Chinese Users Satisfied with Their Handsets
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Source: Cellular News
Thursday, December 6, 2007
RCOM Gets Pan-India License
DoT on Thursday announced a pan-India GSM licence for Reliance Communications. The company had already paid the requisite licence fee of Rs 1,651 crore for a pan-India GSM licence on October 19, 2007.
The licence will guarantee that RCom will be in queue for GSM spectrum ahead of the 46 others that have applied for licences recently. RCom currently offers telecom services on the CDMA platform in all telecom circles in the country, and, through its 100% subsidiary, also offers GSM services in seven telecom circles.
RCom will now have to wait for DoT to allot 4.4 MHz of GSM spectrum in each of the circles to launch commercial operations. RCom will be allotted spectrum only after existing licence holders—Vodafone, Aircel and Idea—are granted start-up spectrum to launch services and other existing players that have applied for a pan-India licence are allotted both licences and spectrum.
Source: The Telegraph
Monday, December 3, 2007
8 Useful Sites for Mobile Shopping
SMS
- Smarter SMS (Sms the product description to 610-7627837 and get the lowest price online)
- Frucall (Sms the barcode to 37811 to get the lower prices available)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Interesting Statistics!
- Worldwide handset shipments are expected to increase to 1.46 billion by 2012, driven in part by increasing availability of low-cost and ultra-low-cost handsets in emerging nations.
- Total handset revenues will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 1.7% to a total of US$165.4 billion by 2012.
- Third-generation (3G) handsets will represent half of the worldwide revenue for cellular handsets.
Gypsii Accredited by Nokia
Nokia has agreed to include Symbian version of the GyPSii to its N95 and 6110 Navigator mobile phones.
GyPSii integrates a wide range of location-specific functions and services into a single easy-to-use interface that works on GPS and non-GPS-enabled devices alike. These functions include user-generated content, friend finding and sharing, and also Point-of-Interest (POI) proximity search for immediate surroundings, maps and directions.
Designed specifically for use on a mobile phone, the GyPSii platform is already compatible with Windows Mobile devices and by adding Symbian and Nokia support, GyPSii is now available on the vast majority of mobile phones and almost any Internet connected device. GyPSii for Nokia and Windows Mobile is available for download at the company's website- www.gypsii.com.
Source: 3G
RIM Coming Up With A Touch Screen Handset
Research In Motion is preparing a new touch-based handset and operating system, described as the "9000-series." This series will be "a complete breakaway" from the company's traditional corporate focus.
The new touch-based series is rumored to be multimedia-centric still featuring the business applications such as push e-mail.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
SAMSUNG MAX- First CDMA Open Market Phone
Samsung Electronics has launched "Samsung Max"- First open market phone in the CDMA segment. Its available only in Mumbai and
The "Max" is a multimedia phone, catered to Indian needs. Key features:
- An Indian calendar
- A panchang
- A mobile prayer
- A Cricket scorer
- A Hinglish SMs
Specifications:
- 1.9-inches 262K TFT large LCD
- 1.3 MP camera
- MP3/FM
- Bluetooth
- Expandable memory
- RUIM card support
- Speaker phone
NFC Handsets for London Underground Users
London Underground users will soon be able to use mobile handsets as electronic train tickets, as Transport for
An NFC handset would incorporate the Oyster 'swipe card' used by millions of Londoners every day into the mobile phone, allowing users to touch their phone to the card reader on the way into or out of the station.
When a NFC-enabled mobile phoned is placed against the smart poster, it will pinpoint the exact location of the passenger and then transmit detailed information including where to go to make the next stage of the journey, how to get there, how long the transfer will take and when the next service will arrive.
Source: Telecoms.com
Monday, November 26, 2007
Mobileweb Ahead of PC in Next Decade
Geraldine Wilson (Yahoo Europe vice president of connected life) predicted that in the decade ahead, more consumers will log onto the Internet via mobile than on PC.
"In emerging markets, most people's first contact with the Internet will be with a mobile phone," Wilson said. "We have to be careful because there have been many false dawns of Internet on the mobile … but I think we will look back at 2007 as when things started to happen."
Wilson acknowledged challenges like mobile data service pricing, handset interfaces and network speeds. In 2008, Yahoo will also focus its efforts on further personalizing the user experience by adding more local content to their mobile search listings.
Source: FierceMobile
Mobile Video Alerts by Verizon & NHL
Verizon Wireless and the National Hockey League announced the launch of NHL game video alerts, promising to deliver puck fans in-game video highlights moments after they take place. Each 15-second video message will spotlight critical goals, key saves and other game-changing plays. The alerts are sent to subscribers following each period, with a maximum of four alerts per day.
The NHL service costs $2.99 per month per selected franchise.
Source: Fierce Mobile
Luxury Phones Coming to India
Nokia's luxury phone arm, Vertu has started selling its expensive models in
Vertu Ascent Ti features-
- Quad band, 3G handset
- 3 mega pixel flash VGA camera
- Chassis of the Ascent Ti handset
Price: Rs 326,000 or US$8,200
David Arnold, the composer behind many James Bond soundtracks, has also created three bespoke ring tones for the Vertu Ascent Ti, complemented by a series of automotive themed backgrounds.
USP- With one click of a button, owners are connected to the Vertu concierge service which is available 24 hours a day from virtually anywhere in the world. Vertu Concierge can help customers with queries like recommending a local restaurant, making a theatre booking or even sending a gift around the globe.
Source: Cellular News
Mobile- Your Personal Advisor
Researchers from the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) has come up with a software called Magitti. It automatically recommends information about "local area" activities, such as shopping and dining, matching the consumer's location, time of day and personal tastes.
Magitti software studies user’s behavior based on his text messages and mobile calendar to come up with more relevant recommendations. Once installed in a GPS-enabled mobile phone, user is not required to surf mobile Internet to search for a good place to eat, movies to watch, or other activities to do.
When a person first opens a phone that has Magitti software, she will instantly see a list of recommendations. If it's noon, the software might suggest local restaurants. If it's 3 P.M., it might recommend a nearby boutique for shopping. If it's 9 P.M., a list of pubs might appear. Over time, these recommendations will change as Magitti learns more about the user's behaviors and preferences.
Source: The Mobile weblog
Friday, November 23, 2007
Call Via SMS
Raketu, has created an SMS-Text Driven VoIP Service called RakSMS calling. The service enables mobile device users to make phone-to-phone voice over IP (VoIP) Internet calls with no computer or Internet connection required. It does not even need a GPRS
connection to initiate a call.
A mobile phone user in the
Latest Mobile Marketing Study by MMA
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has released the 3rd annual Mobile Attitude and Usage Study.
Among 1,405 consumers surveyed, 1 in 4 respondents are interested in mobile marketing and 1 out of 20 participated in mobile marketing campaigns. Moreover, 58% of the respondents utilize the camera phones compared to only 35% last year. Highlights of this study include:
- Sweepstakes and voting campaigns are the most widely used types of mobile marketing.
- Ethnic groups are key audiences for mobile marketing.
- Teens and young adults use text messaging more than any other demographic.
- 54% of 13-34 year olds use SMS for social networking, while 44% of 13-34 year olds said they use text messaging for flirting or dating, and 10% of 13-34 year olds said they have broken up with a boy or girl friend using text messaging.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Mobile Number Portability- Good or Bad for Operators??
The customer is already the king in
It will be a heart-warming change for millions of mobile phone subscribers in the country, when customers will be allowed to switch to a different service provider without having to surrender their existing phone number will be introduced in about a year's time.
But at least some of the service providers in the industry, if not all, will suffer the effects of even more intensified competition, and they could be expected to do everything within their powers to retain customers. In the lead time that they enjoy up to the introduction of the number portability, market leader Bharti Airtel as well as others could be expected to launch new plans to lock-in customers for a certain period of time by offering a sweeter deal.
They will need to make extra efforts to retain their corporate accounts, as well as individual high-billing users, who will undoubtedly be targeted by competitors. Additional investments to improve network reach and service quality will be called for. And costs will inevitably rise, while average revenues per user (ARPU) could remain under pressure in a more competitive environment.
Of the 10 mobile service providers in the industry with at least a million subscribers, the smaller ones such as Spice Communications and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTE) , Aircel, could be at a greater risk than others, as they lack a nationwide footprint
Among the bigger companies, Reliance Communications (RCOM) has the greatest opportunity, but it also faces the biggest threat. Reliance currently offers a majority of its around 40 million customers CDMA services, while the rest of the industry offers mostly GSM services. Reliance has been looking at a far bigger presence in GSM as well, and the introduction of number portability offers it a big opportunity to steal GSM customers from competition. However, it is equally possible that its existing CDMA customers are weaned away by competition, and RCoM will have to constantly watch its back to prevent that from happening.
Number portability, however, needn't be bad news for everyone in the industry. It is a great opportunity for a service provider to differentiate from the rest of the pack by offering a truly superior service that is customized to individual users -- something that few service providers seem to be doing today.
Vodafone Plans to Increase its Presence in China
Vodafone, "the world's largest mobile operator by revenue", has plans to use the government led restructuring of the telecoms market to increase its presence in the country. The Chinese government is planning to shake up the local telecoms market as part of the roll out of 3G in country. And Vodafone intends to use its 3.3% holding in leading carrier, China Mobile, as leverage to extend its reach in the world's largest mobile markets.
Vodafone chief executive, Arun Sarin, is quoted by UK newspaper the Financial Times as saying that that the Big V's $13bn stake in China Mobile could be used to take advantage of local opportunities. One of the likeliest options could potentially see Vodafone exchange its holding in Chain Mobile for a bigger stake another company.
Source: Telecoms.com
France Telecom Wins the Bid for Telkom Kenya
The Kenyan government has selected France Telecom as the preferred bidder for the acquisition of a 51% stake in the Telkom Kenya. The transaction is planned to close before the end of the year. Telkom
Source: Cellular News
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Google to Bid For Mobile Spectrum
Google is planning to bid on a chunk of wireless spectrum that would allow it to run its own cellphone network across the entire
Personal IM Launched in India
Personal Instant Messaging (IM) is now commercially available for GSM users in India and Malaysia. In India, intensive field trials have been carried out and interoperable IM solutions have been deployed across all GSM networks, including Aircel, Bharti Airtel, BPL Mobile, BSNL, Idea, MTNL, Reliance Telecom, Spice and Vodafone-Essar.
Source: HT
Source: HT
6 New Pan India Mobile Players
The Department of Telecom (DoT) expects at least 6 companies to pay the licence fee to offer cellular services on a pan-India basis. 46 companies have submitted 575 applications in response to the latest offer from the DoT to provide cellular services, of which only 20 companies want to operate across India.
The companies that are expected to buy the pan-India licences include domestic and foreign players, such as AT&T, Spice, HFCL, DLF, Parsvnath and BPL Mumbai.
Source: The Telegraph
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Nokia Launched N82
The world's top cell phone maker Nokia has unveiled a new N-series multimedia phone, Nokia N82.
Features-
- 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, up to 10x digital zoom, and can capture MPEG-4 VGA video at 30 frames per second.
- Xenon flash
- A-GPS for navigation with preinstalled Nokia maps and all the standard packages
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- 3G capabilities with HSDPA for faster Internet connection
- Bluetooth
- An integrated Stereo FM radio, TV output and document viewer
Source: 3G
Text Entry Error Rate Goes High With iPhone
User Centric, Inc., a Chicago-based usability consultancy, finished a third and final study examining the user experience of Apple’s iPhone. The study involved data from 60 participants who were asked to enter specific text messages and complete several mobile device tasks.
Previous studies by User Centric showed that overall design and usability of the iPhone was good, but the iPhone’s touch keyboard was a weak point for many users. The current study examines specific interactions with the iPhone touch keyboard and compares the texting experiences of iPhone owners and non-owners across devices.
Source: Cellphone Digest
Yahoo! Joined Hands With Mobile Operators in Asia Pacific
Yahoo! has announced 9 new partnerships with some of the leading mobile operators across the Asia Pacific region. Through Yahoo!'s partnerships with mobile operators, Yahoo! oneSearch, will power the search experience for consumers on partner mobile internet sites.
Mobile operators are:
- Aircel Limited (India)
- BPL Mobile (India)
- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL; India)
- DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (DiGi; Malaysia)
- PT EXCELCOMINDO PRATAMA Tbk. (Excelcom; Indonesia)
- PT Hutchison CP Telecom (Hutch 3; Indonesia)
- PT Indosat, Tbk (Indosat; Indonesia)
- PCCW Mobile HK Limited (Hong Kong)
- Starhub Ltd (Singapore)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Hinglish As First Choice
To woo the young consumers, Motorola is banking onto Hinglish with the soon to be launched MotoYuva W180.
Handsets with the dual Hindi-English mode etched on keypads are already there in the market. But for the first time, there will be an embedded dictionary in a phone with 30,000 Hindi words, which would prompt the user with Hinglish terms the moment he/she keys in the first couple of alphabets.
Source: ET
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
300% Growth In Youth Market For Mobiles
As per the report, entertainment is expected to be one of the main revenue generators for value added services (VAS) segment and is likely to dominate the mobile space in
Though music is a major contributer towards revenue, its overall share of the market would fall from 40% in 2006 to 36% in 2011 as new forms of entertainment such as mobile TV and video series gain consumer interest.
The study added that out of the total mobile user base, over 60% listen to music, 75% use camera, over 50% play games and 50% browse Internet.
Softbank Wins Most Cellphone Subscribers In October
Japan's Softbank Corp added 158,600 new users, beating No 2 KDDI Corp, which added a net 133,800 users. Both outran
Source:The Economic Times
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Is It a Phone, Is It a Software?
Google has cleared the air by saying that the Google Phone is not going to be a phone to compete with the likes of Apple Computer's iPhone but a software to rival Microsoft.
Google has teamed up with network operators and handset vendors to develop an open mobile OS, code-named, Android in alliance with the Open Handset Alliance. Handset makers will be first given the Google software, and subsequently, developers will design applications for the Google Phone. The Android platform is the first step in significantly reduce the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services.
The Consumers should expect the first google phone to be available in the second half of 2008 and the chosen carrier for launching the device is
Source: Cellular News, Techtree, Cellphone Digest
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Mobile Search By Yellowpages
Yellowpages.com rolled out a Web-based application for Apple's iPhone and a free downloadable app for other types of cell phones.
The first application is designed for iPhone and iPod Touch users, since it's Web-based and can be accessed on the devices' Safari Web browsers. Users can find local businesses and services by going to www.yellowpages.com, as well as access other information like user ratings, maps, and driving directions.
Source: Information Week
RCOM To Give Competition To GSM Players Soon
RCOM will launch GSM-based mobile services across the country within a year of receiving spectrum.
"We have applied for GSM spectrum for all 22 circles... as soon as we get frequency, within a year from that we will start GSM services," RCom Chairman Anil Ambani said.
The government had recently announced new norms for telecom sector, including use of dual technology by a single operator and enhanced subscriber base for allotment of additional spectrum. RCom's entry into GSM operations would intensify competition and make mobile services more affordable.
HTC P3300 Launched in India
HTC has launched P3300, an innovative Global Positioning System (GPS) phone in
Features-
- PDA phone offering high speed wireless LAN access
- 2.0 megapixel camera
- Inbuilt FM radio
Source: The Hindu
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Google- First Choice for LBS Development
According to a newly released survey of professional developers working on applications for mobile devices, Google is the first choice among wireless developers for developing location-enhanced applications. The survey conducted worldwide in September, showed that 38.4% of developers preferred using Google technologies for location based development. The closest competitors were Microsoft followed by Nokia.
Use of location-based services is strongest in the Asia Pacific region, where over half of wireless developers are currently incorporating location-based services in their development. North American developers were the second most likely to be developing location aware applications where 47% were doing so. The most common use of location-based services in development involves individual tracking, followed by vehicle tracking.
Other findings from the survey of almost 400 wireless developers worldwide include:
- Almost two-thirds (60.5%) of wireless developers plan to be using open source or Linux-specific tools.
- Application runtime environment is the first consideration when choosing a wireless target platform for 44% of wireless developers - almost three times as many as first consider any other factor - including device, operating system, computer language etc.
- Java ME is the leading wireless runtime environment.
Skypephone Launched
Skype has launched a mobile phone for its subscribers to call each other for free. Skypephone, which is being brought out in collaboration with mobile operator ‘3’ will also allow users to send free messages to each other. The phone has a single button to help users make calls and send instant messages. The users can also view their Skype address book on the display.
It will cost $100 and will initially be available in
Source:iSource
Mobile TV Launched in India
ROK Entertainment Group through BSNL has deployed
- English Music Channel (EMN)
- Hindi music channel (Geet)
- An entertainment channel (Bindaas)
- A Bollywood channel (Zoom)
- A live Hindi news channel
- A Regional Offering for each Zone from ETV networks
Source: Cellular News
Google to Reveal Mobile Plans Soon
Google Inc is expected to announce advanced software and services enabling handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by mid-2008.
The phones would feature a customized open-source OS and prominently feature existing Google mobile applications, such as those for maps and YouTube.
Google is facing resistance from wireless operators, who currently control much of the applications available to cell phone customers,. The most likely operator to partner with Google in its mobile software effort in the
Source: Cellular News
Mobile operators to invest $50bn in Sub-Saharan Africa
The GSM Association revealed that a group of carriers including MTN,
'Easy to use' phone from T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA has announced the availability of the T-Mobile Shadow - the first phone in a planned franchise of phones under the Shadow brand. The new handset supplied by HTC is specifically designed for ease of use, with a lot of menu function complexity stripped away. Shadow makes staying connected to people simple, fun and easy and all without the hassle of using a complicated device.
The handset is based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 platform and supports both Wi-Fi and EDGE connectivity.
Source: Cellular News
Dual Mode Smartphone
China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology, announced the launch of Gallic- World's first Windows-based GSM/CDMA dual mode dual standby pocket PC phone.The phone is based on Windows 6.0 and allows users to load one GSM card and one CDMA card.
Features-
- 2.0 megapixel camera
- MP3 and MPEG4 player
- Push mail
- Bluetooth capabilities
Nokia- The Way We Live Next
Nokia's shared their vision towards the convergence of the Internet and mobility. Few amongst the breakthrough technologies shared by Nokia are:
Shoot to Translate: A software that translates written characters into another language; the original text is captured with the camera on the Nokia multimedia computer and translation happens in real time.
Virtual worlds: Nokia showed how 3D virtual environments could be implemented on mobile devices to create an immersive user experience.
Source: iSource
Friday, October 26, 2007
Facebook on BlackBerry
RIM's BlackBerry smartphones will now have the Facebook application integrated in them. Users would be able to click and upload their pictures on the BlackBerry itself and other BlackBerry users with the application would be instantly notified.
T-Mobile of the US will be offering the application to its users to begin with and all TMobile BlackBerry smartphones will come pre-loaded with it.
Source: HT
Thursday, October 25, 2007
200 Million Mobile Subscribers In India
India's mobile market passed 3 milestones in September:
- the CDMA customer base broke through 50 million
- GSM surpassed 150 million
- The total market by consequence broke the 200 million barrier.
Source: Cellular News
3G Mobile Services to Come by Mid 2008 in India
India's telecommunications service providers may likely be able to start offering 3G, mobile communication services in the country by mid-2008.
3G services will enable mobile users to access high-speed data services such as movie on demand and mobile TV on their handsets.
The defense ministry of India is expected to free some radio bandwidth that can be deployed for commercial use by mobile phone operators.
Source: Cellular News
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Handset Popularity Differs in America & India
Survey conducted by ChangeWave Research showed 82% of American users were very satisfied with their iPhone handsets. The results do not represent the general population but they provide a real-time view of business trends well in advance of other available sources.
% of satisifed user for other handsets covered in the ChangeWave survey-
RIM- 52%
Sanyo- 46%
LG- 44%
Nokia and Samsung- 36%
Palm- 35%
Motorola- 33%
Sony Ericsson- 31%
At the same time IDC conducted a mobile phone satisfaction survey in India. Survey results shows Sony Ericsson at top of the list.
- Sony Ericsson
- Motorola
- Nokia
Unfortunately, neither the iPhone or RIM’s Blackberry were included in the Indian study. However, it is strange that those brands with the least satisfaction in the
The different results in the two countries tell us that the surveys reveal as much about the respondents, about the environment, and, perhaps, about the surveys themselves as they tell us about the mobile devices.
Source: Mobile Monday
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Entry Level Phones Are Not Fun Anymore
Users feel that mobile phones have become easier to use, have better voice clarity and longer battery life. The handsets with higher memory and good entertainment features are still priced quite high. The entry-level phones are relatively poor on these parameters contributing to decline in user satisfaction.
The ‘incremental spend’ for the next handset has grown to Rs 3,200 indicating that the experienced users are willing to spend higher amount for purchase of their next handset. The average price, an Indian mobile user is willing to spend has declined from Rs 6,900 to Rs 3,700.
Source: The Hindu
Sony Ericsson Topped User Satisfaction
Sony-Ericsson mobile phones ranked first on overall satisfaction by users in 2007, while Motorola was ranked as the 'most improved' brand on satisfaction for the last 3 years. According to ‘India Mobile Handset Usage and Satisfaction Study 2007’ conducted by International Data Corporation's, the overall satisfaction among mobile handset users declined. The two features responsible for this decline are Internal memory and entertainment.
Motorola was in the second slot in overall satisfaction, displacing Nokia to the third place, while barring the top three vendors (Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia) all other brands fared below the industry average.
"The mobile handsets with higher memory and good entertainment features are still priced quite high. The entry-level phones are relatively poor on these parametres contributing to decline in satisfaction scores,” IDC India Country Manager Kapil Dev Singh said.
The study pointed out 3 main features that drive users to upgrade their handsets-
- Integrated digital camera
- Music player
- Stereo FM radio
Source: Business Standard
Bharti to Launch IPTV
Telecom major Bharti plans to initially launch its IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service in
Bharti Airtel GM (IPTV) Puneet Garg said: “We have launched our pilot service in Gurgaon. We would be launching them in stages. Initially, we will target
Source: Economic Times
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Mobile Gmail 1.5
Google's mobile Gmail has been updated to version 1.5 which is faster, uses less data and is more like Gmail! Mobile Gmail now has the same functions and look and feel as Gmail on the internet. Gmail for mobile devices allows you to search through your entire Gmail archive in seconds. Simply click on the search menu option and input your query.
Mobile Gmail now uses about half as much data as before, thus reducing access time and data cost. Your Gmail account now stays in sync whether you access it from your PC or your cell phone. Send an email from your mobile device and you'll find it in the 'Sent Mail' folder on your PC.
Source: Cell Phone Digest
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Nokia Adding Touch Screen to S60 Phones
Nokia has plans to add touch-screen capabilities to its Series60 (S60) front end for Symbian based mobile phones. Touch user interface in S60 software offers licensees the opportunity to develop devices with a variety of input methods, whether it is a touch screen with a traditional keypad, touch screen with a qwerty keyboard or touch screen alone, supporting both finger or stylus optimized input, in addition to the range of access options that already exist today.
The software will also support tactile feedback, which means that there is a physical pulse and feedback when the user taps on the screen.
Source: Cellular News
The software will also support tactile feedback, which means that there is a physical pulse and feedback when the user taps on the screen.
Source: Cellular News
iPhone is Toxic
Environmentalist lawyers are threatening to sue Apple in 60 days if the iconic
In a YouTube video posted at the Greenpeace website, scientist David Santillo claims that iPhones contain dangerous levels of bromine, chlorine and “phthalates,” chemical compounds used to increase the flexibility of plastic. The level of phthalate esters, a chemical linked to birth defects, in plastic coating of iPhone earphones wires is greater than that allowed in toys or childcare items sold in Europe, according to Greenpeace.
Source: Cellular News
Pay per Day Mobile Broadband From T-mobile
T-Mobile UK is coming up with 3G mobile broadband for laptop users on a pay per day basis from November 1. Users will be able to log onto the web at 3G speeds via a T-Mobile USB modem and their laptop, without any monthly commitment, for £4 per day.
Source: Telecoms.com
Thursday, October 11, 2007
8 Mbps Broadband Access From Airtel
Telecom major Bharti Airtel announced the launch of 8 Mbps broadband Internet access for Chennai, Pune, Kolkata and Delhi/NCR subscribers.
Presently, Airtel broadband offers speeds ranging from 256 Kbps to 4 Mbps. BSNL presently offers upto 2 Mbps speed, with plans to introduce 8 Mbps connections later this year.
Source: Cellular News
'Flybuysms' from Kingfisher
Kingfisher Airlines announced its first SMS-based ticketing service ‘flybuysms’ across all mobile networks in collaboration with PayMate. Prospective customers can search, book and pay for tickets on any handset or operator through this service.
Source: Business Standard
Bharti Airtel No. 1 GSM Operator in India
Bharti Airtel
Subscribers- 4,88,75,664
%Market share- 31.88
Vodafone Essar
Subscribers- 3,56,57,546
%Market share- 23.26
BSNL
Subscribers- 3,03,03,230
%Market share- 19.77
IDEA
Subscribers- 1,86,71,860
%Market share- 12.18
Aircel
Subscribers- 80,39,355
%Market share- 5.24
Reliance Telecom
Subscribers- 43,47,593
%Market share- 2.84
Spice
Subscribers- 34,81,710
%Market share- 2.27
MTNL
Subscribers- 27,72,120
%Market share- 1.81
BPL
Subscribers- 11,53,357
%Market share- 0.75
Source: HT
Google Bought Jaiku
Web giant Google bought Jaiku, a Helsinki-based presence sharing service. Jaiku is a micro social network, much like Twitter. Users have options to update their status and location and broadcast this info to the rest of the community.
On a Symbian S60 handset, Jaiku Mobile integrates with the address book, allowing the user to view the latest Jaiku status updates and presence of their friends direct from the contact list. Jaiku users can not only share their availability but also their location and calendar, which obviously gives Google a hook into the location based advertising space.
Source: Telecoms.com
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Google SMS
Google launched 'Google SMS' for mobile users in India. 'Google SMS' beta makes information available on the move, removing the need for a computer or an Internet-enabled mobile phone.
With 'Google SMS' mobile messaging service, users can get business listings, movie show timings simply by sending a text message to the shortcode 54664 [5GOOG] from their mobile phones. A user seeking information on pizza in connaught place (Delhi) can text message (pizza connaught place delhi) to 54664, and a list of pizza restaurants in that area will automatically be delivered to his or her phone within seconds.
'Google SMS' displays results by nearness to specified locales. The service saves a user's location, thus doing away with the need to type the location every time a user wants to search. This service is available for Airtel, Aircel, BPL, BSNL, and Reliance subscribers. The service has on offer relevant local data for mobile users based out of Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.
Source: Cellular News
Monday, October 8, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Nokia Ties Up with Content Partners
Nokia joined hands with content partners like CNN, IBN News, Sony Pictures, Roof Top Comedy, Jambo, Versaly Entertainment and ROK to bring content varying from entertainment to comedy to news right on Nokia N-Series handsets equipped with a Video Center. Indian users can now get news updates from CNN IBN straight on to their N Series device enabled with a Video Centre without any extra charge.
Source: HT
Source: HT
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Wi-Fi @ Rs 99
Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services has launched a Wi-Fi service for its customers in South India. Customers will get to access the wireless at 2 mbps speed for a monthly rental rate of Rs. 99.
Source: the Hindu
CDMA handset at Rs 999
RCOM launched a feature-rich colour handset at price of Rs 999.
Features in Classic 7332:
- 500-entry phonebook
- SMS on call reject
- Speakerphone
Monday, October 1, 2007
Better Connectivity for Delhi, Mumbai GSM Users
Mobile phone users in Delhi and Mumbai may soon get over the problems of call drops, busy networks and poor connectivity. The two largest operators in the two cities, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, may get extra spectrum for Delhi and Mumbai under the existing subscriber-base norms.
Source: iSource
Better Connectivity for Delhi, Mumbai Mobile GSM Users
Mobile phone users in Delhi and Mumbai may soon get over the problems of call drops, busy networks and poor connectivity. The two largest operators in the two cities, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, may get extra spectrum for Delhi and Mumbai under the existing subscriber-base norms.
Source: iSource
Sunday, September 30, 2007
The "Father of African Telecom" Died
Miko Alexis Rwayitare, known as the "father" of African telecoms died last week, in Belgium. Miko is known as the father of telecommunications having been credited with making the first mobile call in Africa in 1987 and subsequently building various successful mobile networks.
Source: Cellular News
Friday, September 28, 2007
India's Mobile Network Capacity Not Able to Match Growing Subscriber Needs
An analysis by Crisil Research reveals that the number of base stations installed by Indian mobile service providers is not sufficient enough to provide high-quality services to the rapidly growing population of Indian subscribers.
Indian subscribers, on an average, talk 50% more than those in the rest of the world - the average minutes of use (MoU) in
Although network traffic has grown exponentially in
Source: Cellular News
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Apple Warns Hacked iPhone Users
iPhone owners who have unlocked their handsets to be able to use carriers other than official carrier AT&T Inc. may end up with a phone that does not work after the company's next software update. Apple executives say they have discovered that many of those unauthorized unlocking programs cause some software damage to iPhones.
Software update planned for later this week will add features such as accessibility to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store may end up making the touch-screen cell phone completely inoperable if it has been hacked into.
Source:Cellular News
Palm Treo for Airtel Subscribers in India
Palm Treo 750 smartphone is available in Indian market on Bharti Airtel. It is the first Windows-based Treo smartphone to be launched in India.
The Treo 750 is multi featured mobile phone with e-mail, messaging, web browsing and organisation software. The new smartphone is capable of 3G for fast data access.
“Our alliance with Palm to introduce the stylish and power-packed Treo 750 smartphone underlines our commitment to innovation. We are very excited at the opportunity to bring to our Airtel users a best-in-class product that delivers a rich experience that makes it an essential mobility, productivity, and business tool. This phone will be available exclusively on Airtel for a period of time,” said Sanjay Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel.
Source: ET
The Treo 750 is multi featured mobile phone with e-mail, messaging, web browsing and organisation software. The new smartphone is capable of 3G for fast data access.
“Our alliance with Palm to introduce the stylish and power-packed Treo 750 smartphone underlines our commitment to innovation. We are very excited at the opportunity to bring to our Airtel users a best-in-class product that delivers a rich experience that makes it an essential mobility, productivity, and business tool. This phone will be available exclusively on Airtel for a period of time,” said Sanjay Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel.
Source: ET
MySpace Mobile
MySpace has launched MySpace Mobile, a free advertising-supported mobile phone version of its popular social networking website. MySpace Mobile users can send and receive MySpace messages, friend requests, comment on pictures and profiles, post bulletins, update blogs, find and search for friends, and view or change mood status.
Source: Cellphone Digest
Nokia 6301- UMA Enabled GSM Phone
Nokia 6301 is not only stylish, but offers seamless voice and data mobility across GSM cellular and WLAN networks via Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology.UMA technology integrates the benefits of landline and a mobile phone, including seamless indoor coverage, sound quality and affordability.
Features:
- 2-inch QVGA screen
- USB/PC Synchronization
- Internal user memory of 30MB and 128MB in-box microSD card, with support for up to 4GB microSD cards
- Voice dialing, voice commands and voice recording
- MP3 player, FM radio
- Integrated hands-free speaker
Google Adsense for Mobile
Google is coming up with AdSense for Mobile, a program that contextually targets ads to mobile website content.
AdSense for Mobile also allows AdSense publishing partners the ability to earn revenue from their mobile websites through the targeted placement of mobile text ads. AdSense for Mobile is intended for AdSense partners who have created websites specifically for mobile browsers, and who want to monetize their mobile content via contextual advertising. Like Google's other AdSense products, mobile text ads run on an auction model. The system automatically reviews the content of publishers’ mobile websites and delivers text ads that are relevant to the websites’ audience and content. Publishers earn money whenever mobile users click on the ads.
Source: Cellphone Digest
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Low Budget Handsets From Vodafone
Vodafone is all set to launch cheap mobile handsets in
Vodafone would lower the entry barrier to an unbelievable Rs 666. There’s also speculation that Vodafone may follow the pricing model of Rs 666, Rs 777, Rs 888 and Rs 999 for its ultra-cheap handsets.
Source:ET
Its Vodafone Now!
The brand name Vodafone will replace Hutch from September 21, fully reflecting the change in ownership of the GSM wireless telephony operator.
Vodafone had retained the symbolic 'pug' and some animated characters as the company did not want alienation. However, it will replace Hutch's 'Wherever You Go Our Network Follows' catch-line with a new one - 'Make The Most Of Now'.
Source: TOI
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Apple iPhone available in Europe
Britain would be first amongst European countries to get Apple iPhone. Apple is launching iPhone on O2 by November 9, 2007. iPhone will be available for 269 pounds.
The gadget would be available for purchase at British mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, as well as Apple's own chain of shops.
Source: Feedblitz
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Nokia Enters Mobile Advertising Arena
Nokia acquired Boston based mobile advertising company- Enpocket. Enpocket provides Mobile advertising technology and services across multiple platforms including SMS, MMS, mobile Internet advertising, and video.
Nokia will accelerate the scaling of its mobile advertising business, leveraging Enpocket’s platform and strong partnerships with advertisers, publishers and operators.
Source: Feedblitz
1.48 Million RCOM Subscribers in August
RCOM subscriber base reached 31.04 million on August 31, 2007. RCOM added 1.48 million subscribers in August across mobile, fixed wireless and fixed line telephone segments. The company had added 1.46 million subscribers in July.
Source: Business Standard
Source: Business Standard
Voxmobili Is OnMobile Now
OnMobile has acquired French firm Voxmobili. The takeover will help it strengthen its VAS data products. Voxmobili’s VAS products are its core producst & its customers include Orange, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Source: iSource
Monday, September 17, 2007
R-Money on Mobile
Reliance Money has come up with 'Mobile Financial Portal', offering a range of financial services and information to its investors, across all telecom operators. They are first financial intermediary to introduce mobile portal for providing financial market information, in-house research, and stock updates to its users.
Mobile users can stay connected with financial markets while on the move, irrespective of the status of their network. This service is being offered by Reliance Money free of charge to all, across networks and mobile technologies.
Source: Techtree
BlackBerry for CDMA Users
RCOM and Research In Motion (RIM) have announced the launch of the BlackBerry wireless platform for CDMA users in India.
BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone features include-
- Interoperability between the CDMA and GSM network
- Email and messaging
- Web browsing
- An advanced media player for listening to music, viewing pictures, and watching videos.
BlackBerry from Reliance offers features like -
- Bloomberg anywhere services
- Reliance mobile world access to 23 fun applications
- Video streaming
- BlackBerry for pre-paid users for the first time in India
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server for enterprise
- BlackBerry Internet Service for SME and professional.
Also the RCOM's CDMA-powered BlackBerry smartphones allow professionals to download their mails and surf the net at faster speeds through CDMA.
The models available-
- BlackBerry Pearl (Rs 24,990)
- BlackBerry Curve (Rs 24,990)
- BlackBerry 8830 World Edition (Rs 33,990)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
1 Million iPhones Sold
Apple announced sale of its one millionth iPhone on 9th Sept, just 74 days after its launch.Its beyond company's own internal sales predictions which had expected the1 million mark to be reached towards the end of september.
Source: Cellular News
Monday, September 10, 2007
Value For Money Phones
Budget 5k
- MotoFlip W220- Rs 2850
- Sony Ericsson W700i- Rs 8800
- W710i- Rs 10,500
- Nokia E50- Rs 9100
Budget 15k
- Sony Ericsson M600-Rs 15,000
- Sony Ericsson W610i- Rs 13,500
- Nokia N73- Rs 16,000
Budget 20k
- Nokia E65- Rs 16,000
- Nokia E61- Rs 17,500
- Nokia E70- Rs 17,500
- MOTO RAZR2 V8- Rs 19,000
- Sony Ericsson P990i- Rs 20,000
Beyond 20k
- Sony Ericsson P1i- Rs 23,500
- Nokia N93i- Rs 27,400
- NokiaE90- Rs 37,000
Friday, September 7, 2007
Rescue for Bangalore City Using Cellphone Technology
Have you ever been to Bangalore? If yes, you must be well aware of traffic situation there. To alleviate people's traffic problems, Bangalore Traffic Police, Mapunity (developer of geographic information systems and services) and Airtel have come up with an urban traffic information system known as Bangalore Transport Information System (BTIS) using cell phone technology.
With BTIS (lunched last June), real-time traffic information is generated from the cell phone tower logs of Airtel's city-wide network, and made available to commuters to see live congestion hotspots, find directions and plan their travel routes. The entire information system is available through SMS to Airtel customers using a shortcode and to others by dialing a ten-digit number. This live traffic information system is the first of its kind in India. It addresses the growing need of traffic administrators for centralized traffic monitoring and control infrastructure.
Source: Cellphone Digest
Boost Up Your Phone Signals With zBoost
Do you face problems like dreaded signal bars go away thus losing your signal in your home/office/shopping complex? zBoost is here to improve indoor cell phone coverage and fix the annoying problem of weak/losing signals.
zBoost captures the wireless signal outside, brings it inside and enhances, or boosts it; thus extending a Cell Zone in your home or office or your car. It repeats and amplifies the signal and is frequency dependent.
Source: Cellphone digest
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Happy Birthday GSM!!
Twenty years ago today 7th Sept, an historic agreement was signed in Copenhagen by 15 telecommunications operators from 13 countries that led to the development of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and a mobile communications industry that today serves more than 2.5 billion people across 218 countries.
GSM - originally known as Groupe Special Mobile was designed to provide a single mobile phone standard within
In 1989, GSM responsibility was transferred to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and phase I of the GSM specifications were published in 1990.
The first GSM network was launched in 1991 by Radiolinja in
The first US based GSM network was launched later in November 1995, on the GSM1900 band by American Personal Communications - trading as Sprint Spectrum, and was initially 49% (later 100%) owned by Sprint which later launched a national CDMA network, abandoning its early GSM heritage in 1999.
Today, the GSM family of technologies makes up 85% of the global mobile services market, which accounts for about 1.6% of global GDP. Each year, mobile users purchase more than one billion new handsets, make more than 7 trillion minutes of calls and send about 2.5 trillion text messages.
iPhone Price Reduced by 33%
To make iPhone affordable, Apple has lowered the price of the most popular iPhone model with 8GB of storage from $599 to just $399. The 4GB iPhone is available for $200 in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores and AT&T retail stores. The iPhone 4GB model will be sold while supplies last.
Source: 3G
Senior Citizens Show Concern Over Handset Designs
According to a new survey by iGR, Americans over age 65 years are using the cameraphones, are interested in medical applications and LBS. They have a major concern about the complexity and usability of current handset designs.
The study shows that handsets and services for seniors should not be so simple as to be featureless, but rather should include advanced features that are easy to use.
Source: Cellular News
Smart Limits - A Relief for Parents in USA
Parents in the US will soon have a service allowing them to limit mobile phone usage of their kids. AT&T's 'Smart Limits' will enable parents to set a limit on incoming and outgoing calls, text messages, talk time, ring tones and other downloads through a Web site.
Parents can make settings on the net, which will allow their kids to make or receive calls from parents as well as make emergency calls to 911 even when they are out of specified limits and minutes.
Source: Techtree
Monday, September 3, 2007
Interesting Statistics About Mobile Usage in Delhi
- With the population at 13,800,000 (census 2001) persons, there are 1.038 phones per person
- Between June and July this year, 532,033 new mobile phone and WLL connections were issued
- An average GSM user talks for 211 minutes per month while he makes the calls, while he talks 261 minutes per month while receiving calls. On an average, the user talks for 471 minutes or almost 8 hours on the phone every month
- An average CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) mobile phone user spends 217 minutes per month on making calls, while he spends 244 minutes per month on receiving calls
- In the metro cities, a GSM user sends 51 SMSes per month while a CDMA user sends 24
- The average outgoing rate (rental and call charges) for GSM users is Rs 1.37 per minute while for CDMA users it is Rs 1.04 per minute. That's an average monthly charge of Rs 289 for GSM, and Rs 219 for CDMA users
- Both GSM and CDMA post-paid users spent almost three times as much time on the phone as their pre-paid counterparts
- There are 6 mobile phone and WLL operators--Vodafone Essar, Idea, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Tata Teleservices and MTNL--out of which, Airtel has 3,344,686 users. That's 25.17% of the total users in Delhi
- Within their networks, Reliance had the maximum number of successfully connected calls at 99.77% and the best voice quality. Market leader Airtel had the maximum delay in access to its service at 13.60 seconds
- While most mobile phone operators refund customers within 30 days after dispute resolution, Vodafone Essar (formerly Hutch Essar) had the best record with refunds being disbursed within 15 days of dispute resolution
Source: indian Express
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