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3G contest to kick off on Jan 16, WiMax to follow Economic Times l 13 Dec l New Delhi The government has finally unveiled the details of the upcoming 3G spectrum auctions and said that the online bids for bagging these airwaves will begin on January 16. The department of telecom (DoT), in its ‘information memorandum’ has also said that the auction of spectrum for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA), which supports technologies such as WiMax, will be held two days from the close of the 3G auctions. Third-generation mobile technology, or 3G, will allow telecom companies to offer high-end services such as high-speed internet, interactive gaming, ultra fast downloads of movies, video clips and music files, video calls all on the mobile. WiMAX is a technology that allows the user to access high speed internet and other data applications wirelessly. While WiMAX is largely used for data services it also holds the potential to carry voice calls and is therefore considered a threat to 3G telecom technology since both platforms are used for similar applications. Currently, all telecom services in India are offered using second generation (2G) cellular technology. According to the DoT, the timeline for the much awaited auctions are as follows: There will be pre-bid conference on the December 23 and the final date for submissions for applications has been set at January 5, 09. The names of those bidders who pass the eligibility criteria will be announced on January 9 followed by mock auction between January 12 and 13. The government’s ‘information memorandum’ has for the first time provided clarity on the quantum of spectrum available for 3G auctions. So while the spectrum crunch in Delhi will mean no more than 2 private GSM players can offer 3G services, Mumbai, India’s most lucrative telecom market will see at least 4 GSM players offering high end 3G services. State-owned telcos -- BSNL and MTNL have already been awarded 3G and WiMAX spectrums across all cirlces. Most other circles will see four private GSM players and BSNL offer 3G services, except Gujarat and Himachal which has sufficient spectrum for only three private players, UP (West) for 2 and West Bengal which only a single private player can be accommodated. The DoT has also clarified that with regard to WiMAX spectrum, three private players could be given these frequencies in each of the 22 telecom circles in the country. The auctions will be a four stage process—invitation stage, pre-qualification, biding and grant of spectrum. Existing Indian operators as well as some foreign telcos are expected to participate in the upcoming 3G and WiMAX auctions. The DoT has also said that foreign players can bid as 100% entities. However, a foreign player entering the Indian telecom market as a 100% entity needs to find an Indian partner to hold a 26% stake in the joint venture before it launches commercial services. Further, in a bid to encourage foreign telcos to participate, the DoT has also said that mobile number portability would introduced soon. MNP, which allows customers to retain their mobile numbers even as they switch operators will allow new entrants to lure some of the existing subscribers from the incumbents.

Reliance adds 1.77 million new telecom subscribers in Nov Economic Times l 13 Dec l Mumbai Reliance Communications added 1.77 million new mobile phone subscribers in November, taking its total user base to 59.57 million, a company spokesman said on Saturday. Reliance Communications is the number two operator in the market of more than 320 million mobile users.

US asks India to clear the air on 3G Economic Times l 13 Dec l New Delhi The US is peppering India with questions on key policy issues in the telecom sector as the country gears up to auction 3G mobile phone spectrum, which will allow services such as high-speed internet and video-conferencing. Among the queries raised by the US Telecommunications Sub-committee is whether India will change rules to allow foreign companies to bid for 3G spectrum as 100% foreign entities. The panel also wants to know how much time foreign players will get to find an Indian partner if their bids are successful. India will auction 3G airwaves in January. US telecom firms such as AT&T and Verizon, which have been trying to enter India for the past two years, are not present in the world’s second-largest market for wireless services with more than 300 million subscribers. The American contention is that the current 3G policy does not favour the entry of new foreign players. Existing regulations don’t allow foreign telecom companies to hold over 74% in their Indian ventures. So, a 100% foreign-owned entity entering the Indian telecom market must find an Indian partner to hold a 26% stake in the joint venture. “In following international best practices, India should allow for a full and complete opportunity for new and international investors to participate in the auction process,” the panel has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Telecom in a letter. The US is also pointing out that while new 3G players will have to pay $410 million to obtain a UAS licence to provide wireless and wireline services, they won’t get the start-up 2G spectrum that is required to provide traditional voice and data services. “How does the Indian government plan to address this imbalance?” it asked. So far, the UAS licence, which costs Rs 1,651 crore, came bundled with start-up 2G spectrum. Currently, all telecom services in India are offered on 2G frequencies. The panel has also asked India to fully open up internet telephony in line with telecom regulator Trai’s recommendations, and enact strong data protection laws so that the rapidly-growing Indian IT and BPO companies ensure confidentiality of their global clients’ information. At present, voice calls over the internet can be made only between two computers. In August, Trai recommended removal of all curbs on internet telephony and allow calls to be made to land phones and mobiles in India and abroad. The panel has also raised the issue of double taxation of international carriers such as British Telecom, AT&T, Cable & Wireless and Verizon, all of whom offer long-distance services (carrying STD, ISD voice traffic and data) to Indian enterprises. Foreign carriers use the infrastructure of existing operators as they don’t have networks spanning whole India. Under current rules, they pay licence fees twice to the government — once when they buy bandwidth from the existing operators and again when they resell it to enterprises.

TRAI to intervene if SMS tariff not slashed Economic Times l 13 Dec l New Delhi TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra has warned telecom operators that the regulator would be forced to intervene if they did not slash SMS charges and address issues related to call drops. “The request for SMS tariff reduction has been pending with the operators since almost a year. This is the time when we feel the need to intervene. If telcos do not act, we will float a consultation paper soon in this regard,” Mr Misra told reporters on the sidelines of an industry meet. TRAI had earlier made several appeals to the telecom operators to reduce SMS tariffs in a phased manner, but operators have so far failed to reduce SMS tariffs. Along with the SMS tariff issue, TRAI will also look into the current billing system, which is done on a per minute basis. This implies if a call is disconnected in 15 seconds, the user will pay on a per second basis only. At present, billing is done on a per minute basis — that is, even a 15 second call is treated as a 1-minute call and billed for the same. “Caller must pay for the time used for the service and not for the whole minute,” Mr Misra said. TRAI sources say that the regulator has been forced to take up this issue on account of the increasing number of call drops experienced by customers. Call drops, which happens when the call is disconnected due to network related issues such as congestion and spectrum crunch, is amongst the major problems experienced by consumers. Lashing out at the operators over call drops, Mr Mishra said, “The issue is a matter of concern and has to be addressed soon. The consumer cannot be allowed to suffer due to this.” The regulator also plans to come out with another consultation paper this month on call termination charges. The government last month had asked the regulator to review the five-year-old termination charges for fixed and mobile telephony. An operator on whose network a call originates pays termination charge to the operator on whose network the call terminates. Currently, a 30 paise charge is levied on operators as termination charges. The present termination charge of 30 paise a minute per call for mobile telephony is considered high, especially by the new players. This is because, was fixed five years ago and since then cost parameters have changed considerably.

Yes my dear friends, it will be great if all operators are bound to bill as per second usage. As now a days Call Drops are very frequent and many of these silly operators are not taking care of the same. They are just busy filling up their pockets.

^^^ My dear friend, the waiting for 3G services for MTNL Delhi customers has already been over. Now we can expect the same from MTNL Mumbai, which will be available anytime between January 2009 to March 2009. Lets hope for the best. Regards.

My dear friends, no doubt that Reliance CDMA had given a tough competition to its rival operators. But now they are not taking care of their CDMA customers anymore. Even for Postpaid subscriber's complaints they are not bothered enough to resolve the same. They just send the SMS telling : Your complaint number ....... so and so has been resolved. This shows their leniencey in tackling their customer's problems. I'm going to shift to Reliance GSM as soon as it is launched. I will keep only one Reliance CDMA number for incoming only as our KSHAH has done. Its time to leave Reliance CDMA.

My dear friend, Nokia 2865 supports only H.264 Video format. Still you can try the videos in the below mentioned link. http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?show...c=13157&hl=

Google Chrome: Beta No More Full version available for download and installation on Windows. Support for Mac OSX and Linux under way Google has finally released the full version of Google Chrome browser and yanked the 'beta' label off it. Google Chrome 1.0 is available for download and installation on Windows. Meanwhile, Google is reportedly working for Chrome support on Mac OSX and Linux platform. It may be termed as an achievement for Google engineers who managed to release the first finished version in a span of 100 days even as its major product, Gmail, is still in the beta stage. Google has rolled out 14 updates since its launch. Post-launch we shared Chrome's first impressions. In terms of browser market share, Chrome's market still remains under 1 percent as per Net Application s reports. Now that it is out of beta phase, PC makers might be swarming Google for deals to sell their system with Chrome pre-installed. Dell is reportedly in talks with Google for pre-installed components. According to Google UK's managing director Dennis Woodside, Chrome would definitely come pre-installed with a leading maker in early 2009, reports Financial Times. This finished version focuses on stability, plug-in performance and addresses the audio-video glitches. Speed has also been their main focus and Google boasts improved V8 JavaScript Engine, bookmark manager, and privacy controls. Chrome engineers are next working on adding features like form-auto fill and RSS support to Chrome. Like Firefox s addictive and productive extensions, Chrome is also going under development on the same path, along with support for Mac and Linux. Chrome's new extension system is expected to allow independent developers for bringing richer functions to the browser. However, Google has a lot to catch up in terms of developers and enthusiasts community as compared to Mozilla. All we can dream of is to de-mystify the impression of Internet which, unfortunately, haunts many people as the Blue 'E' with Saturn-like rings. Courtesy : Techtree

RCom jumps on FCCB buyback, stake sale talk Business Line l 11 Dec l Mumbai Reliance Communications shot up close to five per cent on Thursday on reports that global telecom companies are eyeing a stake of up to 26 per cent in the company. The share price rose 4.8 per cent to close at Rs 239.2 hitting an intra-day high of Rs 249.4. In a statement to the exchanges in response to the reports, RCom said it has been receiving various proposals from time to time from “reputed telecom international companies” expressing interest in acquiring a stake in it and that “it evaluates such proposals”. Marketmen said that they were “sceptical” about reports of a possible stake sale in the company. On Wednesday too, the RCom stock had shot up on reports that the company might buyback the second tranche of its foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCB). The share price was up ten per cent to close at Rs 228. On the FCCB matter, sources close to RCom said that with the gap between the share price of RCom against its FCCB conversion price narrowing in the last two weeks, it did look like an opportune time for the company to buyback its FCCBs. They said such an option is being considered by the company and would of course be subject to shareholder approval. FCCB issue RCom’s FCCBs are listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange and, till about two weeks ago, the company’s shares in the domestic bourses were trading at a discount of more than 50 per cent to the FCCB conversion price. “Now the discount has narrowed down by 15 per cent to about 35 per cent. Given the size of its FCCB issue (it was for $1 billion), Reliance Communications’ buying back a part or the whole would be a good move. And it does provide a good yield,” said the source. He also said that a formal decision might be made in the next fortnight or so. Reliance Communications had, in February of last year, issued zero coupon FCCBs to raise $1 billion (around Rs 4,000 crore). The instrument has a tenor of five years (February 2012) at a conversion price of Rs 661 a share, which was at 30 per cent premium over RCom’s then prevailing market price. The global issue sold across Asia, Europe and the US, was over subscribed three-four times. The proceeds were meant for RCom’s capital expenditure of $2.5 billion during 2007-08. RCom had, in May of 2006, issued another set of FCCBs to raise $500 million, for which the conversion price was set at Rs.480.68 and this tranche will expire in May 2011. Following last month’s RBI measures, companies are permitted to buy back their FCCBs either with their forex resources/or after fresh issue of ECBs. The RBI on Saturday announced that it has also now allowed companies to buy back FCCBs out of rupee resources provided that the buyback amount is limited to $50 million and the resources are drawn out the company’s internal accruals. Best performer With all these reports it comes as no surprise that RCom is the best performing stock in the Sensex pack for the past one week, said marketmen. It is the only stock scrip that has gained close to 22 per cent in the past week; the only other scrip to have gained 20 per cent is DLF. RCom has also gained the most among the BSE TECk stocks in the last week.

MTNL launches 3G; users will have to wait to experience it Business Line l Dec 11 l New Delhi Plans to give connections on a commercial basis by January. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, may have launched the country’s first third generation (3G) mobile services in New Delhi but consumers will have to wait for a month or two before they can actually experience it. The reason being that Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, which is providing the service, has not completed the roll out of its network in all parts of Delhi. Therefore, it is only a few MTNL officials who have been given the connection on a trial basis for now and these officials claim that they are quite impressed with the capabilities of the new technology. Speaking to Business Line, Mr R.S.P. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, MTNL, explained how he could use the service immediately after the launch. “I was driving from the DRDO Bhawan (where the launch ceremony was held) to Pragati Maidan (venue of Indian Telecom Summit) and I wanted to see how the Indian cricket team was doing. So I was able to see live action on my handheld device and the streaming quality was really good.” Mr Sinha said that a laptop with a 3G data card was provided to Mr Siddhartha Behura, Secretary, Department of Telecom, to try out the service even as they drove to the conference venue. “The Secretary was getting speeds of more than 2 mega bits per second even as we were driving at a reasonably good speed. He was satisfied with the service,” Mr Sinha said. In comparison, existing mobile technologies can give up to a maximum of 20 kilo bits per second. Commercial launch MTNL is planning to give connections on a commercial basis by January 2009. It will give 3G connections initially to premium subscribers and then open up for everyone after a month. Subscribers in Mumbai can expect to get 3G service by March 2009. Even then it will be at least six months ahead of private mobile operators who can hope to start 3G roll outs by end of 2009.

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GSM user base sees marginal dip in growth Business Line l 11 Dec l New Delhi GSM mobile operators added 7.62 million new subscribers in November compared with 7.67 million in the previous month, according to data released by Cellular Operators Association of India. The dip in growth is primarily due to Aircel, which added only 7.1 lakh new mobile users in November compared with 7.8 lakh in October. Vodafone Essar got 2.06 million new subscribers compared with 2.07 million last month. Bharti Airtel’s growth rate has remained flat at 2.72 million new users. State-owned BSNL moved up by 6.7 lakh subscribers. The total GSM mobile subscriber base is now at 249.3 million. Bharti Airtel has a 33 per cent market share with 82.9 million subscribers followed by Vodafone Essar with 58.7 million mobile users. BSNL has 16.2 per cent share with 40.4 million subscribers.

Addl 2% administrative fee won't impact 3G bid: TRAI Moneycontrol l 12 Dec It is one auction that the world will be looking to India for and that is the auction of 3G (Third Generation) spectrum. The Telecom Ministry says the process should be in place by January. 3G services finally kicked off in India with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making the first call on public sector MTNL’s network. However, even as this happened, the Department of Telecom, or DoT, has indicated that it is not comfortable with the TRAI's recommendation for levying an additional 2% administration charge. Nripendra Misra, Chairman, TRAI (Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India), said the levy of administrative fee is not likely to depress the auction bid because there is enough competition. "We moved away or are moving away now to a system where spectrum will be auctioned for 3G and broadband wireless access. It has become necessary to recognize its usage for the purposes of administrative fee, which the state must earn because this is the spectrum which has been allocated. This should also contribute to the revenue on a longer-term basis."

BlackBerry Blackout By Indian Govt? CNBC-TV18's Sandeep Gurumurthi reports that Tata Teleservices' application to offer BlackBerry Services in India has been rejected after the Department of Telecom (DoT) forwarded the request to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Anil Sardana, Managing Director of TTSL, told reporters in New Delhi this morning that they were told by the MHA that the BlackBerry service does not allow for "lawful interception" mandated for all Value Added Services (VAS). Sources tell CNBC-TV18 that when Tata Tele asked DoT why other operators were being allowed, the DoT fired off letters to existing BlackBerry providers seeking an explanation. Sources also say that two rounds of discussion have happened between these operators and the MHA. A final call is expected to be taken in a meeting with the Telecom Secretary next week. A spokesperson from RIM – the company that offers the BlackBerry service – said: "RIM supports its carrier partners in India and we will work together with them to seek further clarity." Security experts we spoke to were sceptical of the claim, saying that in June last year the French government had advised officials not to use BlackBerry services for precisely the opposite reasons. At that time, officals at RIM claimed that even they did not have access to the data on their servers (a questionable claim in itself), an explanation that could have them in a spot when they meet with Indian authorities. Nevertheless, it's tense times ahead for India's crackberries!

DoT has no problem with BlackBerry phone usage: Telecom Secy Press Trust of India l 12 Dec l New Delhi Amidst a raging controversy over non-availability of technology to monitor content from BlackBerry, the Telecom Ministry on Friday said it did not see any problem with BlackBerry smartphones in India. Asked whether security concerns over BlackBerry service has been resolved with Canada's Research-In-Motion, the vendor of smartphone, Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura said, "Ask the security (agencies) people..." "There is no issue on BlackBerry as far as we are concerned," he said. Department of Telecom (DoT) and intelligence agencies have long been demanding access to data on Blackberry phones, which is available only to the owners of the handset. RIM executives had met senior DoT officials recently. In fact, launch of a new touch-screen Blackberry handset in India has got caught in a security web, although it is yet to be ascertained if the premium mobile service was used by terrorists to plan the last month's attacks in Mumbai. "It is understood that Blackberry equipment uses encrypted data for e-mail transmission through a gateway outside our country," the wirless plannig co-ordination wing of the DoT had said in an internal communication to the security wing. Sources said that RIM officials are still in discussions with the DoT and security agencies to sort out the matter to everybody's satisfaction.

Vertu Launches New Handset, Ties up With NTT Docomo Vertu’s latest offering to the ultra exclusive mobile phone market is their homage to the renowned Parisan Jewellery house Boucheron in celebration of its 150th anniversary. Frank Nuovo, Vertu Principal Designer said, "The essence of the single edition Vertu Boucheron 150 was to create something unique with signals of both brands. The constantly changing angled surfaces allow a cut stone appearance, inspired by the clearly faceted stones which are a significant part of Boucheron’s core craft. The recognizable Vertu V shape has seemingly morphed into random proportioned patterns and directions of the three sided surfaces creating a perfect blend of Vertu and Boucheron elements. The challenge was to gain visual sparkle not from precious stones but instead through pure form and line achieved with precious faceted metal.” With the Vertu Boucheron 150, Vertu has once again taken the creation of high-end luxury mobile phones to a completely new level. With nothing else like it in the world, the Vertu Boucheron 150 makes a powerful statement with its original and refined design. The solid gold used to create the phone creates a very high monetary value object, but it is the level of design, build complexities and rarity of the Vertu Boucheron 150 that makes it so extremely valuable. Every one of the gold components on this mobile phone has been crafted from individual solid gold ingots taking over 1000 man hours to cut to shape, followed by over 700 man hours of hand polishing and a further 500 hours to hand build. The design intricacy of the sapphire crystal keypad with its concave design and 400 points on its surface provided the toughest of challenges for the most skilled of craftsmen as it strays from the typical flat surface used with such a precious material. The handset is housed in a hand made wooden case made from Noce Pedullo and produced by Reuge, the Swiss makers of artisan music boxes. Inside the box sits a custom-built brass music drum which plays the signature Vertu sandpiper ringtone upon its opening. Combined with its obvious sophistication and 3G technology it delivers a defining experience of progressive luxury for the 21st century. The one-off Vertu Boucheron 150 will be on display for prospective buyers at the recently launched Vertu store at 38th Old Bond Street in London for a limited period of time only, before a showcase tour at Vertu stores in Paris, Milan and Tokyo. There’s no official price attached to the handset yet. In other news, Vertu has also announced that they've signed an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) deal with NTT docomo to provide communication services to Vertu customers. In the second quarter of 2009, Vertu will provide a premium membership called VERTU Club through their partnership with NTT docomo. Details of VERTU Club will be announced in the future. On 19 February 2009, Vertu will open Ginza Flagship Store, its first store in Japan. At the store, pre-orders of handsets will be taken for delivery when VERTU Club is available. Impatient customers will be able to purchase SIM lock-free 3G handsets of Ascent Ti, Ascent Ti Ferrari or Signature models for voice calls. At the Ginza Flagship Store, customers will be able to see the whole Vertu collection and experience the difference. Courtesy : Tech2

Google Offers SMS Text Messaging For Chat Google Labs' latest feature will now let users send text messages from their computers to their friends' mobile phones. Starting today, Gmail users can turn on text messaging for chat by just clicking on 'Settings' in their Gmail accounts, going to the Labs tab, scrolling down until they see 'Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat' and selecting 'Enable and Save Changes'. Though this facility is available for cell phones in the US right now, users can send texts to their friends with US phone numbers from anywhere in the world. The receiver of the SMS though, may be charged by their mobile carrier. Users can just type a phone number into the search box in the chat window on the left, then select "Send SMS", or select the contact they want to SMS first, go to the options feature, click on 'Send SMS' and then add their phone number. The receiver can respond to the SMS and the response will come back in IM form. Courtesy : Tech2

^^^ Yes my dear Sitansu, the offer from Google is really good, but ony for USA users. As this service from Google is available in USA only right now. It will be available throughout the world later. Regards.

Motorola Adds W396 to MOTOYUVA Line Up Motorola has launched the MOTOYUVA W396 as the latest addition to their range of affordable multimedia handsets. The handset comes with a mirror-like clamshell and a green rim. This is the seventh MOTOYUVA-series mobile phone to be launched in India this year. It offers the latest version of MP3 player software that allows playlist creation and the ability to organize songs by genre, artist or album. The MOTOYUVA W396 lets users record excerpts of songs from its FM radio along with radio data system (RDS) functionality, which shows the name of the artist, the song and the genre of music playing. In addition, users can set an FM alarm and listen to FM radio via stereo earphones or speakerphone. MOTOYUVA W396 will also provide users with an upgraded version of the Music ID application. The phone gives access to MOTOMUSIC, a combined Web and WAP service with a MOTOMUSIC scratch card inbox offering 10 free ringtone downloads. The MOTOYUVA W396 supports microSD cards up to 2GB. It offers a storage capacity of 1000 contacts and 750 SMS messages. It comes with a VGA camera with 4x digital zoom. It features an enhanced user interface, making it easy to create a text message with one click. Other features include call blocking, Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology, the option of using the handset’s features without SIM insertion, a 128 x160 65,000–pixel TFT display, Airplane mode, regional language support (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu)‏ and JAVA support. “The sleek and stylish MOTOYUVA W396 makes a powerful statement with a youthful and vibrant design and fulfills the needs of every aspiring Indian youth,” said Faisal Siddiqui, director of Product and Solutions, India and Southwest Asia, Motorola Mobile Devices. “The MOTOYUVA W396 is a fully-loaded handset, delivering a fun and engaging experience in an elegant, compact package. The phone gives consumers an even richer experience at the most affordable price without compromising on quality and features.” The MOTOYUVA W396 is available in India at all MOTOSTOREs and retailers at a best buy price of Rs. 4,199 (MRP: Rs 4,424). Courtesy : Tech2

My dear friends, Motorola now a days are providing handsets at such an affordable price that anyone could be in love with Moto Handsets.

^^^ My dear Sitansu, I don't think that charges for 3G will be that high. It will be quite affordable. Regards.

My dear Sourish, below is the link to download the drivers for EC325 data card. LINK

The above offer seems to be really good my dear friends. But its only for Delhi and NCR region. Hope Airtel offer the same throughout their circles.

My dear friends, just read the post number 13 in the below mentioned thread. After reading you will know how Reliance respond to the customers who are facing Network Problems with their Network. http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?show...&st=0