Airtel, Aircel to launch iPhone 4 today

Airtel and Aircel are in a race it seems, both announced that they will launch iPhone 4 almost simultaneously, both have the same launch date, and now they have announced a very similar plan.

Airtel and Aircel will launch the famed Apple iPhone 4 today in India, which has been priced at Rs 34,500 and Rs 40,900 for the 16GB and 32GB versions respectively. 

Aircel, which made the announcement of the launch a little earlier than Airtel, will be offering 100 per cent value back to its iPhone users though two plans. Aircel postpaid customers can avail up to 100 per cent of the value of the iPhone 4 as talktime and data spread over a time period of 24 months. 

Top five 3G service providers in India

Although the race is far from over, current subscriber numbers indicate close competition among 3G service providers. Current standings are: BSNL, Airtel, Reliance, Docomo and Idea, in that order.

It has been just six months since 3G services were launched by private players in the country and the installation process is not even complete with many major towns yet to be covered by 3G networks. Yet, subscriber numbers already show decent uptake with more than 13 million people already using third generation telephony services. 

Public sector units like BSNL and MTNL, which got 3G spectrum licenses a year ahead of private players and have been offering services for as long, failed to get many takers, which raised doubts as to whether 3G would be accepted by the masses. 

iPhone4 free with Aircel connection!

Now get iPhone 4 with an Aircel connection and get free calling and data worth the price of the iPhone 4 over a period of 24 months.

Aircel, a 3G service provider in the country, has announced that it will launch the Apple iPhone 4 in India on May 27. The iPhone 4 has been a price tag of Rs 34,500 for 16 GB model, and Rs 40,900 for 32GB model.

Aircel postpaid customers can avail up to 100 per cent of the value of the iPhone4 as talktime and data spread over a time period of 24 months. 

We will improve customer experience: MTNL

MTNL is planning to outsource its customer care and marketing operations to improve customer experience. The company is also in the process of signing a roaming agreement with Tata Docomo and Aircel for this.

MTNL,GSM service provider in Delhi and Mumbai, is planning to take the outsourcing route to improve customer care and marketing. 

Admitting that MTNL lacks quality customer care, Kuldeep Singh, the chief managing director of the company, said, "We are focused to improve customers' experience with us. We are planning to create a separate arm to look after our marketing and customer care, which will in turn look towards outsourcing of these services." 

iPhone 4 Indian Launch On 27th May At An Unbelievably Low Price ?

As cellular providers – Aircel & Airtel already confirmed the launch of iPhone in India very soon, we are still predicting about the launch date which could match with these words. Some of the solid sources have already inquired us that the iPhone 4 will land in India at an unbelievably low price. Does that mean sub 30k ? We already know that iPhone 3G S and 3G hit the Indian market with a price tag of above 30k and people really astonished when it crossed their expectations due to low prices in US. However, the doubts were cleared after the concept of contract from AT&T came into existence. 

iPhone4 coming to India courtesy Airtel, Aircel

Last month Airtel and Aircel announced that they will launch iPhone4 in India, and now they have started a registration process for the consumers.

Aircel and Airtel will be the first operators to bring the Apple iPhone4 to India, who have started the registration process through their respective websites to keep potential buyers informed about the arrival of the handset.

However, no launch date or special pack has been announced for this launch yet. iPhone 4 is the latest version of Apple iPhone and comes with features like Apple's stunning Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone and FaceTime for video calling. It was launched in the USA in June last year.

Aircel promotes Hindi film ZNMD through mobile

Aircel subscribers will be able to access two-three minute promos of the Hindi movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) on their mobile devices.

Excel Productions' Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), starring Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin, had its first promo (film's teaser) on Aircel networks and online. Subscribers of Aircel will be able to access two-three minute promos of the film on their mobile devices.

Till now first promos are held in film theatres or TV but given the fact that there are 800 million mobile users in the country, mobile is becoming a medium of choice for consuming entertainment services, and so also a choice for its distribution.

Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment, which is co-producing the film with Farhan Akhtar, is confident of generating viewer interest. 

"We are breaking the rules by prioritising our theatrical launch on a medium like web and mobile, which is where people consume content nowadays," he adds.

While internet has become a medium of choice for some time now, with producers of films like Dev-D, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Emotional Attyachar spending a lot of effort on the internet as a medium. For mobile, it's the first and this trend is likely to catch on.

Aircel rolls out 3G in Jammu

After a successfully launching its 3G Services in Srinagar, Aircel Thursday rolled out the services in Jammu.Hub Business Head Gurmeet Makkar and Circle Operations Head Harvinder Pal Singh kicked off the much awaited services at an impressive function in Jammu.

Hub business head said that 3G is going to propel the internet penetration in the state and this facility can be used by people belonging to various shades of life.

“3G tariffs would be quite economical and these can up go up with the class of people. Fast internet, high-speed data transfer, multiplayer gaming, entertainment, Live TV, Video Calling and maximum download facility are some of the key features of our 3G service. All this would be available to our subscribers in Jammu. We have got license to run the 2G service in 22 circles and broadband wireless access in 8 circles,” said Makkar.

State Wise 3G Licenses in India

India is now 3G..Switch to 3G..get Super-fast Speed, Be Super, Start 3G Life and Many more are now each home via digital Media as print and News media are full of 3G Buzz now days to attract customers to own network and subscribe for 3G Services. But before getting 3G Services lets explore the 3G World that what are possibilities of 3G services with your operators and where they offer services as none of them have 3G Licenses to more than 13 except BSNL. 3G GSM Service licence bid touches Rs. 16,751 crore which ensures the Government of India a revenue of Rs. 67,719 crore. No single bidder bid for a pan-India 3G license so state operator BSNL would be remain the biggest 3G operator in India. Here are state wise operators having 3G Licenses in India.

Network crash points to Airtel system loopholes

The failure of Bharti Airtel’s network on Thursday— it crashed for several hours without notice leaving 8 million consumers helpless — has raised two fundamental issues. One, whether the launch of 3G value-added services is adversely affecting primary services. And two, whether India’s largest telecom company has over-outsourced its equipment and management to vendors.

The company did not give any reason for failure of its network. “An unforeseen technical outage had affected services on some of our circuits,” a Bharti spokesperson said. “As a result some of Airtel Delhi mobile subscribers have experienced connectivity issues.”

But the issues could be larger. “The network architecture has become very complex after the launch of 3G services,” said a former CTO of a large telecom company. “That’s why calls drop frequently on networks that are offering 3G services.

The 3G network is overlayed over the existing 2G network and use the same core network.

“There are about 15 to 20 main switching centres (MSC) of Airtel in Delhi,” said the head of another telecom company. “Possibility is that due to some software glitch a few MSCs may have stopped working.

It could also be the firm’s aggressive outsourcing model. When a company outsources its entire technology to outside vendors, it does not have control over it in crisis situations.

While Bharti was the first company to outsource its network management and IT to vendors, other private operators have followed suit.

Citing that all its officials were busy in internal meetings, the company refused to comment.

“The problem is that the Indian companies do not have enough technical expertise to monitor the outsource activities,” said a former CMD of a government-owned telecom service provider.

Rumor: iPhone 4 Launch in India on May 12

Last month, two Indian Mobile Operators - Airtel and Aircel promised to introduce Apple iPhone 4 "in coming months" for India. As per the recent rumors from "insider sources", Indians can expect to see iPhone 4 in Black as well as White colors on May 12. There's no official confirmation on this information and hence we take this information with a grain of salt.

Officially, Airtel and Aircel would be introducing  iPhone 4 for India which would be available as both carrier locked and unlocked, hopefully. Apparently, Airtel has starting registration for iPhone 4. So far, from the details what we could infer from a Twitter update by user named Sunny Chahal. Further he added that the information was limited only to GSM handsets and no word was out on CDMA version of iPhone 4.

We contacted Apple spokesperson about the same and await official word on this update

Improved mobile positioning services now available for Indian 2G and 3G subscribers

Subscribers of the Indian operator Aircel are now able to use real time tracking, navigation information and information services while on the move. The operator selected Ericsson to provide mobile positioning systems for its 2G and 3G customers, marking the Swedish vendor’s first contract managing the location-based services platform in a multi-vendor core network environment.

Ericsson Mobile Positioning Systems (MPS) will offer advanced Location Based Services (LBS) to Aircel subscribers and can support several positioning alternatives for GSM and WCDMA. These range from network-based methods with cell accuracy aimed for all terminals to more accurate terminal-based methods using GPS positioning.

The WCDMA positioning method - Cell ID with round-trip time measurement – enables improved positioning accuracy for 3G and 2G phones, and the solution can be easily upgraded. A web-based survey conducted by Ericsson Consumer Lab in India revealed that the services most in demand are Family Finder (48%) and Navigation (52%).

Mallikarjun Rao, Chief Technology Officer Aircel, said: "There is huge potential in offering this value-added service to our consumers. Most Indians spend on average 90 minutes per day on the roads; location-based services will definitely increase efficiency and enhance the quality of their life.”

Amarjeet Singh, Vice President & Customer Unit Head for Aircel, Ericsson India, says: "The advanced location based intelligent service will not only provide information pertaining to a particular area but also be an invaluable analytical tool for addressing issues such as public safety and security, health care, emergency services, and so on."

As part of this three-year contract for supply and support, Ericsson will supply its Mobile Positioning Centre (GMPC and SMPC) and features that support various applications to Aircel.

Enjoy location based services on Aircel without a GPS enabled handset

Aircel subscribers will be able to use the service to find nearby restaurants or gyms, find the fastest route home, or keep track of children or the elderly with a tracking service.

Aircel plans to offer its 2G and 3G subscribers better location based services and to get real time tracking, navigation information and information services while on the move, without the need to buy a GPS enabled phone from next month.

Aircel, has selected Ericsson to provide the mobile positioning systems for its subscribers. Through these services subscribers will be able to find nearby restaurants or gyms, the fastest route home, or keep track of children or the elderly with a tracking service. Enterprises could also use the services for effective resource management.

Mallikarjun Rao, chief technology officer, Aircel, said "There is huge potential in offering this value- added service to our consumers. Most Indians spend on average 90 minutes per day on the roads; location-based services will definitely increase efficiency and enhance the quality of their life."

Ericsson's Mobile Positioning Systems (MPS) will offer advanced Location Based Services (LBS) to Aircel subscribers and can support several positioning alternatives for GSM and WCDMA(3G). This ranges from network-based methods (using cell tower based information), which will be available to all users, to more accurate terminal-based methods (in phone/device capablity) using GPS positioning for people with GPS enabled phones.

Aircel already offers 'pocketfinder' service which helps users find places of interest nearby such as petrol pumps, ATMs, hospitals, restaurants etc. However, with this new deployment these services will be expanded and their accuracy improved.

India has only 500 mn mobile users, not 800 mn

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The number of real, active mobile users in India has just crossed 500 million, according to a analysis of statistics released by telecom regulator TRAI along with industry data and inputs. This is much lower than the 811.59 million that is projected as the official number of mobile subscribers in March 2011, says a study.

According to Voice&Data, the Indian telecom Industry journal from South Asia’s largest specialty publisher, CyberMedia, the actual numbers are much below this projection. The study is based on the April 6 release of TRAI, which gave details about the cellphone connections in the country in February 2011.

A footnote tells the actual story

Voice&Data said a footnote in the April 6 release provides the first caveat: “Active wireless subscribers in VLR in February 2011 are 563 million”, pointing to the fact that the actual number of mobile users in India is below the 810 million or even the 791 million mark.

The VLR, or Visitor Location Register, is a database of the subscribers who have roamed into the jurisdiction of the mobile switching center (MSC) which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by only one VLR, hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.

3G Launch in India – Analysis of Services Rollout and Key Players Strategies

3G services have been launched by all the carriers (except STel) in India with multiple services and various sachet & usage-based tariff plans, with varying uptake. Globally, 3G services have been available for a long time (almost ten years in Japan). Carriers in various international markets have adopted different strategies while launching 3G services. While carriers in developed markets primarily focused on enterprise customers, carriers in developing markets (launching 3G relatively later) targeted retail consumers and offered the high speed wireless technology as a potential broadband option to the consumers.

Indian carriers (especially incumbent carriers) currently face multiple structural challenges such as congested networks and limited available spectrum (5MHz) to offer 3G enabled data optimized services at launch. Also, carriers’ “walled garden” approach to value added services and prevalent piracy and Indian consumers’ lack of willingness to pay for such services pose a huge challenge for immediate uptake of 3G services. However, once the 3G device prices decrease and the tariffs stabilize in the first two years, Knowledgefaber believes that the 3G uptake will rise in 2013 and reach over 90 million by March 2014.

Ericsson to offer location based service to Aircel

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Networking solutions vendor Ericsson will provide mobile positioning systems for telecom service provider Aircel's 2G and 3G subscribers.

As part of this three-year contract for supply and support, Ericsson will supply its Mobile Positioning Centre (GMPC and SMPC) and features that support various applications to Aircel.  

Ericsson Mobile Positioning Systems (MPS) will offer location based services (LBS) to Aircel subscribers and can support several positioning alternatives for GSM and WCDMA.

That ranges from network-based methods with cell accuracy aimed for all terminals, to more accurate terminal-based methods using GPS positioning.

The WCDMA positioning method - Cell ID with  round-trip time measurement -  will improve the positioning accuracy for 3G and 2G phones.

Mallikarjun Rao, CTO Aircel, said: “There is huge potential in offering this value- added service to our consumers. Most Indians spend on average 90 minutes per day on the roads; location-based services will definitely increase efficiency and enhance the quality of their life.  Our belief in Ericsson technological superiority and their unparallel support gives us the confidence to provide superior services to our customers.”

Amarjeet Singh, VP & customer unit head for Aircel, Ericsson India, says: “The advanced location based intelligent service will not only provide information pertaining to a particular area but also be an invaluable analytical tool for addressing issues such as public safety and security, health care, emergency services, and so on.”

Starting this July, Aircel subscribers will be able to use the service.

Mobile phone subscribers in India rises to 811.59 million

India’s mobile phone subscribers base has touched 811.59 million in March with the addition of 20.21 million connections, official data shows.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the wireless user base grew 2.55 percent, from 791.38 million in February.

While the share of urban subscribers declined to 66.30 percent from 66.36 percent, the share of rural subscribers increased from 33.64 percent to 33.70 percent, the report said Friday.

With this, the total number of telephone subscriber base touched 846.32 million, registering a growth of 2.43 percent.

Overall teledensity in India reached 70.89.

However, according to the report, of the total 811.59 million wireless subscribers in March, only 573.97 million subscribers were active subscribers on the date of peak visitor location register (VLR).

VLR is a temporary database of the subscribers who have roamed into the particular area, which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by exactly one VLR, hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.

The growth in this category was led by Vodafone, which added 3.65 million users to take its subscriber base to 134.57 million users.

Reliance Communications followed next with an addition of 3.54 million new subscribers, taking its subscriber base to 135.72 million.

Telecom giant Bharti airtel added 3.2 million subscribers to take its total number of customers to 162.2 million.

Idea Cellular added 2.7 million subscribers, increasing its subscribers count to 89.5 million while Uninor added 1.21 million subscribers to have 22.79 million subscribers.

According to the data, the broadband subscriber base grew 3.51 percent from 11.47 million in February to 11.87 million in March 2011. However, the wireline segment declined marginally from 34.87 million in February to 34.73 million at the end of March. 

Aircel launched 3G services in Punjab starting with 31 cities

All the GSM providers are in a race to provide best 2G and 3G services to the customers and are doing best possible effort to lead in the competition. It is the fourth player in Punjab to offer 3G services after BSNL, Reliance and Tata Docomo.  Aircel one of the leading GSM service providers has planned to invest Rs. 200 crore more in Punjab by 2012 in order to strengthen its network. Company has already invested Rs. 800 crore to give better 2G and 3G services in the state.

Aircel launched 3G services in Punjab, which will be available in 31 cities initially. Punjab has the maximum numbers of connection and users and thus has an immense scope for any telecom provider to get good subscription from this area. The state has seven GSM players Airtel, BSNL, Idea, Vodafone, Tata Docomo, Reliance and Videocon.
The company has plans to set up about 1,000 cell cites in the state, which will take the total number to 3,000 by the end of next year. While looking at the scope available Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh said, “We are excited about 3G, the youth comprise over 50 per cent of the country’s population and are among active internet users. The launch of 3G services on Aircel will address the high speed digital needs of the consumers. In Punjab we expect that 10-15 per cent of our total subscribers will shift to 3G platform.”

With the demand for 3G service is increasing day by day and all handsets being launched are 3G enabled so their proper usage could only be possible with an active 3G connection. Aircel 3G service will definitely get a good response as the company expects over 100 million subscribers in next few years.