Honest

DoT working on Mobile Number Portability to meet June timeline Press Trust of India l 4 Jan l New Delhi Working towards meeting timeline of June 2009, Department of Telecom will shortly issue clarifications to the bidders on the Mobile Number Portability norms, after which it will start accepting applications from the prospective firms to act as agencies for porting numbers. The Government has already held the pre-bid conference last month and is about to issue clarifications queries of the operators on the same. The bids are scheduled to be opened on February 5, said an official. The prospective bidders will act as clearing houses and database for the MNP system. The implementation roadmap for MNP is for Metros and category A circles by middle of 2009 and in the entire country by the end of 2009. DoT is also likely to take a decision shortly if it is in the ambit of existing norms to allow users to shift between GSM and CDMA services of the same operator before the full-fledged Mobile Number Portability starts between two operators. The intra-operator MNP is possible with two operators in the Indian context -- Reliance Communications and Tatas, who have both GSM and CDMA operations. While RCom has announced its pan-India GSM services recently, Tatas do have spectrum for GSM service but are yet to start the service. Tatas have already sided with the GSM operators on this issue, who have opposed the intra-operator portability.

DoT may endorse FinMin view on doubling reserve prices for 3G Press Trust of India l 4 Jan l New Delhi Under pressure to charge market driven price for spectrum, the Department of Telecom may finalise the higher reserve price for 3G services at Rs 4,040 crore for pan-India allocation, as recommended by the Ministry of Finance. Sources in the know said that DoT is considering the increased reserve price for 3G services as it was also recommended by the telecom regulator TRAI that any allocation of spectrum in the future should be in accordance with the market forces. The DoT, however, has left the final decision on prices to the Cabinet. As per the guidelines for 3G services, DoT has proposed to allocate two blocks of spectrum of five MHz each to all the successful bidders, who would be participating in the auction of spectrum slated for January 30. The industry remained a divided lot with some supporting the 100 per cent hike in reserve price for 3G spectrum, while others opposing any change at the last minute just days before the auctioning process begins. Since DoT had allocated 2G start-up spectrum of 4.4 MHz along with the licence at Rs 1,658-crore for all-India, one of the mobile operators justified the reserve price of Rs 4,040 crore for five MHz of 3G spectrum. DoT had taken a decision not to auction 2G spectrum as TRAI had recommended against it, saying any hike in prices for it would favour the existing GSM operators who have been given radio frequency at the same price as late as in May 2007. Asked by when DoT would take the matter on 3G prices to the Cabinet, sources said comments from other concerned ministries were expected in another 3-4 days and by the end of this week the Telecom Commission may finalise its views on the subject.

Warden

^^^ You are always welcome my dear Abhish. ^^^ My dear Jayanth, in Mumbai IDEA has setup fully 3G compatible Network. And I think that newly launched Rcom GSM's network too is 3G compatible. So, their is hope that in the near future we can get the same offer from Reliance GSM Data Cards also as IDEA is providing. Regards.

^^^ My dear Abhish upload speeds are also good in IDEA Netsetter. Anyone who's going to purchase this data card should keep in mind to purchase only the new stock that is 3G enabled. Old Netsetter doesn't have 3G capabilities.

MotoYuva EM325 Launched in India Another entry-level phone from Motorola US-based mobile phone manufacturer Motorola has launched yet another entry-level phone in the MotoYuva series -- the MotoYuva EM 325. The handset features a 1.8-inch (128 160) 65k TFT colour display, one-touch access to MP3 library for music, as well as expandable memory up to 2GB to store all your music. The handset features a 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x zoom and auto-save option to snap pictures. For music, it features a one-touch access to MP3 library for music, an expandable memory up to 2GB to store all your music, and also comes with FM along with Share, which utilizes RDS2 (Radio Data System) technology, allowing the user to share information about a favorite station with friends by sending it in a text message. It also has the MotoMusic feature available on the web and WAP. Other features include Java support, the 'call blocking' facility that allows the user to accept or reject incoming calls. The phone can store up to 750 SMSes a large internal phonebook with 1000 entries. The MotoYuva EM325 has been priced at Rs 5,150. Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ Yes my dear friend, this handset is value for money.

Reliance Lifetime will be the cheapest where ever it is going to launched.

My dear Vaibhav, you can try Web World Express at Chembur or G.T.B. Nagar.

Award

Google to users: Dump IE Indiatimes Infotech l 3 Jan l New Delhi Seems Google is going all out to promote its new browser Chrome. The company is reportedly asking users of its Gmail e-mail service to dump Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer for its own Chrome browser or Mozilla Corp's Firefox. According to ComputerWorld, "When users of IE6 reach Gmail.com, a "Get faster Gmail" message appears in the Web-based service's menu bar. The message, in turn, links to a page on Google's website that touts Chrome and Firefox 3 as being "twice as fast" at running Gmail. Apparently, the Gmail site also showed a similar message to users browsing with Microsoft's IE7. However, Google has since discarded that version of the notice. Also, users running other browsers like Apple Inc's Safari and Opera Software ASA's were not shown the message. Currently IE7, Firefox 2.0 and later releases, Chrome and Safari are listed as the only supported browsers for Gmail.

^^^ Congrats for the replacement my dear Rajendra. Enjoy with your new handset now. But please avoid posting in CAPS.

Yes my dear friends, many Web World Express's in Mumbai now too have these GSM Sims and they are distributing them Free Of Cost. Just go with your I.D. proofs and collect the SIM. You will get daily Rs.10 credited in your account upto 90 days. GPRS is available in Mumbai through Reliance GSM. Charges : 11pm to 6am : 0.30 paise per minute 6am to 11pm : 0.60 paise per minute

In Idea Netsetter's Dialer, their's a connection bar which shows the signal strength. I get the best speeds even at 10% signal strength. Although in my Area mostly I get signal strength nearly 90-5% but sometimes when signal strength drops then also their's no problems in downloading or uploading. For me Idea Rocks.

^^^ Read my post number 2 and you will get the Idea of Speed my dear friend.

Border

Vodafone offer for post-paid users Business Line l 2 Jan l Hyderabad Cellular services provider Vodafone Essar has launched `Mee Kosam', an offer that allows postpaid customers in the State to make their own tariff plans. The customers can choose from a value pack comprising over 27 tariff options offering various combinations between call and SMS rates and free minutes. The rental would be Rs 100 per month. "The initiative will give customers the total freedom to design the monthly package to suit their needs," Mr S. Murali, Chief Operating Officer, Vodafone Essar, Andhra Pradesh, said in a release.

MTNL's Free Play Tunes Offer From Jan 1-30, 2009, all MTNL Dolphin customers will be offered 'caller ring back tone' as a default service - sans the monthly fee. After BSNL's 'Free Internet' offer, this New Year, state-owned telecom service provider MTNL has come up with a 'free Play Tune offer for 30 days' offer for its post-paid users. Play Tunes is MTNL's caller ring back tone (CRBT) service, a value-added service (VAS) that allows users to play songs in lieu of the regular ring tone for the people who call you. Generally, this is an optional, paid service. This service commenced in January, 2008 for a monthly fee of Rs. 25. <b>Free Play Tune Menace</b> Now, from Jan 1 - 30, 2009, all MTNL Dolphin customers will be offered Play Tune as a default service, whether they like it or not - sans the monthly fee. After the stipulated freebie time frame is over, the service will be discontinued unless you choose to pay for it (for the songs of your choice, that is). Dolphin users were imposed with the popular song Guzarish as their Play Tune last evening, while this morning it automatically changed to the Itni Shakti Humein de na Daata - keep your ears unclogged for a brand new play tune tomorrow, we suppose! In case you're one of those besotted by the Play Tunes (now that you know what you were missing), you can even select a song you want your callers to hear, but for a price of Rs. 11 per song per month. For further details, visit MTNL's website. Users can choose songs from a variety of Bollywood, western, instrumental music; plus they can also record a message in their own voice and set it as their Play Tune. If not pleased with the free play tunes, MTNL subscribers can choose to deactivate the service by calling toll-free number 1503; the SMS procedure ('DACT PT' to 56789) for the same was unsuccessful when we tried. After you manage to get through to the customer service executive, they will inform you that the service will be deactivated in 12-24 hours from the time of deactivation initiative. While some might enjoy the idea of using the free/paid Play Tune facility, there are also those who would not want to be dragged into this service with random songs playing representing their taste in music for callers. Would you be okay with such an offering? Courtesy : Techtree

Telecom players want 3G auction on time Business Line l 2 Jan l New Delhi ‘Delay will give BSNL, MTNL undue advantage’. The GSM operators have told the Government that the 3G roll out plans of State-owned BSNL and MTNL should also be put on hold if there is any further delay in conducting the auctions. Both the PSUs have been given spectrum already and are gearing up for launching its 3G mobile services by February. Mr T. V. Ramachandran, Director General, Cellular Operator’s Association of India, said, “As it is the two operators are getting a 6-month lead over the private players and any further delay will give them an unfair advantage. The Government should not postpone the 3G auctions. All existing GSM operators are keen to participate in it.” The Department of Telecom had earlier announced that it will conduct the auction starting January 16. However, it has now been changed to January 30 on the ground that certain important decisions required Cabinet ratification. Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has suggested the doubling of the base price from Rs 2,020 crore to Rs 4,040 crore for 3G spectrum. CCEA meeting Senior DoT officials said that a decision on the new proposal from the Finance Ministry will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is expected to meet on January 8. Sources said that DoT is gearing up for conducting the auction on January 30 unless the Cabinet decides otherwise. Barring a few companies, most of the industry wants the auction to take place without any further delay. Mr Parag Kar, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Qualcomm, India and South Asia, said, “Rolling out 3G is executing the next phase of telecom reforms and hence the urgency. Without 3G, consumers will be deprived of better voice quality and value-added services such as mobile broadband, entertainment, commerce, and livelihood services that 3G will offer. 3G will enable operators in arresting falling average revenue per user, decongest 2G networks, and help increase broadband tele-density." Flexi bizs models To partly address the issue of credit crunch due to the economic slowdown, equipment vendors such as Nokia Siemens and Ericsson are offering flexible business models to operators in a bid to cut down on the capital expenditure on setting up a 3G network. “We are already in discussions with operators in formulating innovative business models. Our efforts are to reduce the capital expense as much as we can. 3G auctions should be completed at the earliest if the Government wants to achieve its broadband targets,” said Mr Randeep Raina, Head 3G India, Nokia Siemens India. Mr P. Balaji, Vice-President, Ericsson India, said, “India will miss out on the advantages of 3G such as e-medicine and e-education. 3G will also boost the software sector as a whole host of applications will have to be developed.”

3G auctions likely to miss date yet again Economic Times l 3 Jan l New Delhi The communications ministry is likely to defer the auctions of 3G spectrum yet again. This is because the law and commerce ministries, besides some other sections of the government, are likely to seek changes in the country’s 3G policy, an official in the communications ministry who did not wish to be named told ET. Last week, the department of telecom (DoT) had announced that the auctions, which were scheduled for January 16, had been postponed to January 30, as the Cabinet has not yet approved some key parameters. But, executives with telcos as well as officials in the communications ministry admit that the auctions are most likely to be pushed to mid-February 2008. “These ministries will send their suggestions by mid-next week and the DoT will have to prepare detailed replies to it before it can seek Cabinet approval for the auction process,” the communication ministry official said. This official also added that the Cabinet was unlikely to discuss the 3G auction before the third week of January: “After this, the DoT would require a fortnight to put in place the systems and processes required for the auctions,” the official added. The proposals by the different ministries may further complicate the auction process. On Thursday, the finance ministry asked the telecom department to double the floor price for pan-India 3G spectrum to Rs 4,020 crore and that for Broadband Wireless Access technologies such as WiMax to Rs 2,020 crore. The Cabinet may also have to do a balancing act as some ministries, including the Planning Commission, do not want changes to the current 3G policy. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the ministry of IT also want the auctions to go ahead as scheduled, another official in the communications ministry said. When asked on the DoT’s response to the finmin proposal, this official said that department would ask the Cabinet to take a final call on the base price: “Our stance is to go with the existing policy, but the final decision rests with the Cabinet”. Industry observers and analysts say that the primary reason behind the finance ministry’s move was the poor response to the recent 3G pre-bid conference by new firms, including foreign players, who feel that the auction guidelines have been structured to favor only existing Indian operators. The absence of foreign players, who were expected to bid aggressively, could result in the government falling short of its target of getting Rs 40,000 crore. The doubling of the minimum price, on the other hand, would ensure that the downside is protected incase telcos choose to put in conservative bids.

r u based in mumbai ? ^^^ Yes !

Thanks for the info my dear Himanshu. Infact, Reliance Lifetime Jaadu @ 550/- is still better, I think.

Really its costly if compared to IDEA.

Salman

^^^ Yes my dear friend, its 3G enabled. The new stock of Idea Netsetter which has been recently distributed / sold in Mumbai is 3G enabled. Still you can confirm the same from the CC of IDEA also.