Honest

Verizon and Nokia Launch Batman Handset Nokia and Batman fans, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that Nokia is releasing an exclusive Dark Knight special edition handset called the Nokia 6205. The bad news is that it’s unfortunately going to be launched only in the USA by Verizon Wireless. Let’s be honest... that s**ks! Just in case the handset does happen to make its way across the continents here’s some information on the handset. The 6205 is a black clamshell with a Dark Knight emblem and comes pre-loaded with wallpapers, voice tones, animated screensavers inspired by the film and a full movie trailer. Don’t expect it to be a device that looks like a bat or in some way be a handset that the Dark Knight would use. Like Motorola's RAZR this handset also has an external screen with touch sensitive music keys and an internal 2-inch display. It comes with a 1.3MP camera with a flash, microSD card support. The highly anticipated sequel to the new Batman movies – The Dark Knight - is set for release in July. The handset being launched with Verizon has already been launched but if only the Special Edition handset were launched here, I’d be standing in line for mine. Courtesy : Tech2

Mobile phone radiation does not pose any health risks: COAI 17 Jun, 2008, 2121 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operators Association of India, the lobby of GSM-based telecom service providers on Tuesday said the radiations from mobile phones do not pose any health risks for the users. The COAI Director General TV Ramachandran said, "It is of paramount important to note that RF radiations emitted by mobile communication systems lie in the non-ionising part of the electromagnetic spectrum and thus do not have enough energy to cause any genetic damage." He added that majority of reviews over the last ten years by expert panels and government agencies looking into the health and safety of mobile communications have agreed that the scientific evidence does not demonstrate any health risks from the use of mobile phones for children. Prohibiting the use of mobile phones by children is contra to the consensus view of International scientific community and is not supported by WHO, International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), The Health Council of the Netherlands, Food and Drugs Associations, FDA (USA) and many other international bodies, he said. With respect to recent report on banning advertisements showing children and pregnant women using mobile phones Ramachandran avowed that limits prescribed by ICNIRP, which have also been endorsed by WHO, are protective for all segments of society and no country in the world prescribes such restrictions on advertising as there is no conclusive evidence establishing linkage between use of mobile phones and its adverse impact on human health. Ramachandran said that advisory to avoid use of mobile phones by persons, using medical aids such as pace makers, defibrillators, hearing aids, cochlear implants and in ICU, Nero planes is purely to minimise chances of interference with other electronic equipments and not based any bad affects on health.

DoT forms committee for 2G spectrum allocation, pricing 17 Jun, 2008, 1803 hrs IST, PTI The committee is be headed by Subhod Kumar, Additional Secretary, DoT and has other senior officials from the department besides professors from IITs, IIMs, sources said. The terms of reference of the committee, formed yesterday for submitting recommendations to the government, are to assess the demand of spectrum for GSM, CDMA and 3G based on projected growth of the Indian telecom sector and availability of the radio waves. The committee is also expected to recommend steps to bridge the gap between availability and demand of spectrum by re-farming and other technological and innovative methods. It would also suggest ways for spectrum transfer charges in case of mergers and acquisitions and other cases involving effective use of spectrum of one licensee by another through transfer, sub-licensing and any other means. The other terms of reference are to suggest methodology to be followed for allocating spectrum for access services and rewarding players for efficient use of radio waves and penalising them for poor use. The 2G spectrum allocation process has seen considerable controversy with some operators saying, beyond the start-up (4.4 Mhz in case of GSM) operators should pay for additional spectrum. GSM players said they have already paid substantial amount for the given spectrum. Earlier, the government had formed a panel to review the 2G spectrum allocation criteria. It had set up another committee to review the subscriber-linked spectrum allocation criteria specified by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC). The move came after existing GSM operators criticised TEC's report, which asked operators to pack in more clients before becoming eligible for additional spectrum. The report had put out all existing operators out of contention for additional spectrum.

Anil Ambani sets sight on more than 40 % stake in MTN 17 Jun, 2008, 1209 hrs IST Until now it has been thought Ambani would limit himself to a 34.9 per cent stake in MTN, because if he went any higher he would be obliged under South African laws to make an offer to buy out the African company' other shareholders. LONDON: Reliance Communications, the flagship company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), is keen to acquire more than 40 percent of South African telecom company MTN. Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Communications, is considering buying more than 40 per cent of MTN, Africa's biggest wireless company. People familiar with the situation said Ambani was looking at how he could maximise an in-effect controlling position in MTN by seeking to persuade the South African mobile operator' shareholders to waive their right to a tender offer. Until now it has been thought Ambani would limit himself to a 34.9 per cent stake in MTN, because if he went any higher he would be obliged under South African laws to make an offer to buy out the African company' other shareholders, The Finacial Times reported But people close to the matter said Ambani was looking at the case for a "whitewash" procedure under which MTN's shareholders would vote on whether to waive their right to a tender offer. The Paper reported if the shareholders agreed, Ambani might end up owning 40-45 per cent of MTN, said one person close to the talks. On May 26, Reliance and MTN began 45 days of exclusive talks on a possible merger that would create a telecom giant in emerging markets. Several transaction structures have been examined and no conclusions reached. Ambani is seeking to engineer a de facto takeover of MTN under which he would swap most of his 66 per cent shareholding in Reliance for a near-controlling stake in the enlarged group. Reliance would become a subsidiary of MTN. The talks are politically sensitive because MTN is one of South Africa's most successful post-apartheid companies. Any deal with Reliance would almost certainly be presented as a merger. They have also been complicated by the threat of legal action by Mukesh Ambani, Anil's brother, who is claiming a right of first refusal over any stake sale by Reliance.

HTC Launches P3350 in India HTC has announced the launch of a new PDA phone, the "P3350". It is aimed to offer customers a mix of business and leisure, along with the capability to download music and audio-visual content. Sporting a 2 megapixel CMOS camera and a 2.8-inch QVGA display screen, the new PDA phone features a 360-degree scroll wheel and 8-way touch pointer. These are lined by control keys to access certain functions such as music and speakers. The P3350 features an in-built FM radio. It also comes equipped with an audio manager and an audio booster with a 10-band equalizer range and offers 128MB of flash memory. In addition to supporting WLAN for downloading the multimedia content, it also offers other connectivity options such as GPRS, EDGE, and Bluetooth v2.0. Running on a Windows Mobile 6.0 platform, the P3350 features Microsoft Office programmes like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, DirectPush, and Windows Media Player 10. In addition, users can access Adobe Reader (PDF), Activesync, Comm Manager, Internet sharing, Network Wizard, as well as Pocket MSN. It also includes a Sprite Backup and GPRS Monitor. Colored in graphite silver, the HTC P3350 is available at all authorized resellers at a price of Rs.18, 490. Courtesy : Techtree

My dear friends, here is a great song for those who love their CHILDREN the MOST. Chanda Hai Tu, Mera Suraj Hai Tu ! O Meri Aankhon Ka Taara Hai Tu !! Jeeti Hoon Mein Bus Tujhe Dekh Ke ! Is Tootey Dil Ka Sahara Hai Tu !! Link 1 : http://rapidshare.com/files/122909180/Chanda_Hai_Tu.mp4 Link 2 : http://www.adrive.com/public/959f1e7abdb72...6544126830.html Size : 4.3 MB You can get MP3 Ringtone of the above song from HERE

^^^ @Kumaar Here is your great song as Ringtone my dear friend, with a bonus MP4 Video Caller Tune of the same song specially made for you. Chanda Hai Tu, Mera Suraj Hai Tu ! O Meri Aankhon Ka Taara Hai Tu !! Jeeti Hoon Mein Bus Tujhe Dekh Ke ! Is Tootey Dil Ka Sahara Hai Tu !! You can download MP4 Video Caller Tune of the above song from HERE Chanda_Hai_Tu_Mera_Suraj_Hai_Tu.mp3

Samsung Launches Eco-friendly Mobiles Like Nokia, Samsung is also getting into the environment friendly mobile groove and has launched 2 new handsets - W510 and F268 recently showcased at the World IT show in Seoul, Korea - with that motif. W510 is Samsung's first mobile phone with 'bio-plastic' made from natural material extracted from corn. Samsung has been making an effort to develop more renewable and eco-friendly material compared with common plastic produced from petroleum. Even while producing the W510 handset, the company did not use any heavy metals, such as Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating. Samsung F268 with all the accessories including charger and headset does not contain BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC. In addition, the handset has an alarm function to encourage users to unplug their charger when the devices are fully charged. The product is also following the Energy Star requirements as well, which is strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. "Samsung is striving to continue to be a strong corporate citizen that contributes to environmental sustainability," said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung's Telecommunication Business. "Now we are trying not only to launch more environmentally-conscious products with more renewable material and less energy consuming, but also to expand proactively set up a phone recycling system." For now the W510 has been launched for the Korean market and F268 for the Chinese market. Hopefully they’ll make it to India as well, as keeping the environment safe should be a major concern here too. Courtesy : Tech2

Nuance launches new solution for mobile phones 16 Jun, 2008, 1939 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Nuance Communications, provider of speech, smart keypad and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers, on Monday launched solution that will provide a faster way to access all features and applications on mobile phones. The solution named T9 Nav provides a faster way to access all features, applications and content on a mobile device in just a few key presses, a release issued here stated. This solution is in its trial phase now and can be downloaded from the Internet for use. It keeps track of user behaviour and work accordingly, it added. This solution from Nuance would also be launched in the US and Great Britain in a short period.

Access Mobile Apps Faster With T9 Nav Nuance Communications, supplier of speech, smart keypad and imaging solutions, has announced the availability of T9 Nav, a mobile discovery solution that provides a faster way to access all features, applications and content on a mobile device in just a few key presses. The solution is available via download for consumer evaluation trials in India. T9 Nav will also be launching in the United States and Great Britain. T9 Nav allows users to bypass button-driven menu systems, offering a fast, direct and repeatable way to access features and content on the phone. It adapts to user behaviour over time, reordering and predicting frequently searched terms using the industry leading, patented algorithms from T9/XT9 software. Sunny Rao, General Manager, Nuance Communications - ASEAN and India said, "Nuance Mobile Solutions make it easier to control mobile devices, automate customer services, and access and discover even the most advanced mobile applications and content - regardless of technical know-how, location, environment or physical and literacy capabilities. As mobile phones get more complex, data storage capabilities are increasing. Users are often confused by complex menu navigation and cannot easily find and identify specific device features and mobile content to download – and many mobile carriers have identified that this is an obstacle to greater data service uptake and growth." Designed to complement a device's existing look and feel, T9 Nav does not change how the user interface or menu areas on the phone look or perform, but works alongside these elements and by placing all menu areas just a couple of clicks away from the idle screen. For example, typing "m-a" (i.e., "3-2") from the home screen of the phone can take the user directly to a mapping application, a Madonna ringtone, a contact named "Mary" or any other content, contacts or device features beginning with those letters. T9 Nav adapts to user behavior over time to provide customized search results based on frequently accessed features and content. To download this solution users are required to go to the site www.t9nav.com , and click "download". On doing so the web site will automatically launch a Nokia installer window where a Symbian S60 Third Edition handset user can click "install' and then finish the installation on his or her phone. Courtesy : Tech2

No FM Transmitter for Indian N78 When we initially saw Nokia’s N78 back in Feb at GSMA 2008, it was revealed that the handset would be equipped with an FM transmitter so you could easily stream music from you handset into your car stereo via the FM radio receiver. However, we just got the phone for review and I'm sad to report, that the Indian version of the N78 will not feature an FM transmitter in the music player options. The reason for this being – a few countries, including India consider it illegal to operate radio transmitters without a license. As ridiculous as that may seem, it's quite true. Although the odd thing is there are a few other products in India, like Intex’s EUP-802 FM Modulator that work on the same technology and Sony Ericsson W980 that I recently previewed also came with an FM transmitter option (though it was a test piece and there's no word on whether or not SE would actually incorporate it into the handset when it launches officially) why didn't Nokia include it for us?

No spectrum for Mobile Virtual Network Operators: Govt 16 Jun, 2008, 1552 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Mobile Virtual Network Operators that intend to enter the domestic mobile space will not be allowed to own spectrum, TRAI Chairman Nripendra Misra said on Monday. "Mobile Virtual Network Operators will not be allowed to have spectrum of their own," he said while talking to reporters after TRAI's Open House today on the matter. Globally MVNOs purchase of air-time on wholesale basis from the mobile network operators (MNO) and then use it to provide services to customers through their own brand. Following the global practice, MVNOs entering India would be able to foray into the mobile space without owning any infrastructure or spectrum but by buying air-time from MNOs. Misra added that there would have to be a lock-in period for the MVNOs along with a security amount, which would be forfeited incase the company plans to exit business before the stipulated lock-in period. MNO had earlier conveyed it to TRAI that the definition of MVNOs as suggested by the regulator need to be changed to rule out any sharing of spectrum between them and MVNOs. In its consultation paper telecom regulator Trai has said: "MVNO licensee is an entity that does not have an assignment of spectrum for Access Services (2G/3G/BWA) but can provide wireless (mobile) Access Services to customers by sharing the spectrum of the Access Provider". In their response to Trai's suggestion all the major operators Bharti, Reliance Communications and BSNL had sought changes in the definition of an MVNO. The operators said an MVNO does not have an allocation of spectrum neither does not have its own radio frequency. The operators want commercial arrangement between MVNOs and mobile operators' for providing the telecom services to end user, which is the essence of any MVNO's business.

MTN calling: Ambanis gear up for a long battle 16 Jun, 2008, 0825 hrs IST MUMBAI: The weekend saw no let-up in the latest round of the seemingly unending and relentless war between the Ambani brothers, with both sides readying their heaviest legal artillery. After the initial shock and awe of RIL's sudden intervention, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) officials have adopted an aggressive posture. However, RIL has shown no signs of yielding, with company officials claiming that MTN would have to consider the legal implications of acquiring RCOM. Seemingly undeterred by the controversy, an MTN team arrived in Mumbai on Saturday to start due diligence on RCOM. A senior ADAG executive told ET on Sunday that Reliance Industries (RIL) can make an open offer if they are keen on buying RCOM. The executive is involved in structuring the proposed $70 billion mega-merger deal between RCOM and South African telecom giant MTN. "If they want, they can make an open offer to buy RCOM or go to court. They will not do so or go to court because they are not interested in buying RCOM; their only interest is to sabotage our efforts to create a global telecom giant stretching from Asia to the Middle East and Africa with a subscriber base of 116 million," said the executive. "Besides, what is hurting RIL is that if the deal goes through, EBITDA of the combined RCOM and MTN for 2009 would be Rs 45,000 crore, 50% more than RIL's EBITDA of Rs 30,000 crore. Our deal is on track," said the executive. When asked for comments on RIL making an open offer to buy RCOM or going to court to enforce its right of first refusal, RIL's official spokesperson declined to comment, saying RIL has not officially received any response from RCOM or MTN for its letter. "It's interesting that they have not responded to us even after 48 hours. As far as MTN is concerned, their board and all bankers involved will have to take note of concerns expressed by India's largest private sector company," an RIL source said. In a statement issued to media on Friday, RIL had said: "RIL, has in good faith, notified both Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and MTN Group of the stipulations contained in an agreement, the validity of which has never been questioned so far by ADAG." When asked if RCOM has received any communication from MTN seeking clarifications on RIL's letter, the RCOM executive said: "MTN was quick enough to respond to RIL's letter. Within a couple of hours, the MTN spokesperson had said that nothing has really changed and talks with RCOM were on as per the 45-day exclusive talks agreement." MTN officials could not be reached for their comments. The issue came into the limelight after RIL wrote to MTN on Thursday threatening legal proceedings to enforce its claimed right of first refusal in the Bombay High Court, in which case MTN would also be one of the defendants. RIL's letter to MTN was addressed to Cyril Ramaphosa,(non-executive chairman) and PF Nhelko (group president and CEO). The letter, a copy of which is available with ET said: "As you will note, we have already notified to ADAG that we shall adopt legal proceedings against them in the Bombay High Court, in which we shall necessarily add MTN as one of the defendants....Please note that any agreement of the nature contemplated above between MTN and ADAG will result in MTN procuring a breach of the agreement, which shall entitle RIL to make a claim for exemplary damages against MTN," said the letter. The letter was written by RIL's company secretary K Sethuraman and copies of the letter were marked to the investment bankers involved in the deal such as Lombard Odier Darier & Cie, Newshelf664 (Pty) Ltd., Merrill Lynch South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Lazard Ltd and Deutsche Bank AG's offices in the UK and Germany. Commenting on the letter, the ADAG executive said: "As far as RIL going to court is concerned, they may, but on what basis? On the basis of the January 12, 2006 agreement, which was unilaterally signed by RIL officials and which subsequently the Bombay High Court ruled as 'unfair and unjust' in October 2007?" The ADAG executive added that RIL had "jumped the gun" since no definitive agreement had been reached with MTN. The crux of the younger Ambani's case is that the implementation of the MoU signed in July 2005 to execute the family settlement was done in a faulty manner. The MoU envisaged the creation of two groups, MDA and ADA. The MoU further said that the group companies would enter into various agreements such as right of first refusal, non-compete and so on. RCOM officials allege that these agreements were, in fact, signed on January 12, 2006 when the future ADA companies (RCOM, Reliance Energy and Reliance Capital) were still part of the original Reliance Group controlled by Mukesh Ambani. They were handed over to ADA Group only in February 2006. They say that agreements should have been signed only after ADAG was created. Instead, Mukesh Ambani entities, ADAG claims, had signed agreements with each other, ignoring ADAG's interests. The same legal issue has taken centrestage in ongoing proceedings in the Bombay High Court, though the dispute here relates to the ADAG's right to supply gas to its power plants. A single judge bench ruled that RIL could not sign binding gas supply agreements without first ensuring ADAG's rights. The case is now before a division bench. The Government of India has supported RIL's right to sign gas supply agreements, saying that this was in the national interest. The division bench has not delivered a final verdict. Whoever loses is sure to go to the Supreme Court. If the RCOM-MTN case goes to court, then an opinion by the Attorney General of India relating to Balco divestment may also be of relevance. The AG had observed that any restriction on the free transfer of shares in an Indian public limited company, even if present in its Articles of Association, are illegal and unenforceable, as per section 111A of the Companies Act 1956. This was in the context of Sterlite's call option on the government's 49% stake in Balco. By analogy, RCOM officials reason that there can be no restriction on ADAG's right to sell its shares in RCOM. More so, since the right of first refusal is not part of RCOM's Articles of Association. Commenting on the validity of the agreement, an RCOM spokesperson said: "RIL's reference to an agreement dated January 12, 2006, is misleading, as ADAG had written to RIL the very same day, and rejected the unilateral procedure adopted for finalising such agreements as being illegal. Further, these were never incorporated in the Articles of Association of ADAG companies." But RIL sources rubbish these contentions. "The master agreement of January 2006 was approved by the RIL board, of which Anil Ambani was very much a part. The agreement gave birth to ADAG. Further, the non-compete clauses of the same agreement is often used by ADAG to challenge and block many MDA initiatives. The latest such challenge was the plan to set up power plants in Navi Mumbai and Maha Mumbai SEZs," a source said. "We get letters from them (ADAG) every two weeks on something or the other, but we keep quiet. How can they now repudiate the agreement?" the source said. Perhaps its time for family matriarch Kokilaben to intervene once again.

Tata Tele-Virgin deal gets TRAI clean chit 16 Jun, 2008, 0001 hrs IST NEW DELHI: Sector regulator TRAI has given a clean chit to Bharti and Vodafone's outsourcing deals, Reliance Communication's dual-company structure and Tata Teleservices' contract with Virgin Mobile. The regulator has also decided that the moves by telcos to hive off their tower businesses into separate companies does not impact the government's revenue share. TRAI had independently scrutinised the contractual agreements as well as the hiving off issue to examine whether there was any violation of regulations and also whether the government's revenue share was being hit by these developments. TRAI sources also clarified that there was no probe against these companies, and that the regulator was only monitoring the latest developments in telecom space. "All the companies explained their position to us and gave us the requisite information we needed. As a regulator, we were also able to understand how these agreements worked. After hearing out the companies and examining the information they submitted, we have found that they are not in any violation and government's revenues are not impacted," a TRAI official told ET. The regulator had decided to study the outsourcing models adopted by several telcos such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone after the Tatas had demanded a probe into this. Bharti has outsourced its networks to equipment majors Ericsson and Nokia Siemens. Both Bharti and Vodafone have outsourced their complete IT requirements to IBM. The Tatas had asked the Department of Telecom to specify the clause of the licence under which GSM players were allowed to outsource their networks and IT requirements to foreign companies. Similarly, GSM players had opposed the Tata-Virgin mobile JV on the grounds that deal amounts to Virgin's entering India as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and was a violation of the existing Indian regulations which do not permit such services. The Tatas have always maintained that Virgin Mobile was only a franchisee of Tata Teleservices and since the JV did not involve selling of bulk airtime, it therefore cannot be classified as an MVNO. With regard to telcos such as Bharti, Vodafone, Idea, RCOM and Tata Teleservices amongst others hiving off their physical infrastructure into separate companies, sources said that the regulator wanted to examine the nature of agreements between the two companies. As this business model involves several complex agreements between the parent company and the hived off tower arm, and also the possibility of both companies cross subsidising each other, TRAI wanted to ensure that this did not impact the government's revenues.

^^^ My dear friend, the voucher for Netconnect usage in Reliance is different from the vouchers we use for Mobile recharge. Regards.

^^^ Correct buddy. You should ask them to replace the handset with a new one. As you purchased the handset few days back only. Infact you should insist them to replace it. Chances are very high that you could get a brand new handset from them. You are the best negotiator and you very well knows how to teach the lesson to these companys. I do remember the case of Sify too. Regards.

^^^ Yes my dear Ankur, the culprit have to face the consequencies at last. BTW, your case with Sify too is a good example. Regards.

^^^ @rbpyogesh My dear friend, it all depends on your usage. If your usage is high then you must go for Postpaid and if your usage is less then Prepaid will be comfortable for you. You can get the recharge voucher for prepaid netconnect at your nearest weblworld. Regards.

MTN team slips into India as Ambani guns blaze 15 Jun, 2008, 1856 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: A team of South African telecom giant MTN's officials has quietly landed in India for talks with Reliance Communications on the deal, an issue on which RCOM head Anil Ambani and elder brother Mukesh have locked horns threatening legal recourse against each other. "The MTN team is in India and talks for the deal with Reliance Communications are progressing," sources close to the development said. The MTN spokesperson did not respond to the query if the group was also sending a team of legal experts in a day or two to look into the claims made by Reliance Industries on First right of refusal. In a letter to MTN, RIL had warned that it would take legal recourse and claim damages if MTN became party to violation of the first right of refusal. Meanwhile, sources close to the development said that a team comprising over six executives of MTN landed on Saturday in Mumbai, the head quarter of Reliance Communications, as part of due diligence, a process that could lead to the creation of one of the largest telecom entities in the world.

ADAG thrashes RIL's claim as unenforceable 15 Jun, 2008, 1826 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing war between the Ambani siblings, younger brother Anil's camp on Sunday thrashed Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries claim of rights of first refusal in former's Reliance Communication by quoting a decision of the Union Cabinet. Asserting that Reliance Industries claim was not even incorporated in the Articles of the Association of Reliance Communications, the Anil Ambani group official said based on the legal opinion the Union Cabinet had taken the view that there could be no restriction on transfer of shares of a listed company. A communication by RIL claiming its first right of refusal to buy a majority equity in RCom had triggered the latest round of fight in middle of Anil Ambani Group company's negotiation with South African telecom major MTN group for an estimated 70 billion dollar amalgamation deal.

Netcore offers e-mail services to ordinary mobile phones 15 Jun, 2008, 1140 hrs IST, PTI Netcore Solutions, a provider of products and services in the messaging and mobile space, plans to provide e-mail services to ordinary mobile phones without Global Positioning Radio System (GPRS), a top company official said. "Presently, it is possible to send and receive e-mails only through Blackberry or else one has to activate GPRS. With our product, it would now be possible for users of ordinary mobile phones to reply, forward and create new e-mails," Netcore Solutions' Chief Executie Officer, Abhijit Saxena, said. The service would be available for a yearly subscription ranging from around Rs 250 to Rs 1,000," Saxena said. "However, the service is presently available to gmail users. We are now exploring possibilities of extending it to other ids such as Yahoo, Rediff and others," he said. The amount to be paid by the user would depend on the usage of e-mails, he said. Explaining the working of the offering, Saxena said that the technology used would convert an e-mail to a sms and send it to the customer. "If the e-mail id is an office id, then we would integrate the office server with our server. If it is a personal id, then we would integrate it with the personal id," he said. Once the integration was achieved, any e-mail that comes would hit the company's server and it would get converted to an sms of 480 characters and despatched.

^^^ Sadik Ji, actually our ministries are postponing the every latest technology to be implemented in India. Whether it be 3g, Evdo or any thing else. Yes they are ripping consumers, I totally agree with you. But about this service, it will be helpful for those who cannot afford high end mobiles. Sms can be received on the phones available @ Rs.500/- also. But GPRS, Evdo, 3g etc. is only available in high end mobiles and many consumers don't know how to use Gprs even. As per the technology availability in India as of today, we can't imagine more then this. We can expect better only after the availability of 3g in India. Regards.

But my dear friend, still this simple service will be beneficial for those who have ordinary handsets without GPRS service. And this will be beneficial to those also who do not want to engage in technicalities of GPRS. Regards.

Spice bets on VAS to become a global player 15 Jun, 2008, 1210 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI: The diversified Spice Group is betting on Value added services (VAS) to become a global player in the mobile segment, a top company official said. "We are getting into the field of telecom that is unlicensed such as value added services and plan to take it global," Spice Group Chairman B K Modi said. He is betting on value added services because that doesn't require a regulator's licence unlike telecom services. To start a GSM or CDMA service, an operator has to approach the regulator for grant of license. Modi wants to concetrate on VAS because it would take him to the global-level whereas as a GSM operator, he is "still a regional player". "We are only a regional player" in a GSM service and there is an element of "uncertainity" in a licence business, he said. Off late, Modi has been in the news because he is planning to sell his stake in the telecom company. Modi confirmed that he is talking to other players, but denied that he is exiting the company. Besides telecom and VAS, Spice is present in mobile devices, BPO, retail and entertainment. Spice is talking to Sony for developing entertainment content for mobile devices. "We are talking to Sony for mobile entertainment because it is strong in technology," Modi said.

DoT keen to offer number portability by mid-2009 15 Jun, 2008, 0122 hrs IST NEW DELHI: It seems that Sanchar Bhawan is moving at a breakneck speed over the number portability. If you think that the issue is mired by innumerable bottlenecks, here comes the news that the ministry is working overtime to ensure the rollout of this technology-intensive system by the promised June 2009 deadline. “On June 11 and 12, four major players made their case in front of a high-level DoT team on why they are best equipped to deal in portability. Telcordia, NeuStar, Syniverse and IBC have been filtered after a detailed process. These are US-based companies and have been providing this facility in a dozen other countries. CDot was also present there,” said a senior official in the DoT’s committee on MNP (Mobile Number Portability). MNP puts enormous power in the hands of the consumers to reject their telecom service providers and opt for another one. This allows the consumers to keep the same number even if they chose to change the service provider. After these presentations, the next phase will be to float a tender document inviting bidders. “This is new for us and these presentations helped us in understanding what exactly we will be dealing with. After this it is easy for us to prepare the bid document. We don’t want any controversy later, so these presentations gave us an insight of what exactly the bidders want,“ said a senior DoT official. According to DoT officials, it requires a Rs 80-100 crore investment that will be made by the bidders. The ministry hopes to finalise everything in another two to three months. These companies will bid for setting up clearing houses that would be required for allowing number portability. TRAI had forwarded to DoT the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for selection of a single centralised operator for providing and operating mobile number portability solution in the country. However, in a recently held meeting of the committee, some members opposed this and were in favour of exploring the option of four Mobile Number Portability Clearing House Administrator (MCHAs) and Number Portability Database (NPDB) on grounds of security and anti-monopoly. However, the ministry now is planning to allow two such operators to provide services in India. “It is a time of convergence and we don’t want to get in too many players. But keeping in mind the large number of population using mobiles, we will limit it to two players,” said the official. Each service provider will have to be connected to all the MCHAs and NPDB. The companies that will win the bid would act as MCHAS.