AKAI Launches Triple SIM GSM Phone TRIO for Rs. 3295

AKAI Mobiles today announced the launch of their first triple SIM phone ‘Trio’. After the launch of range of dual SIM phones in Indian market, the mobile giant has launched its first Triple SIM, Triple standby (GSM+GSM+GSM) phone all with multimedia features for Rs. 3295 .

Trio is a stylish low-end phone with 5.1 cm (2”) TFT s creen and many other features such as 1.3 mega pixel camera with digital zoom, dual language support and audio player with equalizer. The handset hosts an inbuilt sound recorder and video player with video recording capability.

Other basic features available in the phone include FM Radio, Bluetooth (A2DP) , USB , E-book, and gaming. Trio has whooping expandable memory of 8 GB and the phone is GPRS and WAP enabled which makes web browsing easier for consumers. To make it more convenient for the users it provides options such as speed dialing, conference call and forwarding a call to the active SIM.

The AKAI Trio also comes packed with the unique blacklisting option which enables the user to block unwanted calls. Torch is another utility feature of Trio.This easy to use phone has a power packed 1100 mAh battery with talk time of 5 hrs and standby upto 400 hrs respectively.

The phone will be available across 15000 retail outlets around India and comes equipped with a one year warranty. The handset is 109 x 44.5 x 14.3 mm in size.

Tulip Telecom Limited

Tulip Telecom Limited today announced the acquisition of a Data Center facility in Bengaluru by acquiring SADA IT Parks Private Limited thus powering a facility to become India’s largest and World’s third largest single site Data Center’ .

Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjay Jain, CEO, Tulip Telecom Ltd. said, “I am very pleased to announce the acquisition of our 5th Data Center for our domestic and international customers.Our new Data Center will help meet the rising customer requirements for Co-location, Managed Hosting & Data Storage and a suite of other complementary services including Managed Security Services and storage requirements of our customers from across the globe.

This, we believe will provide further impetus towards strengthening our foothold in the Enterprise Data Services market place.”He further added, “The launch of this Data Center endorses Tulip’s commitment to its Domestic and Overseas customers to support their business needs while providing end-to-end solution for Connectivity, Managed and Data Center Services.”

Exclusive : BSNL Renovate Its BroadBand Plans, Intros New Unlimited Plan

India’s National Telecom Backbone and largest Broadband service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has rationalized the various Postpaid Broadband Plans by adding more Speed/Bandwidth, more free calls in Combo Plans, and reduced Additional Usage charges after free Download/Upload to limited plans.

The Reformulation and Launch of New Unlimited Plan will be applicable on Pan India basis and effective from 1st February 2011.

According to our exclusive sources apart from the rationalization of various Broadband Plans, BSNL will  introduce new Unlimited Combo Plan at Rs. 850. The plan offers Unlimited Download and Uploads with Bandwidth (Download Speed) 1 Mbps upto 8 GB, 256 Kbps beyond 8 GB. With this plan subscribers will get 350 Free Local Calls to any network with in the telecom circle.All other terms and conditions will be as per normal broadband plans.

BSNL has Wide range Postpaid Broadband Tariff plans starring from Rs. 125 only. The operator also announced Waiver of Installation charges on promotional basis up to 31st March 2011 to all the prospective Broadband customers in all the Circles, except Goa, Chennai Telephones and any other SSA/Circle where this scheme already exists.

Details of Reformulation of existing Postpaid Broadband Plans and launch of a new Unlimited Broadband Plan-850 as follows :

AKAI Introduces WOW Dual GSM 3D Mobile Phone for Rs. 7995

AKAI, one of the largest Japanese Consumer Electronics brands announced the launch of AKAI WOW a 3D dual SIM GSM phone which comes 3.2 mega pixel camera, HVGA resolution resistive touchscreen along 3D user interface and offers surround sound.

Priced at Rs. 7995 this stylish handset is first of its kind in this category some of the other features unique to this handset are dual standby, multiple bright colors, FM Radio, E-book compatibility, WAP/EDGE/GPRS/MMS video player, sound recorder, Bluetooth, JAVA support, mobile tracker, data security options, number blacklist feature, G-Sensor, 3.5 mm audio jack, conference calling facilities, PC synchronization and it can also be used as a modem.

On the memory status the phone has a user memory of 62MB and flash memory of 1GB+ 256MB. Wow comes with 4 GB memory card and support expandable memory of 8GB.

AKAI WOW a light weight (95 grams) phone so it can be easily carried in one’s pocket any where giving portability and instant accessibility to the outside world. The phone utilizes USB 2.0 for high speed connectivity while the music player supports a variety of music formats such as MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WMA, and AMR. It  has a battery backup of 10 days on standby and up to 4 hrs talk time.

BSNL Will Set Up More Call Centers to Improve Customer Services

In order to improve the customer service, India’s National Telecom back bone and pan India 3G mobile service operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today unveils its Call Center for Rajasthan telecom circle.

Speaking on the inauguration of BSNL’s new call center at Ajmer in Rajasthan, Union Minister of State for Communication & IT Mr. Sachin Pilot said that “At present the whole of Northern India (BSNL North Zone) is being served by Gurgaon call center which receives about 60,000 calls a day just from Rajasthan telecom circle. So this new call center will redress the complaints of the mobile service users of the company in the quickest possible time.

Mr Pilot also stated “Govt of India’s Communication Ministry wants to solve problems of BSNL consumers immediately and for this call centers are being set up in this field. In future, call centers will be opened in small cities across India.”

The BSNL Rajasthan’s new call center will function on out sourced model and would have a capacity of 124 seats to serve the 55 lakh subscribers of Rajasthan telecom circle.

Reliance Mobile Launches ‘Talk STD’ and ‘Talk LOCAL’ Prepaid Plans

Reliance Mobile the GSM and CDMA mobile service of Reliance Communications today announced the launch of two new aggressive Prepaid tariff dubbed as “Talk STD” and “Talk Local” for its GSM (2G/3G) and CDMA Mobile service users across India.

Now, With the new Special Tariff Plans, Reliance Mobile customers can call anywhere across India, across any network for as low as 33 paisa min effectively with STDat Re1/ 3 min and chat Local with 100 local minutes free talk time at Rs 28 only.

Talk Std offer can be activated by purchasing the Special Tariff Voucher at Rs.23 from Reliance relationship centres or other retail stores and Reliance World outlets across India. The validity of this pack is 30 days. The need to stay connected is compelling users to pay higher rates for STD, there is a need for value proposition for long distance and Reliance Mobile fulfills the demand with its new value product.

The offer is simple: a subscriber gets STD pulse of 3 minutes and also it won’t require any change in their current local call tariff, which would remain as per base rate of subscriber (could be per minute/per second).The new Talk STD offer is available for all Reliance Subscribers (CDMA,GSM & 3G) across all plans.

Talk Local offer presents 100 mins free talk time for all local calls at a special price of Rs. 28 only, that is effective rate of 28 paisa/ min and comes with the validity of 2 days. The offer is available for all 3G & GSM prepaid customers across India. The new products are in line with the consistent efforts of Reliance Communications towards providing the best value for money products and services to Reliance Mobile customers.

RIM Gives India Access to BlackBerry Messenger Services, But Not Email

After the on-going controversy from last several months over BlackBerry Services in India, Research In Motion (RIM) submitted another proposal to the Indian security agencies on lawful interception of BlackBerry Enterprise (BES) and Messenger Services (BBM).

Research In Motion (RIM) today said it had given a solution ahead of a January 31st which is target date that enables Indian wireless carriers lawful access to consumer services including the BlackBerry Messenger, but excluding access to corporate emails.

The company said that ” The lawful access capability now available to RIM’s carrier partners meets the standard required by the government of India for all consumer messaging services offered in the Indian marketplace.”

“We also wish to underscore, once again, that this enablement of lawful access does not extend to BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), which is essentially an enterprise VPN solution, referring to its corporate email server.

Earlier RIM was said that BlackBerry Enterprise Service customers create their own key and RIM does not possess any master key to decode the data. The encrypted traffic is delivered through RIM’s servers, based mostly in Canada, though corporate clients can choose to host their servers elsewhere.

AIRCEL Join Hands with FACEBOOK to Launch Voice Update Service

AIRCEL, a pan-India GSM Mobile Service operator with a subscriber base of over 50 million, today introduces an innovative way to connect to your family and friends anywhere in the World on Facebook without GPRS or Internet, through the new Facebook Voice Updates service on Aircel Mobile.

For the first time, Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel lets people connect to their family and friends on Facebook in their own voice, even without Internet/ GPRS/ 3G access on their mobile phones, which makes it an easy access for a large audience anytime anywhere.

Moreover there is nothing like connecting in your very own voice which can express volumes where sometimes words fail…. One can now easily find and connect with new friends using Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel – creating a much richer Facebook experience on their mobile phones.

How it works ?

The product is easy-to-use – for example, to broadcast what you’re up to today, simply dial a short code 51555 to Record your voice message, and post it as your status update on Facebook. Your friends will then receive an SMS alert about your new status update, to which they can reply with their own voice updates onAircel.

According to our exclusive sources in Aircel, This optional Value Added service will be available to all Aircel subscribers by tomorrow i.e. 14th January 2011. The charges will be Rs. 5 for Unlimited Access, valid for 7 days from the date of subscription.

This indeed opens a world of possibilities for all to connect, share, and socialize in a quick and more personal manner which spells efficiency as you multi-task your way through various activities during the day. Also, Facebook Voice Updates onAircel does not require access to mobile internet, which makes it more user- friendly and provides larger access.

Mr. Gurdeep Singh, COO, Aircel stated, “At Aircel it is our constant endeavor to Innovate and bring the best to the consumer which enables the consumer to better his lifestyle and live SMART. Convergence is the way forward as it opens a world of possibilities. Facebook Voice Updates onAircel is a step in that direction which helps both the business community and the youth to connect efficiently, be it a celebration or an emergency. It is an honor indeed to be working with Facebook and making this possible for the very first time”.

RCOM Introduces User Generated Caller Tune Service

Reliance Communications today introduced user generated caller tune service for its subscribers in pan india basis the similar service was first introduced by MTNL in Mumbai circle 2 years back.

This exclusive service allows customers to record any content via ‘Tune Maker’ platform and set it as their own caller tune.

Subscribers can also post their creations through which other customers can set it as their caller tunes.

The facility is available Online on Web and also through an IVR interface.Web Users just need to log on to www.rworld.co.in to modify, edit and add your own spin to yourcaller tune.Through IVR, Customers can activate the service by calling 56694400 and select the option to create caller tune.

One can record a song/dialogue/joke etc for 30 seconds and submit. Post submission, the content recorded will be set as their specialcaller tune. Tune charges are Rs. 5/ month.

CRBT Subscription is one time charge of Rs. 30. Tune Renewal Charges will be Rs.5/tune per month.RCOM will offer this service across all its CDMA, GSM and 3G networks.

Tata Docomo Intros Blood Helpline Service on SMS

To bring about change and offer services that actually brings value to a customers life using a mobile phone TATA DOCOMO has come up with first of its kind initiative – Blood Helpline Service on SMS.

Bloodline Club is a service exclusively for TATA DOCOMO customers where they can seek or give help for any blood requirements under medical emergency. The service aims at offering a humanistic gesture towards donating blood for saving lives; as many times under emergency when it is difficult to find a donor of the same blood grop.

TATA DOCOMO customers can join Bloodline Club by sending an SMS ‘JOIN’ to 54321 (toll free). Post sending the SMS, customer will receive a confirmation message. In case of immediate blood requirement subscribers can effectively take advantage of the service by sending an SMS NEED to 54321 charged at Rs. 3/- per SMS. After which, all fellow Bloodline members (whose blood group and pin code will match the requirement) will receive an alert message to help the member in need.

The service is open to non-registered TATA DOCOMO users as well. At the time of need, they can request for blood by sending the same NEED to 54321, even if they have not joined as a virtual member of the Bloodline Club. Thus making membership to Bloodline Club absolutely useful!

Speaking on the launch of New Service, Mr. Rishi Mohan Malhotra, Head VAS, Tata DOCOMO.“At TATA DOCOMO, social responsibility initiatives such as ‘Bloodline Club’ service are aligned with our constant efforts to create and bring value to the lives of our customers. This service was launched keeping in mind that blood donation is more often an acutemedical emergency and using the SMS gateway to provide this service helps giver and the donor solve their problems instantaneously. We are confident that this service will go a long way in offering support to TATA DOCOMO customers, because help provided at the right time can save someone’s life,”

Vodafone Tie Up With ICICI Bank For Financial Inclusion

Vodafone, one of the largest Mobile service operator in India, today announced a joint initiative with the ICICI Bank to drive financial inclusion in the country.

Under this tie-up, both entities will offer a bouquet of financial products such as savings accounts, pre-paid instruments and credit products through a mobile phone based platform.

This partnership is expected to bring the un-banked and under-banked population into the organised financial services framework and assist in furthering the electronic payments market in India.

ICICI Bank will leverage the distribution strength of Vodafone, which manages over 1.5 million retail points for acquiring customers and servicing them.

Mr. Marten Pieters, MD & CEO, Vodafone Essar, said “The RBI move to allow for-profit companies to be Business Correspondents is a welcome move that will enable the population better access to financial services. With our reach and ability to connect to customers. We are pleased to work withICICI Bank, which has always strived to offer innovative products to its customers.”

Airtel And SBI Set To Empower Financially Excluded With Their Joint Venture

State Bank of India and Bharti airtel, India’s largest telecommunications company, today announced that they have entered into a Joint Venture (JV) agreement to make available banking services to India’s unbanked millions.

The JV as Business Correspondent will engage airtel’s retailers as Customer Service Points (CSP) all over India in a phased manner.

With this, existing and new airtel mobile customers will be able to visit these outlets and open new SBI bank accounts and avail of other banking products and services available at the CSPs. Additionally, existing SBI customers will also get serviced at these outlets.

This partnership between India’s leading mobile and banking service providers represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration aimed at making the concept of inclusive banking a reality for customers in India.The JV incorporation between SBI and airtel will be concluded by 31st March, 2011.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti airtel said, “This historic collaboration between SBI and airtel brings together two sectors that have made the most impact in addressing inclusive growth. The services offered by the JV will enable financial inclusion and economic empowerment for people across India. This will be a complete game changer, leveraging SBI’s expertise in the banking sector along with airtel’s 150 million strong customer base and ecosystem of over 1.5 millionretailers and distributors across India. Together, we will create a scalable operation that will address the banking requirements of millions of Indians through the mobile platform.”

Loop Mobile Ready To Take On Network Challenge – Call Drop = Balance Up

Loop Mobile today announced its first of its kind Network Challenge for its subscribers in Mumbai.

If a subscribers of Loop Mobile face a call drop, they shall now be compensated this feature is now available for both postpaid and prepaid subscribers in Mumbai.One would need to send an SMS NC to 50800 (postpaid) / 50505 (prepaid) and get their money back.

Loop Mobile shall reverse minimum 0.50p/minute for every call drop that one may face across Mumbai & Thane. This is first of its kind Network Challenge by any operator in India thus gaining the confidence of the subscriber.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sandip Basu, Whole Time Director & CEO, Loop Mobile, said, “It is our continuous endeavor to provide our subscribers the best in class service that can make mobile usage exciting and engaging. This Going for Great Challenge is an initiative that complements our Network Survey Campaign where our network has been ranked No 1 amongst GSM operators in Mumbai. This is also part of our Strategic Intent to offer subscribers in Mumbai differentiated & benchmarked service thus delighting them and cementing our relationship at every step.”

BSNL Unveils Pan India Offers For Mobile Number Portability

India’s National Telecom back bone and pan India 3G mobile service operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) all set to launch Nation Wide Mobile Number Portability by 20 January.

The PSU today unveils its Pan-India MNP offer, which will give Free Connection, Free Mobile Internet and lots more for all Port-in customers who Switch to BSNL from any other service providers across all the telecom circles except Haryana.

The much awaited Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service schedule to launch by 20 January on Pan-India basis as earlier we hare on TelecomTalk. According to the BSNL offer the MNP Port-in charges of Rs. 19 shall be waived off and Free SIM card (32K) will be provided for all “Port In” subscribers who Switch to BSNL.

Apart from the Free In-Porting, For prepaid subscribers, The STV/First Recharge Coupon (FRC) chosen by the customer to use the BSNL Mobile Services shall be FREE of cost if Port-in is through BSNL CSC. At the time of activation of all Port-in customers, will also get Additional FREE Talk Time of Rs. 100 in addition to the normal FREE talk value applicable with FRC. All Port-in customers will be offered GPRS Data Access up to 5 GB for one month free of charge.

While for Postpaid Subscribers, The Activation Charges will be waived off and 50% rebate in the Fixed Monthly Rental/Charges (FMC) will be offered of first month after port in to BSNL.
The Freebies for Call/SMS/Data will be will remain same as Tariff Plan selected by Port In subscriber.

Procedure for MNP Port-in request at BSNL CSCs:

1. Port-in customer will take UPC by sending SMS PORT followed by 10 Digit Mobile Number to 1900.

2. Port-in customer will submit CAF (application form) and MNP form with UPC at CSC.

3. Customer should be asked for an alternative number and desired FRC (2G/3G etc.) and record on BSNL/Porting CAF for future use.

4. Customer will be given a virgin SIM. On this virgin SIM, his number will be created afterwards. It is to be informed to the customer that after 72-96 hours or on getting SMS he/she may insert the SIM in the mobile and dial ‘123’ to activate BSNL services.

5. CCN person will complete the required entries in Fx GUI, mention type of FRC in the prescribed field and fire order for creation of new port-in number using MSISDN, IMSI, UPC etc.

6. SIM will be created after minimum 72 hours (assuming it is approved by the port-out operator) and maximum 96 hours.

8. Before activation of the BSNL services, there will be an interruption/ transit time of around 2 hours i.e. subscriber will not be getting services of any operator.

Vodafone MNP Campaign Rolled Out With A Dedicated Webpage

In a bid to encash the up-coming pan India Mobile Number Portability launch, India’s 2nd largest GSM Mobile service operator Vodafone Essar kicked off its unique campaign dubbed as ” EveryBody”s Welcome!

The telecom giant also launched of a range of attractive Ads to grab a good number of subscribers from other mobile service operator across all the telecom circles in India via MNP.

Vodafone said that its “EveryBody”s Welcome Campaign” is totally unique and a positive manner campaign wherein company just emphasizing what we are and why to join us. The operator also flagged off its dedicated MNP Web page with a guide for how to use the Mobile Number Portability along with 10 reasons for Why to Join Vodafone ? .

The operator is also flashing all the detailed information over its customer care mechanism, Happy2Help Program, Customers Rewards program Vodafone Delight, as Most Trusted Telecom Brands with Global Presence to all prospective subscribers looking for better network, better service and better products & tariffs.

Speaking on the launch of MNP Campaign, Mr. Samaresh Parida, Strategy Director- Vodafone Essar quoted “Our campaign is not a negative campaign but we are emphasising that anybody who wants to join our network is welcome !! ‘Join us because who we are ! Quality scores and better service centers would be an advantage to us. We will be strengthening our service centers to reach out the the problems faced by the customers. These centers will ensure that a customer gets what he wants.”

Future Groups T24 Mobile Services Now In Gujarat

T24, the mobile loyalty program cum UNPAID GSM mobile services from Future Group, jointly with Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) has been rolled out for Gujarat telecom circle.

India’s first UNPAID Mobile Service which aims to benefit the shopaholic people by giving them the benefit of FREE talk time on their shopping for FREE has now footsteps in 8 telecom circles.

First lauched in Andhra Pradesh in June 2010, the brand is already present in West Bengal, Kolkata, Orrissa, UP East, UP West, and Jharkhand telecom circles. T24 or Talk 24 mobile services offers GSM services over Tata Docomo’s GSM network, and offers free talktime/VAS to its users when they buy from Future Group stores like Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Pantaloon, Ezone, Central, Brand Factory & Home Town.

T24 has introduced two tariff plans – per second and per minute which offers 1p/second and 50p/minute flat call rate more details on tariff click here

For assistance visit your nearest Future Group stores like Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Pantaloon, Ezone, Central, Brand Factory &Home Town . The Future group will be offering T24 Mobile service from 23 of its big stores spread across seven towns in Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Gandhi Nagar, Anand, Vapi, Surat and Bharuch.

AIRCEL To Launch 3G Services in 40 Days, 4G – BWA By 2012

AIRCEL the fast growing Pan India telecom operator in the country,  announced that it will roll out its commercial 3G/HSPA network in next 45 to 60 days across all 13 telecom circles .The company also said that its also ready for 4G / BWAservices too.

Mallikarjuna Rao, CTO, Aircel Ltd  quoted “We are planning to launch our 3G Mobile and Data services across 13 telecom circles where we have got the licences and 3G spectrum in another 40 to 60 days. Moreover, Aircel will be one of the first telecom operator in the country to usher into the fourth generation era.”

“We are planning to start 4G /Broadband Wirelss Access (BWA) trials by the first or second quarter of the next financial year i.e. April 2011. The BWA-4G Services will be rolled out by December 2011 or January 2012 in 8 telecom circles, Mr. Rao further added.”

In 3G Spectrum Auction, AIRCEL emerged as the biggest spender which bagged 3G license for its strong hold areas and covers almost South and East region of the country. It has3G spectrum in 13 circles – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu (including Chennai) Kerala , Punjab, U.P (East), Kolkata, West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, North East, and Jammu & Kashmir.

While On the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA- 4G), Aircel bagged license for 8 telecom circles i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, North-East, Jammu & Kashmir.

Reliance Launches FREE Mobile TV Offer for 3G Subscribers

Reliance Mobile has come up with an exciting offer that brings together all 3G Lovers to test the next generation 3G mobile TV service free of cost.

All Reliance 3G users in towns where Reliance Communications (Rcom) has launched its 3G Mobile and Data services can now view Unlimited Live TV services including all available TV channels for FREE.

Reliance 3G Mobile TV enables the customers to watch live TV channels on their mobile phones. The customer will have access to 120 channels across genres. Also available is deferred content and video on demand.The service is available through a downloadable client application, as well as through the WAP portal. The client is available for about 85% of the handsets available in the market.

To avail the free FREE Live offer, Reliance Mobile users will have to download Mobile TV application by one toll free sms. There is No subscription charges, no data charges to access services with in promotional offer period.

To download the Mobile TV app and avail the offer, users have send MTV to 55447 (Toll Free).The start date of the offer is 8th Janurary 2011 and the end date is 31st Janurary 2011.

Apart from the FREE offer, 3G Mobile TV Pricing for Reliance is subscription based. Once the customers download the client, they can subscribe to packages or individual channels through the client itself. The subscription packs are available for Daily, Weekly and Monthly Plans for packs and individual channels.

There is no separate charge for data used while watching mobile TV, and data usage will not count towards the free quota if the customer is a 3G data plan subscriber.

LG Introduces Optimus Black with Android 2.2

LG Electronics today announced its new Android smartphone, LG Optimus Black, at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Optimus Black comes with NOVA technology which enables users to maintain visibility whether indoors or outdoors under strong sunlight.

In addition to greater luminosity, the NOVA display on LG Optimus Black also radically reduces power consumption by 50 percent during general indoor use compared to a conventional LCD.

LG Optimus Black’s NOVA display is designed to be the brightest, clearest and most readable among mobile screens with 700 nits of brightness for optimal visibility.

The LG Optimus Black also offers a set of smarter features designed for easy and faster access to important apps and content. Optimus UI 2.0 lets users directly access messages, emails and missed calls from the locked screen with just one single finger tap.

LG Optimus Black provides users with an easier and more natural experience when browsing the web, reading emails, or writing documents with higher levels of brightness and pure white tones that deliver true black and white colors for ideal handset viewing.

The Gesture UI offers more intuitive commands, including lifting, shaking and tapping, for taking calls, entering camera mode, or enjoying music. LG Optimus Black also introduces the world’s first Wi-Fi Direct for quick and high-quality data transfer between mobile devices and adopts the world’s first 2MP front-facing camera.

All LG Optimus Black features are available on the Android 2.2 Froyo platform with Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade capability. Utilizing the 2MP front-facing camera, LG Optimus Black allows users to utilize video telephony functions of higher quality after upgrading to Android’s Gingerbread.The LG Optimus Black will be rolled out globally in the first half of 2011.

G Five To Launch 3G Smartphones In India

Hong Kong-based G’Five International, the world’s ninth-largest mobile phone maker by sales, today launched 21 of its aesthetic, feature-packed, high quality and dual SIM Mobile Phone models and announced its ambitious plans for the Indian market.

The company also said that it will launch its portfolio of 3G handsets and smartphones in next 2 months to strengthen its presence in India.

G’FIVE Mobile recently created quite a stir when it emerged as the second largest mobile phone brand in India – a true recognition of the large volumes it has been selling incessantly for quite some time now (as per the IDC’s India Quarterly Mobile Handsets Tracker, 3Q 2010).The IDC report ranked G’Five–which started its India operations only in June 2009, as the second-largestmobile phone seller in India, behind Nokia and ahead of Samsung.

The Mobile Phone maker today launched some of the innovative products in the market include Mobile with a Projector system, free-to-air TV, marathon battery for really long talk time and standby time (up to 2200 mAh), steel body, super-slim design etc.

The new range of mobile phones announced by G’FIVE today are loaded with top-of-the-line features like IPTV, push mail, triple SIM (GSM + GSM + CDMA), dual LED torch, expandable memory up to 16 GB, dual memory card slot, voice changer, motion sensor / song changer, flip models with Qwerty keypad, PC camera, drawing board, piano, navigation wheel, butterfly lights etc.

For the music aficionados who love high decibel volumes on the go, G’FIVE mobile phones have external sound box, dual embedded speakers, universal audio jack (3.5mm), and Yamaha chipset for amplification

The Smartphones and expensive handsets may be all the rage in urban India, but G’Five International Ltd.’s strategy of selling low-priced sets is giving it vital market share–so much so that the company is now planning to set up a manufacturing center in India and open 500 retail stores.

Mr. Arshit Pathak, Managing Director, Kingtech Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. (Group Company of G'FIVE International Ltd.); Mr. Jeff Zhang, President, G'Five International Ltd.; and Ms. Doris, Executive Assistant to the President

Speaking on the launch of new phones, Mr. Arshit Pathak, from G’FIVE said, “We strongly believe that the benefit of the technology should not be limited to a few but must be available to the masses. Our business philosophy is to make technology affordable to the common people. We not only are offering compelling products at a most competitive price but we have also set up widest after sales service network in the country. We have over 500 fully operational after sales service centers across the country and we do offer a warranty of 500 days against the industry standard of 365 days.

Mr Jaideep Chopra, Vice President- G’FIVE sated “We found the market which other brands had left out, We went to the people who weren’t able to buy high-priced mobile phones,” The G’Five has been wooing Indian consumers by focusing on smaller cities and towns, with handsets priced between Rs. 1500 and Rs. 5000.

Cleartrip.com Now Available In Mobile Phone

Cleartrip.com the first comprehensive travel product will now be available on  mobile phone starting today.

The mobile version helps travellers the power to book trains and flights, check PNR status and trip details from the palm of their hands.

It delivers the same powerful functionality of the main Cleartrip.com web site in a simplified format that is highly optimised for mobile devices.

Cleartrip Mobile comes in two different flavours. One version is optimised to work on feature phones with keypads, while a more powerful version is available for touch-based phones such as Apple’s iPhone or Android-based phones.

iPhone and Android users have access to additional features such as the ability to make bookings with just one click using Express Checkout.

Exclusive: BSNL To Offer 14.2 Mbps Super Speed On 3G

In an attempt to provide greater benefits to the 3G mobile service users, Pan India 3G mobile service operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)is  all set to launch IP-based next generation network 3G data service with minimum speeds of 14.2 Mbps and maximum up to 21 Mbps services by January 2011.

Our exclusive source revels that the PSU is working with Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson India which will provide new solution with substantial operator benefits in existing 3G network optimization, bandwidth savings and reduced space and power requirements too.

Presently BSNL is offering 3G Mobile and Data service in 675 cities with speed up to 3.6 Mbps (somewhere 7.2 Mbps).

The 3G Speed Up-gradation work has kicked off in West Zone (Maharashtra-Goa-Gujarat and MP-CG), Kerala, Chennai, and Rajasthan circle. According to our exclusive sources, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Pune (Maharashtra) has been embarked as pilot cities to implement and launch the 14.2 and 21 Mbps data speed in 3G network. The entire 3G network up-gradation work will be completed in all telecom circles by 31st March 2011.

BSNL’s endeavors are focused on offering the latest technology and services to its customers. The PSU has been instrumental in providing the high speed 3G data services to its customers and also keeping the market prices at affordable levels even for the common man 3G services are going to revolutionize the way we communicate and entertain ourselves.

BSNL Renovate Its 2G and 3G Postpaid Mobile Service Plans

India’s National Telecom Backbone Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today rationalized the various Postpaid plans under its 2G and 3G mobile services and added more free calls, SMS and Data credits to selected plans. The new plans will be effective from 1st Janurary 2011.

BSNL has exciting range of 2G and 3G Postpaid Tariff plans starting from Rs. 99/month. The revised plans are Plan-99, Plan-175, Plan-225, Plan-325, Plan-525, Plan-725 and Plan-1500.

The Plan 1500 offers Unlimited Free B2B Local, STD and Roaming calls , lowest Local Off net calls as low as 20p, Off Net STD Calls as low as 30p, SMS and GPRS/3G tariff.

With the new revamped wide range of postpaid plans, BSNL subscriber will get more freebies on Calls/SMS and 3G and 2G Data.The revised plan details are tabulated below.

Uninor, MTS, Etisalat DB Penalized for Mobile Service Launch Delay

Mobile Service operator Uninor, Cheers Etisalat DB (Swan- Cheers Mobile), Uninor, MTS (Sistema-Shyam) and some other operator finally paid penalties to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for failing to launch commercial mobile/telecom services on time.

Earlier The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was asked Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to cancel CMTS/UAS licences given to telecom operators including Cheers Etisalat DB (Swan- Cheers Mobile), Loop Telecom, Uninor, Videocon, MTS (Sistema-Shyam) and Aircel that have not met network roll-out conditions set by the authority.

Uninor, the joint venture between Norway’s Telenor and Indian Reality major Unitech, had deposited the penalty as claimed by the DoT. The operator also said that various factors, including delay in clearances required for each site, new last minute pre-launch testing requirements and new equipment security clearance processes, came in the way of roll out and were beyond our control.The operator requested to the DoT to consider these in its assessment of penalty.

CDMA Mobile service operator MTS (Sistema-Shyam Teleservices Limited) said the company has paid Rs. 11 crore for imposition of liquidated damages towards roll-out obligations to the DoT.

Etisalat DB Telecom (Cheers Mobile) also has made payments for Rs. 9.9 crore as a penalty by DoT under protest.Some thier operators, including Loop Telecom and Videocon, are also facing the same action for missing the roll-out deadline.

Earlier The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report revealed that most of new operators, who obtained the initial 4.4 Mhz spectrum in 81 service areas during the period Apr 2008 to Jan 2009, failed to roll out the commercial telecom services in any service area till Dec 31st 2009. The report also slamming the Telecom Ministry for irregularity and impropriety in givinglicences to new players in 2008, causing a loss of a whopping Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.

According to the CMTS/UAS licencing conditions, the licencees/operator were required to roll out the telecom/mobile services in 90% of service areas/circles in metros and 10% in district headquarters within 12 months of the date of award of licenees.

HTC & Airtel Intros HD7 First Windows Phone 7 Smartphone in India

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp unveiled India’s first Windows Phone 7 smartphone HTC HD7 with country’s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel.

HD7, announced at the Windows Phone 7 event in New York City on October 11 is featured with 4.3” capacitative touch screen, 5Megapixel camera with flash capable of HD video recording at 720p, 7.2Mbps HSDPA & WiFi support for faster internet along with other fine adjustments like Bluetooth, microUSB, FM Radio, Multimedia playback, GPS and apps.

Home screen of the phone is designed around a set of animated Tiles, which can be pinned/unpinned,dragged around,swapped anywhere on the homescreen. The HD7 can connect to a plethora of online services, including Windows Marketplace, the cloud-based storage, SkyDrive, Windows Live, Xbox Live, Zune and he usual online Office docs and Hotmail. The phone includes HTC Hub for easy access to unique HTC applications.

HTC HD7 is available at all authorised HTC resellers in India at a price of Rs. 29,990.Online reseller Flipkart.com is selling the smartphone at a discounted price of Rs. 28999 with FREE Home Delivery.

Airtel customers can subscribe to exclusive data pack of 2GB per month for first six months at a special price of Rs. 300. For details please visit your nearest Airtel Relationship Center.

Specs of HD7:

Weight	162 gm with battery
Dimensions	122 x 68 x 11.2 mm
Display	capacitive touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capability, 4.3 inches, 480 x 800 WVGA
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz
Operating System	Windows® Phone OS 7
Storage	Internal storage: 16 GB, ROM: 512 MB, RAM: 576 MB
Camera	5 MP, 2592?1944, Dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, Video recording at 720p
Network	HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz; GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Connectivity	Standard micro-USB 2.0, WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate & A2DP
Internet	GPRS/EDGE, 3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps & HSUPA 2Mbps), Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Multimedia	MP3 / WAV / WMA / eAAC+ player; MP4 / WMV / H.264 / H.263 player; 3.5 mm audio jack; Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement; Stereo FM radio with RDS
Sensors	G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor
Social Networking	Facebook® and Windows Live™; Share photos on Facebook® or Windows Live™ SkyDrive®
GPS	Internal GPS antenna; Bing™ Maps
Special Features	With kickstand; Customize your phone with live tiles which dynamically update all key information right on the Start screen; Choose from thousands of video titles and music tracks via integrated Zune® services; Play console-quality video games with XBox LIVE® integration
HTC Hub	Weather, Stocks, Converter, Photo Enhancer, Sound Enhancer, and more; Downloadable apps and games
Power & Battery	Rechargeable Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery
Stand-by Time	Up to 310 h (2G), Up to 320 h (3G)
Talktime	Up to 380 min (2G), Up to 320 min (3G)

Mobile Transactions To Become More Secure From 1 Jan 2011 Onwards

In 2009, RBI had mandated additional security for online credit/debit card transactions in India.

This was achieved through the introduction of 3D Secure password that was required to be registered for every credit/debit card to enable its use for online payments on ecommerce websites.

This meant that in addition to the 16-digit card number, 4 digit expiry date and 3-digit CVV number, the card holders were required to enter the additional 3d Secure password to authorize their online transactions.

Users could easily register for this 3D Secure password on the website of their card issuing bank or on the websites of MasterCard and VISA.

While this additional password went a long way in ensuring safe & secure e-commerce transactions, mobile transactions continued to be susceptible to credit card frauds and identity thefts.

This is because, for authorizing any mobile transaction, all you required was to enter the 16-digit card number, the expiry date and the cvv number. Since all three details are printed on the card itself, any person who gets physical access to your card could note down these details and use it later to make a payment through IVR, WAP or On-Device application. Fortunately, all this is set to change from 1 January 2011.

In 2010, RBI gave the mandate to all banks to provide 3D Security for mobile transactions by 1 Jan 2011. This was a big challenge for multiple reasons:

*The additional password for mobile transactions had to be numeric because mobile channels like IVR do not support alpha-numeric inputs

*For online transactions, the users are redirected from the merchant’s website to a secure webpage of the card issuing bank for entering the 3D Secure password. This kind of redirection from the merchant’s IVR to a bank-managed IVR was not practicalfor mobile transactions. This meant that the merchant’s IVR will need to capture the complete card details of the customer, including the 3D Secure password.

*Since all mobile subscribers cannot be assumed to have ready access to internet, so the process of generating the 3D Secure password for mobile transactions would be independent of the internet.

All the above requirements led to the emergence of the One Time Password (OTP). Compiled below, are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the OTP.

What is OTP?

One Time Password (OTP) is a 6-digit numeric password that will be used to authenticate every credit/debit card transaction on mobile. An OTP can be used only once. So for every mobile transaction you will be required to generate and use a new OTP.

How to get the OTP?

You can get your OTP by sending an SMS from your registered mobile number to a short/long code number of your card issuing bank. The bank will then send an OTP to your mobile by SMS.

It usually takes only a few seconds to receive the OTP. If you are attempting a mobile transaction and if you have not requested for your OTP already, then you might also be able to receive the OTP automatically on your registered mobile number after you have entered your 16-digit credit card number.

However, it might not be very convenient to switch between your voice call and sms inbox and if accidentally any key gets pressed during this act then the IVR might construe it as an input for your OTP.

What short/long code number do I need to send the SMS to?

The number will vary from bank to bank. For example, if you have an HDFC Bank credit/debit card, then you can send the SMS ‘PWD XXXX’ to 9717465555, where XXXX stand for the last 4 digits of your credit/debit card. In case of Citibank, you can send the SMS ‘OTP XXXX’ to 52484 or 9880752484 to receive your OTP.

For how many transactions is the OTP valid?

An OTP is valid for only one transaction, irrespective of whether your transaction failed or succeeded. So, you will be required to generate a new OTP for every attempt that you make for your mobile transaction. Hence the name One-Time Password.

For how many hours will my OTP be valid?

The validity varies from bank to bank. For some banks like HDFC Bank, the OTP remains valid for 2 hours from the time of its generation, while for other banks like Citibank, the OTP is valid for only half an hour. If the OTP is not used within this period then it will automatically expire and a new OTP will be required to be generated.

I have multiple credit/debit cards linked to my mobile number. When I send an OTP request to the bank, how will I distinguish which OTP is for which card of mine?

When you send the SMS to the bank, you would also be mentioning the last 4 digits of your card. So the OTP that you may receive by SMS will be applicable for only that card whose last 4 digits you had submitted. If by chance you have more than one cards whose last 4 digits are common then upon sending the OTP request you might receive a message from the bank asking for submitting more details to help them distinguish between your cards.

So what’s the good thing about OTP?

* Mobile transactions will become extremely secure

* Unlike the web 3D Secure password, you will not be required to memorize the OTP as it is for single-use only.

* It will enable many banks to open up their Debit cards on IVR. This means that even Debit card holders which are far too many as compared to Credit card holders, will now be able to transact on IVR.

I feel that these additional security measures will not only help increase the confidence level of existing users who regularly perform mobile transactions, but also encourage new users to adopt mobile as a trustworthy channel for making instant payments. The enablement of Debit cards on IVR will further increase the reach of mobile payments to the masses and result in a high adoption rate.

All in all, the introduction of OTP is expected to provide a major boost to mobile commerce in this country of over 700 million mobile subscribers.

Keep checking www.paytm.com/enterprise for latest updates on OTP and secure mobile payments.

CDMA In India – Past, Present And Future

In midst of the controversy of 2G spectrum scam and excitement of 3G and MNP, India’s telecom watchdog TRAI released active user’s base of all telecom operators based upon Visitor Location Register (VLR).

This heats up the old arch rivalry between GSM and CDMA operators on spectrum issue.

Though this study is not good enough to comment on, as TRAI did not specify any time period for VLR, but it shows Airtel, Vodafone and Idea has more than 75% active subscribers in their network compared to Reliance has 66% and Tata Teleservices (TTSL) has 45% – below than 70% of total active subscribers, based on September 2010 data.

Following this, COAI – the lobby of GSM operators (mostly Airtel, Idea and Vodafone) hit back AUSPI (union of CDMA operators, face of TTSL and RCom) saying as they have more active customers and thus need of spectrum for them is logical and they do not hold extra spectrum as TTSL accused them. Note that existing policy gives a maximum of 15 MHz of airwaves per circle to GSM players; while the limit for CDMA players is 7.5 MHz.

Recently TDSAT rejects TTSL’s appeal for taking back extra airwaves from GSM players.CDMA had helped mobiles to reach masses of India via Reliance India Mobile, but now CDMA is not first choice of India, as it is said. But fact is it also could be GSM, if Mukhesh Ambani led Reliance Infocomm chose it.

CDMA got mass acceptance due to operator’s marketing strategy in a GSM-predominant market. At the same time CDMA gave them some advantages also like efficient spectrum use, greater coverage area, superior voice quality and security than GSM. Reliance Infocomm pioneered in pushing mobiles to masses, the whole thing turns better when lifetime prepaid validity comes, multi SIM handsets launched and new operators bring rock bottom tariff.

CDMA Road Map in India

• December 2002: Reliance Infocomm started its CDMA mobile services with brand name of Reliance India Mobile with the tagline of ‘Karlo duniya Mutthi Mein’
• January 2005: Tata Teleservices started its CDMA services with brand name of Tata Indicom.
• January 2006: ‘One Nation-One Rupee’ tariff plan introduced by Reliance Infocomm.
• October 2007: DOT allows CDMA players to enter GSM mobile service using Dual Technology platform.
• February 2008: Licenses issued to New Telecom Service Providers, only Sistema-Shyam choose CDMA.
• October 2008: Reliance rolls out GSM services with pan India approach. (Note Smart GSM services in eastern circles are owned by Reliance subsidiary)
• November 2008: Tata DOCOMO arises out of the Tata Group’s strategic alliance with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO.
• March 2009: Sistema Shyam started pan India rollout with brand name of MTS.
• June 2009: Tata Tele starts GSM operation under brand name of Tata Docomo
• March, 2010: RCOM reaches 100 million subscriber marks including GSM and CDMA subscribers.

When Reliance and TTSL both entered GSM market, both said they will continue to focus on their CDMA business. But as we can see both CDMA major saw a way better response on GSM segment. Also when new 2G licenses were issues in 2008, only SSTL chose CDMA.

Check out current status of Reliance and Tata Teleservices (GSM and CDMA): (Note: Oct ‘08 Reliance GSM rolled out, June ‘09 Tata GSM/Tata Docomo rolled out) -

CDMA is loosing the ground – Why?

Handset Issue:CDMA is a patented technology and every manufacturer make cdma phones have to pay Qualcomm. As a result a cdma phone is priced more than a GSM phone with similar features. Also cdma handset market is small and options are limited. CDMA got a blow when leading phone makers Nokia and Sony Ericsson stopped making cdma phones.CDMA handset market is led by Samsung, LG, ZTE, Huawei. Also mediocre battery backup (because of continuous nature of transmission) makes these handsets not a good choice for most consumers.

Though introduction of open market handsets (OMH) by Samsung & others is now changing the situation. You can use non-OMH RUIM (equivalent to SIM of GSM), but data sevices and operator’s portal can not used unless you get OMH RUIM. It has some drawbacks – you may not get it all places and it does not come free of cost, compared to you can use a GSM SIM to any device (mobile/modem/laptop/tablet) which has a SIM slot.

Same thing applies when EVDO/1X data cards come in talk. No private CDMA operators (Reliance, Tata and MTS) sell RUIM for using on customer’s own EVDO data card. They sell network-locked data cards. Only BSNL sells CDMA RUIM cards for voice and data. But BSNL CDMA services are not commercially available all over the country. Also there are also limited options for CDMA data cards.

SIM-Advantage of GSM: The success of Reliance was based on bundled handset offer. Both Reliance and Tata Indicom sold thousands of Motorola C131, an early cdma b/w handset. Till date most cdma phones are sold with network locked, even if it is RUIM enabled.

With worldwide availability of GSM networks (virtually everywhere), global roaming is easier if you are on GSM.

Internet on Mobile: Broadband penetration in India is poor, most Indians get into internet for 1st time via mobile. GPRS/EDGE enabled GSM networks and wide range of GPRS/EDGE supported handsets favors the situation to GSM. With limited handsets, most of which do not support 1X connectivity CDMA could not be a mass adaptation! Also like GSM operators have GPRS pack (2GB at around Rs. 100), CDMA operators do not offer 1X Data packs. Recently Tata Indicom has come up with 1X data packs. CDMA lost this game because of limited handsets with data support and operators’ lack of interest to be into the ring.

Interestingly CDMA players, who are never keen to capture data market on mobile, launched high speed internet via USB dongle (EVDO) for using with computers to capture wireless internet market first. Before 3G comes, EVDO data cards (speed 2.4 – 3.1Mbit/s) were the only option for high speed wireless internet.

No Long SMS and USSD: Those who are high SMS users are generally staying away from CDMA, because network does not support any SMS longer than 160 characters – SMS is delivered in parts, it is really painful to forward the long SMS to others. USSD code which offers real time connection on GSM is not supported on CDMA, it is done by SMS if operators really like to do it!

3G and MNP: These are main factors which will control the telecom growth in 2011, and both of them can erode the growth of CDMA. With Mobile Number Portability (MNP) it is expected more and more users will move to GSM while retaining their numbers. At the same time GSM players 3G offerings also lure the customers to enter into GSM space leaving CDMA. Better handsets and same SIM for mobile and data card – it will hike up GSM operators’ growth. Also CDMA players can not offer video calls on their current EVDO network. These 3G and MNP will have a very negative effect on CDMA’s growth.

Though LTE is the common upgrade path for GSM and CDMA, CDMA to LTE path is more complex than UMTS/HSPA to LTE upgrade.

Currently there are 6 operators offering CDMA mobile services -

RelianceCommunications (mobile, high speed internet, fixed wireless)

Tata Teleservices – brand name Tata Indicom/Virgin Mobile (mobile, high speed internet, fixed wireless)

Sistema-Shyam Teleservices – brand name MTS India (mobile, high speed internet, fixed wireless)

BSNL CDMA (mobile, high speed internet, fixed wireless)

MTNL under brand name of Garuda (mobile, fixed wireless, 1X data services) – available in Mumbai and Delhi.

Quadrant Televentures Ltd (formerly HFCL Infotel Ltd) under brand name of Ping Mobile (mobile, fixed wireless) – in Punjab circle only.

All CDMA operators in India is using 800MHz spectrum

Advantages of CDMA in the context of Indian scenario:

Though technically CDMA has more benefits than GSM, we are talking about the points which are very relevant in the context of Indian scenario.

It can accommodate more users per MHz of bandwidth – efficient use of spectrum; it is ideal for a spectrum-starved country like India. CDMA has no built-in limit to the number of concurrent users. It is able to produce a reasonable call with lower signal (cell phone reception) levels – beneficial to rural users situated far from cells. CDMA also offers better coverage area – better for rural penetration. CDMA offers superior voice quality compared to GSM. CDMA has a well-defined path to higher data rates and increased cellular communications security. Also 3G from GSM players using 2100Mhz spectrum requires around 3 times more BTS covering same area compared to 800Mhz CDMA spectrum used for offering EVDO service.

Both CDMA and GSM have their merits and limitations, but as India is a predominant market of GSM operators, users base of CDMA is decaying.

What could be the future roadmap for CDMA in India:

With MNP kicks in pan India, voice users will shift from CDMA to GSM. With less voice users, the momentum must be given to data.

If the operator have 5 MHz, i.e. 4 carriers of 1.25MHz they can upgrade to EVDO Rev B by multi carrier mode, allotting one/two carrier for voice and the rest three/two for data. 2X EVDO Rev.B can give upto 6.2 Mbps and on 3X EVDO Rev. B can give upto 9.3Mbps. Globally there are three commercial EVDO Rev B network is available (Smart Telecom of Indonesia, PTCL in Pakistan and China Telecom of China). In India Tata Tele already tested for 2X Rev B with ZTE. And MTS plans for hardware upgrade its network to support maximum 4.9Mbit/s per carrier, so with 3 carriers it can offer upto 14.7Mbit/s!

CDMA players are offering 3.1Mbps download speed with EVDO Rev A on their 2G 800Mhz spectrum, this is almost similar to GSM operators 3G offering – 3.6Mbps. CDMA players did not have to pay some thousand crore rupees for getting 3G spectrum, still the dual mode operators (Reliance and Tata) who are offering both 3G and EVDO data services are priced almost similarly to cut down competition between their 3G and EVDO services. BSNL, the PSU operator is probably priced the most reasonably for EVDO and 3G services. BSNL offers 3G at a price double of EVDO – BSNL EVDO unlimited comes at Rs. 750 and 3G unlimited data comes at Rs. 1499.

As there is a little chance of auction of CDMA 3G spectrum at 2.xGHz band private operators can choose a roadmap which is shown in the following figure:

Brief Technical details of CDMA [Code Division Multiple Access] :

CDMA2000 family (next to CDMAone/IS95 which was for only voice)
1xRTT or just 1X	Core CDMA2000 wireless air interface standard, supports packet data speed upto 153kbps (DL & UL)
1X Enhancements	1.5 x increases in the voice capacity, supports packet data speed upto 153kbps (DL & UL) – NOT Commercially successful.
1X Advanced	Up to 4x increase in the voice capacity of today’s networks, Frees-up spectrum for high revenue earning EV-DO data services, Up to 70% increase in coverage with same capacity as today, supports packet data speed upto 307kbps (DL & UL)
1x-EVDO or EV (Evolution Data Only)	EV-DO Rev 0: Upto 2.4Mbit/s downlink, 153kbps uplink. On realtime use downlink is average of 800kbps. EV-DO Rev A (DOrA): Upto 3.1Mbit/s downlink and upto 1.8Mbit/s uplink using single carrier of 1.25MHz. Supports VoIP and video telephony. EV-DO Rev B (DOrB): It is the multi carrier upgrade of Rev A. With multicarrier Rev B can support upto 9.3Mbps using 3 carriers of total 5MHz. With H/W upgrade Rev B can deliver upto 4.9Mbps downlink per carrier. Uplink upto 5.4Mbps. With EV-DO Rev B as allowing the combination of up to 15 1.25 MHz radio channels in 20 MHz – significantly boosting peak theoretical rates to 73.5 Mbps. (DO Advanced) DOrC: also known as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB)/CDMA 4G. Qualcomm discontinued it in November, 2008. As a result Long Term Evolution(LTE) will be natural upgradation pathway for CDMA operators, though it is more complex than migrating from UMTS-HSPA to LTE. EVDV- Evolution Data and Voice Qualcomm stopped developing EVDV chipsets in 2005. Recently Verizon has taken initiative to roll out Voice over Rev A (VoRA) to offer Apple iPhone CDMA on its network.
Notes: CDMA spectrum is allocated carrier wise. Each carrier is of 1.25 MHz. Initially operator is given 2 carriers i.e 2.5 MHz and then one carrier to be added depending on increase in subscriber base. (Hence it’ll be 2.5 then 3.75 then 5 and so on) As per current allocation methodology, each CDMA operator is contractually permitted to receive till 5 MHz without any additional charge and can have maximum 7.5MHz in a circle area. UMTS is also a CDMA-based 3G technology (WCDMA) that represents an evolutionary step forward for the 2G GSM networks. The 1x technologies operate in the 1.25 MHz radio channels, compared to the 5 MHz channels used by UMTS, resulting in lower theoretical peak rates, but similar average throughputs for high level of network loading. CDMA450 represents a family of CDMA2000 technologies that operate across the 410-470 MHz band. GSM Evolution: 2G(WAP/GPRS) > 2.75G (EDGE) & EDGE Evolution > 3G UMTS/WCDMA > HSPA > HSPA+ > LTE