Department to submit their written arguments in the matter within one week. Vodafone is contesting IT Department's notice for capital gains tax to the tune of around $2 billion saying that transfer of shares between two foreign companies was not taxable in India. Vodafone International (a Dutch company) picked up Hutchisson's (based in Cayman Islands) 66 per cent stake in Hutchisson-Essar to form the Vodafone-Essar here in $ 11.2 billion deal in 2006. But IT Department has argued that Vodafone is chargeable for capital gains tax as the asset in question is in India even if the transfer of stakes took place between two foreign companies.

My dear friends, it seems that Reliance is trying to cover up the charges which it had recently reduced on STD & Free Roaming. This is no good of Reliance at all. But official confirmation is still to come. Has anyone confirmed it from CC ? Regards.

MTN may hold board meeting to discuss RCOM deal 9 Jul, 2008, 2243 hrs IST, PTI JOHANNESBURG: South African telecom giant MTN, which on Wednesday extended agreement for exclusive talks with Anil Ambani Group firm RCOM till July 21, is likely to convene a board meeting tomorrow to discuss the potential amalgamation of the two companies. Sources close to the development indicated that MTN could hold a board meeting to discuss the status of talks. The talks between the two firms for a possible amalgamation has come into controversy following the legal issues raised by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries. The news of extending the 45-day exclusivity agreement from July 8 cleared the uncertainty over the status of the talks and was greeted by investors in both the companies, as reflected in the surge in share prices of MTN and RCOM. While RCOM shares settled with a gain of about six per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange, MTN also appreciated by more than one per cent on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. RCOM and MTN have agreed to continue their negotiations for a potential business combination, and have extended the period of exclusivity until July 21, RCOM said in a statement. About $50 billion-worth telecom major MTN also issued an identical statement in a regulatory filing with the JSE. Both the firms, however said that there was no certainty either on completion, or the timing of the said proposal. RCOM and MTN had first announced start of a 45-day exclusivity period on May 26, which ended yesterday. In today's statements, the two companies also cautioned their respective shareholders about dealing in their shares until a further announcement to this regard. Following today's extension, RCOM and MTN stocks rose sharply and RCOM shares settled nearly six per cent up at Rs 440.95, after an intra-day rally of over nine per cent to as high as Rs 454 at the BSE.

Hyderabad firm launches 3D mobile games 9 Jul, 2008, 1729 hrs IST, PTI HYDERABAD: 7Seas Technologies Ltd, a city- based game developing firm, on Wednesday announced the launch of seven 3D mobile games across several genres. These games include `Sudoku' (puzzle), `Neetu-The Alien Killer' and `Great Elude' (action), `Treasure Trove (adventure) and Derby and Kraze (racing). 7Seas has invested USD one million to develop these games for worldwide gamers, a company official said here. "It took around 18 months for us to develop these games. With the penetration of high-end mobile handsets that support 3D mobile games, our focus would be on 3D Mobile Games," L Maruti Sankar, Managing Director, told reporters. Along with the games, their ringtones and wallpapers are also available. Among the games, `Neetu-The Alien Killer', in which Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra plays the lead character, revolves around aliens who try to eliminate the human race. 7Seas Technologies expects to garner around USD 3 million from the newly launched games in the first year, Sankar said. The company posted revenue of Rs 7.67 crore during the fiscal 2007-08. Its revenue forecast for the current financial year is Rs 20 crore.

British embassy too suffers from encryption laws 9 Jul, 2008, 0153 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: It’s not just makers of BlackBerry device who’re suffering sleepless nights over the Indian government’s stringent encryption laws. The British High Commission in India, too, is concerned over these laws which are seen to be delaying the issue of UK visas in India by at least a day. In fact, since December 2007, when Britain launched biometric visas in India, the process is taking at least four days, instead of three days or less earlier. And, that’s because the biometric data that is collected from applicants, at the offices of the high commission’s outsourcing partner VFS Global, cannot be directly transmitted online to UK for verification. “The Indian laws require us to provide the key to the encrypted biometric data to the telecom ministry in India. But our own laws do not permit us to do that. Hence, we have to use a system of physically transferring the data to the high commission from the back-office operations of our partners VFS Global,” Creon Butler, the deputy high commissioner at the British High Commission in Delhi told ET. India is the only country, besides Iran, where the system of collecting and transferring biometric data is causing delays in issuing British visas, Mr Butler added. The British High Commission’s business express programme (BEP), which offers a fast-track visa application process to those companies that send their employees to the UK frequently, is under threat because of the delay in issuing business visas. While the firms that are covered by the BEP get priority in terms of advance appointments for collection of biometric data and enjoy certain other advantages, the visas still take about four working days to be issued. Earlier, the turnaround time was often as fast as 24-hours for frequent travellers. Meanwhile, the position of the Indian government on this matter, as understood by ET, is that Indian laws do not allow the electronic transfer of encrypted data from the offices of any private service provider like VFS Global without the key being provided to the department of telecom. The Indian government is not open to allowing a particular commercial agency to flout the law because of fears that other agencies could then ask for similar concessions. Senior government officials strongly feel that diplomatic cover cannot be extended to offices of an outsourcing partner. The British authorities, however, don’t agree. “We feel that the data that is transferred from our back office operations through the internet, is covered by diplomatic convention since we are not a commercial organisation. And hence, we feel, that we should be allowed to transmit the encrypted data. However, we have not yet been able to reach an agreement on this with the Indian government. The Indian authorities are of the view that under Indian legislation the encryption cannot be permitted,” Mr Butler said. Legal experts, meanwhile, feel that one of the solutions would be to collect the biometric data which includes fingerprints and photographs, at the British High Commission and diplomatic missions rather than at the offices of the outsourcing partner. “If the British High Commission collected the biometric information itself instead of outsourcing it they could process the visa quicker. If that is not possible, in the present environment and high perception of security breaches and vulnerability to terrorist attacks, passengers should be prepared for delays in visa processes,” feels Mumbai-based lawyer and proprietor of LawQuest, Poorvi Chothani. Till a solution is found to this stand-off between the Indian government and the British High Commission, it seems that frequent travellers to UK from India, will have to factor in a couple of extra days into their travel plans.

Spice Communications may sell stake 3 Jun, 2008, 1207 hrs IST NEW DELHI: Telecom services provider Spice Communications Ltd has been approached by UAE-based Etisalat and others for a stake in the company, chairman B K Modi told reporters on Tuesday. Spice was willing to consider a stake sale, Modi said at a special shareholders meeting. "Everybody is planning to come to India. But the issue is what sort of shareholding will be there," he said. Indian permits up to 74 per cent foreign investment in telecoms. Foreign firms are eyeing stakes in Indian telecom operators, with the rapidly expanding market and low teledensity holding out attractions for them. Spice, which has challenged rejection for pan-India GSM licence by government, strongly pleaded to the DoT to stay the spectrum allocation process contending that it may neutralise its commercial growth. Spice has licences to operate in six of India's 23 telecom circles but a paucity of spectrum, or radio airwaves to transmit the wireless signals, means it cannot immediately start services in all of them. It has operations in Punjab and Karnataka. Spice had claimed a networth of Rs 1,254 crore in its application submitted in 2006. The company had included the networth of its stakeholders Modi Wellvest, Super Infosys and TMI (Indian arm of Telekom Malaysia). However, the government found that Spice Communications, which had run into significant losses, had not taken into account the debit balance of profit and loss account - negative free reserves.

Idea acquires 41 pc in Spice Comm thru open mkt, block trade 9 Jul, 2008, 1621 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Group firm Idea Cellular today said it has acquired about 41 per cent stake in Spice Communications through open market and block trade transactions. Idea Cellular has acquired 20 lakh equity shares, representing 0.29 per cent in Spice Communications at an average market price of Rs 74.81 each through open market transactions, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Further, Idea Cellular through a block trade has acquired over 28.14 crore equity shares, representing 40.80 per cent, at a price of Rs 77.30 per piece, it added. However, acquisition of these shares has not been completed and are held in separate escrow accounts. The acquirers of these shares would get the shares after fulfilling all its obligations under the SEBI Regulations, the filing added. Earlier on June 25, Idea Cellular, the fifth-largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, had said it would acquire 40.8 per cent stake in B K Modi-owned Spice group for Rs 2,716 crore. The Aditya Birla group firm has also made an open offer to the shareholders of Spice Communications for acquiring additional 20 per cent stake in the telecom services provider for about Rs 1,066.63 crore. The open offer would start on August 22, and would close on September 11. The Idea-Spice deal would catapult Idea Cellular's market share to 11.1 per cent and more importantly would get the crucial spectrum on 900 Mhz band. Shares of Idea Cellular were trading at Rs 87.35, up 1.93 per cent, while Spice Communications was quoted up 0.48 per cent at Rs 73.90.

Now, SP chief dials for Anil Ambani on mobile front 9 Jul, 2008, 0353 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: The Samajwadi Party is eager to help its friends. Even as it gets ready to support the government, the party’s general secretary Amar Singh has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that GSM players be charged a one-time market rate for all the radio frequencies they hold over 6.2 MHz. Last year, RCOM chairman Anil Ambani had written several letters to both PM and the communications ministry on exactly similar lines. SP is known to be close to several companies and with it set to play a major role in keeping the government in office, it is expected to extend a helping hand to them. In his communication to PM dated July 4, Mr Singh has said some of the GSM players had been allotted spectrum beyond the contracted value of 6.2 MHz without payment of any additional fee. He has also demanded that the department of telecom (DoT) must impose a one time fee of Rs 1,312 crore for every MHz of spectrum that GSM players held over 6.2 mark while adding: “This can rake up Rs 10,000 crore to the government.” Additionally, Mr Singh has also proposed that government can get a further Rs 5,000 crore if it were to hike revenue share for those operators who held more then 8 MHz of radio frequencies. Only GSM players such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone hold radio frequencies beyond 8 MHz. Mr Singh’s communication is similar to the letter that was sent last week by the Association of Unified Service Providers of India (AUSPI), the CDMA industry body, to the finance ministry, department of telecom, the Prime Minister’s office and Trai. Sources told ET that there was intense pressure on the communications ministry to look into the demands of SP and CDMA operators following the new political arrangement at the centre. Sources also added that DoT may come out with a compromise formula that might involve an undisclosed one-time levy applicable to existing telecom service licencees for spectrum allocations beyond 6.2 MHz along with a marginal rise in spectrum usage charges. Such a decision would instantly hurt the commercial interests of established GSM heavyweights like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea and Aircel. Significantly, Trai is silent on the delicate issue of introducing a one-time fixed charge for spectrum allocations beyond 6.2 MHz per circle. Trai chairman Nripendra Misra told ET: “In our recommendations, we have indicated that spectrum is underpriced in India and the rates need to revised. One option is to auction the spectrum. However, on the issue of introducing a one-time charge on spectrum allocations beyond 6.2 MHz, it is for the government to take a call. The Trai has not been approached on the subject and I have not given it a thought.”

^^^ But my dear friends, this is a very old offer and is available on regular basis from Vodafone. Regards.

MTN hires PR agency in India 9 Jul, 2008, 1701 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: South African telecom giant MTN, currently negotiating a potential amalgamation deal with Anil Ambani-led RCOM, has hired Avian Media, a communications consultancy, here to help manage its media relations in India. While Avian Media, whose clients include aircraft maker Airbus and global majors like BAE Systems and Porsche, is understood to be working with MTN for past couple of months on certain other services, now it has been mandated as a facilitator between Indian media and Johannesburg-based firm. MTN and RCOM today announced extending their exclusive negotiations for a possible deal till July 21, after the earlier 45-day exclusivity agreement expired yesterday. Avian Media is a specialist communications consultancy focused mainly on travel, hospitality, auto, infrastructure, defence and technology sectors. Its clients include Airbus, IATA, SIXT India, Iron Port, SKF, Sona Group, IHG, BAE Systems, TotalFinalElf India, Yatra Online, Porsche, Dunhill and Escada with mandates like media outreach programmes, strategic counsel, corporate PR and planning and conceptualisation of international communication.

^^^ Ha Ha Ha Very true my dear friend. Regards.

MTN extends exclusive talks with RCOM 9 Jul, 2008, 1110 hrs IST, ET JOHANNESBURG: South African mobile phone operator MTN Group said on Wednesday it had agreed to extend its exclusive talks with Reliance Communications until July 21, 2008. MTN and Reliance Communications started talks on May 26 that could create a $66 billion emerging markets telecoms group with operations in about two dozen countries and around 120 million subscribers. When the talks began, MTN had a market capitalisation of $38 billion and Reliance Communications was worth $28 billion, but a sharp slide in markets has eroded valuations.

BlackBerry Thunder Media Player Pics Revealed It would seem that BlackBerry’s iPhone killer, the 9500 Thunder, is no longer a rumor as a few more images have made their way exclusively to BlackBerrySYNC.com. What thrills me is the new OS version 4.7 and the whole 480 x 360 pixel resolution display. This my dear mobile maniacs is not going to be your typical BlackBerry business class handset. This is going to be as media savvy as… oh, let’s say… the iPhone. The media player will also be able to connect to a music store that your mobile phone service provider would offer so you can download music on the fly. No longer will you have to endure the BlackBerry’s odd video player that refuses to play in full screen. According to the images posted, the video player is definitely going to be something that current BlackBerry users can really look forward too. There’s no other information out yet, so stay tuned. Courtesy : Tech2

^^^ My dear Arun, please add the newly launched Motorola W362 in the list. Regards.

Ministry may reject TRAI draft on WiMAX too 9 Jul, 2008, 0149 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: After turning down TRAI’s recommendations on 3G and deciding to allow foreign players, the communication ministry now plans to throw out the regulator’s recommendations on Broadband Wirelss (also called WiMAX) spectrum auctions, too, and impose its own rules. While TRAI had said that ISPs, who are successful in the broadband wireless (BWA) auctions, be given licences for five years, the Department of Telecom (DoT) wants to raise this time frame to 15 years. Again, TRAI had said BWA or WiMAX spectrum should be auctioned through a one-stage sealed bid for every circle, but the DoT plans to have a simultaneous ascending e-auction model instead. Importantly, the DoT’s decision to double the reserve price for the 3G spectrum will have a direct impact on the WiMAX auctions. This is because; the reserve price for the WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) spectrum auction is likely to be set at fourth 3G spectrum price. This implies, when the policy is announced, the reserve price for BWA auctions is set to be double of that prescribed by TRAI, which is yet another deviation from the regulator’s recommendations. ET has also learnt that the DoT is set to make further changes to TRAI’s recommendations for BWA spectrum issues. For instance, while TRAI has said that each player must get WiMAX spectrum in contiguous blocks of 15 MHz each in the 3.3 - 3.4 GHz and 3.4 - 3.6 GHz bands, the DoT has a completely different plan in mind: “As per present estimate of availability of spectrum four blocks each of 10 MHz in the 2.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz to be allocated,’ the DoT note on the issue said. On the auction procedure, the note said: “In place of the above (TRAI’s suggestion of a one-stage sealed bid), it is proposed to have a controlled simultaneously e-auction as similar to that in the case of 3G spectrum. Further, here also when the number of bidders left is equal to the number of blocks of spectrum being auctioned, in any service area, the auction will end. All the bidders will have to match the bid of the highest bidder. In case they do not match, then that block would be offered to the next highest bidder at the highest bid price. If any block is left vacant, then the block would be re-auctioned”.

B2B conference on mobile value added services 8 Jul, 2008, 1450 hrs IST NEW DELHI: The 4th International Conference and Exhibition 'VAS Asia 2008' will be held on July 11, 2008, at The Meridien , New Delhi. The conference is to necessitate executives from the mobile value added industry to get together and share ideas and insights into leading edge issues relating to development in the telecommunications industry, according to a press release. Organised by Bharat Exhibitions, this B2B conference and exhibition will showcase the latest technology developments in the mobile value added services industry, giving an ideal opportunity for authoritative minds to discuss and debate the most relevant issues confronting the sector in the present context and the likely way forward. The event would capture global excellence in the industry, even as it explores opportunities in India. It will be an event where VAS leaders position their organizations to the industry. The conference will also foster the exchange of technical information and encourage the mobile VAS community to deploy available softwares and technologies and develop new solutions to unsolved problems. To tap the opportunities in the VAS industry, seminars on topics 'Successful Growth Strategies for VAS in Indian Telecom Industry' & 'Asian Service Provider's Perspective', 'Future Directions for the VAS in Indian Telecom Industry', 'Market Drivers for the Growth of VAS in Indian Telecom Industry', and 'Successful Strategies to Face the Future Challenges for VAS in the Indian Telecom Industry' will be conducted. PricewaterhouseCoopers is the knowledge partner of the event.

DoT sitting over 343 pending applications for UASL license 8 Jul, 2008, 1549 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI : The Department of Telecom, which has granted 120 new telecom licenses to 575 firms, is now giving the cold treatment to 343 other applications that are pending with it. Sources said DoT is unlikely to take any action on these applications, which came between September 26-October 1, last year, as each circle now has over 10 players and the scarcity of spectrum (radio waves) is also a factor to deal with. DoT has to first allocate spectrum to those who have already been given the license and even if it does, there is no way 15-16 players can survive in a circle - which would be the scenario if the pending applications are cleared, sources said. DoT would first consider the performance of the players, who applied till September 25 and subsequently allocate spectrum on a first-come-first-serve basis, sources added. DoT is struggling with the developments so far, but by now it has managed to award spectrum for 5 circles Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. This at least, for the time being seals the fate of companies who applied between September 26-October 1. They include US major AT&T, real estate giant DLF, realty company BPTP, Sterlite and Moser Baer. Each of these companies, who have been given license have paid Rs 1,651-crore fee for a pan-India licence and waited in queue to apply for the DoT's Wireless and Planning Co-ordination Win g (WPC) for a spectrum licence.-+