Honest

^^^ It seems younger brother is going ahead of the elder brother in the field of Tele-communications. Anyways it feels good that another country from Asia is offering the lower tariffs for ISD calls. All Asians should be proud of it. Regards.

^^^ My dear friend, Call conference feature sometimes depends on the handsets also. Some of the handsets doesn't support call conference. Specially those handsets which have a single button to make a call and disconnect the call, like the old Nokia 3310 & 3315. @Kuldeep What is your budget my dear friend ? Regards.

Telecom operators take $750 million hit on revenue leakages 10 Jun, 2008, 0005 hrs IST, ET Bureau MUMBAI: Indian telecom operators may be scripting global success stories, but they are still losing millions of dollars in revenue leakage every year. Domestic telcos lost 2.5% of revenues in 2007-08 and at this average rate, the revenue leakage would touch nearly $2 billion in the next two years, according to a survey by Ernst & Young (E&Y). The amount lost was a whopping $750 million in 2007-08 owing to lack of focus on revenue assurance (RA). This is up from 2% ($550 million) in the previous year. RA refers to end-to-end processes put in place to identify revenue leakage in the chain. These leakages could be due to human or technical errors. “Key reasons for revenue leakage still remain as data loss between systems, external frauds and inadequate controls and procedures, which reflects that these issues have still not been addressed by the operators,” E&Y India telecommunications leader Prashant Singhal told ET. There is a huge opportunity for telcos if they are able to plug these leakages. The money thus saved can be deployed in providing better quality of services to customers, he said. Globally, large telcos deploy automated solutions for revenue assurance, with tolerable limits of under 1%. “There are well defined RA departments. However, in India, the departments exist but are not authoritative enough to run certain processes. Companies should understand and emphasise on managing and improving processes to facilitate growth,” said Mr Singhal, who has authored the Revenue Assurance Global Survey 2007. Unlike foreign telecom players, Indian telcos are yet to focus on cost reduction and profitability analysis as a part of their RA exercise. Indian operators should invest in software and in development of processes, besides clearly defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for RA departments, he said. “Most RA functions could enhance efficiency by automating certain activities using industry specific tools and software. During development phase of RA strategies, the key challenge for operators in emerging markets is building shared responsibilities across different functions,” Mr Singhal said. Respondents to the survey included fixed and mobile operators, ranging from large integrated operators to regional players. In 2007-08, more than two-thirds of the respondents felt that they were losing significant revenues on account of subscription and dealer commission frauds. However, the key concern of frauds in 2006-07 was credit management and external frauds. The survey said the operators were still maintaining their focus on core billing and rating activities and not adopting a holistic end-to-end approach to RA. “While operators are now considering RA issues at an early stage of product planning itself, these reviews are reactive rather than proactive in nature,” it said.

Govt proposal to mobile makers on SAR hailed by experts 9 Jun, 2008, 2138 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: A Government proposal to make it compulsory for mobile phone manufacturers to specify the radiation levels (SAR) emitted by mobiles has been hailed by experts. The Department of Telecom is considering guidelines according to International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standards on emission for limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiations from mobile towers and handsets. "The dangers of people suffering from ill effects of radiation are many, such as cancer and brain tumor. Radiation can cause miscarriage in pregnant women and trouble in pacemaker or even insomania," said V.S Tripathy, president (Technical), Cogent EMR solutions, anti-radiation product making company. "People who are living near mobile tower 400-500 metres should get their houses tested for radiation. And use anti-radiation devices to prevent diseases," said Tripathy. Karmajyot Sewa Trust President VB Gupta said that the trust had filed a PIL in Supreme Court in August 2005 for control of radiation and norms for putting up mobile tower setup. With the united effort of several NGOs the Court had ordered the government to look into the matter, it said. Gupta claimed that in India, nearly 270 million customers use cellphones and there are over three lakh towers, which emit electromagnetic radiations and application of ICNIRP norms would be a boon to people. "The buying power of Indians has increased and with it the number of electronic appliances and mobile phones. All electronic appliances emit harmful radiations, strict norms should be applied to see that radiation remain within permissible limits," said Zafar Haq, Cogent Head corporate affairs. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has opposed the government proposal to make it mandatory for mobile phone manufacturers to specify radiation levels on mobile phones and monitor levels of mobile towers.

Asus M930 Smart Phone Now in India Asus has released the new M930 communicator style smart phone in the country. Sporting a mirror reflective surface, the M930 features free-stop flipping hinge that allows users adjust to any preferred angle or position. This communicator style smart phone features two screens -- external 2-inches TFT LCD with 240 x 320 resolution and internal 2.6-inches screen with 400 x 240 resolution. In addition, the phone offers two fast and intuitive input options via the numeric keypad when closed, and the full QWERTY keyboard when open. The M930 offers rich business features via the integrated Windows Mobile 6 operating system and full 3.5G connectivity. With Windows Mobile 6, users can utilize the ActiveSync feature to transfer data from the smart phone to a server. For further connectivity, the phone supports GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and USB 2.0. Moreover, in the absence of Wi-Fi coverage, users can convert the smart phone into a 3.5G modem with its one-step Quick Modem setting; while with the plug-and-play auto network configuration, users can simply plug in a SIM card and get connected to the Internet. Weighing approximately 158 grams and measuring 113 x 54 x 18.7mm, the M930 incorporates a 2-mega pixels camera and 0.3 mega pixels for video telephony. According to Edward Wang, Business Head, Mobile Communication Business for Asus India, this is the only communicator with a Web cam which is called iCAM. Users can type SMS, listen to music, write emails etc simultaneously while using the iCAM. The Asus M930 smart phone is available through India Digital Lifestyle Distributors Private Limited (IDLDPL) for around Rs 27,900. Courtesy : Techtree

BSNL to tie up for bundle schemes in Delhi 8 Jun, 2008, 1636 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is planning to tie up with handset makers to launch in Delhi new bundling schemes --offering the equipment along with the connection, popular among private players. The telecom PSU's Kerala and Karnataka Circle has already launched such schemes. In Chennai, BSNL and Chennai Telephones had already tied up with domestic handset manufacturer to roll out an integrated bundle offer for pre-paid subscribers.

^^^ BSNL and MTNL are two different bodies my dear friends. They are not same. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (known as BSNL, India Communications Corporation Limited) is a public sector communications company in India. It is the India's largest telecommunication company with 24% market share as on March 31, 2008. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited is an Indian Government-owned telephone service provider in the cities of Mumbai, Thane, New Delhi, and Navi Mumbai in India. The company was a monopoly until 2000, when the telecom sector was thrown open to other service providers. Regards.

BSNL to cut call charges by up to half 9 Jun, 2008, 1415 hrs IST Bsnl has reduced its STD charges to 0.80 paise per minute. Now Bsnl is the first to provide the cheapest STD call rates. Regards.

Xenitis Unveils Handset Priced Rs 499 West Bengal-based Xenitis, a manufacturer of computers and motor bikes, has now forayed into the mobile handset market; one of the handsets launched is the lowest-ever priced in the country, the company claims. Xenitis has launched five new entry-level mobile handsets, with one priced as low as Rs 499, and the other four models priced between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000. These handsets will be made available in West Bengal by the end of this year. Speaking on the occasion, Santanu Ghosh, chairman and managing director of Xenitis Group, said, "Apart from these entry-level handsets, we also have plans to come up with improved features including dual-SIM Card in the next phase. We have floated a new company Xenitis Telecommunications for our venture in mobile handset manufacturing." Additionally, Xenitis has launched a low-priced laptop dubbed "Xuva XC 200". Priced at Rs 14,990, this laptop is also claimed to be the lowest-ever priced notebook PC in the country. It comes equipped with Intel Celeron 2Ghz (550), 512MB RAM, 120GB HD, DVD, card reader, SIS chipset, and a 13.3-inches WXGA LCD. Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ Suggestions are always welcome on the forum my dear friend. Your suggestion is really good (Majority Wins). Hope we will go a long way alltogether. This kind of activity could definetely be beneficial to our beloved Rimweb. Hope it can be possible in the near future. Regards.

DoT may not be acting fair with BlackBerry 9 Jun, 2008, 0338 hrs IST, TNN NEW DELHI: Canadian smart phone maker RIM’s whimper that the communications ministry was targeting it selectively has opened a Pandora’s box full of complicated issues that India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) has no answers for. RIM, which makes the BlackBerry smart phone, and has about 1,15,000 customers in India, mostly corporate or professionals, has argued that if its services were in violation of India’s security guidelines, then DoT should also look into similar offerings of at least four other players. While this may be the last line of defence by RIM, which has been under the country’s security agencies fire and has been pushed to the corner with little negotiating options, the Canadian company’s argument has highlighted the larger picture, which DoT has been trying to brush under the carpet. Before venturing into the finer details, consider what the BlackBerry saga is all about. The media debate on this issue has been dominated by a handful of factors, of which some were even factually incorrect. Firstly, at the heart of the BlackBerry security issue is the fact that any email communication between BlackBerry owners (with BlackBerry email IDs) in India bypasses the networks of Indian mobile operators providing this service. Secondly, while data on RIM network flow with the 256-advanced encryption standard, DoT wants the company to reduce this to a 40-bit encryption, a level that can be intercepted by security agencies. RIM’s failure to offer clarifications on these issues, coupled with the company’s defiant stance not to brief the media on hard facts has only resulted in half truths becoming the order of the day. The proposed solution by DoT and security agencies are — set up a server in India and channel all data traffic originating from Indian mobile networks to these servers; RIM and operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Communications that provide this service create a mirror image of all emails and data sent on these devices in India and save these images for at least six months; and reduce encryption code to less than 40-bit. It is essential to understand that the security concerns are only related to BlackBerry Enterprise Solutions (BES), which are largely used by corporates. The BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), which is sold to individual customers, has very little security facilities and is not encrypted. At the same time, it is also important to note that the arguments presented by both sides – DoT and RIM – have several flaws, and any solution to the ongoing imbroglio will have to address each of these issues. RIM has a case First is the issue of encryption. It is no secret that India’s security agencies have been unable to keep pace with the march of technology. But punishing RIM for the failure of Indian agencies to anticipate technological developments reflects poorly on the government here. While DoT may be demanding that RIM reduce encryption standards to 40 bits, it comes at the cost of the customers who use this service. A simple indicator of this is that globally, most countries stipulate that the internet service providers (ISP) ensure a minimum of 128-bit encryption before any financial transaction can be made online. Many industry experts accept that 40-bit encryption standards may turn back the clock on the internet emerging as a platform for commerce in India and will also give a free run to hackers. In fact, DoT’s double standards on the issue stand exposed as almost all commercial portals in India, some of which are owned by government departments such as the Railways, Indian Airlines, telecom and bank PSUs, offer services at the 128-bit encryption standards. This also brings into question the ultra cheap internet telephony services offered by Skype and other such global majors where the encryption standards are well above 40 bits. Considering that more Indians use internet telephony than they use BlackBerry services, DoT must first explain why only these services of RIM are considered a security threat. The second issue relates to the fact that other handset majors in India, including Nokia and Motorola and software players such as Microsoft and Seven Networks, offer similar email solutions on mobile handsets. Consider what RIM said in a presentation to DoT: “In addition to BlackBerry, four other mobile e-mail solutions in market in India use comparable encryption levels — Windows Mobile ActiveSync, Nokia Intellisync, Motorola Good and Seven Networks. Furthermore, several other technologies widely used in India use strong encryption to secure communications over the internet. These include Web browser, WAO 2.0 mobile browser software, IIPSec VPN, PGP and SMIME. All these technologies are widely available and used throughout India. Functionally, all of these solutions use encryption similar to BlackBerry. Thus, focusing on BlackBerry alone will not solve any security concerns over encryption.” The issue assumes importance considering that tens of thousands of customers in India use Motorola Good for services such as RSS news feeds and customised email alerts and filters. Ditto for the solutions provided by Seven Networks, which offers real-time access to work and personal information, including email, calendar, corporate directories, personal contacts and documents. Windows Mobile e-mail solutions are available on several high-end handsets and PDAs sold in the country such as HTC Touch, O2, iPAQ and even on some handsets from Samsung and Motorola. Finnish handset major Nokia on its website states that its Nokia Intellisync wireless email solutions support a wide range of mobile devices and platforms, including Palm, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Symbian, and IMAP client. Therefore, if DoT were to ask operators to discontinue BlackBerry services, the government in the next stage may be forced to extend similar orders on other players offering similar solutions. Its faults On the other hand, RIM too is at fault on several fronts. Government officials here say that the Canadian company’s argument that it did not possess the encryption keys and the company’s public stance that it would “simply be unable to accommodate” any such request from the India government does not have any merit. Instead, DoT has correctly pointed out that since RIM’s BlackBerry service meets the provisions of US Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, 1994 (CALEA) regulations, all BlackBerry data traffic originating on Indian mobile networks can be tracked electronically by CALEA sleuths in the Federal Communications Commission. The officials added that the US would not been able to monitor this data unless RIM had opened its networks to American agencies. In response to DoT’s request to set up servers in India, RIM in an update to its customers said: “The location of data centres and the customer’s choice of wireless network are irrelevant factors from a security perspective since end-to-end encryption is utilised.” Additionally, RIM in its presentation to DoT also said that all data that flows through its data centres is encrypted to protect it from unlawful hacking or interception, while adding: “Routing it through data centres in India will not make it any more decipherable.” Experts are divided if RIM’s stance is correct from the technology perspective. Some acknowledge that the company’s arguments have some merit. This is because since internet packets can travel using any available pathway, it is inevitable that some of India’s internet traffic will be routed internationally. Under such a scenario, setting up a server in India may not provide the solution that intelligence and security agencies here are looking for. Even if RIM’s argument deserves consideration, it cannot be deniedthat the company is in violation of several Indian laws. Under Indian regulations, the control of remote access, i.e. activation, transfer of data, termination etc., shall be within the country and not at a remote location abroad. Also, the government agency should be given all support to record the transactions for online monitoring. Additionally, DoT on its part is also right in demanding a solution from RIM since Indian regulations clearly state that suitable technical device should be made available at Indian end to the designated security agency/licensor for monitoring purposes. With regard to DoT’s proposal to create a mirror image of all emails and data sent on these devices in India and save these images for at least six months, RIM already does so in a limited way. “The BlackBerry BES solution provides encryption of an email message between a BlackBerry smartphone and a BlackBerry enterprise server with which it is associated. Once delivered on BES on customers premises, email messages originating on a BlacKBerry device are decrypted and placed in care of the company or government agency for storage, forwarding, etc. Viewed this way, every BlackBerry email is mirrored on the corporate BES server as standard email,” explained RIM. Our view While the arguments can continue, ET also explored some solutions that can bring about an end to the six-month old controversy. Firstly, since RIM’s services meet the provisions of US CALEA regulations, the Canadian company can provide Indian agencies details on how it complies with regulations abroad. It can also help DoT and intelligence agencies to put in place a similar structure in India. Governments around the world, either individually or with help from network and IT majors, have developed solutions which allow lawful intercept of BlackBerry traffic without compromising the security or integrity of the communications. India’s security and intelligence agencies can seek support from governments across the world and upgrade their technological capabilities. This will also help India address security concerns on the technology front that are beyond BlackBerry. It is also possible that the government may soon find a solution to the BlackBerry security issue with help from two US-based companies — San Jose-based intercept solution companies Cain Technologies and SS8 Networks. Cain and SS8 are developers of voice messaging communication solutions that meet the US government’s requirements of lawful traffic interception. Both Cain and SS8 had approached DoT, offering their interception solutions, after security agencies here had raised concerns over the BlackBerry services. DoT, after consultations with Intelligence Bureau, had invited the companies to demonstrate their equipment and solutions. DoT sources said if the demonstrations are successful, the government would direct RIM to install the interception solution on Indian mobile networks expeditiously. This strategy has been successfully adopted by several countries.

Ambani may get up to 34% in MTN 9 Jun, 2008, 0230 hrs IST, TNN MUMBAI: Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communication (RCOM) and the South African telco MTN are locked in negotiations to decide the share swap ratio at which Mr Ambani will transfer his stake in RCOM to MTN in return for a stake in the latter. Although both the parties are learnt to have agreed on the broad contours of the deal, which will result in RCOM promoter ADAG emerging as the single-largest shareholder in MTN and the foreign company becoming the holding firm of the Indian telco, they are yet to decide the swap ratio. It is learnt that Mr Ambani wants the ratio to be 0.66:1 (66 MTN shares for 100 RCOM shares) while the MTN management is asking for 0.51:1. Sources said both the parties have started the due diligence exercise. A top team from RCOM, comprising a dozen officials, is now stationed at MTN’s headquarters in Johannesburg. They are expected to be back in Mumbai on Tuesday. In addition to the share swap ratio, the parties are also discussing the structure of the management of the entity, post merger. It is learnt that they are in favour of keeping the existing management unchanged in most of the geographies. However, it is certain that Mr Ambani will join the MTN board as either chairman or co-chairman. MTN chief executive Phuthuma Nhelko is expected to continue in his present capacity. Cyril Ramaphosa, a famous personality in the world of South African business and politics, is MTN’s chairman. Depending on the share swap ratio and the response to the open offer, which MTN is expected to launch for RCOM shareholders, Mr Ambani may need to fork out some money as well. He is reportedly in talks with a number of private equity firms, including Carlyle, Blackstone and Apax Partners. Deutsche Bank is the financial advisor to RCOM for this deal. Its other advisors are believed to be Lazard, Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan. Lazard’s head of UK operations, Ken Costa, is leading the RCOM pack. A clearer picture is expected this week. However, it is unlikely that the deal will be through this week. Two weeks ago, MTN had signed an exclusive pact with RCOM, which means the foreign company will not initiate merger talks with any other suitors in next 45 days. MTN had entered into this pact after Bharti Airtel walked away from a similar arrangement describing it as a convoluted one. The broad contours of the deal, as reported by ET, suggest that ADAG may hold a one-third stake in MTN against its 66% stake in RCOM. However, the exact shareholding of these two companies would depend on this share swap ratio and the response of the open offer. MTN would end up getting anything between 63% and 74% of RCOM’s equity, including the stake garnered through the open offer, and Mr Ambani would give away anything between 43% and 63% stake. Depending on the ratio, Mr Ambani would end up getting anything between a 28% and 34% stake in MTN. If he ends up at the lower end of the band, he may up his stake by directly investing money in MTN. Ultimately, he would hold close to 35% in MTN. Under South African norms, any acquisition beyond 35% requires an open offer which is not currently under consideration. If the deal goes through, the combined entity will have a market capitalisation of $66 billion and operations in 23 countries.

^^^ The news is from Press Trust of India my dear friends. Regards.

Raja's 3G foreign push hits DoT roadblock 9 Jun, 2008, 0032 hrs IST, TNN NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Even as communications minister A Raja has gone public several times over his intentions to let foreign players bid in the upcoming 3G auctions, serious differences appear to have cropped up within department of telecom (DoT) over this issue. DoT has prepared a note for prime minister listing out the advantages of limiting the upcoming 3G auctions to existing players. The note also lists several disadvantages of allowing foreign players in via an international competitive bidding as suggested by the finance ministry and Mr Raja. Incidentally, the DoT note to the PM comes even as Mr Raja and finance minister P Chidambaram are slated to meet Mr Manmohan Singh to press their case for a global 3G auction. It is also learnt that the DoT had a high-level meeting with telecom regulator TRAI, who has bitterly opposed the entry of new players, before preparing the note for the PM. ET has learnt that the primary reason for a section of DoT supporting TRAI and not Mr Raja on 3G is on account of the upcoming probe by the Central Vigilance Commission. Sources confirmed that the CVC will soon open a probe against the communications ministry on three grounds, the DoT’s move earlier this year to award licences for Rs 1,651 crore, a fee fixed in 2001, for failing to follow TRAI’s recommendations of 2003 that future allocation of 2G spectrum should be via an auction process and also over the DoT’s move to allot start-up 2G spectrum to dual-technology licence holders such as Reliance Communications, ahead of other applicants in the queue for radio frequencies. “Against the background, a significant section does not favor Raja,” a source added. What complicates the matter even further is that amidst all these developments, another section of the DoT known as the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC), has come out with the draft recommendations for 3G policy, which states that all players, international majors, new domestic entrants and even non-licence holders be allowed to bid. The WPC, in its draft policy, has proposed a base price of Rs 160 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 80 crore for category B and Rs 30 crore for category C circles. However, the new DoT note to the PM complicates issues further for Mr Raja. This is because, the note lists four advantages for allowing only existing licensees to bid, current players can ensure enough competition, roll-out will be faster as existing players can provide services in 6-8 months while the time period is likely to be 2-3 years for new players, rollout of exclusive 3G networks by new players will be expensive and will result in higher tariffs and 5 MHz of spectrum will not be sufficient for new players for their 3G network rollout. At the same time, it also says that if an international competitive bidding as suggested by the finance ministry is adopted, since there were already 342 applicants who are waiting for licenses and 2G spectrum, and these players my go to court and delay the process. Besides, it also points out that telecom regulator TRAI in its recommendations had said that only existing license holders be allowed to bid, while adding, “Many developing countries have been allotted 3G spectrum to existing 2G licence holders. In UK, the 3G auctions in 2001 got large revenues but the rollout was delayed for several years." The DoT note to the PM comes immediately after yet another communication from TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra. TRAI in its latest communication to DoT secretary Siddharth Behura dated May 24, has listed out six legal complications over allowing foreign players to bid for 3G spectrum.

Gizmo lovers excited over likely launch of 3G iPhone NEW DELHI: Even as gizmo lovers await the official launch of Apple's new iPhone towards the end of the year, the market in India is abuzz - as in the US - that the company would debut the iPhone ver.2 or the 3G model as early as Monday. Apple Inc is hosting the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) starting Monday in San Francisco and it was during the same conference last year that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs announced the launch date for the original iPhone. "I have the first iPhone and I am mighty pleased with its out-of-the-world functionality. I'll sell it as soon as I can lay my hands on the new one," said Geet Tandon, an avid techie, unable to hide his excitement. "I can't wait to get my hands on the new iPhone, which supposedly will have additional features and better looks," he added. The buzz over the new version being showcased in San Francisco was further fuelled by a memo to employees in May sent by AT&T, iPhones's sole provider in the US. "No additional vacation will be approved between June 15 and August 12," said the company, which had issued a similar notice last year before the phone's launch. When the original iPhone from the apple stable - a crossover between an iPod and a smart-phone - hit the market last year, lack of 3G capabilities and a built-in global positioning system (GPS) receiver were seen as few of the disadvantages. Nevertheless, the flaws did not seem to deter the buyers, according to a recent study by the technology think-tank Gartner. Apple rose to number three position in the worldwide smart-phone category in terms of market share, selling more than 1.7 million handsets in just about nine months. The serpentine lines outside Apple and AT&T stores made headlines in India, despite the fact that apple at that time had not disclosed any plans of marketing their new product in the country. The phone was named the Time magazine's invention of the year. And despite not being officially available in the country, the phone was voted as the gadget of the year by most tech shows in India. Gaffar market in Karol Bagh, the go-to place in the city if you want the shiny chrome plated phone, does not seem to know about by the new development. Santosh Singh, who deals specifically with the iPhone, said he had no idea if a new version of the iPhone was being launched. "If that happens, it will be good for the business as the new phone will take sometime to seep in the Indian market and when the supply is less the profits are always high," he said. It is not all rumours that make the whole hype surrounding the 3G iPhone believable given the secretive and surprising marketing strategies of Apple. During a meeting in California in November 2007, AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson (in what has been regarded as a slip-up) told reporters that his company was working with Apple for the 3G version of iPhone. Apple fan websites and iPhone forums all across the web are on fire. Not only can one find the "leaked pictures" but also copies of apple's patent application for the phone to the US Patent Office on these websites. And what can one expect of the new phone? The list is endless but 3G and a GPS are more or less confirmed. Apple might also include flash player in its Safari browser and the phone would have window's media format. Avid blogger Zibri (real name not disclosed), who has founded the popular blog ziphone.org and also creator of ziphone - an unlocking utility software for the phone - says the launch of the next iPhone version will be sooner than expected. "We're near the event everyone is expecting. It seems Apple at last has included an embedded GPS. It features a category 8 HSDPA connection (3G) for a top speed of 7.2 MB/s. The main iPhone CPU will remain unchanged."

Reliance Infocom Ltd must pay fee for network towers 8 Jun, 2008, 1250 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI: In a case involving Reliance Infocom Ltd, the question whether a cellphone operator company must pay fees to the municipal authorities for erecting network towers atop buildings has yet again come to the fore. Division bench of Justices S B Mhase and A A Kumbhakoni on Thursday has held that Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group owned company must pay fees for constructing network tower on buildings in the jurisdiction of Akola Municipal Corporation. But earlier another bench of the high court had taken opposite view in similar cases so the matter has now been referred to the Chief Justice for hearing by a larger bench, without any interim relief for Reliance. The court was hearing a petition filed by Reliance challenging a notification of the state government regarding charging of fees by the municipal corporation for constructing network towers over buildings. It claimed that state does not have power under the Maharashtra Region Town Planning (MRTP) Act to impose such fees. The current bench stated that the notification was valid as it rationalizes the fees charged by the different municipal corporation. The corporations have been charging fees under provisions of the Development Control Regulations (DCR) of the corporation, additional government pleader Vinay Sonpal told PTI.

^^^ My dear friends, Data Tariffs are already been reduced for Reliance Hello FWP / FWT subscribers. Regards.

^^^ Well my dear friends, actually in TATA their are no / little billing issues, whereas in Reliance now a days billing issues are on the peak. Their is no chance of manupulation of any kind in TATA. No doubt, Reliance too is trying to provide good services to its subscribers but they have to go a long way for this. As their customer base is the highest so to provide quality services to all its customers is not that easy. For that they have to install world class infrastructure and appoint the best executives to be the part of their team. Regards.

^^^ My dear friends, but Spice now is a reputed brand in India. Spice do offer warranty on its Mobile Handsets which we can't expect in Chinese mobiles purchased from Grey Market. Regards.

Now Games for Apple iPhones, iPods Ubisoft is the latest to jump onto the "games for iPhone and iPod Touch" bandwagon. The maker of popular titles including Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Haze will now join the likes of Electronic Arts (EA), Sega, and PopCap in developing games for Apple Computer's iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Executive Producer of "Games for Everyone", Ubisoft, Pauline Jacquey, said, "At the minute, we're only showing DS and Wii games, but we'll be working on all other platforms. We'll be making games not only on PC, PS3, and 360, but on the iPhone and iPod Touch as well." Actually, it's Ubisoft's sister company Gameloft that looks after the mobile wing of the business but Jacquey said they would be borrowing more from "Games for Everyone". Game developers seem to be drawn by the touch-screen aspect of the latest generation iPod and iPhone devices. Yet, it might be a long way for an Apple iPod/iPod Touch/iPhone to beat a Nintendo DS as the future portable gaming gadget of choice! Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ Thanks my dear Dr. Ali. The suggestions are always welcome at the forum and your suggestion is really good. Hope all other members of our beloved Rimweb must consider your suggestion. Thanks once again for the suggestion my dear friend. Regards.

For fraudsters, ATM is indeed all time money! 7 Jun, 2008, 2020 hrs IST, TNN MUMBAI: Internet banking and credit cards are not the only targets on a fraudster’s radar. ATMs are also fast emerging as soft targets with fraudsters constantly evolving their techniques. Recently, an ATM of a public sector bank in Nagpur was hacked by a member of the maintenance staff. In a comparatively crude attack, the maintenance employee tapped the wires connecting the machine to the server using a small transistor-like device. The device basically intercepts the signal and stores it, making it possible to replicate it later. So, when an unsuspecting customer walked in to the ATM centre, the digital signals passing from the machine to the bank’s server were tapped. These signals were then re-sent from the back of the ATM machine with the fraudster’s accomplice standing in front of the ATM slot for withdrawing money without actually carrying the ATM card with him. Since the server received the same signal from the ATM as that of the cardholder wanting to withdraw cash, it dispensed the same amount once more. According to security firm Indiaforensic Consultancy Services chairman Mayur Joshi, “This was a very crude attempt at stealing money, and could have easily been averted if the bank in question took all the necessary precautions.” Banks, on their part, are not forthcoming with details on the frauds that they are hit with, but according to people in the know, instances of ATM frauds are steadily on the rise. “Frauds are prevalent in smaller banks in smaller cities also. The fact that some banks do not invest properly in their technology and security deployments is catching up with them,” adds Mr Joshi. In fact, a lot of co-operative banks are in the process of rolling out in-house technology products. “The world-wide trend in IT deployments by financial institutions is that the smaller ones do not invest as much as their richer counterparts. This will obviously leave them more vulnerable,” explains Foundation of Information Security and Technology (FIST) president Vijay Mukhi. It is not just the smaller banks that are hit by ATM frauds. However, banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India invest considerably on their security aspects. HDFC Bank, for example, has outsourced the service and maintenance of over 2,000 ATMs to the world’s largest ATM-vendor, NCR Corporation. “Some banks in India are aware of the various types of global fraud and are undertaking proactive measures to protect the ATM and their customers from fraud,” says NCR Corporation India MD Pradeep Sen. Apart from a bank branch, the one place which holds a ready supply of cash is an ATM, and unlike the branches, these machines are manned by one or two security guards at best. According to Mr Mukhi, the sophisticated fraudsters are often international groups which move from country to country. Also, all ATMs run on the Widows platform. “Hacking into any of these is as easy as hacking into a computer, and everyone knows the levels of sophistication fraudsters have reached,” he added. Even as banks are adopting high-end anti-skimming and surveillance products, the easiest way to perpetrate an ATM fraud is through an insider. Security agencies are advising banks to carry out proper background checks on their employees.

Idea Cellular buys Modi's stake in Spice 7 Jun, 2008, 1242 hrs IST, TNN MUMBAI: AV Birla group telecom company Idea Cellular is buying out the Modi group’s stake in Spice Communications, taking complete control of the cellular firm. After it buys the Modi stake, Idea will make a mandatory open offer for 20% of Spice. ET had reported on the impending deal in edition on June 4. The Modis, currently Spice promoters, are likely to sell their entire stake and exit the company. Subsequently, the two companies will be merged. Telekom Malaysia, which owns less than 40% of Spice, will hold a stake in the combined entity. Spice shares closed at Rs 51.95 on Friday, down 3% from its previous close. The benchmark index Sensex, meanwhile, fell 197.5 points or 1.25%. At this price, its market capitalisation is around $850 million. The value of the deal could not be ascertained. Telekom Malaysia was also interested in increasing its stake in the company. It wanted to buy out the Modis and then explore the option of merging with Idea at a later stage. The Idea board met in Mumbai on Friday. However, the details of the meeting could not be ascertained. Idea’s managing director Sanjeev Aga and BK Modi of Spice refused to comment. For quite some time now, Spice, which operates in Punjab and Karnataka circles, has been an acquisition target for various reasons. One, it has remained restricted to the two circles 11 years after rolling out operations. Two, it has spectrum in the 900 MHz band, which can accommodate a larger number of subscribers than the 1800 MHz band used by other GSM operators. Spice has nearly 4.4 million subscribers in the two circles. Idea Cellular is a leading cellular service provider of the AV Birla group. TM is an emerging leader in the Asian communications market with presence in Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Iran besides Malaysia. TM’s investment philosophy is to play an active role in its international operations, with an emphasis on management control, which it has been seeking in Spice for almost a year now. Together with mobile operations in Malaysia, TM’s regional mobile customer base (across nine countries) was 39.8 million at 2007-end.

LG Brings The Interactive KF600 to India LG Electronics India has announced the launch of its 2008 iF product design award winning mobile phone LG KF600. The handset boasts of a sleek design and dynamic graphic interface themes. It has eight integrated graphic themes that give the phone a different character that can act as an extension of its owner's personality. The InteractPad replaces physical navigation keys with context-specific virtual keys that change to fit the task at hand. The handset also has a scratch resistant screen. Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM, LGEIL said, "The LG KF600 and the InteractPad reflect LG's commitment in making its handsets easier to use through improved user interface technology. Usability is truly at the centre of this handset's design and it represents LG's latest achievement in making phones that connect with their users. This handset offers a mere glimpse into a newly emerging trend in the mobile market. LG is researching and developing new ways to improve usability and will continue focus on features that add practical benefits for users." The LG KF600's InteractPad and its virtual menu keys show the exact keys a user needs to complete the task at hand eliminating distractions. This is more flexible than standard hardware keys and eliminates the need to memorize exactly which key performs what function. These virtual keys are also larger and better spaced than physical keys, improving accuracy. The phone includes multimedia features like a 3 mega-pixel camera, MP3 player, video recording, FM radio, Bluetooth and more. Its ergonomic trapezoidal shape complements the phone's sleek, glossy finish perfectly. The LG KF600 is available at a price tag of Rs. 14,990.

MTNL wants access to BSNL's networks to take on pvt telcos 6 Jun, 2008, 0141 hrs IST, TNN NEW DELHI: State-owned telco MTNL has sought that the government allow it to access the networks of BSNL, which has a pan-India presence, so that it can compete with private operators. The company has pointed out that private players such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, which had recently slashed STD tariffs, were carrying most calls on their own fibre networks across the country. This implies, these private telcos do not have to pay carriage and termination fee to other operators to carry their calls, and this has helped them rollout schemes and offer unlimited STD calls between within their network (also called on-net calls). MTNL has said that since its presence was confined to two metros, it could not offer on-net calls and this factor was impacting its growth and market share. It has, therefore, suggested that calls between BSNL and MTNL networks be treated as on-net calls. “MTNL cannot offer unlimited STD calls on the BSNL network. This puts the customers of both PSUs at a disadvantage,” CMD RSP Sinha told DoT in a communique. MTNL has pointed out that both it as well as BSNL was owned by the government, but since they held licenses to operate mutually exclusive service areas, the calls originated from the network of one PSU and getting terminated on the network of another PSU were currently being treated as off-net calls. “So it’s proposed that calls originating from the network of one PSU and being terminated at the network of another PSU should be treated as on-net calls so that the benefits of different type of on-net call plans may be extended to the customers of both the PSUs to provide a level playing field with private operators having license to provide services throughout the country,” Mr Sinha added.