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Everything posted by Honest
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TRAI dismisses old GSM operators' concerns, says no loss The Economic Times l 11 Feb l New Delhi Telecom regulator TRAI today dismissed GSM operators' charges that its recommendation to revise 2G spectrum prices will hit them hard and said they (telcos) were looking at the issue from a narrow perspective. "Telecom firms should not look at only payout charges. This is just one element of the recommendations. There are other elements which will result in huge savings for the operators," TRAI Chairman J S Sarma told reporters. TRAI has recommended fixation of uniform licence fees at 6 per cent of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) over a period of time, compared to 6-10 per cent now, depending upon the circles, he said, adding that, "We have also recommended rationalisation of annual spectrum charges." Sarma's comments came after incumbent GSM operators like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea Cellular and new service providers like Tata Docomo and Reliance Communications attacked TRAI for coming out with "irrational and discriminatory" recommendations on spectrum prices. In fact, both factions -- new and old GSM service providers -- accused TRAI of making recommendations that benefited the other. The new operators termed TRAI's recommendation as a complete sell-out to old GSM players, saying the extra spectrum hoarded by old operators would be legalised at a fraction of the actual cost. They said that the operators should be asked to return the extra airwaves or else there should be a recurring cost and not a one-time entry fee, as proposed by TRAI. In contrast, Vodafone Essar said TRAI's new set of recommendations are flawed, illogical and discriminatory against the operators that were the first to invest deeply to build the sector. Similarly, Bharti also said that, "The recommendations by TRAI goes against the stated principle of the government to offer affordability, fairness and a level playing field. There seem to be huge inconsistency in terms of the differences of prices in various circles, which defies logic." TRAI said that taking all elements of its recommendations in totality, the operators would actually save money over the licence period. Besides lowering licence fees and rationalisation of spectrum charges, TRAI is also in favour of lowering operators' contribution to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund, a levy which is used to subsidise operators to offer services in rural areas and villages. TRAI's Sarma urged the operators to look at all elements of its recommendations collectively and not selectively, on the basis of spectrum prices alone.
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TDSAT Directs TRAI To Rework Telecom Interconnect Charges
Honest replied to kesav's topic in Indian Telecom / General News
TRAI to complete study on interconnect charge in three months The Economic Times l 11 Feb l New Delhi Telecom Regulator TRAI on Friday said it would come out with new interconnection usage charges payable by one operator to another for carrying phone calls of their subscribers in next three months. "IUC (interconnect usage charge) is an ongoing process. Last IUCs were fixed in 2009. The Supreme Court has given us four months time. We expect to complete our study before that in next two to three months," TRAI Chairman J S Sarma said. IUC are charges payable by one telecom operator to the other for use of the latter's network either for originating, terminating, transiting or carrying a call. Inter operator calls constitute a major portion of the total calls that are handled by the network. Last week, Supreme Court had directed Telecom Regulator to evolve new norms on interconnect regulation within four months after consultation with various stakeholders in the industry. Supreme Court has also asked TRAI to fix transit carriage charge liability on each operator. Following this order, the telecom regulator has floated tender to appoint an agency for calculating liability of transit carriage charges on individual operators. -
Reliance Comm says 2G proposal favours rivals The Economic Times l 11 Feb l New Delhi Reliance Communications , India's second-ranked mobile carrier, said on Friday the telecoms regulator's 2G spectrum price proposals favoured its older rivals such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone's India unit. Reliance Communications, which is predominantly a CDMA operator and expanded its GSM services a few years ago, said in a statement the proposals by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would cause a "revenue loss" for the government and "large savings" to old GSM operators. It estimated the government would have a revenue loss of 64.74 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) due to the new proposals. The company said older GSM operators would now have to pay only for the balance licence period, which is less than five years for many players, as against the regulator's earlier recommendation for a minimum seven years. The TRAI has recommended a steep increase in prices of 2G spectrum that would also see companies holding more than 6.2 mega hertz spectrum paying a one-time fee for that, a move that would hit older operators on the GSM platform. Older GSM carriers such as Bharti, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have criticised the proposals that could see them pay hundreds of millions dollars in one-time fee. Vodafone has said the proposals were "discriminatory" against older operators, while Bharti has called them unfair.
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Trai: 2G spectrum given away at '01 prices The Economic Times l 11 Feb l New Delhi Telecom regulator Trai's new findings are consistent with CAG's comment in its concluding chapter that there can be no denying that the allocation of 2G spectrum had caused a loss to the national exchequer, although the amount of loss could be debated. This latest analysis shows that 2G spectrum upto 6.2 MHz is valued at 53% of the 3G auction price. Beyond 6.2 MHz, it is valued at 136% of 3G auction price. With Trai's fresh report, it is clear that extremely valuable 2G spectrum was allocated in 2008 at throwaway 2001 prices. In arriving at these new figures the experts have taken into consideration traffic carrying capacities, equipment dimensioning, propagation characteristics, technical comparisons and economic valuation to calculate the value using two methodologies. The first is a classical oriented approach while the second is anchored in data of revenues and costs of mobile industry. They have also dealt with detailed comments provided by mobile service providers.
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Vodafone bags exclusive rights for live streaming of Cricket World Cup 2011 Vodafone Essar, one of India’s leading cellular service providers, has bagged exclusive rights for live streaming of ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of the ICC CWC 2011, which begins February 19, 2011. As part of this deal, Vodafone’s discerning customers will be able to watch ball-by-ball live coverage of all 49 ODI’s on their mobile phones via ESPN Mobile TV. Vodafone has been named co-presenting broadcast sponsor for ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of ICC CWC 2011, making the company one of the biggest sponsors of India’s most popular sport this season. Live streaming of the matches on ESPN Mobile TV will be available exclusively to Vodafone subscribers and can be availed on both 2G (GPRS enabled) and 3G handsets. With a cricketing crazy nation expected to be caught up in a frenzy during the 6 weeks of play, Vodafone subscribers will be able to catch all the live action from the matches being played on the go, anytime, anywhere. Having secured the on-air broadcast sponsorship rights of ESPN Star Sports’ coverage of the ICC CWC 2011, viewers can look forward to an innovative and fun on-air advertising campaign, by Vodafone specially created for this event. Vodafone’s strong association with cricket has been clearly manifested in its innovations, during the Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008. Vodafone’s interest in the cricket season in 2011 is a continuation of this same belief to capitalize on large cricketing events like the World Cup, thereby reaching out to a very large cross section of audiences, cutting across diverse geographies. Courtesy : Teleguru
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INQ unveils Facebook Phones: Cloud Touch, Cloud Q Both run Android 2.2 Froyo with Facebook and Spotify layered on top of it INQ Mobile has unveiled two Facebook centric smartphones - Cloud Touch and Cloud Q running Google Android operating system. Yes, these two are the famous "Facebook" phones that were being developed by INQ Mobile and Facebook closely. Cloud Touch is a touchscreen based smartphone while Cloud Q is a QWERTY keyboard bearing device. Both INQ phones run Google Android 2.2 Froyo and have Facebook tightly integrated to its core. We reported about Cloud Touch's listing last month. The Cloud Touch has a generous 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen display and a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, while the Cloud Q features full physical QWERTY keyboard and 2.6-inch touchscreen display. Both Cloud series smartphones run Facebook and Spotify overlay. The home screens of these Android 2.2 Froyo based phones have been redesigned and carry a Facebook widget that displays News Feed. The Scroll bar above the Menu button gives a direct access to different Facebook features. Cloud Touch and Cloud Q sport 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset that seems to be enough for Facebook addicts. Packed in gaudy colors, the Cloud Touch is aimed at Facebook aficionados who're looking for an affordable Android phone mostly for social network features besides basic telephony functions. The Cloud Touch comes with 4GB microSD card to make up for mere 4MB internal memory. These smartphones would be made available in the second quarter of this year and there are no details on the pricing for these phones. It is likely that these phones would hit the Indian shores before the end of this year. Courtesy : Techtree
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Updated : Wireless Subscribers In India
Honest replied to Honest's topic in Indian Telecom / General News
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Fundraiser for MEID Registration and EVDO Activation on Reliance CDMA
Honest replied to Arun's topic in The Lounge
Wow....thats really great news. Now, this is really unique which we have on our beloved Rimweb. Hats off to Hetal & Sadikk who make this possible. -
2G Scam: Supreme Court Quashes 122 Licences issued in 2008
Honest replied to csmart's topic in Indian Telecom / General News
'Raja made 3,000cr in bribes' The Times of India l 11 Feb l New Delhi The CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations have estimated that former telecom minister A Raja could have got bribes to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore, and have put the loss to the exchequer due to selling of spectrum at undervalued rates at Rs 40,000-50,000 crore. The two agencies have linked bribes Raja allegedly got to his order on January 2008 bringing forward the cut-off date for applications for spectrum from the initial October 21, 2007 to September 25, 2007. The deadline switch eliminated many applications, enabling Raja to favour a few with spectrum. In the process, he allegedly became richer by some Rs 3,000 crore. These are initial estimates of Raja's alleged new-found wealth as well as the loss to the exchequer and are not part of the progress report submitted by the CBI and ED to the Supreme Court on Thursday. In their report, the two agencies said some companies who got the licences had got drafts for licence fees ready even before the revised cut-off date of September 25, 2007, implying they were aware of the plan to change the deadline. The companies that have been accused of collusion with Raja include Swan, Unitech, Videocon, S-Tel and Aircel. The new licencees got huge foreign investments. One of them brought in share capital worth S$625 million. CBI counsel K K Venugopal told the court the licencees attracted investments in US, Japanese, and Mauritian currency. -
OLIVE to Join the Android Phone Bandwagon Although Olive was the first Indian company to make a tablet, they did not manage to get a lot of fan-following. They might be looking to have another go at the market by coming out with Android handsets next year. The news doing the rounds tells us that Olive will be launching smartphones based on Android 2.2 Froyo in the first week of March 2011. According to their chairman Arun Khanna, there will be a whole range of smartphones that will hit the market. One interesting point we saw was that one of these phones will be a challenger to the Galaxy S, possibly a large touchscreen device. Of course, it shouldn’t be any bigger than 5 inches as that wouldn’t make it a phone anyway. It will be interesting to see how they fare with mobile phones. The Olivepad just about hit the mid-range tablet segment but has not done too well. Hopefully their range of Android smartphones will change things around for them. Courtesy : Tech2
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More on Olive Telecom's OliveSmart V-S300 So we found out yesterday about Olive Telecom launching their first smartphone in India, the Gingerbread-powered OliveSmart V-S300 at a price of Rs. 19,999. Naturally, this piqued a lot of interest among the community and people do want to know more about the device. So if you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right place. First off, the OEM – we know Olive don’t manufacture their devices themselves, so what exactly is the true form of the OliveSmart? The most likely answer, like many of our readers commented, seems to be the Huawei Ideos X6, which has… wait for it… an identical specsheet. Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255, Adreno 205, the works. Only, there’s a slight hitch; the Huawei Ideos X6 comes pre-loaded with Android 2.2 Froyo, not 2.3 Gingerbread. That seems to be confirmed by the mockup image Olive sent us and the hands-on preview posted over at Gigejts, which both show the phone running on Froyo (2.2.1). Olive still went all out in announcing Gingerbread for the phone, so we hope both for their sake and ours that they don’t mess it up between now and the release date next month. Another aspect worth talking about is Viewsonic. You’ll remember the ViewPad 7 and the OlivePad – Android tablets which were launched last year – were identical devices. That situation seems to be repeating itself again, this time with the OliveSmart V-S300 and the ViewPad 4. Both devices look extremely similar, and I’m in no doubt hilarity would once again ensue if Viewsonic decides to price their version of the phone higher, like they did with the ViewPad. While all this information is well and good and might pricking the enthusiasm bubbles of some, the fact remains that Olive have promised a Gingerbread phone with excellent specs at a very attractive price. I, still maintain this move will do the Indian smartphone market a world of good, and I hope you guys do too. Now I just hope this device lives up to its specs and performs well. Courtesy : Tech2
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BSNL To Offer PRBT and IVR Service Activation through USSD platform
Honest posted a topic in Other Network / Cellular Providers
BSNL to offer PRBT and IVR service activation through USSD Platform State run Telecom PSU BSNL has introduced a new channel for activation of PRBT (personalised ring back tone) and other IVR Value added services . Now the BSNL customers can activate these services through USSD. The company has tied up with IMI mobile and Spice digital to provide necessary infrastructure and support. With this now customers would be able to activate the said services without dialing any number or sending SMS which are normally charged. Activation of services through USSD is normally appreciated by consumers as its is convenient and quick. For activation of PRBT service customers need to dial *567# (toll free) and for IVR services *555# need to be dialled. On dialing these numbers a menu appears which customers can view and respond accordingly. Courtesy : Teleguru -
TRAI recommendations on 2G arbitrary: Idea Cellular The Economic Times l 10 Feb l New Delhi Aditya Birla group company Idea Cellular on Thursday said the TRAI recommendations on 2G spectrum pricing were flawed and adopting them would be like "slaughtering the goose laying golden eggs of progress". "We are dismayed by the continual flip-flops in policy formulation in the telecom sector. In the same breath, the principles of transparency and auction-based spectrum pricing are touted, whereas arbitrary and unreal administered numbers are sought to be portrayed as 'market based'," Idea said in a statement. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended fixing the price for 6.2 Mhz of pan-India start-up 2G spectrum at10,972.45 crore, more than six times the present cost of1,658 crore. TRAI has also said every Mhz of additional spectrum (on an all-India basis) beyond the contracted limit of 6.2 Mhz would cost a massive4,571.87 crore. Most of the telecom firm, including Bharti, Vodafone, Idea and state-owned companies like BSNL and MTNL , hold extra spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz and the new norms would put a huge financial burden on these telcos. "Even more curious is how total spectrum holdings are sought to be aggregated for some operators, but disaggregated for select others, never mind the loss to the exchequer or basic level playing field considerations," Idea said. Other leading telcos like Bharti airtel and Vodafone have also criticised the recommendations calling them "flawed, illogical and discriminatory". "Our sector has seen many absurdities already. The goose that laid the golden egg of progress, is being led to slaughter. We can only hope that reason will prevail and a market driven mechanism will be allowed," Idea added.
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Aids Awareness Day Today - Let Me Ans Ur Querries And Doubts - Scientifically
Honest replied to Genius's topic in The Lounge
Thanks for the info dear Rajan Brother. +1 -
Bharti, Idea get advantage due to policy lapses: Patil panel The Economic Times l 10 Feb l New Delhi Arbitrary decisions taken by ministry officials may have helped telecom operators like Bharti airtel and Idea Cellular get spectrum, says the one-man committee report. For instance, additional spectrum of 2 MHz + 2 MHz beyond 8 MHz + 8 MHz was allotted to Bharti airtel in 2003 (during the NDA regime) for Delhi service area though no criteria for allotment of the same was in existence. "This decision was taken on the basis of note put up by the then concerned Engineer and approved by Wireless Advisor along with his deputies. This was arbitrary and selective besides being unfair to other intending applicants," the report said. Aditya Birla group firm Idea Cellular also benefitted as it was provided with extra time to acquire eligibility. Idea Cellular had made application in August 2005 for grant of licence for the Mumbai circle, while the LoI was issued in November 2006. "In the intervening period, time was extended to enable the applicant to acquire eligibility," it said. However, there were also instances when these operators were not shown preference. For example, for the Chennai service area, a decision was taken to divide the available spectrum of 1.4 MHz + 1.4 MHz between Bharti airtel and Aircel, irrespective of their priority breaching the 'First Come First Serve' (FCFS) criteria. On the basis of a note put up by another official, Idea Cellular's application for licence for West Bengal and other service areas was returned with the remarks "could not be seen" by the office of the Minister. The further processing of the file was also withheld on the ground that a proposal had been submitted to the Minister to process the applications only after receipt of recommendations from TRAI, it said. In deviation from the prescribed procedures, start-up spectrum to Spice Communications/Idea Cellular was withheld on the ground that proposal of their merger was pending, it said.
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Go after corporates in 2G scam: SC to CBI The Times of India l 10 Feb l New Delhi Broadening the net, the Supreme Court asked the CBI to bring under its scanner corporate houses which were beneficiaries of the 2G spectrum scam without being influenced by their status be it millionaires or whether they are on the Forbes list. Giving a free hand to the investigating agency and setting the contours of the probe, the Court asked the government to set up a special court exclusively to try the spectrum scam case. A bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly asked the agency to lay its hand on the big corporate houses and the government officials who may have a role in the scam "as mere summoning them for examining them may not be sufficient". "We have a large number of persons who think themselves to be law. Law must catch them. It should be done with greater expedition. Merely they are in the list of Forbes or they are millionaires does not make any difference," the Bench said after perusing the status reports filed by the probe agencies in which names of big corporates houses and their officers were mentioned. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, pointed out that the agencies have not questioned the heads of several companies including Swan technology, which was controlled by Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, when the spectrum was allocated. At this, the Bench said "top authorities of the companies were not questioned. It is surprising that the managing directors were not summoned". "Why CBI has not taken any action in this regard," the court asked. The apex court said freedom of probe agencies should not be curtailed and they should go beyond the role of the four persons already arrested including the former telecom minister A Raja and tell the names of conspirators. "This investigation has led to prima-facie conclusion about the culpability of four persons. What about the beneficiaries. "They are part of a larger conspiracy. We want to know about them. You (CBI) take instructions and tell us what action you are planning to take," the bench said. It questioned CBI's strategy of seeking short custodial remands of the accused and said it must have free hand to question anyone. "There is something which is surprising. CBI must have a free hand to question anyone. Whether it's freedom is curtailed by seeking short remand....complexity is involved. "It is a very complicated matter. We feel that investigating agency must be given free hand to seek longer remand. Otherwise the whole purpose of investigation is frustrated," the Bench said.
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Good One....dear Karthik. +1
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Akai Mobile Launches Symbian Based Dual Sim Qwerty Mobile ‘Akai Connect Book'
Honest posted a topic in Other handsets
AKAI Mobile launches Symbian Based Dual SIM Qwerty Mobile ‘Akai Connect book' Akai Mobiles has today launched dual SIM QWERTY smartphone connect book priced at Rs.5795. This dual sim phone has full e-mail capabilities and is made for people who want to stay connected even when on the move with their emails and the internet. This Symbian smartphone has integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The dual SIM high end Qwerty model has been designed for all genres of the society especially business class. Qwerty keypad makes it easy to send SMS, MMS and email with speed and convenience. The model flaunts grand features and applications as it comes with a smooth trackball and is preloaded with Opera mini browser and MSN Messenger for social networking. The internet facility makes it easy to access and update information online with the help of a full keyboard and a large landscape display. It also comes with a music player, Bluetooth, FM radio, GPRS class 10 connectivity and whopping 8GB of expandable memory option. The phone at present is available in black. This stylish and easy to use handset comes with a 6.1 cm (2.4″) Full QWERTY QVGA Screen, 3.2 Mega pixel camera and 3.5 mm Audio Jack. Some of the other features unique to this handset are dual standby, E-book compatibility, USB & Modem Support, Photo Editor, Motion sensor, Blacklist and Video Call Display. It also has brilliant messaging features and business applications like Java, Edge, WAP/MMS/Mobile Chat etc. Its battery is of 1000mAh and has a standby time of 300 hrs. The handset has 2 separate keys for handling two SIM simultaneously. All the numeric keys are specially marked and a proper spacing is provided between each keys. The handset should appeal to QWERTY keypad lovers as it possesses the Qwerty Keypad and external display for quick notification browsing just at a price of Rs. 5795/-. As a part of its inaugural scheme, it is also offering 4GB memory card free. Specifications 6.1 cm (2.4″) Full QWERTY QVGA Screen 3.2 Mega pixel Digital Camera Standby Time: 300 hrs Expandable Memory Upto 8GB 4GB Memory Card Free Wi-Fi Track Ball Large Internal Memory Audio Recording & Video Recording Bluetooth (A2DP) FM Radio & Recording USB & Modem Support Java, Edge WAP/MMS/Mobile Chat Currency Converter Answering Machine Photo Editor E-book Compatible E-mail Blacklist Video Call Display Voice Recording Dual SIM Dual Standby Social Networking Sites 1500 Phonebook Memory 300 SMS Memory Battery 1000mAh 3.5 mm Audio Jack Courtesy : Teleguru -
INTEX Introduces V Show- Projector Mobile Phone Indian mobile phone maker INTEX Technologies today announced the launch of INTEX ‘V. SHOW’ India’s first mobile phone with inbuilt projector. The INTEX V.SHOW (IN8810) is a touch-screen Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) variant and has another coveted feature -Dual Screen mode (phone screen mode and projector screen mode are simultaneously active). It comes with Dual Camera and a Dual Card memory slot of 8 GB each to expand the internal memory of 64 MB. The company claims that the product matches to the Indian operating conditions and entertainment prerequisites such as long life battery so that one can watch a film for as long as three hours and a film quality of 25 Frames Per Second (FPS) – which is as good as the FPS used in movies. Other features include inbuilt ‘Bolt’ mobile Internet browser and a Tripod stand as one of the accessories in the box (for an easy, hands-free visual experience).It also comes with built in apps for social networking site Facebook and Twitter. Taking the visual experience to a new high are the clarity one can also convert the screen output from portrait to landscape and vice versa.The phone also comes with FM radio (wireless and wired) enabled, with GPRS connectivity and has an impressive 3.2 inches super color, dust resistant touch screen.The phone comes for a price tag of Rs. 16,000. Cortesy : Telecom Talk
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Videocon, Ducati unveil New Rugged V6200 Phone Packs a bunch of sports features like offline India Maps with GPS in rugged screw fitted body At an event held in Mumbai, Videocon Mobiles in association with Ducati, has launched new V6200 phone that has been designed for rugged sports usage. Loads of motor biking enthusiasts seek a sturdy phone that goes beyond serving the basic purpose of telephony and adds a bit of adventure to their rides. New Videocon V6200 is packed with multiple features keeping bikers in consideration. You'll get offline maps of India to be used with GPS, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, digital compass and other useful features. Famous Ducati brand design inferences bearing V6200 would be sold in India at an MRP of Rs. 11,995. Ducati is an Italian motorbike manufacturing brand that has offered design excellence to make the new Videocon V6200 phone. The new V6200 has body framed by screws and has rubberized panel with steel side skirting. Bearing a 2.4-inch OLED display, the V6200 supports 240x320 pixel resolution. For imaging, the phone offers measly 2 megapixel camera with video recording. But you can enjoy your favorite songs by hooking in-ear earphones over 3.5 mm port offered on it. Dual-band GSM network supporting V6200 is powered with sports features like GPS, Thermometer, Altimeter, Barometer, Pedometer, UV Rays sensor, Digital Compass and LED Pulse Indicator. While travelling at night, the dual-LED torch comes handy. Ducati-Videocon has put dedicated keys for quick-access to GPS, torch, camera and sports features. Along with the usual content in the box, Videocon V6200 has bit more to offer: Pre-bundled 4GB MicroSD Card pre-loaded with life time validity of MAP MY INDIA Mo-biking used guide and PC Suite CD containing: Pictures & Videos of Ducati Bikes, GPS User Manual, Phone Suite and Phone User Manual Adventure Flask Arm Band Motorcycle riders should take a look at this phone. Courtesy : Techtree
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First post and Topic Title updated on request. Friends, the winners of this contest will be announced on the eve of Holi. Toh Bhai log apni apni PICHKAARIYAN lekar toot pado maidaan mein aur ho jao shuru, kar doh post ek MAZEDAAR story. Waiting for having more fun in this thread now.
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Unitech, Swan caused Rs 7105-crore loss in spectrum scam: CBI The Economic Times l 9 Feb l Mumbai Swan Telecom and Unitech Telecom companies had together caused a loss of over Rs 7,000 crore to government exchequer as both had offloaded their shares for hefty sums after getting the 2G spectrum, alleges CBI. With the arrest of Shahid Usman Balwa, promoter of Swan, the focus of CBI is now on officials of Unitech who had been instrumental in getting the Unified Access Licenses (UAS) during September 2007 and January 2008. In a five-page FIR, CBI charged the officials of the Department of Telecom and some private companies entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused wrongful gains to themseleves. It said M/s Unitech was alloted UAS licenses for 22 cricles for Rs 1658 crore. "It offloaded its 60 per cent of shares in the licenses to Telenor of Norway for Rs 6100 crores even before the roll-out," the FIR said. Similarly, Swan was alloted UAS licenses for 13 circles for Rs 1537 crore and it sold 45 per cent of shares before roll-out to UAE-based Etislat for Rs 4200 crore. "The estimated loss to the governemnt by grant of licences to these two companies alone comes to Rs 7,105 crore. On pro-rata basis, the estimated loss for all the 122 circles is more than Rs 22,000 crore," the FIR said. It said the licenses were issued at a very nominal rate based on prices fixed in the year 2001. "As per the information received, all this was done in criminal conspiracy between DoT offcials and private companies in order to award licenses to the company for a heavy consideration by putting a cap on the number of applicants against recommendation of TRAI and by awarding licenses to private companies on first-come-first-serve basis on the rates of 2001 without competitive bidding," the FIR said.
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Updated : Wireless Subscribers In India
Honest replied to Honest's topic in Indian Telecom / General News
India had 529.22 million active subscribers on last day of 2010 The Economic Times l 9 Feb l New Delhi The number of mobile subscribers in India increased by 22.62 million for the month of December 2010, taking the total number to 752.19 Million in December 2010 from 729.57 Million in November 2010, said a TRAI report. However, the number active mobile subscribers on the last day of December was only in the range of 529.22 million. The overall teledensity (telephones per 100 people) in India touched 66.16 per cent. According to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India , the wireless subscriber base registered a growth of 2.95 per cent. The growth in the wireless category was led by Reliance Communications , which added 3.2 million users taking its subscriber base to 125.65 million in December. It was followed by Bharti Airtel, which added 3.1 million subscribers, taking its user base to 152.49 million. Vodafone added 3.09 million new subscribers in this month. BSNL and Idea Cellular stayed very close in garnering new subscribers with net addition of 2.97 million and 2.95 million respectively. The total mobile subcriber base of BSNL crossed 86.7 million and Idea Cellular had 81.7 million subscriber in December 2010. This month Uninor continued its lead over Tata Teleservices in addition of new subscribers. Uninor added 2.3 million new subscribers compared to 1.63 million new subscribers added by Tata Teleservices, the report said. In the month of November 2010, new addition in Uninor subcriber base was over 2.4 million while TTSL had added over 1.78 million new wireless subscribers. The active subscriber number also known as VLR showed, Bharti Airtel had highest ratio of active subscribers compared to its total subscriber base at 91.79 per cent. This was followed by Idea Cellular that reported ratio of 90.04 per cent between its total subscriber base and VLR subscribers. MTNL had least ratio of VLR subscribers at 35.10 per cent. VLR number indicates active customers at any given point of time and excludes switched-off and out-of-coverage area customers. "We have taken VLR subscriber base available on last working day of December as per telecom operators record," explained a TRAI official. The last working day of December was coincidently the last day of the month. -
Vodafone Essar slams TRAI 2G pricing proposals The Economic Times l 9 Feb l New Delhi Vodafone Essar, India's third-largest mobile carrier and controlled by Vodafone said in a statement on Wednesday second-generation mobile spectrum pricing proposals by India's telecom regulator were "flawed, illogical" and "discriminatory" against older operators. Vodafone Essar estimated its potential one-time payout would be 17.43 billion rupees ($382 million) and that bigger rival Bharti Airtel will have to pay 40 billion rupees. Reliance Communications' payout would be 700 million rupees, the statement added.