Radiation Norms Must For Mobile Towers,Violators to Pay Rs. 5 Lakhs Penalty

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) today announced that all base transceiver stations (BTSs/ Mobile Tower), which have not yet been certified for adherence to mobile tower radiation standards, will have to pay a penalty of Rs. 5 lakhs each.

In order to address this concern of people over Mobile TowerRadiation health Hazard, Mr. Sachin Pilot, the Union Telecom Minister of State, observed that Mobile service operators and infrastructure companies which own passive telecom infrastructure  have an obligation in meeting the statutory requirement after being partners with the Government in accepting and adopting the norms prescribed.

Even though there is no direct evidence of negative health-related implication of these radiations, the Government will seized of the concerns raised in this regard and as such made self-certification a basic minimum requirement that Telecom Companies must adhere to.

All BTSs which have not been certified by November 15, 2010 or are not compliant face a penalty of Rs. 5 lakhs each.

As the number of mobile towers has grown exponentially in the country to handle mobile traffic resulting from increased teledensity, there have been some concerns raised by media, civil society, research organizations, and Members of Parliament on possible health related effects of electromagnetic emissions from mobile towers.

There are a total of 5,60,571 Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) mounted on mobile towers for mobile communications in India. To ensure that electromagnetic emissions from these BTSs adhere to the standards adopted by India, which are based on the international standards prescribed by the ICNIRP, necessary amendments were carried out in the Access Service Licenses on November 04, 2008. The Industry was required to self-certify each of their BTSs by May 15, 2010, and submit the same to TERM Cells. On the request of the Industry, the deadline was, however, extended to November 15, 2010.

The Guidelines adopted by India are based on recommendations of ICNIRP and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Some countries like Australia, China and some countries of the European Union, however, have adopted much more stringent standards.

Sachin Pilot had earlier called a meeting of the operators and emphasized that self-certification should be completed by November 15, 2010. Beyond this random testing of emission levels would be done across the country, the Minister had said.

Troubleshooting : BSNL 3G Teracom Data Card installation

Some of the BSNL 3G Teracom data card users are facing trouble with their data cards. We have tried to come up with some solution. Here is the list of some most common issues Teracom Data card users are facing :

1.Data card is not detected as Modem
The device Status in Device Manager shows USB Mass Storage device and do not detected any 3G Modem in device manager list. The data card software window pop up mesage displays "No Device"

Analysis : The data card with Ericsson chipset does not work with already installed software of Qualcomm chipset data card and vice versa and displays "No Device"
Suggetsion : Always install new data card software after completely uninsalling the existing data card software, if any.

2. Disabling of Audio Driver of PC
In some cases data card is detected and connection is made but Audio Driver of PC is disabled.

Suggestion : After installation of data card, enable the audio driver of PC/Laptop once using GUI of 3G data card (Settings > Audio Device). If device is un-installed, then install it again, this step is to be done again to enable the audio driver of PC/Laptop.

3.Compatibility issue with Window 7

Suggestion : Teracom Data Card is compatible with Windows 7. If software does not install automatically, then install it manually. The install or run option may be enalbed from Start > Control Panel > Auto Play > Games & Software > Choose option for auto installation of devices.

Airtel’s Impact on Social Media

The Indian Telecommunication Industry is considered one of the most competitive as well as most marketed industries in the world. Cheap rates and brilliant advertisement campaigns have become synonymous to all the telecom operators.

Talking about the customer base Airtel is on top in India and is very focused when we talk about customer service.

Which can also be seen when it comes to Social Media, “Airtel has employees responsible for manning the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & orkut addressing complaints, queries & requests from customers.”

Airtel uses social network analysis to determine which customer is facing problem, any and every mention on social media is captured and they get intouch with the customer to get the issue resolved. Airtel Presence has done very well engaging people and answering them instantly.

Just five months back, we had reviewed on mobile operators and its presence in social media in the article Vodafone, Tata Docomo and Idea has the Most Social Media Presence.Over the months, things have changed currently, Airtel is significantly making news, what not, even on Social Media!

With Facebook growing over 500 Million users, and Airtel, having quarter the count of Facebook users as its Subscriber base in India, Airtel’s Presence on social media has definitely improved!

Not only the Zuckerberg’s Facebook, twitter too is playing a crucial role for mobile operators in India.Some people even measure the Network Quality by looking at their Branding, Official Webpages, and the Quality of their Social Media Profiles like Facebook and Twitter.. (Yes Really!!)

Here is a Happy Twitter user who tweeted this Pic after getting his balance refunded from Airtel.

Though Airtel joined the Social Media race very lately, Now it Seems like Airtel is dominating the twitter world with its intense “Presence” by having the Official Verified twitter Profile@Airtel_Presence and scanning for every tweet which contains the word “airtel” in it and giving appropriate replies to the Customers and solving the Issues!

Here are few happy airtel users!

IDEA Cellular Gives 3G Network Order To Nokia Siemens In 4 Circles

IDEA Cellular, Pan India mobile service operator today announced that it has commissioned Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) to build and manage its 3G HSPA network in four telecom circles and supply equipment.

Under the contract, NSN will deploy its base stations, provide network implementation, project management, care and maintenance services, and give support to the operator in managing its 3G network in four circles -Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Kerala and Haryana.

Idea Cellular had won 3G spectrum for 11 telecom circles – Maharashtra & Goa, Gujarat, Andra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, UP (East) UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Kerala.

Anil Tandan, Chief Technology Officer, Idea Cellular steted “We believe that 3G has the potential to transform the way people communicate and the way businesses run. Our goal is to empower our subscribers by offering a reliable 3G mobile network that provides high-quality experience of voice and data services. Nokia Siemens Networks, as a world leader in 3G and as a long-standing partner for our GSM services, is well positioned to build our 3G network. It will allow us to reach our customers with new and innovative services in the shortest time possible and in a cost-efficient manner.”

Karbonn Mobiles launches 10 new phones, plans to launch Android phone in next quarter

Karbonn Mobiles recently expanded its mobile handset portfolio with the launch of 10 new mobiles in the price range of Rs. 1500-5000. The new range from Karbonn consists of touch, QWERTY, multimedia and music phones.

While the Karbonn K1414 is a touchscreen phone, the Karbonn K25i is a Wi-Fi enabled, QWERTY phone. The Karbonn K111, K11 & K514 are multimedia phones  and the Karbonn K550i, K424, K343 & K316 are music phones. The Karbonn K451i is a phone that offers a good battery backup.

Karbonn Mobiles also announced that they have plans to launch 3G smartphones on the Android platform within the next quarter.

On the launch, Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles, said “Karbonn Mobiles was launched in India in March 2009 with a view of offering unmatched quality and features at attractive price points for Indian mobile phone users. The response thus far has been truly overwhelming and the Karbonn brand has gone from strength to strength in the country. We plan to get even more aggressive with fresh initiatives to ramp up our operations and aim to double our sales by the first quarter of the next year.”

Airtel Introduces Tees Maar Khan Exclusive VAS Content For Its Subscribers

Did Katrina Kaif get your pulse racing in the number Sheila Ki Jawaani? Now is your chance to catch Tees Maar Khan on your airtel mobile sitting anywhere, at anytime!

Bharti Airtel today announced that it has launched Tees Maar Khan offering exclusive and rich Mobile VAS content for its 150 million mobile service customers across the country.

Tees Maar Khan contents will now be available exclusively for airtel customers which includes

* Tees Maar Khan mobile game which will be available on airtel Live for a standard Rs. 99 per download charge.

*Tees Maar Khan wallpaper images etc from airtel Live

* One can also Call 55225 to set Tees Maar Khan songs as your Hello Tune

* Tees Maar Khan movie preview is already available on Airtel Talkies. A 15-minute version of the film will be available for airtel customers 10 days post the theatrical release of the movie.

* Airtel customers can now also listen to the star cast of Tees Maar Khan on Airtel Blog.

Loop Mobile Launches Experience Store & Zero Wait Customer Service

Loop Mobile today announced the launch of its first and largest experience store in Mumbai at Inorbit Mall, Vashi.

The Loop Mobile Gallery is a first of its kind on-ground mobile service store with latest state of the art features and unique services.On the same day, Loop Mobile announced its Going for Great Challenge by creating new benchmarks in service delight.

Loop Mobile redefines customer delight with 2 Promises all subscriber calls will be answered within 10 seconds on IVR and any service would be activated within 15minutes.

In case of any deviation, subscribers would be entitled to a money back offer or FREE Cafe Coffee Day voucher.Loop Mobile’s experience store is designed to allow customers to explore unlimited opportunities in the world of Value Added Services.

Going for Great Challenge Loop Mobile is the 1st operator in the country to create new service benchmarks addressing some pain areas for mobile subscribers today, Loop Mobile takes one step forward by introducing 2 Promises which shall redefine the mobile experience for all its over 3million subscribers in Mumbai.

Mr. Sandip Basu, CEO, Loop Mobile (Left) is accompanied by Mr. Sumeet Badlaney, VP-Customer Service Delivery

These 2 promises are as follows:

o All subscriber calls on IVR will be answered in 10 seconds flat

o Any service activation request would be done in 15minutes flat.

If the above is not complied Loop Mobile is ready to give money back or a FREE Cafe Coffee Day Voucher.

Mundu TV Mobile Apps Surpasses 500000 Users In 90 Days

Mundu TV, the mobile TV application, develop by Geodesic Ltd, a leading provider of mobile and desktop solutions today announced that it has surpassed 5,00,000 users in just 90 days across multiple platforms and networks.

Mundu TV allows its users to watch LIVE Indian Television content (including business and general news, sports and entertainment) independent of their network provider/telecom operator, wherever, whenever, on your mobile phone and computer.

Making it a must-have is its intuitive user interface backed by good video quality with vast content – providing for a wholesome television viewing experience on Mobile Phone. It  claims it is the No. 1 iPad application in the entertainment category on the Apple AppStore (India).

According to the Mundu TV developers, the potential market is expected to be around US $6bn by 2014 and around 84 per cent of the current mobile phone users are interested in using Mobile TV services provided it is commonly available and affordable.

If you have Unlimited Data Plan and interested to to get the application on your mobile phone/desktop/laptop, than SMS TV to +91 92124 01234.

All You Want to Know about Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

Ever Since, it was announced that Mobile Number Portability to be launched, many mobile users are curious to know about it. After too many delays MNP is now a reality is available in certain telecom circles and will be available in remaining telecom circles by 20th January 2011. We have come up with a set of question related to MNP. We hope that the following Questions and Answers will solve most of your MNP related doubts.

What is Mobile Number Portability?
Mobile Number Portability is the facility which allows a subscriber of a mobile phone service to retain his mobile telephone number when he/she moves –

• from one mobile telephone service provider to another, irrespective of the mobile technology or
• from one mobile technology to another of the same mobile telephone service provider, within such limits as may be permitted by the licensor. Presently, Number portability is permitted only within LSA and not across LSAs.

That means subscriber can change operator say Airtel to BSNL, or technology – GSM to CDMA or vice versa, or both say Reliance CDMA to BSNL GSM,while retaining hismobile number

What is porting?
Porting is the act of switching to a new Mobile Service Provider within the same LSA without changing your mobile number. However, only active mobile numbers can port. Thus, do not terminate your current line before porting.

Who can port?
Any eligible Prepaid and Postpaid (GSM/CDMA) mobile users can port. Eligibility conditions for porting are as follows :

• There are no outstanding payments due from the subscriber by way of pending bill or bills, as the case may be, issue as per normal billing cycle but before the date of application of porting.
• The porting request has been made after the expiry of a period of 90 days from the date of activation of a new connection or from last porting.
• No request for change of ownership of the mobile number is under process.
• The mobile number sought to be ported is not sub-judice.
• Porting of the concerned mobile number has not been prohibited by any Court of Law.
• Subscriber has applied for porting within LSA
• The unique porting code mentioned in the porting request matches with the number unique porting code allocated by the Donor Operator for themobile number sought to be ported.
• The subscriber has complied with exit clause for the present connection.

Can I port my number I am on a CDMA service?
Yes, any CDMA/ GSM user can port to any technology with the new Mobile Service Provider, provided he or she meet eligibility conditions mentioned above.

What do you need to consider carefully before you port?

• Check if you meet the eligibility conditions.
• If you have any overdue bills or have existing contracts with your current Mobile Service Provider, the current Mobile Service Provider wil reject your porting request forwarded by the new Mobile Service Provider. In such a case, you will not get refund of the porting fees which you paid.  So ensure that you do not have any bills overdue an you fulfill the exit clause with the existing service provider.
• If you are a prepaid user, then all your existing credit (talk value and validity) will expire upon porting and not to be carried to the newMobile Service Provider.

How long does it take to port to the new Mobile Service Provider?
The porting process will take at least 7 days in all LSAs except North East, Assam and J&K, in these 3 LSAs porting will take more time.

Can I port my number more than once?
Yes, but you cannot make more than one porting request at a time to different Mobile Service Providers. Also you should fulfill all the eligibility conditions including at least 90 days subscription with your currentMobile Service Provider.

Can I decide the date and time at which my number is ported?
No, you cannot dictate when your number should be ported. It is all automated and upon approval of porting request, the new Mobile Service Provider will inform you the tentative date and time of porting.

Before porting, I have to settle all necessary payments with the current provider. However, there will be a period between the final payment day and the porting day. To which provider do I have to pay for the transactions made during the time gap?
You will have to pay your previous Mobile Service Provider, and ensure to settle your account with the old service provider. While applying for porting, you need to clear all the bills issued to you till that time. All bills issued subsequent to the porting application also need to be cleared by their due date, if you will fail to do so, then your connection is liable to be disconnected by the new service provider.

Can I cancel my port request after applying for porting?
Yes, you may cancel your port request with your new Mobile Service Provider within 24 hours of making request.

Do I get a new SIM card when I change my Mobile Service Provider?
Yes, the new Mobile Service Provider will give you a new SIM Card.

Do I need to cancel my existing services before I port to a new Mobile Service Provider?
No, you do not have to cancel your existing services. Your existing services with the current Mobile Service Provider will automatically be terminated once you have successfully ported to the new Mobile Service Provider.

Will I enjoy the same Services during the porting process?
Yes, you will enjoy same services, except for International Roaming Services, which your current Mobile Service Provider may suspend upon your porting request.

What should I do, If I have taken a connection under 'Handset Bundle' Scheme?
You have 2 options
Option 1 : To continue with your existing Mobile Service Provider until your contract expires, then only request for port.
Option 2 : Cancel your existing contract after complying with the exit clause in the contract for its premature termination and then apply porting.

To know how to switch to a different Mobile Operator click here.

If you feel, that we have not covered any question above, please feel free to contact us and let us know.

Airtel Mobitude Captures Usage Of 150m Mobile Users Across The Country

Bharti airtel, India’s leading global telecommunications company, today released the findings of airtel Mobitude 2010 – the only survey of its kind to map onto mobile phone usage trends across the country.

Based on a detailed analysis of data capturing all downloaded content by airtel mobile users in 2010, this survey is compiled at the end of every calendar year – thus bringing out the India’s preferences and favorites across various categories.

According to airtel Mobitude 2010 – a whopping 90 billion SMSes were exchanged in India on airtel last year. Interestingly, the maximum number of SMSes exchanged was recorded at 12 billion on the auspicious occasion of Diwali (see A). Diwali thus turned out to be India’s most celebrated occasion, beating last year’s winner – the New Year.

In the Entertainment space – songs from Bollywood movie ‘Dabaang’ were on the top of the Indian mobile charts with “Munni Badnaam Hui” and “Tere Mast Mast Do Nain” at number one and two (see B) in the full songs downloaded category.

In Bollywood segments, airtel Mobitude 2010 concluded that Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan ruled in the categories of images downloaded (see C and D). Despite several new entrants in the Bollywood world – Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor were the only new comers to feature among the top 5 categories. Amongst sportstars (Male) – Sachin Tendulkar was clearly India’s favourite, followed by Indian cricket team captain M.S.Dhoni (see E). In the sportstars (Female) Sania Mirza maintained the number one position closely followed by international stars (see F). According to the survey, 25 million images and walpaper were downloaded by airtel Mobile users in the last one year.

Vodafone Offering Free Unlimited Internet With Blackberry Storm & USB Stick

Vodafone, India’s second largest GSM Mobile service operator, today announced the launch of exciting handset offers for BlackBerry smartphone users and prospective 3G USB Data Card subscribers (with 2G data plans) on the occasion of Christmas.

The offer is exclusively launched in association with “Bombay Times” for its readers in Mumbai circle. With the offer Vodafone postpaid customers who purchase new 3G BlackBerry Storm 9520 smartphone from any Vodafone Store  will get Truly Unlimited BlackBerry Internet plan absolutely FREE for first 3 months from the date of purchase. While prepaid users will get the same benefits for first 1 month. The BlackBerry handset will cost Rs.14499.

With the second offer, Vodafone’s postpaid and prepaid customers acquiring a new Vodafone 3G USB Stick (Data Card) worth Rs.1799 will get Unlimited Free Internet Access (2G/EDGE Data Speed) for one month from the date of purchase.

Here are the details :

Offers	Benefits		Terms & Conditions
	Postpaid	Prepaid
On Purchase of 3G BlackBerry Storm 9520 Smartphone worth Rs.14499	Free Unlimited BlackBerry Internet Plan for 3 months	Free Unlimited BlackBerry Internet Plan for 1 month (worth Rs.399)	Post Free Usage regular monthly BlackBerry Plan charges apply.
On Purchase of 3G USB Stick (data card) worth Rs.1799	Free Unlimited Internet Access (2G/EDGE) for one month	Free Unlimited Internet Access (2G/EDGE) for one month	Post Free usage Prepaid customer moves to 10p/10KB plan. They would be required to recharge with any USB Data Plan to continue the service. Postpaid subscribers automatically moved to Rs.599/month Unlimited Internet Plan(2G/EDGE)
Note : The above offers is exclusively launched for “Bombay Times” readers in Mumbai.  To avail the offer subscriber needs to walk in any nearest Vodafone Store with the cuttings/ copy of advertisements.To find out Vodafone Store SMS “Store” to 111 (toll free)

Reliance Hikes SMS Pack Tariff for Postpaid Users

Reliance Communications revised its portfolio of SMS packs for its postpaid subscribers.Interestingly this time no price drop, rather Reliance hikes up the monthly rentals.

Now Reliance postpaid users can get 1p/SMS pack at monthly rental of Rs. 39, instead of Rs. 19. SMS15000 pack which was priced Rs. 39, is now hiked to Rs. 69.

Reliance who is pioneer in making SMS most affordable at just 1p/sms had hiked the tariff already once. With this new tariff Reliance SMS packs for postpaid users are now almost similarly priced like Airtel and Vodafone.

Note that there is no hike of price of the sms packs for prepaid users right now, may be that is coming in future.The new monthly packs are to be applicable from December 8, 2010. But old customers will continue with the subscribed pack at old rental for another 6 months.

Details of the SMS packs from Reliance Mobile:

Plan Name	Existing Monthly Rental	Revised Monthly Rental	Offers	How to activate
SMS1P	Rs. 19	Rs. 39	All local and national SMS at 1p from home/roaming	SMS SUB SMS1p to 53739
SMS15000	Rs. 39	Rs. 69	15000 local/national SMS free from home and roaming. Post 15000 SMS local/national/roaming sms to any phone at 50p	SMS SUB SMS15000 to 53739

For more details contact Reliance customer care from your mobile or visit nearest Reliance Store.

Idea Cellular To Be The Main Sponsor For 56th Filmfare Awards

Aditya Birla group telecom company and Pan India GSM Mobile service operator IDEA Cellular has partnered with Worldwide Media to become the title sponsor for the 56th Filmfare Awards.

The 56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2010 will be held on the 29th January 2011, at Yashraj Studios, Mumbai and as always, it promises to be the biggest celebration of Indian Cinema.

Over the last 5 decades, the Filmfare Awards have been testament to the grandeur and excellence of Indian cinema, and even today, the Filmfare Awards continue to be the most awaited celebration of our Hindi film industry.The awards will be presented by leading telecom brand,Idea Cellular, third time in a row.

Announcing the most anticipated and honored award ceremony of the new year, Bollywood’s current reigning queen, the ethereal beauty Katrina Kaif, along with Jitesh Pillaai – Editor, Filmfare and Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular, lit the lamp marking the start to yet another magical journey of honoring Bollywood’s best.

Having a legacy of its own, the Filmfare awards are the most prestigious film awards in Asia and the Filmfare Black Lady remains the Pièce de résistance on every Bollywood actor, director and producer’s mantle – an unabashed symbol of success and achievement recognized by the industry. From its inception in the early 1950’s to its evolution of unmatched glamour, glitz and flamboyant persona, the Filmfare Awards is regarded as the most esteemed award and entertainment show within the fraternity.

Speaking of the glorious journey of Filmfare awards, Jitesh Pillai says, “The Filmfare awards celebrate the achievements of some of the country’s best actors and technicians. Scores of people all over the world tune in to watch the big night that is the Filmfare awards”.

Extending its support to Filmfare, Idea stepped in as the title sponsor in 2008 making its commitment to promote Indian Cinema and its true talent. “With the 56th Idea Fimlfare Awards, over 78 million Idea subscribers will experience a new dimension in mobile content offerings that will be provided on both 2G and 3G platforms on the Idea network. Our subscribers will get an opportunity to access exclusive movie content and results of the Idea Filmfare Awards on their mobile phones”, said Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular.

In yet another first, public voting on the mobile platform will partly contribute to determining the winner of ‘The Best Debut Female‘ Award. Idea will also enable the announcement of the winners of the Idea Filmfare Awards on its network.