Samsung Mobile has announced the launch of its latest “outdoor” mobile phone in India – the Samsung Marine B2100. As evident by its name, the phone is a rough and tough device designed to withstand rough handling and even possesses decent water resistant capabilities. Samsung also claims the phone to be the first of kind in India, thereby virtually creating an entirely new segment in the highly competitive mobile phones market.
Leading mobile phone manufacturers like Nokia, Apple and Research in Motion (RIM) are in the process of rolling out localised versions of their application stores in India. These vendors are also betting big on Indian developers to set up a mobile phone apps development ecosystem in the country.
Vendors feel apps will be the next big revenue opportunity for them in India, after US and Europe. The desi version will have a slew of apps which are customised for the Indian market. ‘Application store’ in industry parlance is all about mobile phone apps which consumers can buy and download on their handsets.
DoT has almost run out of numbers that begin with 9
The number of mobile phone subscribers in India is certainly humongous; one can safely say so as the Department of Telecom , or DoT, has almost run out of numbers that begin with ‘9′!
So, soon enough, you’ll have numbers that begin with the digit 8. According to ToI, 10 crore new numbers will be introduced, out of which approximately half will be allotted to companies.
Offer valid in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh on purchase of new postpaid connection.
VIP Numbers have been a rage among Indians, and some fanatics have even shelled out a lot of money just to get a fancy mobile phone number. However, now Vodafone customers in some parts of the country will be able to avail such VIP numbers for free!
Telecom regulator Trai on Tuesday unveiled draft regulations for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP), a facility that will allow consumers to change their telecom operator, but retain their phone number. The government had earlier said it would kick off MNP in metros and some states on September 20.
Trai has proposed that new mobile users be permitted to change their operators only after 90 days of signing up with their first service provider. It has also recommended that after changing their operator, consumers need to stay with the new telco for a minimum of 90 days.
The Chairman of India’s Bharti Airtel said on Monday the group was not working on sweetening the deal for Africa’s biggest mobile operator MTN Group, but did not rule it out. Sunil Mittal also told Reuters the group had not yet held talks with the Indian or South African governments about the proposed merger.
“I’m sure that when we approach them (the governments) in the appropriate time we will get a very good response,” Bharti Airtel’s Chairman Mittal said on the sidelines of the Global Leadership Summit in London. MTN and Bharti, India’s leading cellular firm, have revived talks aimed at creating the world’s third-biggest wireless group with more than 200 million subscribers and combined revenue of $20 billion.
Cell phones are available in combinations with .MP3 players, digital cameras, audio and video recorders, and mobile computers. Now it looks like Sony is once again considering combining a cell phone with its Playstation PSP portable gaming console.
Reuters on Monday reported that the Nikkei business daily on Saturday wrote that Sony is considering a hybrid cell phone-gaming device to compete with Apple’s iPod and iPhone.
As it battles falling revenues and profits, state-run telecom major BSNL is contemplating inducting a foreign strategic partner, a move that will enable the company get a better valuation than from an IPO or disinvestment.
“A strategic partner will be a better option…provided the government is favorable to that idea,” a source, working closely on the listing of the PSU and involved in negotiations with the employees’ unions, said.
BK Modi group firm Spice Mobiles today launched a Windows-enabled dual-SIM handset ‘Spice D-1111′ priced at Rs 18,499.
The handset is based on Windows Mobile 6.0 platform and is equipped with a two-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth, Spice Mobiles said in a statement. With an expandable memory of up to 2GB, the handset also has embedded value-added services like Nimbuzz, Reuters, Mitr and Opera Mini, it added.
Reliance Communications has launched ‘Yuva Pack’ for its Reliance Mobile GSM customers on first recharge in Karnataka.
The Yuva Pack includes 100 minutes of STD talktime valid for 30 days and 100 SMS everyday for 90 days.
The pack priced at Rs. 201 and is being targeted at the large student community in Karnataka. Packaged according to the needs and usage pattern of the youth, this pack provides a talk time of Rs. 20 besides other benefits in a single offering. ‘Yuva Pack’ can be loaded after subscribing to the GSM service with an entry of Rs. 49.
