Honest

Searches at Raja's house yield diary with 'incriminating' data NEW DELHI: A diary with "incriminating" details is believed to have been recovered during the searches conducted by the investigating agency yesterday from the residence of former Telecom Minister A Raja , who will be questioned soon. The "diary", according to sources privy to the probe, has some details pertaining to the allocation of 2G spectrum among other incriminating details. They said the former Minister will also be questioned by the agency soon. CBI sleuths spent considerable time in understanding the entries made in the diary which consist of names of some politicians and corporate honchos, sources said. Efforts to contact Raja for his reaction did not fructify as he was not available for comments. Meanwhile, the CBI continued to question former Telecom officials and a Chennai-based businessmen whose premised were raided by the agency yesterday. Besides Raja, the CBI had conducted searches at premises of R K Chandolia, his former personal secretary, Siddhartha Behuria, then DoT secretary, K Sridhar, then Member, Telecom Commission , A K Srivastava, then Deputy Director General, Access Service Wing, DoT, and his business partner Sadiqui Batcha, Managing Director of Chennai-based Greenhouse Exports. Raja was forced to resign as minister on November 14 in the wake of CAG's report that the rates at which 2G spectrum was allotted resulted in a possible loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Besides being accused of undervaluing 2G spectrum, Raja has also been blamed for circumventing the rules to favour companies that did not meet the eligibility criteria for getting spectrum licences. The CBI action comes close on the heels of Supreme Court coming down heavily on the CBI on November 22 for failing to question Raja and the Telecom Secretary over the scam, saying it was "beating around the bush". The CBI had registered a case on October 21, 2009 against unknown Department of Telecom officials and private persons and companies for allegedly causing loss of thousands of crores of rupees to the exchequer. Courtesy : The Economic Times

AIRCEL Launches 3G Webpage India’s fifth largest GSM Mobile Service operator AIRCEL today launched a dedicated 3G page on its website that will address subscribers’ queries and concerns regarding the next generation Mobile and Data services. The Aircel 3G page on its website gives an Overview of what this technology is and what it can do. It also provides information on Aircel 3G Zones established in Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Coimbatore and Bangalore wherein one can explore the upcoming 3G mobile and data services with speed up to 21.1 Mbps. In 3G Spectrum Auction, AIRCEL emerged as the biggest spender which bagged 3G license for its strong hold areas and covers almost South and East region of the country. It has 3G spectrum in 13 circles – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu (including Chennai) Kerala , Punjab, U.P (East), Kolkata, West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, North East, and Jammu & Kashmir. As other private 3G service provider’s 3G Web page, Aircel also uploaded the FAQs related to 3G and has a section where subscribers can register for 3G services. The page also enables mobile phone users to check whether their Mobile Phone/Device is compatible with 3G. Aircel isn’t the first operator to create a 3G web-page, Tata Docomo, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications (RCOM) Idea Cellular and Vodafone Essar had already unveiled the 3G dedicated web-page on their websites. To get in more analysis on upcoming Aircel 3G, check out this link Aircel 3G Web Page. Courtesy : Telecom Talk

The best part of this offer is its "per second" basis. Great offer from Docomo. They always takes the initiative to introduce such kind of offers before other operators.

Android phones can choke network HELSINKI: Users of Google's Android phones, such as Samsung's Galaxy S, use more data services than those with other smartphones, threatening to choke wireless network capacity, an industry study showed. The growing popularity of Android-operated phones -- made by companies including Asian vendors HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics -- comes as handsets look set to overtake computers as the most used device for browsing the Web. Wireless operators are keen on raising revenue from Internet browsing and the social networking boom as revenue from traditional voice calls decline, but they are facing increasingly congested networks. Fearful of losing customers, only a few operators have publicly admitted to the problem of keeping pace with data traffic, but the majority is experiencing difficulties. The study by telecom network technology firm Arieso showed that customers with Android phones are creating more data traffic mostly due to better cameras and video recorders, and software for editing the footage. "When more could be done, more tends to be done," said Arieso's Chief Technology Officer Michael Flanagan. "Smartphone subscriptions are rising and so to is subscriber appetite for mobile data. It's a trend that's set to continue." Android software, offered free to cellphone vendors, has grown strongly since coming to market two years ago. Globally Android usage ranked second in the last quarter, beating Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion, but still trailing Nokia's Symbian. Analysts expect it to become the leading operating system next year. Mobile data usage has rocketed since the introduction of Apple Inc's iPhone in 2007, with usage of data networks seen roughly doubling each year. "What operators are really suffering from is the fact that popularity of smartphones came too quickly," said Lance Hiley, VP of market strategy at telecoms network technology provider Cambridge Broadband Networks. Telecoms gear makers Ericsson, Nokia Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent, which have struggled in recent years in the face of aggressive pricing by Asian rivals, expect rising data traffic to lead to new orders. Courtesy : The Times Of India

My dear friends, you all are right that there are already similar polls organised on the forum regarding MNP. But two of the polls mentioned by Sougata Brother are very old. First was started in August 2007 and the Second was started in December 2009. And the Third poll was specifically for "shifting from Reliance or not". Also merging very old threads is not a good option. Naya masaala ho toh interest bantaa hai.

Yes, I will definetely port my Reliance CDMA number to MTS as soon as the MNP will be available in my city. Because there's a network issue in my locality, which Reliance is not sorting out from the last 1 year. Will port my two Reliance CDMA numbers to MTS.

Money trail in 2G spectrum scam covers 10 countries: ED NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate, in its report on 2G spectrum allocation scam submitted to the Supreme Court today, is understood to have said that the case has international ramifications as the money trail covers ten countries, including Mauritius. Pointing out that enlisting the cooperation of governments of the ten countries was necessary to trace the money trail, the ED report said it would move a competent court for issuance of Letters Rogatory for the purpose, sources said. The report said the investigation into the scam in the country would be completed by March next year while some more time is required to wrap up the probe in foreign countries, according to the sources. The report said the ED has recorded the statement of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in connection with the scam and it is carefully examining the same. Earlier in the day, the ED submitted its report on its probe into the scam to the apex court in a sealed cover. Submitting its report to the court, Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal told the bench that it contains details of the investigation since March 9, 2010 in the case that was registered under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act. He said the probe was carried out on the basis of the case related to the scam, registered by CBI on October 21, 2009. The report details the investigation carried out till November 29, 2010. Courtesy : The Times of India

2G scam: SC orders probe into loans for telcos NEW DELHI: Supreme Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe bank loans given to companies which were granted 2G telecoms licences in 2008, Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer involved in the case said on Wednesday. The apex court has asked CBI to look into SBI's lending of 10,000 crore to four telcos. It also favoured widening of the ambit of the ongoing probe into the 2G spectrum case, saying it should also include the period since 2001 when first-come-first-served was the norm for spectrum allocation. "The issue raised in the case is not only limited to Rs 1.76 lakh crore but has a much wider compass. We would not like to prejudice the probe. But, what happened in 2001 needs to be looked into. It is for the CBI to investigate and find out," a bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly said. The judges' remarks assume importance as former Telecom Minister A Raja has maintained that he was treading on the footsteps of his predecessors and was following the 2001 policy. In 2001, government was not following the policy of auction but was allocating spectrum on first-come-first-served basis. The apex court also remarked about the policy of transfer of dual technology -- CDMA and GSM, saying that while the notification for the dual technology was issued on October 19, 2009, one of the service provider was given the permission a day earlier. "What T R Addhyarujina (counsel for A Raja) has pointed out is one thing more than what meets the eyes," the bench said. The bench further said that even the CAG has not gone into the issue of dual technology. "This matter has not been investigated," the bench said. "Why don't you go into the matter from 2001," the bench said, noting that the prices for allocation of spectrum on first-come-first-served basis was fixed at that time. The Enforcement Directorate, meanwhile, submitted its report on its probe into the scam to the court in a sealed cover. Submitting its report to the court, Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal told the bench that it contains details of the investigation since March 9, 2010 in the case that was registered under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act. He said the probe was carried on the basis of the case related to the scam, registered by the CBI on October 21, 2009. The report details the investigation carried out till November 29, 2010. The bench, meanwhile, ruled out the CBI's suggestion that the court should deliver its orders and directions in the 2G spectrum case in a sealed cover. "Giving orders in sealed cover will not be conducive to the administration of justice," the bench said. "The functioning of the court and the hearing of the case or the order of the court is not influenced by any criticism. Whether its a munsif court or the Supreme Court, it has to act in its wisdom keeping in mind the Constitution and the public interest," the bench said, dismissing the CBI's suggestion. The bench said the hearing in the case is being done in open court and everything has been reported and added that despite there being some distortion at times in the (news) reports, all this will have no effect on the court proceedings. "Giving orders in sealed covers may not be conducive to administration of justice. It is not warranted as it will give rise to speculation, rather wide speculation......", the court reiterated. "Let us go by our own norms," the bench observed. At this point, senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, said it is for the court to decide whether to deliver its orders in a sealed cover or in the open court. Courtesy : The Economic Times

CBI competent to handle alleged 2G scam, no comment on raids: Sibal NEW DELHI: Communications Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday declined comment on the raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the premises of his predecessor A. Raja and associates over the 2G spectrum allocation saying the matter was sub judice. "CBI is an independent, competent investigating agency. What it does, it does on its own. There is no reaction as fas as we (government) are concerned," Sibal told reporters here when asked for his comments on the raids conducted in the capital and Tamil Nadu. "Now that the matter is pending in the Supreme Court, it is between the Supreme Court and the CBI. The government is not involved at all," the minister said, adding the government had no "problem" if the apex court monitored the issue. The remarks came after CBI officials said they were searching the Delhi and Tamil Nadu homes of former communications minister Raja as well as the premises of four of his former aides in the ministry in connection with the 2G spectrum probe . A team of officers reached Raja's 2-A Motilal Nehru Marg residence here around 7 a.m. Raids continued through noon as well as a few places in Tamil Nadu, the home state of Raja, a DMK leader. "The raids are being held at five places and we are searching further. Raids are on at different locations. It's too early to give an update," CBI Director A.P. Singh told reporters here a little after noon. He said Raja was likely to be questioned soon in the scam. Other officials whose premises were searched included Raja's former private secretary R.K. Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, member telecom K. Sridhar and deputy director general A.K. Srivastava. Raja was forced to resign last month after the Comptroller and Auditor General indicted him in the spectrum allocation scam and for causing loss of between Rs.58,000 crore ($12.8 billion) and Rs.1.76 lakh crore ($40 billion) to the exchequer. The 2G spectrum saga has also continued to cripple parliament since Nov 10 as the opposition has refused to give up its demand for a parliamentary probe into the scam. Courtesy : The Economic Times

2G scam: Raids at five places; no arrests, says CBI Director NEW DELHI: CBI on Wednesday said it is carrying out raids at the premises of five persons in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case but no arrests have been made. "We have raided the premises of five persons. Raids are still on and any further details cannot be given as of now," CBI Director A P Singh told reporters here. When asked whether any arrests have been made in the case, Singh said, "Not as of now". CBI today carried out searches at the residences of former Telecom Minister A Raja in Delhi and Chennai besides carrying out raids at the premises of four Telecom officials, including his personal secretary R K Chandolia. Raja has been maintaining that he was ready for questioning by the CBI any time. The Supreme Court had come down heavily on the CBI on November 22 for failing to question Raja and the Telecom Secretary in connection with the scam, saying it was "beating around the bush". A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly wondered why the premier investigating agency failed to question the duo despite the CVC and CAG report sharply indicting them for their involvement. "Any responsible person will question the involvement of the Minister and the Secretary and you (CBI) say that 8,000 documents have been examined. You are beating around the bush. It was (questioning) minimum expected of the CBI. What do you take this court for," the bench had observed during the argument. Chandolia, who was sent back to his parent department -- Indian Economic Services -- within days of new Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal taking charge, has been quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the issue of the first-come-first-served basis for the allocation of spectrum in 2008 after the cut off date for receiving applications was advanced by a week from October 1, 2007 to September 25. Chandolia was personal secretary to Raja at the time of the controversial spectrum allocation in 2008. The CBI had registered a case on October 21, 2009 against unknown Department of Telecom officials and private persons and companies for allegedly causing loss of thousands of crores of rupees to the exchequer. The CBI has earlier searched offices of Wireless Planning Cell (WPC), the department responsible for allocating Spectrum, and the office of Deputy Director General (Access Services) of the Telecom Ministry to probe the allegations of connivance of officials with private companies in allocation of Spectrum. It had also conducted searches in eight cities housing headquarters of various telecom firms in connection with its probe into the alleged scam. Courtesy : The Economic Times

ZTE bags $85 mn contract from Aircel for 3G network NEW DELHI: Telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE Corporation today said it has received an order worth USD 85 million (about Rs 383 crore) from mobile service provider Aircel to build and deploy its advanced 3G network. As the long-term partner and supplier of GSM networks for Aircel, ZTE will also be responsible for upgrading its 2G network, implementing the new 3G network and subsequent upgrades, ZTE Corporation said in a statement. Aircel, is the Indian subsidiary of Malaysia's Maxis Group . "This contract between ZTE and Aircel is a significant one for ZTE in the Indian market," ZTE India CEO Huang Dabin said. The deal would allow Aircel to achieve cost-effective networking and improved mobile services. In addition, Aircel will benefit from ZTE's eco-friendly base-station technology, which is already at the forefront of the industry, the company said. To date, ZTE already has 12 Long Term Evolution (LTE), the latest standard in the mobile network technology, commercial application contracts. The company had spectrum for 13 new circles across India. These include Delhi (Metro), Mumbai (Metro), Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab, UP (West) and UP (East). Courtesy : The Economic Times

+1 dear Hari for all your efforts.

Great piece of information dear Rajan Brother. +1

My dear friend, I think he is referring to the SMS of reference code he would have got from Vodafone for porting the number.

Airtel Slams STD Tariff To Rs. 1.20 Per 3 Minutes Airtel India, India’s largest mobile operator hammers down STD tariff by introducing a new Special tariff voucher for its subscribers of Kolkata circle. Recently BSNL also reduced STD tariff on for its all landline subscribers to offer call to any BSNL landline number over the country at a most attractive rate of 80p/3min to Rs1.20/3minutes. Airtel’s new STV is priced very well, when you recharge your Airtel no. with RC31 you can able to call any landline/mobile no. of any corner of India at Rs1.20 per every 3 minutes for a period of 30 days. Courtesy : Telecom Talk

Rs.31/- per month is not good. Such kind of offers should be provided on per year basis by operators.

Dhiraj Bhai....bahut SURKHIYON mein ho aajkal.....chhaye huve ho HT CITY mein.....Bahut charche ho rahe hain aajkal apke. Good to see you in HT.

+1 for the review of this handset dear Rajan Brother.

I'm ready to become the first BAKRA of MNP in Mumbai. But hey.....MNP still not started in Mumbai. Greatest Bhau.....below is the the BAKRA and the FRIEND you are talking about.

Vodafone Flags Off Dedicated 3G Webpage Following the launch 3G Dedicated web page by Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications (Rcom) and IDEA Cellular, India’s 2nd largest GSM Mobile Service operator Vodafone Essar today flagged Off its dedicated 3G Web page. As Vodafone is preparing grounds by launching a dedicated 3G web page giving information about its 3G offerings and also assure the its customers to get 3G broadband experience with speed better than any other wireless technology available in India today, with peak 3G speed at 21.1 Mbps on the Vodafone network as well as general awareness information like comparison of 2G and 3G services, is your mobile 3G ready etc. On 3G Tariff Plans, Vodafone Essar said that “The 3G Tariffs will be communicated at the time of commercial launch which is expected in the first quarter of 2011; we can assure our users that our tariffs will be competitive.” With 3G Vodafone seems to offer attractive value rich contents like, Video calling, MMS Alerts, Video Alers, faster social networking, LIVE TV, On-line HD Gaming and the list goes endless as imagination will be the key in 3G technology. To get in depth analysis of upcoming Vodafone 3G, check out this link for more details. Vodafone Essar has 3G spectrum in 10 circles – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (E) and West Bengal. Courtesy : Telecom Talk

TTSL Launches Instant Audio Conference Service for Docomo and Indicom Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) today launched ‘Insta Conference’ – a unique audio conferencing service using XOP Network’s Universal Service Node (USN) platform for its GSM and CDMA subscribers in India. The Insta Conference service allows a customer to instantly convene a voice conference with a pre-selected group of individuals at the press of a key. The service is available to all existing as well as potential customers of Tata Walky, Tata Indicom and Tata DOCOMO. The service is unique in its offering; making voice based conference calling an extremely easy process. By dialing a single number, from their registered phone, TTSL subscribers will be able to simultaneously reach a group of pre-defined users. This Conferencing service is a cost-effective, efficient and convenient. A customer can simply dial in to the bridge to automatically start a conference. The application dials out to one or more numbers belonging to each individual and as people pick up their calls; they are automatically placed into an audio conference. The service also allows them the flexibility to dial in and join/re-join as necessary. The charges for calls using Insta conferencing are based on flat billing and will be independent of the voice plan / add-on packs, which the customer has subscribed. Charges will be levied based on the actual number of participants in the conference and the respective duration for which each of them participated. Courtesy : Telecom Talk

2G scam: Allies force Congress to rethink on JPC NEW DELHI: Worried by the political fallout of the continuing logjam in Parliament over the 2G scam, the allies of the Congress have forced the party to reconsider its stand on the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the mega-crore swindle. Unrelenting pressure from allies, particularly Mamata Banerjee, led the Congress to agree to discuss the issue afresh with three allies — Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP and the DMK. Representatives of the three partners were scheduled to meet finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. The meeting was suddenly put off for unconfirmed reasons — that Mamata was not in town was cited as one — but the very fact that it was called pointed to the pressure on the Congress leadership. Banerjee, who believes that a stubborn opposition to a JPC could hurt Trinamool's chances in the upcoming West Bengal polls, was quoted by TV channels as supporting the demand for a parliamentary probe. When contacted by TOI, she took a more nuanced position: "I have been saying for a long time that we want the truth to come out in the 2G spectrum issue. We are with the Prime Minister in whatever he decides." Ironically, even DMK, whose insistence on retaining A Raja as telecom minister was seen as the source of the spectrum turmoil, is learnt to have counselled a reconsideration citing the same ground — forthcoming state elections in Tamil Nadu in which it can't afford to be seen as being opposed to a transparent probe into the scam. Sharad Pawar has no such poll compulsion but, according to sources, he too favours fresh ways of resolving the stalemate in Parliament. Significantly, Congress refused to confirm that any meeting had been called to review the strategy. Pawar, who had reached Mukherjee's office for the meeting, said he had come to discuss the Food Advisory Council's meeting scheduled to be held with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also denied differences within the ruling coalition. "UPA is united on the issue of JPC. There is no split. No sine die, no JPC," he said. Sources, however, attributed the sudden postponement to the publicity surrounding what was supposed to be a hush-hush meeting. Congress, which initially seemed open to the idea of a JPC, toughened its stand after realising that its partners would be in a minority in the committee, and that it would be at the mercy of parties like SP and BSP. While the chairman of the committee is going to be from Congress, party managers are not confident that he can play the bulwark against a resurgent opposition which sees JPC as a device to tie down Congress. Courtesy : The Times Of India

^^^ Bahar Se Sher (LION) dikh raha hai boss, magar ander se BILLI (CAT) niklegi.

^^^ Yes Vinay Bhau, it will be expensive for a short duration call. But there are many subscribers who used to talk more and more over the phone and this will definetely going to be great for those Subscribers.

RCOM Wins Symantec CIO Luminary Award- 2010 For Innovation in IT Infra Reliance Communications (RCOM), India’s largest integrated telecom operator, bagged the prestigious CIO ‘Luminary Award’ instituted by global security solutions provider Symantec Corporation. The award is a recognition of RCOM’s leadership and continuous innovation in IT Infrastructure Services, which has helped the company pioneer the data storage and security space in India. The Luminary Awards 2010 were announced at Vision 2010, Mumbai and Symantec’s technical conference for customers and partners. These awards recognise IT leaders, across locations and sectors, for their innovative use of products and services to deliver business benefits to their organisations. RCOM has won this prestigious award for creating a state-of-the-art in-house environment of trust for simple and secure access to their information, anytime from anywhere. “This award is also a testimony of our commitment towards providing clients with superior service backed by unmatched technology and quality advice,” said Alpna J. Doshi, Chief Information Officer, who accepted the award on behalf of RCOM. “We have been able to maximize efficiency, drive down costs and deliver services to our customers effectively. Courtesy : Telecom Talk