Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) Reduced; Will Mobile Call Charges Come Down Further?

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) today announced the revised interconnection usage charges (IUC) for domestic calls and slightly increased them for incoming international calls. To be more specific, the domestic IUC has been reduced to about 33% approximately and IUC for international calls has been increased to 40 paise instead of 30 paise presently. 

Also, according to reports, it has been made clear that the reduction in domestic IUC would be affective for all types of calls such as Fixed to fixed, mobile to fixed, and fixed to mobile. And the above changes would be made effective 1st of April onwards.

For those who don’t know what exactly is Interconnection usage charges, it is the charge levied by the telecom company to whom a call is being terminated to. For example a call is being made by a Vodafone customer to Airtel customer, then Vodafone will have to pay some amount of IUC (as fixed by TRAI) to Airtel .

In the previous years, as and when there were changes in the IUC, the call tariff by the mobile phone operators also affected accordingly. According to TRAI, even this time, it expects this initiative to reduce domestic call charges in India as domestic IUC has been reduced to about 33 percent.  Hope this step by Indian Telecom watch dog (TRAI) will bring down domestic call tariffs (specially in mobile phones).

Via

India the Preferred Mobile Destination

Be it tourism, finance, economy, or newest technology, India is now the most preferred destination for all activities. India is now abuzz with activity and yes the world has finally understood its true potential. Well this is certainly why nokia has launched the Nokia E71 and the Nokia 6220 classic here, first amongst several markets. Nokia said India is an emerging market has the largest base for its handset markets. Moreover it’s a strategic move to take on a nearly close yet far rival Samsung.

Nokia E71 retails for 19500 INR and Nokia 6220 Classic retails for 17500 INR.

more info on E71 and 6220 classic follows

Christmas will be merry for Farmers…Mobile Phone in 500 bucks!!!

We all know that recently mobile prices have come down to an extent that a common man can also easily afford it. Even an auto wala and vegetable vendor keeps a mobile phone and this actually is good because according to me technology should benefit people from all strata of the society. Continue reading “Christmas will be merry for Farmers…Mobile Phone in 500 bucks!!!”

Nokia opens its design studio in India

Nokia has partnered with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, India for the first of its kind design studio in India.Nokia has picked India as a starting point for a series of satellite design studios it plans to establish in design hot spots around the world, signaling the increasing impact the country is having on the development of mobile phones. Established via a two year partnership with the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, it will give Nokia designers and India’s talented young designers the opportunity to work together on new design ideas for India and the global markets.

Alastair Curtis, Nokia’s Chief Designer and Ms. Geetha Narayanan, Founder & Director, Srishti has issued a joint press release today.

Looks like Nokia wants to do some serious research on designing handsets for the Indian user.

Feel happy the Indian Mobile User is given importance.

http://srishti.ac.in/

Nokia N81 looks likely

nokia_n81.jpgThe Device profile of yet another phone has been spotted on Nokia’s Developer forum. This time its the Nokia N81

Its a 8 GB slider phone  and is a sequel to the N91 8 Gb edition.

Specs

  • 8GB Internal Memory
  • Over 12 Hrs of Music Playback
  • 3G, Video Calling
  • Dual Camera
  • Slide form factor

The phone if not a rumor is expected to be launched in Q4 2007

UAProfile 

Hutch logo will be replaced by Vodafone soon

We had hinted earlier the Hutch might change colors again in What will Vodafone do with Hutch

Looks like Vodafone wants to spread its brand image in India soon. So its going to be the the Battle of the Reds (Vodafone vs Airtel) as Hutch and Airtel are the largest mobile operators in India. Hutch has always been seen as an elite brand in the country as it is present only in a few circles.  Vodafone is known for its Premium services around the world. Vodafone cannot use the same global pricing strategy in India for sure due to the nature of the market here. Lets wait and watch Till then it may may bid good bye to the Hutch Pug

Apple iPhone might be available in India soon

Reliance Retail is trying hard to launch India’s first Apple store.

No official confirmation from both sides yet but looks like talks are on.

Recently HCL and Wipro have started in their quest to bring the Iphone to India.

HCL is already a nationwide distributor for Nokia.

So its time to start saving for the iPhone

via [Fin Exp] and [TOI]

Sony Ericsson to set R&D unit for mobile phones in Chennai

After Nokia its Sony Ericsson which is going to be making handsets in this city of Chennai. The Indian mobile market is currently on a upward trend and there are so many handset brands available.

The Chennai research and development unit will be headed by Anders Grynge, who was previously based at the Sony Ericsson R&D centre in Sweden. The new facility will become part of Sony Ericsson’s global network of R&D units which currently comprises sites in China, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US and the UK.

via [Business Standard]

Press Release

New Delhi, India, 19 June 2007 – Sony Ericsson today announced that it is establishing a research and development unit for mobile phones in Chennai, India. The move follows closely on the company’s January announcement of sourcing local manufacture of phones in Chennai with EMS partners Flextronics and Foxconn; with a production target of 10 million units by 2009. Today’s announcement is part of Sony Ericsson’s global strategy to strengthen its capabilities within the world’s fastest growing telecommunications market and generate the growth required to reach a top three position in the global handset market.

Nokia 8600 Luna announced

nokia-8600-luna-1.jpgThe successor to the Nokia 8800 has finally arrived. Aimed to target the luxury phone market, the 8600 Luna has been named so after the Roman god of Moonlight. The body is made of glass and stainless steel similar to the Nokia 880 and the 8800 Sirocco.

Features

  • 2 Megapixel Camera
  • 16 Million colors QVGA Display
  • FM Radio
  • Stereo Bluetooth
  • microUSB

What’s Missing

  • Memory Card Slot
  • Wi-fi

The expected price of this handset is about Rs.40000-45000 similar to the 8800 and Sirocco (700 EUR)

Mobile Blogging Guide

Mobile Blogging – You might have heard about this term. I spoke about this topic at Mobile Blogging BlogCamp.In back in September last year.

Methods

  • WAP / XHTML
  • SMS
  • Using a 3rd party Application

Blogging using WAP / XHTML over GPRS / EDGE

In this method we will take wordpress.com for example

Login to m.wordpress.com and you would see the screen below

moblo1.jpg

Type the content of you blogpost here.

moblo2.jpg

Hit publish on your phone and this is what you will see on your PC.Do you notice that the new post is not top ?

moblo3.jpg

Blogging via SMS

This is a costly solution but there are many providers like Reliance for instance which offer blogging via SMS.

You send a SMS to a predefined  number with the post contents and it gets published to your blog.

Using a 3rd party Application

Shozu is a application which is currently free which lets you upload phones / videos to flickr or Youtube

Litefeeds is a free Mobile RSS reader which has blogging support.

Forum Nokia Open C Roadshow comes to Chennai

Great news for Mobile Developers in and around chennai.

Nokia is starting of its Open C Events in the Country.

If you are wondering what Open C is about but are interested to find out, then head to the venue.
Venue

Le Royal Meridien
1 GST Road,
St. Thomas Mount,
Chennai – 600 016,
Tamil Nadu,
India.

Date 24th April 2007, Tuesday
Time 09:00 – 17:25

Register Now

Mobile phone theft whom to blame?

Mobile phone theft whom to blame?

Mobile phone theft is on the rise in India.

A huge section of India’s working population use public transport.
IT, Call center jobs have lead to an increase in purchasing power.
Low Cost handsets have also lead to an increase in mobile phone users.

In a country of vast geographical distribution, the mobile phone has
transformed from being a luxury to a bare necessity. Cell phones have
become so common and theft also has risen dramatically over the past 2
years.

Major locations where theft occurs are railway stations, bus
stops, traffic signals, pathways Motorists who use their mobile when
driving might not only be risking their lives but also be a potential
target for the culprits. Of late there have been too many incidences of
bikers being robbed on roadways.

Insurance Cos had stopped offering Mobile Theft Insurance due to a
large number of false claims.

When you loose your mobile phone, more than anything it’s the personal
information that really matters.

Some pointers to avoid mobile theft

* Avoid using your mobile phone in heavily crowded areas
* Avoid using your mobile phone in public transport
* Avoid lending your mobile phone to strangers who might try to trick you
* Don’t talk while driving
* Avoid leaving your handset in your vehicle
* Do not leave you phone unattended in any place, even at your home

Hutchison Essar rechristens as Vodafone Essar

Vodafone Essar will be the new name of the old Hutch venture in India. This move comes after Vodafone’s acquistion of HTIL.

Asim Ghosh, Hutchison Essar’s current chief executive, will be chairman and chief executive officer.

Arun Sarin will be the Vice Chairman.

Ravi Ruia will  non-executive chairman