Airtel | Fone Arena

3G might soon be rolled out in India

The Government has alloted low power 3G spectrum to MTNL, BSNL, Hutch and Bharti for testing.TRAI will finalize pricing and allocation details by end of this month.Sources say that 3G spectrum allocation will be made available for less than a month. Strength of spectrum allocation will be 1,000 times less than the actual 3G spectrum.

TATA Teleservices had sought 3G trial spectrum but was not considered.Reliance had sought the 1900 MHz Band which did not conform to the International CDMA 3G trial norms.

But if Reliance sought the 800 Mhz band for Testing EVDO , it might be considered

The government’s spectrum allocation to telcos is mainly for equipment testing and
interference measurement.
via [ibn-live]

Orkut coming soon to your mobile phone

Online Social Networking is the latest buzz create by sites such as Orkut, MySpace etc.

The buzz which is now restricted to the PC may soon be seen on your mobile phone.

It can be called Mobile Communites as ET points out .

There are nearly 3 million users of GPRS in India. Operators and Service Providers see this

new buzz as a Money game to tap this elite crowd.

Mobile2win, Indiagames and Onmobile are in talks with Airtel and Reliance to launch theme

based communities across operators. Mumbai-based Indiagames is launching tadkalive , a

gaming-based community across mobile and internet.

Airtel and Reliance accept that there is a huge potential in these mobile communities are

about to unveil big plans around it.

Airtel GPRS plans

I would like to take you through the various plans available from Airtel for GPRS.

Airtel does not advertise supporting EDGE through their Mobile Office service but you

cansee a noticeable difference in the latency if your handset supports EDGE like my Nokia

6630. Airtel has a Data Card service which competes with Reliance CDMA Data Card and

Tata Indicom CDMA Data Card.

Here are the plans for Airtel Postpaid User

Plan 1

Rs.399 per month
100 MB Free Usage

Rs.5 per extra MB

Plan 2

Rs.599 per month
1GB Free Usage

Rs.3 per extra MB

Plan 3

Rs. 799 per month
1.5 GB Free Usage

Rs.3 per extra MB

The tarrifs are taken from Airtel’s site

The above plans not only allow you to connect to the internet from your mobile phone but also allow you to use your Laptop or PC . Its can be be a life saver in a place where you dont have internet access otherwise and cannot find a cyber cafe.

Zero Rental GPRS

Airtel and Hutch are coming up with Zero Rental GPRS service as pointed out by Mobile Pundit.

Airtel Chennai offers a zero-rental GPRS service for its post-paid customers at pay-per-use rate of Re 1 per 100 kilobytes. Which works out to Rs 10 per 1MB.

Hutch is also planning to bring out something similar.

Its great news for those people who wish to try the service but not willing to shell out a monthly rental.

Aircel launches external Phone Book

Aircel Cellular, one of India’s leading mobile service providers, has launched Phone Book, a unique and useful external phone book service which offers subscribers unlimited memory to store their contacts’ addresses. This service will be useful for all subscribers who have lots of addresses to store but the memory in their handsets is a limiting factor, and/or those who tend to lose their cell phones.

Aircel’s Pbook:

Helps customers store their number permanently and securely;
Addresses memory constraints and loss;
Use of SMS (2222) and/or Internet;
Cost Rs 25 per month.

Aircel subscribers can register for this service by messaging Pbook to 2222. Unlimited phone contacts can be stored in Aircel’s Phone Book. The security of individual phone books is taken care of through the individual user’s password given at the time of registering for the service. The service is available at a nominal fee of Rs 25 per month.

Airtel in $100-mn deal with IBM

Airtel -cellular telephony operator, on Thursday announced a 100-million dollar deal with software major IBM to deliver a suit of new product services and applications under a single delivery platform.

“Bharti has partnered with IBM to deliver India’s first “service delivery platform” to enable it to deliver a suit of new range of services to its over 25 million customers,” Manoj Kohli, Bharti-Airtel President, said. The cellular operator is also investing over 100 million dollars in this delivery platform, he added.

IBM, which has been managing the telecom network operations of Bharti-Airtel for a while, will develop, manage and operate the service delivery platform for Airtel.

The platform will enable Bharti to have an integrated environment that will incorporate all of Airtel’s content and application services under one platform, Kohli went on to say.

Nokia selected for 5-year Managed Services deal with Hutchison Essar Limited

Nokia has reached a 5-year managed services agreement to run Hutchison Essar’s network operations in 9 circles in India.

Espoo, Finland – Nokia has reached a 5-year managed services agreement to run Hutchison Essar’s network operations in 9 circles in India. Nokia will assume the operation of Hutchison Essar’s networks in Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Uttar Pradesh (East and West), Rajasthan, Haryana and West Bengal, thus allowing the operator to better focus on its customers and core activities.

The agreement, for which documentation is being finalized, calls for Nokia to provide an array of solutions from its extensive services portfolio, including network planning, project management, configuration and optimization, network operations and maintenance and the administration of third party vendor contract management. Nokia will also welcome over 600 Hutchison Essar staff into its Services business unit.

“Nokia’s Managed Service know-how, plus its proven track record when it comes to operating and enhancing networks worldwide, were key drivers in helping us make this decision,” says Asim Ghosh, Managing Director, Hutchison Essar Limited. “We are happy to be working with a leader in this area.”

“We are delighted to extend our cooperation with Hutchison Essar to managed services,” says Rajeev Suri, Senior Vice President, Networks, Nokia. “The services business has become increasingly important for Nokia. Our managed services will improve Hutchison Essar’s cost structure and further enhance their service offerings.”

The contract deepens already strong ties between the two companies — Nokia is the supplier of GSM network equipment to nine of Hutchison Essar’s 13 circles, making it the largest network vendor for the operator.

Nokia’s Managed Services business is a key part of its Services business unit, and a core part of the company’s drive to help operators enhance their service offerings and reduce costs. To date Nokia has 36 managed services contracts in 28 countries, and it expects this figure to grow in the coming years.

Nokia’s operations in India include networks and terminals sales divisions, three Research and Development facilities and an upcoming manufacturing facility in Chennai that will produce both terminals and GSM infrastructure equipment.

Bharti Tele-Ventures to be renamed as Bharti Airtel

Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited, one of India’s leading telecommunications services provider, is to be renamed Bharti Airtel Limited.

Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited, one of India’s leading telecommunications services provider, is to be renamed Bharti Airtel Limited. The proposal has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and will come into effect post approvals from the shareholders and statutory / regulatory clearances.

Source:Televisionpoint.com

Jamdat Launches Games on Hutch

Jamdat Mobile announced the launch of its game titles on Indian cellular service provider Hutch.

Mobile users in India can go bowling, wakeboarding or pitfalling wherever they go, whenever they want. Jamdat Mobile announced the launch of its game titles on Indian cellular service provider Hutch.

Jamdat Bowling, Jamdat Pool, Pitfall! and Wakeboarding are available now on Planet Hutch, Hutch’s data services platform.

Players can choose to play a single game or a 3-game series and maneuver their aim, power and pin meter for maximum control. Jamdat Pool gamers can play eight and nine ball on their mobile phones. Pitfall! is the wireless version of the classic title as players guide Pitfall Harry through more than 200 jungle screens. Wakeboarding features Shaun Murray and other top pros.

“India is a growing market for mobile gaming and Hutch is one of the leading cellular service providers in that market,” Minard Hamilton, Jamdat’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, said in a press release. Hutch’s core consumer base is the urban population, which is the ideal target for Jamdat’s titles, he added.

Maxis and Reddys buy out Aircel

Malaysias largest telecom company Maxis Communications, in partnership with Apollo Hospitals promoter Reddys will buy Aircel for 1.08 billion dollars

Malaysia?s largest telecom company Maxis Communications, in partnership with Apollo Hospitals promoter Reddys, will buy Aircel for $1.08 billion. Maxis plans to list Aircel.

Maxis will take a direct 65% stake in Aircel by spending $702m. It will hold the remaining stake indirectly through a joint venture, owned 74% by Apollo and 26% by Maxis.

This implies an enterprise valuation of $800m for Aircel. With Aircel?s mobile subscriber base of over 2.2m, the payment per subscriber will be around $364. Vodafone paid $1,000 per subscriber for Bharti while $570 a subscriber was paid by Hutchison Essar for BPL.

Mr Sivasankaran?s Sterling Infotech has been lucky in its fourth attempt to sell Aircel. It had earlier held discussions with Idea Cellular, AFK Sistema of Russia and Hutch.

via [MobilePundit]

Orascom Buys Stake In Hutch, Enters India

Orascom Telecom has entered the Indian Telecom arena, with the acquisition of 19.3 per cent stakes in Hutchison Telecom

Friday, December 23, 2005: Orascom Telecom has entered the Indian Telecom arena, with the acquisition of 19.3 per cent stakes in Hutchison Telecom. With the deal, Orascom is on its way to some of the high growth mobile markets in Asia. Hutchison already has operations in India and Sri Lanka, while Orascom, the Cairo-based telecom company, has presence in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

According to Naguib Swiris, CEO, Orascom Telecom, ?We have often expressed our keen interest to enter some of the largest and highest growth mobile markets in the world like India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The tie-up with Hutchison Telecom presents Orascom Telecom with exposure to these markets.?

As per the terms of the tie-up, Orascom and Hutchison will combine procurement, apart from signing roaming agreements between all the complementary operations. Orascom will send two representatives to the Hutchison Telecom board. Besides, the company will have its members on the board of Hutchison Essar, in which Hutchison Telecom holds 42 per cent stakes.

Orasom and Hutchison control mobile operators with two billion subscribers in 15 countries.

via [EFY Times]

Airtel and Bird to laucnh 1399 prepaid offer

Bird mobiles a chinese mobile maker and india’s Airtel have partnered to offer a bundled handset and connection for just 1399 rupees

Bird Phones, the Chinese cell phone company, has entered into a ‘bundling’ pact with Airtel under which a connection and handset is being provided for just Rs1399 but with a lock-in-period.

Adarsh Shastri, Director, Marketing, Bird Phones, said, “We shall be offering a handset for just Rs1399 along with a pre-paid connection of Airtel which also includes Rs600 worth free talk-time to be spread over six months. The scheme involves huge subsidy which is being shared by both parties.”

The scheme was launched in first week of November in six circles and the company sold 65,000 handsets in first 20 days, Shastri claimed.

“Our target is to supply five lakh handsets till end of current fiscal,” he added.

The same model of handset is being sold at Rs3,000 in the open market. The bundled (handset plus Airtel pre-paid connection) scheme comes with a 8-month lock-in-period whereby the consumer is barred from using the same handset for another connection.

Currently, the scheme is available in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh (East and West), West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, he said adding the company was planning to cover all India soon.

India Can Wait; Airtel To Launch 3G Services In Seychelles Soon

India will have to wait for 3G services for some more time. But not Seychelles. Airtel, India’s leading mobile telephone service provider, will shortly launch 3G mobile services in Seychelles.

India will have to wait for 3G services for some more time. But not Seychelles. Airtel, India’s leading mobile telephone service provider, will shortly launch 3G mobile services in Seychelles. Telecom Seychelles Limited, owned by Bharti Tele-Ventures, has been providing mobile and basic telephone services in Seychelles for the last 7 years under the Airtel brand, It will invest 44 million Seychelles Rupees for rolling out the services.

The new 3G and GPRS network will add a new dimension to the services provided to all Postpaid and Prepaid customers and roamers. This upgrade will open a gateway to Broadband Internet Access, Video Calling, Picture Messaging (MMS), Data Cards, Prepaid Roaming, Advanced Billing System and loads of other Value Added Services. The new 3G upgrade will also provide fast and more reliable Internet access of up to 384 kbps as against 10 kbps in 2G or 30 KBPS in GPRS, the release said.

The 3G Network will be on the IMT 2000 Band (3GSM) enabling complete alignment with the world standard. This will ensure seamless roaming with the rest of the world. Besides the upgrade Airtel is adding new Base Stations to expand its coverage to more islands.

via [contentsutra]

Airtel launched its network services in Koraput and Rayagada districts

Airtel launched its network services in Koraput and Rayagada districts making its foray into several areas of southern Orissa and spreading its operations to 300 towns in less than one year of its operations.

Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Dec. 4. ? Airtel launched its network services in Koraput and Rayagada districts making its foray into several areas of southern Orissa and spreading its operations to 300 towns in less than one year of its operations.
It has also announced to bring additional 100 towns under its network coverage before March 2006.
With this total towns under Airtel coverage will go up to 400 in Orissa.

via [The Statesman]

Decision on 3g spectrum by 2006 first quarter

The decision on 3G spectrum is expected to be taken by first quarter of 2006, said Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran

NEW DELHI: The government of India is likely to take a decision on 3G spectrum early next year.

?The decision on 3G spectrum is expected to be taken by first quarter of 2006,? said Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran.

Speaking on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit, he added, ?We welcome more players in 3G, but the quality and the price at which services would be provided should be competitive, as it is a value-added service.?

He further said, ?3G is not a replacement of 2G. Even when 3G comes into India, investment in 2G would still continue.?

Speaking on the issue of unbundling the last mile, Maran opined, ?Government will not go for unbundling the last mile. I am very happy with the broadband progress and see no necessity for unbundling the last mile.?

He also stressed on the need for provision of more content. ?Price of broadband and PCs have gone down but there is no content to be accessed through these. We have to make sure that it is available,? he said.

He further informed that the new telecom policy would be out next year. ?IndiaOne is also happening and we have removed almost all barriers for its rollout,? he added.

via [ciol]