Category: Operators

Roundup of all the Telecom providers and Operators

Verizon Wireless – Use any app and any device from 2008

Some good news for Verizon wireless users. You might no longer need to stick to the devices offered by Verizon.

Come 2008 , you might be able to use Any App Any Device according to a company press release.

This is a seen as move to tackle the Android – gphone launch and also Apple’s 3G iPhone plans.

But wait there’s a catch. These devices need to be tested and approved in a 20 million facility.

Any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network.

More information is expected in early 2008.

Interesting note : Verizon is not part of the Google open handset alliance 

Spice up your life with Spice S7

If you are a music buff and cannot do without hooking on a pair of ear plugs, the Spice S7 is just for you.

The latest addition to the Music Spice Series, this handset targets the mid segment buyer and is ideal for young college goers.

84619_spicebig.jpg

Features:

• Bluetooth
• Wireless Music (A2DP)
• 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash
• 2.0-inches screen in 262 Colour
• Video and Photo caller ID
• Expandable memory up to 1 GB with T-Flash card

Continue reading “Spice up your life with Spice S7”

Vodafone brings 2 new blackberry handsets to India

Vodafone India (Hutch) has introduced the Blackberry 8310 and Blackberry 8820 priced at Rs.24,990 and Rs.31,990
Vodafone acquired Hong Kong-based Hutchison International’s Indian telecom arm Hutch’…

Vodafone India  (Hutch) has introduced the Blackberry 8310 and Blackberry 8820 priced at Rs.24,990 and Rs.31,990

Vodafone acquired Hong Kong-based Hutchison International’s Indian telecom arm Hutch’s stake for $11.1 billion in May this year. The company earlier said it would be investing $2 billion in consolidating and expanding its business in the country.

Vodafone Essar, India’s second largest mobile service operator after Airtel, has a subscriber base of 34.11 million and a market share of 20.11 percent as on Aug 31, 2007, according to data released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

It would be great to see the premium offerrings from Vodafone

Vodafone India sports the Global Red branding

The Global Mobile Service Providers starts operations in India, the 2nd largest mobile market in the world. The Vodafone logo is synonymous with the Global Red Branding strategy of Vodafone.

Vodafone_logoAs an Indian Mobile user, I have never seen Vodafone as a Mobile brand. I relate it to the Ferrari Formula 1 Team ( Vodafone is a sponsor for the team)

But now all of a sudden, Vodafone is a Mobile Operator in India. Vodafone is known worldwide for its Value Added Services. Will be interesting to see what Vodafone does in India considering the nature of the market.

Vodafone-pug

The Hutch pug in the new Vodafone TV AD

Vodafone-hutch-operator

My Vodafone number phone was showing the Hutch operator text till yesterday

but changed to Vodafone suddenly . A really fast re-branding excercise I must say.

Now the hutch website hutch.in points to vodafone.in

Vodafone India will replace Hutch from September 20

The Hutch pug and the Hutch pink will soon not be seen on Indian screens and hoardings as Vodafone is going to roll out its Global branding in India from September.

Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone will unleash the Vodafone logo later this week in India

Vodafone has made bulk bookings on Star and Sony Television for airing the new Ads.

Hutch logo will be replaced by Vodafone soon

We had hinted earlier the Hutch might change colors again in What will Vodafone do with Hutch

Looks like Vodafone wants to spread its brand image in India soon. So its going to be the the Battle of the Reds (Vodafone vs Airtel) as Hutch and Airtel are the largest mobile operators in India. Hutch has always been seen as an elite brand in the country as it is present only in a few circles.  Vodafone is known for its Premium services around the world. Vodafone cannot use the same global pricing strategy in India for sure due to the nature of the market here. Lets wait and watch Till then it may may bid good bye to the Hutch Pug

Hutchison Essar rechristens as Vodafone Essar

Vodafone Essar will be the new name of the old Hutch venture in India. This move comes after Vodafone’s acquistion of HTIL.

Asim Ghosh, Hutchison Essar’s current chief executive, will be chairman and chief executive officer.

Arun Sarin will be the Vice Chairman.

Ravi Ruia will  non-executive chairman

What will Vodafone do with Hutch ?

Hutch has changed colors since it started operations in India.

I remember seeing Hutch first in the Orange. They then changed to pink and blue.

Now after Vodafone has taken over Hutch , will Hutch move to Red synonymous with India’s other largest telecom provider Airtel.

It would be interesting to see what Vodafone does with Hutch.

hutch_dog_vodafone.jpg

Hutch India now Vodafone’s Baby

The battle’s finally over ? Atleast IBN Live says so.

The long battle amongst the Telecom biggies for the aquisition of Hutch India might be over.

Vodafone has won the bid for $19 Billion.Essar is happy about the deal and the price. Vodafone is said to have even offered Essar to become a partner firm.

Hutch is expected to announce an official statement tomorrow

via [ibnlive]

Spice Mobile S1000 Windows Mobile Phone

Spice Mobile Phones which is being promoted by the Spice Telecom Group has come up with a rather interesting phone the S1000

s1000.jpg

Features

  • Windows Mobile OS
  • Touchscreen
  • 2.0 Megapixel Camera
  • Wi-fi , Bluetooth, Infrared
  • miniSD Memory Expansion

Specifications

Network GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Connectivity Wi-fi, Bluetooth ,IrDA
Memory RAM 128 MBROM 64 MB

Expansion : Mini SD (512 MB in package)

Up to 2GB
Display 240×320 pixels ,65k TFT Touch screen with Handwriting Recognition
Camera 1600×1200 pixels, flash,zoom,video recording
Tones Polyphonic,MP3
Battery Talk time : upto 5 Hours Standby : 6 Days
Messaging SMS,MMS, Email
Operating System Microsoft® Windows Mobile™ 5.0 Pocket PC Edition
Software Word, Excel, PowerPoint Viewer, Java Enabled

PriceThe handset is Priced at Rs.34999

The Hutch Saga continues

The rumors have started again. Reports suggest that the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa group is believed to be considering a sale of its telecom business. The sale might include Hutchison Essar as well. Hutch has postponed its IPO in India so many times.

Vodafone has shown interest in taking over Hutchison Essar. Its willing to offer upto 13.5 Billion Dollars for the deal. Reliance is reported to have teamed up with Blackstone Ventures and is willing to offer upto 15 Billion Dollars.

Its interesting to note that Vodafone has an 10% stake in Bharti Airtel  which is valued at  close to 1.4 Billion pounds. But  there is a no compete attached to this deal.

We still need to wait and see the turn of events.

[ibnlive ]

Nokia and Bharti Airtel sign contract for network expansion

Press Release
Nokia and Bharti Airtel sign USD 400 million network expansion, managed services contract

Espoo, Finland – Bharti Airtel Limited has awarded Nokia an estimated USD 400 million contract to expand its managed GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks in eight Airtel circles and deploy a pan-Indian WAP solution across its networks.
 
As per the three-year contract, Nokia will provide managed services and expand Airtel networks to cover all towns and cities in the eight telecom circles of Mumbai, Maharashtra & Goa, Gujarat, Bihar (including Jharkhand), Orissa, Kolkata, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh (including Chattisgarh). The network monitoring operations will be carried out from Nokia’s state-of-the-art Global Network Services Center in Chennai.

Mobile Blogging now possible with Reliance

Reliance has launched mobile blogging for its customers. RCL has partnered with the Hyderabad-based mobile content solutions company IMI Mobile for moblogging. The service is priced at Rs 5 per MMS/SMS for posting a blog. The blogs are hosted on www.relianceinfo.com/mblog. In any case, it will take a while for moblogging to become a mass application.

via contentsutra and The Economic Times

BSNL to launch sub 1000 rupee handsets under BSNL phones banner

BSNL aims to capture the low price market by launching handsets priced at Rs.1000 and below.

It is in talks with Taiwanese and Chinese handset manufacturers for rolling out the sub-Rs 1,000 handset, which will be offered on the GSM platform. 

The telco will sell the mobiles under the ‘BSNL phones’ banner.Sources say that the mobiles will be based on single-chip technology. The SIM card will be non-removable and the mobile will remain on the BSNL network only. BSNL is not targeting the top-end market very aggressively. BSNL sees a low-cost handset a key to increase the market share.

It even expects a reasonable return of 12-14%.

Currently, the cheapest handset in India is monophonic and monochromic (black and white). It is on the GSM platform and is priced at Rs 1700. It offers only basic features. The cheapest CDMA handset is available for Rs 1,999.

via [ET]

Reliance Communications ties up for Nokia 1255 priced at Rs.2000

Finnish mobile handset manufacturer Nokia and Reliance Communications Ltd have joined hands to market the Nokia 1255 mobile handset in India at a price of Rs 1,999.

thehindubusinessline reports

This is Nokia’s maiden offer of a CDMA handset in the sub Rs 2,000 range and is aimed at first time mobile users. There are, however, cheaper CDMA handsets from other manufacturers being offered by operators in the country.

Nokia 1255 is an entry level black and white handset and has features such as a two-way hands-free speakerphone, voice recorder and a calendar with an alarm clock among others.

Nokia 1255 phone: A classic value
nokia_1255_cell_phone.jpgThe value-priced Nokia 1255 phone packs an extra-large feature set into an extra-small package. The 80-gram phone offers productivity tools such as a two-way handsfree speakerphone, voice recorder and a calendar with an alarm clock. Other fun features include two built-in games, 20 ringtones and a selection of user-selectable screen savers. In recognition of the need to stay in touch while minimizing downtime, the Nokia 1225 phone delivers up to four hours of talk time and up to 10 days of standby time. A partial list of additional features includes:
– 250 contact phonebook
– Text messaging
– Stopwatch and countdown timer
– Internal vibrating alert
– Easy-to-use Nokia user interface