Honest

TRAI wants govt to come clear on 3G policy Economic Times l 18 Dec l New Delhi Telecom regulator TRAI has asked the communications ministry to address matters pertaining to 3G auctions. The regulator wants the government to come clean on the 3G licences to be issued to the new entrants and the licence fees. It has also sought to know whether 2G spectrum would be allotted to the successful 3G bidders. The 3G spectrum auction, which will allow operators to offer high-end services such as faster downloads of video clips, movie trailers and music files, video calls and interactive gaming is slated to be held on January 16. The existing telecom services in India operate on the 2G spectrum. TRAI’s observations assume importance, given that the US has also sought clarity on the 3G policy. Industry observers fear the government could face legal challenges if it is not forthcoming with details. Under existing guidelines, the successful 3G auction bidders will have to pay Rs 1,651 crore for a UASL licence that entitles them to offer all communication services. But TRAI has pointed out that terms and conditions for granting a UASL licence were formulated in 2001 and expressed doubts whether these could be applied now. The regulator also wants to know about DoT’s plans to provide 2G spectrum to the successful 3G bidders. The regulator is unsure whether there is adequate spectrum for the existing operators. It has demanded transparency in the entire process of spectrum allocation. “DoT is expected to take into consideration these pre-requisites while granting UASL licences. Failure to do so would result in hoarding of spectrum,” the regulator added. The US said that while new 3G players will pay $410 million for a UASL licence, they would not get 2G spectrum required for providing traditional voice and data services. So far, the UASL licence, costing Rs 1,651 crore, came bundled with start-up 2G spectrum. “How does the Indian government plan to address this imbalance?” a US telecommunications sub-committee has asked.

Lets hope for the best.

Motorola i9 official pics surface - a release should follow soon For an iDEN phone, Motorola i9 sure looks pretty. As a matter of fact, it looks really nice for a regular phone too, and its official press photos that have just leaked on the Web can only confirm this. The i9 is a clamshell (in the RAZR style) that comes with an external screen and lots of external keys that seem to be touch-sensitive. I can clearly spot music dedicated keys, as well as some camera-related keys. And speaking of camera, the back of Moto i9 hosts a 3.1 MP one with both autofocus and flash. I don’t think there’s any other iDEN handset out there to have a camera with these performances. The alphanumeric keypad of i9 is flat and probably easy to use. Other than that, the rumored features of the phone include GPS and Bluetooth. Courtesy : unwiredview

You are welcome

Nokia Messaging and Nokia Communication Center 2.0 out of beta Nokia Messaging, the service announced by the Finnish company about two weeks ago (at the same time with the brand new N97 smartphone), is now out of beta. The service will be available in lots of countries, starting with: Finland, Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, Australia and Venezuela. However, until the commercial version of the service reaches your country, you can still use the free version. There are lots of new things in the new Nokia Messaging, most of them coming following user feedback. The novelties include: Support for more S60 handsets Support for up to ten email addresses Yahoo! Mail support Support for subfolders on IMAP email accounts Support for Google Apps hosted email The inbox opens faster Enhanced inbox navigation Sent emails are synced to your webmail’s sent folder Another application that just got out of beta is Nokia Communication Center 2.0, which can be downloaded as part of Nokia PC Suite from here. Courtesy : Unwiredview

Vodafone launches festive offers Business Line l 17 Dec l Kochi Vodafone Essar has announced that its ‘Lifelong Prepaid plan’ will now be available in Kerala at Rs 149 as opposed to the earlier price of Rs 199. Under this scheme, local call rates will be at Re1/min. The plan also offers subscribers talk time worth Rs 10. In addition, Vodafone has also reduced the rates for National SMS from Rs 2/SMS to Rs 1.50/SMS for both prepaid and post paid customers. Prepaid customers can customise their requirement with the bonus cards applicable. Bonus card offers special call rates where customers can call local Vodafone numbers for as low as 40 p/min and other mobiles and landlines at 60 p/min. Vodafone launched its first international full roaming for prepaid customers in Dubai. This service can be activated within 24 hours for a minimal charge of Rs 99. To activate the service, a customer has to type ‘ACT IR’ and SMS to 144. The company is also offering a REEBOK bag free with every new postpaid connection. This offer is available in all Vodafone stores and mini stores across Kerala. Mr Suresh Kumar R., Senior Vice-President, Vodafone Essar Kerala, said “Hoping to add more colour to the festive season, Vodafone Kerala has launched these offers in line with our commitment to make mobility even more affordable to our customers.”

Airtel unveils voice portal Business Line l Chennai Airtel has launched its voice portal in Tamil – ‘Airtel Ungal Choice’ offering a host of value added services, including music, movies, star special, jokes, folk songs and news.

We can expect this handset in India only in the Second Quarter of 2009.

Hope this consideration soon come to Reality.

Definetely a good news. It will be beneficial for our Tamil brothers.

^^^ Ya the offer is good but only for Kerala Subscribers.

^^^ Rcom is already under Dot Scanner.

^^^ Thanks my dear Mufaddal Sahab.

Does anyone have Demonoid Invitation ?

Vodafone case: ‘No definitive findings on taxability of deal’ Business Line l 17 Dec l New Delhi The court’s decision is unlikely to be considered a legal precedent that would apply to other similar deals of the past or the future The observations of the Bombay High Court in the Vodafone tax case appear to be only prima facie; the court has not made any definitive findings on the taxability of the deal, say most of the international tax advisors’ assessments of the case. As it currently stands, the court’s decision is unlikely to be considered a legal precedent that would apply to other similar deals of the past or the future; each would be considered on its own merit, observes one of the international law firms in its private communication to clients. Vodafone had filed a writ petition at the court challenging the Revenue department’s show-cause notice (SCN) to the company asking why it should not be considered an “assessee in default” for not paying withholding tax (TDS) upon its acquisition of Hutchison Essar (Now Vodafone Essar). Vodafone contended that its Netherlands arm had acquired shares in a Cayman Islands company (which in turn held shares in Vodafone Essar) from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecom: and that all the companies being overseas ones, revenue had no jurisdiction in the matter. The court dismissed Vodafone’s petition. (The other petition filed by Vodafone Essar Ltd challenging revenue department’s SCN seeking to treat it as an agent of the foreign company is still pending in court.) Issues still open One law firm observed that the court, “unfortunately”, had not given its considered view of the jurisdiction of the tax authorities to issue the SCN to Vodafone. Nor had the court given its considered view on either the applicability of withholding tax to transactions outside India generally, or to this transaction in particular. In view of this, all issues are still open for the tax authority to make a decision based on the facts of this case, and of similar cases, say legal experts. The court’s decision ought not to squarely apply to all overseas mergers and acquisitions. A different set of facts may result in the possibility of a different view being taken, said an analysis of the case by another international law firm. The court’s decision in a significant move establishes that acquisition of shares in an overseas company where the underlying assets (with a bundle of rights) are Indian creates a nexus for the transaction in India. Doctrine of Effects The American principle of Doctrine of Effects was referred to by the court. According to this doctrine, US internal competition laws are applicable to firms outside the country’s territory when their transactions produce an “effect” in the domestic territory. Vodafone ‘s argument that its international company had merely acquired a Cayman Islands company which in turn held shares in the Indian company was not accepted by the court which said it found this argument too simplistic. It held that Vodafone’s basic objective appeared to be acquisition of a business interest in India. What also went in favour of the Revenue Department was its argument that Vodafone’s transaction could not have been a mere acquisition of shares overseas as it was conditional upon approval of Indian regulatory authorities like the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The Revenue Department also cited statements made by the Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone, the company’s annual reports and the interest acquired by Vodafone in joint venture with Essar, in the telecom licenses issued by the Department of Telecommunications. In view of all this, companies involved in such M&A activities will have to lay some emphasis on “perception management” said a legal expert. Document One of the issues that drew adverse conclusions from the court for Vodafone is that the company refused to produce the documents of its deal with Hutch before both the court and the Revenue Department. To determine taxability of the deal, these voluminous documents would have to be examined, said the court. The revenue authorities’ move is unprecedented which is why Vodafone had not anticipated such a development, said legal experts. “It does set a new trend in Indian tax authorities’ view on cross-border M&A taxation,” said one of them. To play it safe, overseas companies in cross-border M&A deals are likely to file with the Authority for Advance Rulings before finalising transactions. This authority will determine whether and by how much a transaction made by non-resident entities is taxable. An alternative way would be to route the transaction through territories such as Mauritius (and not Cayman Islands) that afford treaty protection, said legal experts.

Tata Teleservices plans to expand network to 70 more towns Business Line l 17 Dec l Hyderabad Private telecom services provider Tata Teleservices is in the process of finalising plans for launch of its GSM-based wireless services. The operator is awaiting necessary clearances and expects to roll out GSM services across the country. The company has 30 million subscribers across the country with Andhra Pradesh recently crossing the land mark of 3 million subscribers. The Circle Operating Officer, AP Circle, Mr S. Ramakrishna, said “the AP circle achieving this land mark reflects the strong infrastructure we have built in the State through telecom corridors. This has begun to pay off with the addition of new subscribers. The first million took up eight years, the second two years and the third just over a year.” Rs 140-cr investment Tata Teleservices has invested about Rs 3,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh circle which is the second largest network after Delhi. During the current year, Tata Teleservices plans to invest Rs 140 crore for network expansion. “From a reach of about 400 towns beginning this year, we have grown to 535 towns across the State. By the end of current financial year, we expect to close with another 70 more towns, thereby extending the footprint significantly,” he said. Referring to a recent survey by independent research firm Phi Metrics, Mr Ramakrishna said that its results vindicate the seamless coverage Tata Indicom services provide to the customer. For 1,000 calls that were assessed, it resulted in over 99.25 per cent coverage, which was a highest among operators. Mr Ramakrishna today has been handed additional charge to manage Orissa circle.

Operators still to meet benchmarks Business Line l 17 Dec l New Delhi A majority of subscribers in Tamil Nadu and Chennai are satisfied with their mobile connection. According to survey conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India more than 70 per cent of mobile subscribers are satisfied with the service in Tamil Nadu. However, none of the operators meet the TRAI specified benchmark of having more than 95 per cent satisfied subscribers. There are six operators providing services in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. About 75 per cent of Vodafone’s subscribers are happy with the service making it the highest ranking operator in the State in terms of perceived customer satisfaction. In Chennai, Bharti is the leader with 81 per cent of its subscribers content with the service. Tata Teleservices is at the bottom in both Chennai and Tamil Nadu with 76 per cent and 70 per cent of subscribers respectively perceived to be satisfied with the service. However, consumers in these two telecom circles are not aware of the various customer complaint redress options available to them. For example, only 3 per cent of Bharti Airtel’s user base in Tamil Nadu is aware of the company’s nodal officer for redressing grievances. About 57 per cent of Reliance Communications subscribers in Tamil Nadu are satisfied with complaint resolution by call centres.

^^^ But in one of the post Kshah told that EVDO enabled Data Card doesn't provide that much high speed. He used the same quite sometime back. Maybe now the speed is better my dear friends.

^^^ EVDO is not expected in India in the near future my dear friend. And 3G is going to be launched soon. Thats why everyone is talking about 3G.

Wikipedia Gets Mobile Friendly Site For the knowledgeable and the ones seeking to be so from the net, Wikipedia has been the foremost site for understanding and gaining information on just about anything. While you were always able to access the site via any normal WP enabled handset with HTML support, it would either take too long to load the page or look a little off due to either compression or your browser struggling to house the site in entirety. Well worry no longer mobile maniacs; Wiki has gone mobile with a mobile friendly site mobile.wikipedia.org. It’s an extremely simple interface that enables you to get your Wiki info a whole lot easier than ever before. True there have been Wiki-friendly applications and services via SMS etc. but there isn't anything like the original. The site has been around for a while so consider this heads up for those who didn’t know. Courtesy : Tech2

Nimbuzz and Ibibo Tie up With Spice Mobiles Nimbuzz, one of the more comprehensive mobile instant messaging, (geo) presence and VoIP providers and Ibibo the social networking site have agreed to a major distribution deal with Spice Mobiles. The new Spice Mobile handsets will have the Nimbuzz application pre-installed for users to chat, message and send files on the go; and Spice Mobiles becomes a major distribution partner to join Nimbuzz’s global Manufacturer Affiliate Program. From December most of the new Java and Windows Mobile handsets will be rolled out to the Indian market via Spice Mobiles’ approximately 25,000 retail outlets with the full Nimbuzz communication portfolio as well as that of Ibibio installed. The addition of Nimbuzz will be announced to Spice Mobile customers by a multi-territory marketing campaign including Nimbuzz logos, links and service description on the Spice Mobiles website, POS promotions, and links to Nimbuzz on its WAP Portal. Ibibo on Spice Mobiles will empowers users to remain connected by creating their profiles, search for friends and people based on age, sex & location and for sending and receiving scraps. Ibibo is exclusively available to Spice Mobiles’ users over the wap portal wap.spicegang.in. Nimbuzz CEO Evert-Jaap Lugt commented: “We are growing at a record pace, adding around 20,000 new users per day. Our community appeals to handset manufacturers as they benefit from global and local IM and Social Network community integration. This deal ensures significant market penetration for Nimbuzz across the APAC territories and we will be working closely with Spice Mobiles to encourage future shipment of new handsets.” Spice Mobiles CEO, Kunal Ahooja, said: “With soaring mobile usage and penetration, the Indian VAS market is witnessing remarkable growth. As the mobile handset is increasingly becoming the device of choice when it comes to accessing multitude of applications and VAS, our innovations and offerings, bundled with our phones, support our mission to provide consumers with a more engaging and fulfilling experience.” The Spice Mobiles deal is a global contract. In addition to India, pre-installed Spice Mobiles devices will be sold in other APAC territories. Customers will be able to communicate with the growing community of Nimbuzz subscribers in over 200 countries, using Nimbuzz for features such as social networking, instant messaging, location and file sharing. Courtesy : Tech2

Samsung Launches 2 Low-end Phones The E1410 and E1117 models have basic spec sheets Reaffirming its commitment to the much-overlooked mid- to low-end segment, Samsung announced two low-end handsets. Samsung has not exactly been ignoring this particular segment, but the year has been quite busy for the company with phones like the Omnia and the Innov8 grabbing the limelight over their less-endowed cousins. The two models announced are the E1410 and the E1117. Both are candybar designs with basic spec sheets. Samsung E1410 Dual-band GSM connectivity (900/1800 MHz) with GPRS 1.63" CSTN display with 128 x 128 pixels and 65K colors 4MB internal memory 108mm x 46mm x 15.3 mm Samsung E1117 Dual-band GSM connectivity (900/1800 MHz) with EDGE 1.63" CSTN display with 128 x 128 pixels and 65K colors FM radio 900Kb internal memory (900KB!!?) 79 grams 106.4mm x 45mm x 15.4 mm Both the models are basic handsets with the E1117 being a tad more low end. These models would be perfect for the Indian market thanks to its expected sub-$100 price tag (approx. Rs. 4,730). Courtesy : Techtree

मुकेश भाई आप तो बहुत लक्की हो दोस्त. जब भी लॉटरी की टिकेट लेनी होगी तो आपके हाथों से खरीदवा लूँगा. एक काम करो, इनको मेल करके लिखो की आप कंस्यूमर कोर्ट में केस डाल रहे हो. फिर देखो क्या जवाब आता है.

Thats the good one my dear Asit. Keep it up.

Adrive also could be better to upload your stuff my dear friends. Definetely Rapidshare is no good for Free Users now a days.