Updated : Mtnl Launches 3g Services In Delhi !

[Honest 836]

MTNL to test launch 3G services in Delhi by September-end

11 Sep, 2008, 1942 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: State-run telecom firm MTNL will test launch the first ever 3G mobile services in the country in Delhi by the end of this month. The company will trial launch its services in and around the central Delhi, mainly around Connaught Place area, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) said in a statement.

MTNL is planning to provide 3G services by installing 7,50,000 GSM lines each in Delhi and Mumbai. The telecom firm has already done the indoor trial of the service and will launch the high-end service in Delhi by the end of this year.

However, in Mumbai, the service will be launched early next year, it added.

In this regard, the company has already procured all the required equipment in this regard and currently mobilising the necessary radio equipment. 3G services will enable the users to get high speed data services, video streaming and better voice solutions. The company has already been allocated the scarce 3G spectrum much ahead of the auction scheduled to happen by the end of this month.

[@mitJ@in 256]

Will not they try CDMA 3G?

[ACS 130]

Will not they try CDMA 3G?

Hey buddy, for that they need to enter CDMA.. Install towers/equipments etc..

I guess they will be happy with GSM.

[@mitJ@in 256]

Garud is MTNL

[ACS 130]

Garud is MTNL

Sorry.. not heard about garud in Blr..

[@mitJ@in 256]

MTNL is also not availabel in Blr.

So how could you say that?

[Honest 836]

Sorry.. not heard about garud in Blr..

@Jayanth

My dear friend, Mtnl's Cdma Garuda is available only in Mumbai and Delhi.

Regards.

[ACS 130]

MTNL is also not availabel in Blr.

So how could you say that?

BSNL/MTNL etc. are addressed well in TOI..

Some time back, we all were confused if all were the same.

[Honest 836]

MTNL to roll out 3G mobile services by year-end

24 Sep, 2008, 1316 hrs IST, IANS

NEW DELHI: State-owned telecom operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) on Wednesday said it will roll out 3G mobile services by the end of this year.

'The tender for 750,000 lines each in Delhi and Mumbai for 3G will be floated soon,? MTNL director (technical) Kuldeep Singh told media.

The tender is evaluated at Rs.5 bn (Rs.500 crore or $125 mn). The equipment is being procured from telecom equipment manufacturers Motorola for Delhi and Alcatel-ITI for Mumbai.

The trial of the 3G services in Delhi will be started within two months. However, the Mumbai services will be rolled out only in the first quarter next year.

[Honest 836]

MTNL 3G rollout in Delhi by Dec: A Raja

CNBC-TV18 l 25 Nov

Here is a verbatim transcript of Telecom Minister A Raja’s speech aired on CNBC-TV18.

We had allotted 3G and WiMax spectrum both to BSNL and MTNL in the month of September 2008 with a view to ensure early rollout of the 3G and WiMax services in the country. MTNL will be launching services in December 2008 in Delhi and BSNL is likely to start its services in January 2009 in Chennai. They will pay the same price of spectrum as discovered through the auction. Another major decision that I have taken recently is introduction of mobile number portability. This policy decision will enable customers to change their service providers without changing their mobile numbers and thereby provide increased choice of the consumers. It will encourage service providers to give better quality services at competitive rates, so as to retain customers. Mobile number portability will be available by June 2009 in four metros and thereafter will be extended in a phased manner to the rest of the country.

The DoT is also actively considering increasing revenue from various sources. The license fee and spectrum charges of more than Rs 55,000 crore have been collected since 2003 till the first quarter of this financial year, when the USL regime came into effect. Every year telecom revenues are growing by about 15%.

In addition, the telecom commission has taken a decision for increasing annual spectrum charges for 2G spectrum. This decision when implemented will realise additional revenue of about Rs 1,200 crore per year. As per the new telecom policy of 1999 – government decided to foster more competition in the telecom sector so as to reduce tariff for consumers and increase tele density. TRAI has also recommended issue of new licenses. Consequently to this recommendation government has issued new licenses and when these operators rollout their network within three years, rural tele density as well as revenue receives of the government will increase sharply.

Due to various measures taken by the government, the telecom sector in India has become more vibrant and the FDI inflow has gone up from USD 470 million in the year 2006-07 to about USD 1,261 million in 2007-08.

[Honest 836]

MTNL to launch 3G in Delhi on Dec 11

Indiatimes l 5 Dec l New Dehi

The government-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) is set to add teeth to our security personnel’s technology prowess.

The PSU is set to launch mobile video surveillance by marrying its much-awaited third-generation (3G) services with conventional closed-circuit TV, says media report.

This will help security personnel monitor movements while being on the go themselves. The video surveillance service will use cameras linked by WiFi or landlines, which can be linked to a 3G handset wirelessly, according to a company spokesperson.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to launch the 3G services on December 11 in Delhi. The services are expected to be launched in Mumbai too soon. The launch will put the country on the global 3G map a month ahead of the process to offer private firms 3G licences.

Video surveillance services can be possible only with high bandwidth. In 3G services, a speed of up to 2Mbps is possible, while the highest possible speed in GSM is only 50Kpbs and in CDMA 144 Kbps is the maximum speed available. Any good quality video requires a minimum of 380 kbps.

Earlier, Communications and IT Minister A Raja had said that the 3G auction would be completed by January 15 and the operators would have to pay up by January 31.

In August, the government outlined guidelines for a global auction of radio spectrum for third-and fourth-generation (3G and 4G) wireless services, from which it hoped to raise up to 400 billion rupees ($8.3 billion).

[Mufaddal 678]

good to hear atleast sumthin is happening

[Honest 836]

MTNL to launch 3G services tomorrow

Business Line l 9 Dec l New Delhi

Plans free trial package to existing premium subscribers.

_________________________________________________________________

First mover

The service is expected to be launched by the Prime Minister

It will launch the service in Delhi initially followed by Mumbai in two months

Motorola is setting up the core network for MTNL’s 3G services

_________________________________________________________________

State-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd will become the first mobile company in India to launch 3G mobile services on Thursday.

The company is planning to give 3G services without any additional charge to its existing premium subscribers for a period of two months on a trial basis. The service is expected to be launched by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during the Indian Telecom Summit in New Delhi.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr R.S.P. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, MTNL, said, “MTNL has been the pioneer in introducing the latest technologies on its network. We were the first to launch broadband service, IPTV and Voice over Internet Protocol. Now, we are all set to become the first to launch 3G services in the country.”

“We will offer our premium customers to take the 3G connection over their existing connections to start with. We want them to get a feel of the service before we ask them to pay for it. Once our network is complete we will make it available for everyone,” Mr Sinha said.

The company will launch the service in Delhi initially followed by Mumbai in two months. The network in Delhi, however, is not fully complete yet. The service will be restricted initially to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation area and National Capital Region of Gurgaon.

Mr Sinha said that 3G coverage in Delhi will be completed in one month. “We would have been able to complete it faster but there were some issues with the vendors facing the heat due to the economic slowdown. They were saying that they could not deliver the equipment at the cost that was agreed to due to increasing costs,” Mr Sinha said. Motorola is setting up the core network for MTNL’s 3G services.

Expects more revenues

Mr Sinha said that he expects a large part of MTNL’s revenues to come from the new services such as IPTV, broadband and 3G by next year.

“Broadband service is already generating an income of Rs 400 crore annually. We are getting good response four IPTV and VoIP services too and by next year this time MTNL should get a significant revenue from these new services.”

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

when will we get 3G in Reliance ....

[ipkonfig 10]

What is the criteria to be a premium subscriber in MTNL?

[Honest 836]

MTNL launches 3G services in Delhi

11 Dec 2008 l New Delhi l IANS

Ushering in a new era in the Indian telecom sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday launched the state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd's (MTNL) third generation (3G) mobile service 'Jaadu' here.

Communications and IT Minister A. Raja, who was also present on the occasion, made a video call, demonstrating the capabilities of 3G services.

Launching the services, the prime minister said: "I congratulate MTNL and the communications minister for launching the 3G service."

"Competition has to be the major propeller of the Indian economy and it has to be a sustainable one," he said while demonstrating the mobile TV facility available with 3G services.

"However, effective objective and impartial regulations have to be an integral part of all these processes for investors to invest further," he added.

Added Raja: "BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) and MTNL have already been allotted 3G and broadband wireless access spectrum with a view to ensuring early rollout of 3G and Wi-max services in the country."

While MTNL has rolled out its 3G services only in Delhi Thursday, BSNL will launch its services in Chennai next month.

Talking about the revenues generated through licensing fees and sale of spectrum, Raja said: "After migrating to revenue sharing regime, this sector has contributed Rs.500 billion (Rs.50,000 crore) through licence fee, entry fee and spectrum charges till the end of last financial year."

"During this financial year alone, it is expected that about Rs.160 billion (Rs.16,000 crore) will be collected from the licence fee and the spectrum charges," he added.

The minister also said mobile number portability (MNP) would be implemented in metros and category A circle by the middle of 2009 and the entire country by end of next year.

MNP will enable mobile users to retain their telephone numbers when changing from one network to another.

"This will promote competition among service providers," he added.

[Honest 836]

MTNL to commercialise 3G spectrum by Jan-end

Moneycontrol l 11 Dec

RSP Sinha, CMD of MTNL expects the 3G network to go commercial and to launch in Mumbai by the end of January. He plans to launch the 3G spectrum free of cost for the first month to the company’s CIP customers. He added that the spectrum would be given to customers at reasonable prices.

3G finally kicked off in India today with the PM making the first call on public sector MTNL’s network. But, even as this happened,

Meanwhile, the DoT has indicated that it is not comfortable with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recommendation for levying a 2 % additional administration charge.

The TRAI’s 2% admin charge has been opposed by the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India). The COAI will formally oppose this in writing shortly. The DoT (Department of Telecommunications) fears that this may affect 3G bids. The Telecom Commission will discuss this next Friday. The 3G bid document would be next week, the DoT says. The 3G auctions will be completed by January end.

Here's is transcript of RSP Sinha's interview in a press conference

Q: What are you initial thoughts on the 3G pricing. We know that you haven’t yet decided upon it but what is it likely to be. Can MTNL offer some indications?

A: One thing is clear, our 3G pricing cannot be different from the existing prices across the world. So he pricing has to be affordable price then only 3G will sale.

Q: Have you decided on price because you don’t know how much amount you will have to pay for the spectrum?

A: We are already working on the price factor but initially for almost a month we are launching it free of cost and giving it to our CIP customers. So the price will be reasonable, affordable and everyone will like it.

Q: When will the MTNL 3G network go commercial?

A: By the end of January everything will be commercial.

Q: When it will launch in Mumbai?

A: We are planning to launch in Mumbai by the end of January.

Q: How many subscribers at present can you support on 3G in both Delhi and Mumbai?

A: It all depends upon the network which we are going to establish. We are sure that once the full network is rolled out; two lakh customers can be supported.

Q: What is your definition of affordable pricing?

A: I do not want to disclose the price. Once it’s commercially launched we will come out with the prices. But the price cannot be different than what other operators outside India are charging.

Q: How much more per minute?

A: Today I will not be able to answer because it’s a question of data capability. If the data transmission is going to be very high then some discounts have to be given and depending upon the data utilisation the pricing will be also decided.

Q: Barring the 3G spectrum charge that you may have to pay what is MTNL’s total capex plan for the 3G operation?

A: In Delhi and Mumbai we will be installing more than 1,500 Node B, its like BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) for 2G so we are spending amount on that. Fortunately this Node B can be mounted on the existing towers but you need another supply infrastructure like battery, power plant and other things. So there will be some incremental expenditure but it is not like 2G.

[situ1962 21]

If the pricing is going to be comparable to that of other 3G service providers abroad then i dear it will be too high for we indians.in dollar terms it may be low,but when converted to rupees,it becomes a huge sum.so unless resonaaly priced the 3G will be a flop i think.

[Honest 836]

^^^

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

Regards.

[Honest 836]

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.

[Mufaddal 678]

wait......wait.......wait.............................

when is this waiting for 3G GONNA END

[Honest 836]

^^^

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.

[Honest 836]

Tanla Solutions to provide 3G products to MTNL

Business Line l 12 Dec l Hyderabad

The Hyderabad-based Tanla Solutions is all set to provide 3G products to state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd which launched its 3G services recently.

In a telecon with Business Line, Mr Sriram V.S, Vice-President (Sales and Operations– India), Tanla Solutions, said that initially they would be providing four 3G VAS products.

“The four products are video portal with sections on music and entertainment, video alerts with two or four alerts per day, video SMS where in a person can send video messages to others and video dialling where operators use to promote their services or products,” he added.

Mr Sriram said that in future sections on travel, recipes, yoga and exercises, premier reviews, nightouts among others which are lifestyle and fashion related will be added as the products are custom made for Delhi users.

“The age bracket of 16 to 32 would be the addressable market for these products and this category of users has been used to voice VAS products. With the emergence of 3G in the country, we will see a migration of these customers to more sophisticated content type like video,” he said.

The company is also in talks with other service providers to offer similar 3G products once they are ready to launch their 3G services.

Marketing plan

Speaking on the marketing, Mr Sriram said the services with MTNL would be the first in the country, but in the UK they have been successful in working in a 3G environment for over three years now.

“In India, we launched the Network Aggregation and telecom products and services only in the last quarter, so it is too early to comment on the revenues expected.

[Honest 836]

3G In India: MTNL Inks Mobile TV Deal With Aksh Optifibre; What About Apalya?

Aksh Optifibre has announced a partnership with MTNL to launch Mobile TV services in Delhi and Mumbai. These services will essentially be delivered over 3G networks. Remember that there are two ways for mobile devices (whether handsets, TV sets in cars etc) to receive TV content - via the mobile operator or as a terrestrial, satellite or hybrid broadcast. Aksh’s deal is essentially for content delivery over the mobile network.

Aksh will offer high quality MPEG 4 content at high resolution. They’ve already got content from DD, Neo Sports, CNN and NDTV, and plan to also include music channels. While the consultation process for Mobile TV is over, the policy is yet to be announced. We believe the battle over Mobile TV has not yet begun, and it will take at least six months, if not over a year for the policy to be finalized.

Franchise Route To Mobile TV? What About Apalya Technologies?

MTNL already provides quite a few channels over the 2.75 G networks, powered by Hyderabad based Apalya Technologies (now rebranded as MiMobi.tv). The Apalya powered service includes channels like Zoom, Times Now, Aaj Tak, NDTV 24×7, NDTV India, Bindass, NDTV Profit, Headlines Today, CNN, BBC World, FTV, India TV, among others. So happens to Apalya’s service, now that Aksh is launching the same? Is MTNL taking the franchise route to Mobile TV?

Aksh already has franchise agreements with MTNL for IPTV (iControl) and Voice Over Internet Protocol (Pigeon) with MTNL, but these are landline based services. Smart Broadband (HFCL), IOL Netcom and Time Broadband are other IPTV service providers with franchise agreements with MTNL and BSNL.

I don’t agree with the idea of having franchise deals for content services from a single operator - it leads to a lack of standardisation in what the telco is marketing as its own service.

Courtesy : MediaNama

[Himanshu Singh 19]

Ending the long wait over next generation telecom services, MTNL on Friday said it will commercially launch its 3G services in the national capital within 10 days.

"We will launch 3G operations in Delhi in next 10 days," MTNL CMD R S P Sinha told reporters here.

In Mumbai the 3G services would be launched in the first week of February, he added. However, as of now the company has not entered into any tie-up with content providers.

Currently, our IPTV providers would give us content, going forward we may tie up with other firms. At present, it has 15,000 IPTV subscribers in Delhi and Mumbai.

ET

Edited January 16, 2009 by sachinrocks