Tata Indicom "3 on 3" plan

In the rat race of telcom companies to provide the users with the cheapest plans for mobile phones,Tata Indicom comes out with a new plan by giving its users the benefit of paying per second for the calls made by them.The scheme is available to all its CDMA subscribers across India.

A Tata Indicom existing prepaid user will now be able to make Local as well as STD calls to any network at a mere One paise per second by availing a recharge of Rs.53 while a new customer can make use of the scheme by getting a recharge kit of Rs. 99.




What is even more interesting is that the Pay per Second also comes with a " 3 on 3" bonus offer where,when the subscriber is making a continuous call for 3 minutes on the same number,he can get the next three minutes free on the same call.The plan is not only effective in the sense that the billing is pay per second which is good for short calls but the 3 on 3 feature adds more value for money on long calls as well.

“We are happy to offer pay per second tariff proposition to all our prepaid subscribers from today. What makes this offer unique and differentiating is that Tata Indicom prepaid subscribers will get 3 minutes bonus talktime after first 3 free minutes of non-stop talking which is industry first aggressive tariff proposition and we are confident that it will be well received especially while festive period is round the corner!” Mr. Vineet Bhatia, COO Delhi and NCR, Head North Region, Tata Indicom, said at the launch of the plan.

Simply Reliance

The " Simply Reliance Plan" is working its way up in the telecom industry. With its non-puzzling call rates,people are showing an inclination towards it.

The 50 paise per minute has relieved consumers whose time is wasted just thinking about the ever increasing plans every month .Reliance has offered the scheme to both its GSM and CDMA users.




The consumers now need to pay just 50 paise for all outgoing,STD and roaming calls on any network. Moreover this scheme is available for all Reliance prepaid and postpaid users.Reliance network is spread throughout India covering 600,000 villages and 24,000 towns. It is the first ever plan in India to have call rates as easy as 50p/min for all calls at all networks for GSM and CDMA platforms.

The plan is available to both new and existing customers using prepaid services by purchasing a one time tariff voucher for Rs. 48 with life time validity.Postpaid users can get the new plan by paying Rs 99 as subscription fee.

The 50p/min call rates hold for:

* All local and STD calls
* Calls to any network
* to any platform whether GSM or CDMA
* All roaming calls whether incoming or outgoing
* Anytime during the day or night.
* All sms whether local or national
* no monthly charges for prepaid users.

Mr. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani,Chirman of the Reliance Communications said looking at the overwhelming response," “Reliance pioneered the mobile revolution making calls cheaper than a postcard in 2005. In another game changing move today, Reliance brings a billion Indians closer to each other, with one single rate for all local and STD calls, to any mobile or landline network, anytime, anywhere in India, without any conditions or restrictions. Once again, Reliance has set new standards, offering unbelievable and never-before savings to a billion Indians.”

Superb MTS Plan “Power of One” for Delhi NCR

MTS India, a merger of the Sistema of Russia and Shyam Group of India has come up with a new mobile plan in Delhi NCR region of India. CDMA mobile service is offering its Delhi Subscribers Tariff Plan - “Power of One” with per second billing. Under this plan, all local calls on MTS network will cost 1 Paisa/ 2 seconds whereas on any other network, the call will be charged at 1 P/ second. STD calls will cost 2 paisa/1 second.



It has also introduced MSaver-499 for Delhi and NCR customers in which the user will get one million minutes of free talk time. Under the scheme, users will daily obtain 150 minutes of free call usage and 10 free local SMS. It is also offering Life Time validity on prepaid connections at Rs 99. MTS launch in Delhi is a good example of our commitment to enlarge the MTS presence in the key telecom circles of India.

Sistema is the majority share holder in this joint venture with a 74% equity stake, along with the Shyam Group, holding a 23.5% stake and the rest 2.5% being public partake. SSTL has spectrum to provide mobile telephony services in all the 22 circles across the country. MTS boasts of over 2 million subscribers in Kolkatta, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand and has more than 100 million subscribers all over the world.

50 Paise R Com Plan is transparent

Indian Telecom Users are burdened with numerous plans and hidden tariffs. Such anomalies creates doubt and confusion in mind of mobile users. Reliance Communication seems to have adapted new strategy to take care of such anomalies and thus would be charging similar voice charges for both Local, STD calls and even SMSes.The company would also provide SMS at the same charge of 50 paise. With intentions to attract and increase its GSM customer base, the new Rcom mobile plan would entail its GSM and CDMA Mobile subscribers to buy the tariff package and enjoy all domestic calls at 50 P/minute.



The plan would be for company's existing post-paid users who will avail it at a monthly rent of Rs 99 and pre-paid users who would need to buy a special tariff voucher worth Rs 48. The major benefit would be for STD callers as they would be able to enjoy cheaper call rates. All other 265 tariff plans of R Com will be on hold and serve existing users for next six months.

The introduction of universal plan may not have much rub-off effect as subscribers need to fork out money initially to benefit from such lower charges. But one thing is clear that this move would make their tariff plans more simplified and transparent as competition and Future MNP implementation might disfigure their prospectus for growth.

Idea Cellular offers STD and Local calls at 50 paise

IDEA cellular new offering is that of Local, STD calls and SMS at 50 paise to any mobile phones or landline network in India. To avail this offer, new pre-paid subscribers can avail the offer on any recharge voucher while the existing subscribers can recharge for a special tariff at Rs. 47 valid for 5 months.



This offer is immediately available at all mobile retail stores in India.

However, the refurbished rates will be applied from the second call. The first local and STD calls of the day and the first Local and STD SMS will be charged as per their regular tariff.

BSNL Mahrashtra Goa customers elated

India’s renouned telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) had made its Mahrashtra Goa pre-paid customers elated with another exciting tariff plan by launching 5 new “MAHA MAGIC” plans. BSNL “Magic” tariff plans for its prepaid mobile customers with lower Local and STD calls on the basis of a daily rental, dubbed “Maha Magic plans”. BSNL launched a total of 5 “Maha Magic Plans” with different tariff structures.




“MAHA MAGIC 1″ – Local calls @ 50 p/min to BSNL network Under this scheme, daily Re.1 will be deducted from the customer’s balance & this will allow them to make local calls within the BSNL Network (Landline, WLL, Mobile) at a rate of 50 paisa/minute. All STD call will be charged at Re.1. To activate the plan SMS “ACT 1″ to 53733. “MAHA MAGIC 1.5″ – Local calls @ 20 p/min BSNL network Under this scheme, daily Rs. 1.50 will be deducted from the customer’s balance & would be allowed to make local BSNL network calls (Landline, WLL, Mobile) to any network at a rate of 20 paisa per minute. To activate the plan SMS “ACT 1.5″ to 53733.

“MAHA MAGIC 2″ – Local calls (All networks) within Maharashtra & Goa @ 49 p/min Under this scheme, daily Rs.2.00 will be deducted from the customer’s balance & would be allowed to make local calls to any network (Landline, WLL, Mobile) within the state at a rate of 49 paisa per minute. To activate the plan SMS “ACT 2″ to 53733.

“MAHA MAGIC 4″ – Local calls @ 1 p/min to BSNL network Under this scheme, daily Rs. 4 will be deducted from the customer’s balance & would be allowed to make local calls within BSNL Network (Landline, WLL, Mobile) at a rate of 1 paisa per minute. To activate the plan SMS “ACT 4″ to 53733.

“MAHA MAGIC 5″ – All Network local & STD calls at 50 p/min Under this scheme, daily Rs.5 will be deducted from the customer’s balance & would be allowed to make all local & STD calls to any network across India at a rate of 50 paisa per minute. To activate the plan SMS “ACT 5″ to 53733 All other call and SMS charges are as per normal Prepaid tariff plan. BSNL Maharashtra also reduces its life time pre-paid at Rs.54 with a talktime of Rs. 40.

Virgin Mobile Hybrid Plan is their Bread Butter

Sometimes more subscribers isn’t always better. The bad news for Virgin Mobile that they lost a net 269,000 subscribers in the second quarter. One would think it’s tough to find a silver lining in that, but it’s certainly there for them.




Beyond their acquisition by Sprint Nextel, Virgin saw a consumer shift to more profitable hybrid plans. This allowed their net income to rise while their operating revenue fell. So while Virgin is losing customers like its to-be parent company, at least Virgin is seeing those remaining customers migrate to plans which benefit the company.

It makes sense that hybrid plans — those which mimic contract plans by offering a set number of minutes for a fixed monthly price — would bring in more revenue. When balances run low, they’ll conserve,delaying the purchase of another top-up card. But with hybrid plans,the customer is already locked into a set amount monthly. That gives Virgin a steady income.

Over the next quarter, Virgin will likely focus on getting more customers on hybrid plans, even if it means losing subscribers overall. Perhaps this will be part of an industry-wide movement, where pay-as-you-go customers will move to a carrier like Net10, which specialized in pay-as-you-go, while hybrid customers will pick up Virgin or Boost Mobile.

BSNL revises many its plans

Some more tariff revisions have been announced for BSNL. The state-owned telecom operator has reduced rent of some of its post-paid mobile plans. The One India plan 299 has been merged with plan 225. Free Roaming plan 550 has been merged with plan 525. Subscribers of plan 299 and plan 550 will be migrated by default to plan 225 and plan 525 respectively. Tariff under plan 490 has been rationalized and fixed monthly charge has been reduced from Rs.490 to Rs.425.



Some new talk plans in place of existing ones for its post-paid customers have also been introduced.

BSNL has replaced some of its existing plans like Plan-299, Plan-490 and Plan-550 with three new plans, offering lower tariff and reduced call rates, BSNL said in a statement.It has also launched an unlimited night calling facility with its Plan-525 and Plan-999, while free GPRS would be made available for higher tariff options like Plan-725 and Plan-999.

The telecom major is also offering a rebate of two month’s fixed monthly charges under the annual payment option. Under SMS-Power Plan, messaging rates have been reduced by 75 per cent for local SMSs and by 50 per cent for national ones.

Reliance Mobile unique contest amidst ICC Trophy

Reliance Mobile, the ‘Global Partner’ for the ICC Champions Trophy South Africa 2009, today announced various consumer initiatives as part of its partnership for the tournament scheduled to begin next month.




These initiatives were announced during the Reliance Mobile Trophy Preview for the ICC Champions Trophy. This marked the beginning of Reliance Mobile’s Trophy Preview in India before the tournament commences in South Africa on September 22nd, 2009. The ICC Champions Trophy will be handed over to the winning team of the 2009 edition of the tournament.

The ICC Champions Trophy is even more exciting for cricket fans and
Reliance customers throughout India with this contest.

Commenting on Reliance Mobile’s association with ICC Champions Trophy, South Africa 2009, Akshay Kumar, Senior Executive Vice President, Reliance Communications said, “ We are initiating various
consumer-friendly promotions and initiatives for our customers and channel partners based on the ICC Champions Trophy, South Africa 2009.”




Leveraging its association with ICC to benefit customers, Reliance Mobile is planning to organize interactive contests on R-World as part of its ICC Champions Trophy South Africa 2009 initiative. The company plans to organize this contest across various platforms of R-World including CRBT, Voice Portal, SMS etc. Those wishing to participate in this unique contest will have the freedom to choose their platform as per their preference & ease of using a platform. The contest will be launched across both GSM and CDMA networks.

For instance, on Voice Portal, a subscriber will be able to dial a particular multimodal number, subscribe to the Cricket Score subscription services post which he will have to answer a skill- based question. Select winners of the contest could win a trip to South Africa.

Moreover, Reliance Mobile will go Live with all ICC Champions Trophy,South Africa 2009 matches through its R-World VAS platform. Reliance Mobile subscribers will be able to catch all the excitement of this tournament on their handsets. Reliance Mobile will also provide subscribers an option to have match scores and expert commentary on the matches as their caller-tune.

Effectively, it is in one location with two world-class venues at The Wanderers and Centurion. It is a short, sharp event with just the top eight-ranked ODI teams taking part in international competition. The event is all about prestige. It features the best players competing for a major ICC title with more prize money on offer than ever before with a total of US$4million at stake.

Airtel Special 5 Plan

This was surely coming from the countries largest mobile operator, Airtel. Ever since TATA Indicom was launched with all ‘first of its kind’ rates in India, other mobile operators should have been on their feet.




Airtel now announces ‘Special 5‘ offer where you can call any 5 Airtel numbers for incredible rates. This offer looks similar to the one which BSNL has for its customers. But it’s interesting to see Airtel jump into such offers, prior to which Airtel has seemingly high rates compared to other networks but was relying hugely on its Network quality.

Under this ‘Special 5′ offer you can not only call local Airtel numbers but also add any Airtel STD numbers. However, the charges for local and STD calls differ but are still far lower than any offer Airtel introduced ever so far.As the name may suggest that you can add up to 5 Airtel numbers in your ‘Special 5′ numbers list. Calls to local Airtel number in that list of 5 will be charged at 20 p/min and calls to STD numbers will be charged at 50 p/min.

This offer is all about giving you freedom to contact your friends and family. Previously in F & F offer, only local calls could be added but now you can even add STD numbers.And there will be a registration charges of Rs.5 per each number and a daily rental of Rs.1/each number (as per Airtel customer care) in majority of States in India like AP, WB, Assam, Bihar, North Eastern
States, UP, Punjab, Delhi, HP.

If you reside in Tamilnadu, you have even less rentals at only 20paise per number per day for local numbers and 50 paise per day per number for STD numbers. So in this case if you have 3 local number and 2 STD airtel numbers in your Special 5 Group, you need to pay a daily rental
of Rs.1.60.

All you have to do to activate this offer call 12141 and add your list
of ‘Special 5′ numbers.

Virgin Mobile Hybrid Plan is their Bread Butter

Sometimes more subscribers isn’t always better. The bad news for Virgin Mobile that they lost a net 269,000 subscribers in the second quarter. One would think it’s tough to find a silver lining in that, but it’s certainly there for them.




Beyond their acquisition by Sprint Nextel, Virgin saw a consumer shift to more profitable hybrid plans. This allowed their net income to rise while their operating revenue fell. So while Virgin is losing customers like its to-be parent company, at least Virgin is seeing those remaining customers migrate to plans which benefit the company.

It makes sense that hybrid plans — those which mimic contract plans by offering a set number of minutes for a fixed monthly price — would bring in more revenue. When balances run low, they’ll conserve, delaying the purchase of another top-up card. But with hybrid plans, the customer is already locked into a set amount monthly. That gives Virgin a steady income.

Over the next quarter, Virgin will likely focus on getting more customers on hybrid plans, even if it means losing subscribers overall. Perhaps this will be part of an industry-wide movement, where pay-as-you-go customers will move to a carrier like Net10, which specialized in pay-as-you-go, while hybrid customers will pick up Virgin or Boost Mobile.

BSNL 425 Plan

BSNL, the Indian telecom operator, has reframed its mobile postpaid plans. The Plan 299 has been merged with the Plan 225. The Plan 225 will offer local calls at INR 0.60 /minute and STD calls are charged INR 1/minute.




The roaming Plan 550 has been merged with the Plan 525. The Plan 525 will offer local calls at INR 0.40 per minute, on-net STD calls at INR 0.60 per minute, STD calls to other GSM networks at INR 0.80, and calls to fixed/WLL at INR 0.60 per minute on the BSNL network and INR 0.80 per minute to other networks.

The tariffs under Plan 490 have been cut down and the fixed monthly charge has also been reduced to INR 425 from INR 490. The Plan 425 will offer local and STD calls at INR 0.50 per minute.

The pulse rate is 15 seconds. Intra-circle calls would be charged at 40 paise per minute.

BSNL Golden Fifty Plan

After launching 3G services, BSNL is all set to initiate another round of tariff war with its 'Golden Fifty' plan.BSNL announced a new plan offering local and STD call at just 50 paise a minute across the entire network, while the charges would be 20 and 30 paise for BSNL to BSNL.




Golden Fifty plan would be available to consumers for a monthly rent of Rs 375 inclusive of taxes.It is worth mentioning here that BSNL's 'One India' plan was being offered at Rs 330 per month plus taxes and the call charges were one rupee a minute whereas in 'Golden Fifty' the charges are half.Also, all the local SMSs would also cost just 50 paise.

Even though the tariff is quite lucrative, the monthly rent is a bit of downer. Rs. 375 per month in addition to the call charges will make many think before jumping onto this scheme. We would recommend this only if you’re usage is around Rs. 500 – 600 per month.

Blackberry Storm now on EMI by Vodafone

Vodafone is working hard to sell the new BlackBerry Storm, the next best thing after the iPhone. It is presently priced at Rs.27,990 and might turn out to be quite expensive, which is why the Vodafone now gives prospective buyers an EMI option.



Some of the options are:

* 6 months: Rs. 4,665 - 4,913
* 12 months: Rs. 2,333 - 2,566

The EMI is different as it is currently being offered by 4 banks viz. Axis, Barclays, Citibank and HSBC. For more specifics and break-up of the EMI’s, just click here.

Tata Telecom ties up Polish Telecom "Play"

Tata Telecommunication stated its tie up with a Poland situated telecom firm ‘Play’. This tie up will foster Tata Telecom’s plans to route all its international call traffic through Play.

Play will implement Tata’s voice termination product ‘VTS Prime Solution’ to manage Tata Tele’s customer call quality. VTS Prime will allow Tata Tele to pass on the entire burden of ensuring high quality international calls to Play.


“We chose to work with Tata Communications because of their extensive network backbone and experience, which was well positioned to fully manage and support issues our company was facing as a start-up operator”, Play’s Carrier Relations director Piotr Kuriata said in a statement.

This merger would enable Tata Telecommunication to go global. Previously they linked up with DoCoMo and now this venture with Play will definitely give Tata’s an edge in the CDMA category.

Vodafone has Amar Chitra Katha now!

Vodafone has launched a whole new line of ACK stuff, which includes wallpapers, jokes, screensavers, comics and games from the ACK series. Users will now be able to relive those moments through their phone.

Here are some specifications of the service:



* Subscription: Rs.30/month
* If you call 567607 and listen in, you will be charged 30p/min as usage charge.
* Callertunes: Rs.15/month
* Picture quiz: Rs 5 / story
* Trivia: Rs 10 for a bank of 10 trivia
* Quotes: Rs 10 for a bank of 10 quotes
* Rich Alerts: Rs 30 / month
* Comic subscription: Rs 30 / month
* Wallpapers: Rs 10
* Themes: Rs 15
* Videos: Rs 5 / download
* Ringtones: Rs 15, Rs 20 and Rs 25
* Games: Rs 50 and Rs 99



Though the service is quite appealing to people who would like to experience the whole feel of ACK on their mobile using Vodafone, all of the options on offer are overpriced. It might be only worth one download or view.

BlackBerry Personal Mail service plan by Airtel

Specifically for India, Airtel and Blackberry makers, RIM have announced a new plan. The plan known as BlackBerry Personal Mail service plan offers Airtel Blackberry users unlimited email and instant messaging services for just Rs. 499.

Anyhow, before getting into any conclusions, lets get it clear again – its “Unlimited email and instant messaging”. In other words, you don’t have unlimited internet browsing but only IM and push email service.



Features:

Users can configure up to 10 POP/IMAP email accounts including free services like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail etc.
There is no quota on BlackBerry Personal Mail. All emails are automatically deleted after 30 days (that’s from the Blackberry servers).
IM services include Yahoo!, Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger

Blackberry is all about push emails and I think if the user is looking for emails on the go, this is the thing to go for.

Flexi 224 CUG by Airtel

Airtel prepaid users can change their own number to postpaid connection without paying any service charges. There are many schemes available in Airtel postpaid options.

The best plan is flexi 224 CUG. It can be availed by paying a rental of RS.199 monthly. The features of the above mentioned plan is that 300 local mobile calls are free for every month and 200 SMS per month is also free.



Frequent users needn't worry and just have to recharge with 60RS booster and
enjoy sending 22,000 local SMS per month. One can form as a new network and enjoy talking with same plan users free of cost . If you are interested in this plan just contact Airtel they will tell you the details to join this plan.

SMS Dhamaka by Airtel

Airtel has yet again cheered the subscribers in Delhi & NCR region. They have announced an SMS Dhamaka pack for the prepaid users that helps them to reduce their monthly SMS tariff. There are basically five options starting with just Rs. 13 and going up to Rs. 112.

Packs:
Rs. 13 - 30 SMS free (Local)
Rs. 42 - 100 SMS free (Local & National)
Rs. 46 - 200 SMS free (Local)
Rs. 94 - 250 SMS free (Local & National)
Rs. 112 - 1112 SMS free (Local)
All the packs come with a validity of 30 days and are applicable to lifetime as well as non-lifetime customers. Enjoy with Airtel!

3G jadoo service launched by MTNL

MTNL finally becomes the first operator in India to launch commercial 3G services in the Delhi region. Anyhow, having the first provider advantage, MTNL is trying to cash in by setting the price a bit higher which would deprive many from enjoying the 3G advantages. Remember, 3G network operates on a totally different band and provides faster data speeds as well as a good voice quality.



Tariff:
Activation charge: Rs.500 + service tax
Fixed charges: Rs.599/- per month
Voice call to own network: Rs.0.60 per minute
Calls to other network: Rs. 1.00 per minute
Video call own network: Rs.1.80 per minute
Video call other network: Rs. 3.00 per minute
STD/ISD: As per Budget pln
STD video call: Rs.3.75 per minute
ISD video call: Rs. 30/- per minute
Local/STD/ISD SMS: As per Budget plan
Data @ GPRS/3G/UMTS/HSDPA usage rate: Rs.5/- per MB
Data @ HSDPA monthly service charges: Rs.149/-
MMS: Rs.3/-
HSDPA card (Optional): Rs.5000/-

Local National SMS Pack by Airtel Delhi

Airtel Delhi has come up with an exciting offer for SMS packs. Recharge with Rs 94 and get 250 local+National SMS free valid for 30 days.
This offer is available to all Lifetime and Non Lifetime customers.



Customers can also request for activations by sending SUB94 to 170(Toll free).
The request will then be processed within 48-72 hours.
A very exciting pack for Airtel customers who text a lot.

Post-Paid Mobile Plans

Before buying the first prepaid or postpaid plan for yourself, or a family member, it’s better to first find out about the different cell phone plans available. The best way to rate exactly what kind of plan you should have is to think about how much you’ll be making calls on your mobile phone.
You also need to monitor the time (minutes) that you often make calls. This is because most cell phone plans will be limited to ‘anytime’ minutes which mean that you can make limited calls during peak hours.

When looking at cell phone plans, you will also want to consider the amount of coverage you will get. It is important to know whether the prepaid or postpaid plan that you’re signing up for is local, regional or for nationwide coverage. If you do not travel a lot, then it doesn’t matter. But if you do, then it’s important to know what you’re getting into or you could find yourself paying a high price for ‘roaming’ charges. Take note that the cell phone plans with the best values are the ones that include free long distance calls.
A family plan is also an option when shopping for a cell phone plan. It allows you to share your monthly airtime allowance with additional lines. What’s great about postpaid packages like these is that you’ll be able to make free inter-network calling so you won’t have to pay to talk to your family members.
Find out if a Prepaid or Postpaid Plan is the right one for you
The latest Aircel LIFETIME POSTPAID - Freedom Plan is such good plan. It offers Lifetime Rental Free. According to this plan,there is no rental for your Aircel Postpaid Connection. A One time fee of Rs. 999 should be paid (Exclusive of all Taxes), Rs.25 of Bill Plan Charges will be deducted.
Plus 100 Minutes Aircel to Aircel free one time.

Another plan is from the company Vodafone, which is one of the leading companies in the field of telecommunications.

TALK 249 BUMPER PLAN:
Benefits of this plan:
1) 350 mins FREE for local M2M every mth.
2) Caller id service: 49rs./mth is absolutely FREE
LOCAL: M2M @ 0.30 paisa/min. and on landline @ 0.50 paisa/min.
STD: Voda 2 Voda @ 1/min and Voda 2 others @ 1.50 paisa.
SMS: Local@ 0.50 paisa, STD @ 1.50 and ISD @ 5

Similarly there are many more plans launched which are quite attractive and will suit your budget. Names of some other postpaid plans are:
TALK 175 MORE PLAN
TALK 222 PLAN
TALK 333 PLAN
TALK 499 PLAN
I sincerely hope you find the right plan for you.

J&K to get 3G services by BSNL

As March approaches, Jammu and Kashmir is going to witness the launch of 3G services by the public telecom provider BSNL. BSNL is ready to launch the much anticipated service in J&K. Anyhow, the circle doesn't seem to be very attractive, and hence we don’t see many subscribers for the service. Moreover, BSNL looks less concerned and has set the third month of the year as the official date for launching of the serives.

100 % refund on handset offer by Tata Indicom

Tata Indicom has announced a new scheme to attract postpaid customers across Maharashtra & Goa region. A 100% refund on the handset will be given to the customers if they are unsatisfied with the service. The three devices included in the scheme are Samsung Super Hero (Rs. 1,800), Radio phone (Rs. 1,800) and Motorola W212 (Rs. 1,200).



The devices bought under this scheme will be given with the Great Value 199 plan. The details are as follows:

Rent: Rs. 199
Free: 300 minutes of local calls and 200 SMS per month
Local Calls: Mobile – T2T: 30 paise; Others: 50 paise
STD: Rs. 1.5
SMS: Local and National: 50 paise; International – Rs. 5
Landline – Re. 1

Looks like Tata Indicom is trying something very different. Innovative is what I have to say.

Update on 3G by MTNL

MTNL shortly announced the commercial launching of the 3G services in Delhi. This would happen in a period of 10 days - close to the end of the month. Anyhow, Mumbai users would have to wait for around two weeks till they get the same. It’s Mumbai launch is currently planned in the first week of February.

3G spectrum auction clueless

After extending the dates of the 3G spectrum auction twice, the government still has no time-line for executing the process to introduce this high tech mobile service in the country.

"We don't have a timeline (the fresh date for 3G spectrum auction), the cabinet note for the process is being sent. I cannot comment on the time or the price for bidding," telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura said at an ICRIER event here.



The government is looking at re-planning on the current spectrum policy thereby making sure of efficient management of the radio wave.

The 3G spectrum auction process has not been able to start because finance ministry wanted to double the 3G reserve price of all India 3G license from Rs 2,020 to Rs 4,040 crores.



In view of the finance ministry suggestion, the DoT had to refer the matter to the Cabinet Committee of economic affairs for a clearer view before deciding on the 3G spectrum price.

The second 3G spectrum auction was scheduled on January 30, which has been postponed cluelessly now.

Non-IMEI phones to be blocked after 15th of April

A lot of cell phones are being used in the country without an IMEI number. Connectivity to such cellphones was intended to be blocked by telecom operators, as instructed by the telecom authorities. DoT has now tightened their reins by its decision of lieving a fine on a fortnightly basis on operators failing to do their duty by getting a proper phone with an IMEI number.



Telcos were trying to evade this by providing a software which could generate the IMEI number for them. However, this has been strictly termed null thereby not allowing it. Now the new deadline, before which the operators are supposed to do the needful, has been set as 15th of April.

Prepaid likely to be banned in J&k and more

As February approaches, telecommunication users from J&K and some other areas, mainly from the North Eastern belt, may have to switch to postpaid connections, as the telecommunication regulator along with the defense ministry is contemplating a ban on prepaid connections in those areas.

The debate would decide the fate for almost a million users, who already use prepaid connections in these areas. According to sources, this number could rise upto 8-9 million since the areas account for about 10 million mobile users. The ministry had established a deadline, which falls in the middle of next month and might be extended for a while till a collective decision isn’t put forth by the authorities.

GSM in Srilanka by Airtel

Airtel has lately launched its overhanging GSM services in the Sri Lanka. The service will be given by Airtel’s subsidiary, Bharti Airtel Lanka Pvt Ltd whereas the network will be managed by Huawei and IBM as a partner to manage the infrastructure.



Airtel is making its presence known in the region. To promote the service, they are giving free SIM cards to people in there from Jan 12 till Jan 25. Anyhow, the user needs to activate the card by recharging it with a Rs. 100 coupon.