Check CBSE class X results on mobile

Students who have appeared for their class X examination can get information about their result through IVR (interactive voice response) and SMS.

Every year during the month of May and June when the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declares the results of class 10 and 12 examinations, parents and students spend anxious moments checking different websites for results.

These results are declared in phases according to the various regions of CBSE, i.e. Delhi, Guwahati, Allahabad, Chennai, Ajmer and Panchkula. Class XII results were released recently and those of class X are expected any time now.

Vodafone rolls out 3G services in Kolkata

With internet speeds upto 21.1 Mbps, Vodafone 3G users can enjoy a host of services like video calling, fast internet, and mobile TV.

Vodafone Essar Ltd has rolled out its 3G services in Kolkata. 

With internet speeds upto 21.1 Mbps, Vodafone 3G users can enjoy a host of services like video calling, fast internet, and mobile TV.

Speaking on the occasion, Sridhar Rao, chief executive officer, Vodafone Essar East limited, said, "There are numerous avenues for the consumer to have faster access to entertainment, better fulfillment of their information needs and a smarter way to communicate, while on the go. We expect a strong uptake and high demand for these 3G Services and we welcome all our subscribers to faster, smarter, better world of Vodafone 3G."

Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone debuts in India

The Galaxy S2 is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and has a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) Plus display, which is better than the conventional AMOLED displays in terms of contrast ratio and colour reproduction.

Samsung Mobiles India today unveiled its latest creation, the Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone, which is the upgrade of Samsung Galaxy S announced last year. The phone will be hitting the markets next month and is priced at Rs 32,890 for the 16 GB version.

Although there are both 16GB and 32GB versions available internationally, but for reasons untold, the Galaxy S 2 will only be available in 16GB capacity in India. There is no official word from Samsung on the future availability of the 32 GB version.

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. 

11.1 mn new GSM subscribers added in April

Idea cellular was the biggest gainer adding 2.45 mn users into its kitty followed by Airtel with 2.41 mn additions.

Indian GSM telecom operators added 11.1 million subscribers to their kitty in April, according to the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI). 

However, the figure is lower than the March figure, when 14.49 million subscribers were added by the operators. With this, the total GSM subscriber base in the country has now climbed to 580.66 million. 

Mobile TV services in India

MTNL has recently launched a new mobile TV service that will be available along with its already existing service. We compare this new offer with others in the industry.

State-run MTNL, which provides mobile services in Delhi and Mumbai, has launched a MobileTV service in partnership with DigiVive. The service, called NexGTv, offers over 50 live channels ranging from entertainment, reality, news, religious to popular regional channels.

"The new service will also offer video-on-demand content, including clips from mythological TV shows like Mahabharat; and Hindi movies in 15 minute capsule form, or mobisodes. This service is available for both 2G as well as 3G users with compatible handsets," DigiVive said in a press statement. 

Bharti adds 2.4 mln Indian mobile subscribers in April-industry body

NEW DELHI, May 18 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel, India's top mobile carrier, added 2.41 million mobile subscribers in April, taking its total to 164.6 million, data from an industry body showed on Wednesday. 

Third-ranked Vodafone Essar, controlled by Vodafone, added 2.41 million mobile subscribers in April to have a total of about 137 million, the Cellular Operators Association of India said. 

Idea Cellular signed up 2.45 million mobile subscribers in April to have a total of about 92 million, while Telenor's India unit gained 1.45 million in April, boosting its total to 24.2 million.

Vodafone to launch Android phone for Rs 5,800 in Europe

Vodafone has announced that it will launch a Android 2.2 powered phone for 80 pounds (Rs 5800), the phone will be manufactured by Huawei and will feature specifications similar to Huawei ideos which is sold in India. Vodafone silent on India plans.

Vodafone has announced that it will launch an Android phone in Europe for just 80 Pounds (Rs 5,800). The phone, to be called as 858 Smart, will be based on Android Froyo 2.2 operating system with a 2.8 inch resistive touch screen.

Though there is no plan as of now to launch the phone in India, a company spokesperson did not rule out the possibility of the launch at a later date and said to The Mobile Indian "may be couple of months later we might launch it in India." 

The device will be launch in the UK, Germany and Italy first. It will come with regular features of Android such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Talk, Facebook and Twitter. It will additionally have Prepay Manager app for topping up prepaid accounts.

Nokia, Vodafone join hands to provide Life Tools services

Available for Rs 30 per month, Nokia Life Tools offers agriculture, education, healthcare and entertainment content to plug information gaps in rural and semi-urban markets.

Nokia and Vodafone has joined hands to launch Nokia Life Tools services targeted at providing Indian consumers with access to relevant content on agriculture, education, healthcare and entertainment. 

The Nokia Life Tools is customised for Vodafone to deliver Vodafone's entertainment services along with Life Tools suite of services. 

Speaking on the announcement, V Ramnath, director, operator channel, Nokia India, said, "Filling in the information gaps with Nokia Life Tools, we strive to contribute towards empowering people in the emerging markets with the right tools to help them make informed decisions in their daily lives." 

The agriculture services include personalised agri related information, weather updates, crop advisory and market prices of their produce. 

Vodafone Super Week 4 – Cricket Super Week

Vodafone Super Week continues to offers exciting freebies to its prepaid and postpaid customers. Today launched “Cricket SUPER WEEKS” would be Vodafone’s fourth week of showering free benefits. “Cricket Super Week” will allow Vodafone Postpaid and Prepaid subscribers to access Yahoo Cricket, ESPN Star, Cricket Next and Cricinfo for FREE on their mobile phone. Launched in April last month – Vodafone ‘SUPER WEEKS’ is one ticket to 6 weeks of FUN and offers! Last week Vodafone had offered FREE access to Yahoo mail and Gmail.

The “Cricket SUPER WEEK” offer is only valid for one week (7 Days) from 00:00:00 hours Saturday 07 May to 11:59:59 PM Friday 13th May 2011. To avail the super week offer send SMS ‘SUPER’ to 111 (toll free).

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.

Top Ten Telecom Companies in India

India is the fastest emerging mobile phone market in the world. To cater to this rising sector, many foreign telephone companies are coming here to make their presence felt in the cutthroat handset market. Additionally, telecom companies are also gearing up as the industry is generating large amount of investments for the country. In fact, the number of telephone subscriber base in India touched 671.69 million as on June 30, 2010 from 653.92 million in May 2010, says the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Our list of top 10 telecom companies in India

Bharti Airtel: A recent survey by Voice and Data (CyberMedia group journal) indicated that Bharti Airtel is India’s top mobile phone operator for the 2009-10 period with fiscal revenues of Rs. 38, 800 crore (Rs. 388 billion). Led by Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company is divided into 4 strategic business arms – mobile, telemedia, enterprise and digital TV.

BSNL: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited reported a drop of 14% this year in revenue & posted a total of Rs. 30, 240 crore (Rs. 302.4 billion) as earnings. It secures top spot as the largest wireline service provider in the country with over 71.68 million subscribers. Since Feb 2010, BSNL earned Rs. 6 crore on its 2G connections and 9, 73, 378 for 3G connections.

Vodafone Essar: Vodafone Group, the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Essar, recorded a profit boost of 13.7% and emerged as the third largest telecom player with revenue collections of Rs. 23, 200 crore (Rs. 232 billion). Since its unremarkable beginnings in 1994, the company has come a long way in spreading its services to over 106.34 million Indian users.

Reliance: Anil Ambani’s now rebranded ‘Reliance’ (better known as RCOM too) is India’s largest private sector information and communications company with a sizeable 100 million subscribers. The giant recently reported a negative growth of 3.5% with revenue of Rs. 22, 130 crore (Rs. 221.3 billion).

Idea Cellular: With revenue of Rs. 11, 390 crore (Rs. 113.9 billion), Idea Cellular, Aditya Birla Group’s flagship company maintains its spot as one of the leading service provider in the country. Headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Idea has around 67 million subscribers with a pan-India presence. It was also the first cellular service provider to offer General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) & Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) in India.

Tata Communications: Even though it’s placed on number 6 slot, the company holds leadership position in emerging markets. It reported total revenue of Rs. 11, 000 crore (Rs. 110 billion) last fiscal but analysts say that Tata’s potential for this year is huge. The Tata Global Network comprises of one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network.

Tata Teleservices: The company operates under 5 brands – Tata Indicom (CDMA services), Tata DOCOMO (GSM services), Virgin Mobile, Tata Walky (for fixed wireless phones) and Tata Photon (for wireless mobile broadband access) & is one of the 96 companies of the Tata Group to have its network in 20 circles. With revenue of Rs. 6, 900 crore (Rs. 69 million), Tata Teleservices leads the Tata Group’s presence in the telecom sector.

Aircel: With the highest growth record of 37.2% in 2009-10, Aircel is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities Investments Private Limited. Commencing operations in 1999, it became the leading mobile operator in Tamil Nadu, Assam and North Eastern provinces speedily.

MTNL: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) has a customer base of 8.06 million in Delhi and Mumbai and the government holds a 56.25% stake in the company. Managed by Mr. Kuldip Singh (Chairman and MD), the company offers state-of-the art telephone services and has more than 9, 00, 000 GSM mobile connections.

TTML: Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML) earned revenues worth Rs. 2, 300 crore (Rs. 23 billion) helping it to preserve its place in this list. TTML leads its parent company Tata Group in the telecom circles of Maharashtra (Mumbai) & Goa. With 6 lakh subscribers today, it started operations in 1998 and now prides itself as the largest wireline base in Maharashtra among all private operators.

Vodafone beats other in MNP race

Vodafone has emerged as the clear winner in MNP race, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The other major gainer is Bharti Airtel. Nine million subscribers had opted for mobile number portability (MNP) in the first three months of its launch on January 20, and the biggest gainers were Vodafone Essar followed by Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular. However, there were others who fell. Reliance Communications (GSM and CDMA), followed by state-owned BSNL lost the number of subscribers.

There were about nine million requests for MNP till April 28. If the trend continues, it would mean 4.5 per cent of the 800 million customers would have availed of MNP. The numbers are based on data provided by service providers to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). 

The data shows the incremental number of subscribers going in for MNP has stabilised after the initial euphoria. Between January 20 and February 28, about 3.8 million subscribers had requested for MNP (it includes subscribers in Haryana where the scheme was introduced first).

The number stabilised between March 1 and 31, when the incremental number opting for MNP was 2.6 million. Between April 1 and 28, the number remained the same.

Industry experts says MNP will not be a game changer. Even operators do not expect the churn rate to be lower than they average — 4-5 per cent per month.

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.

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. 

4G services to be launched in phased manner in India as early as 2012

4G a dream in India will soon be a reality. Even as the third generation (3G) mobile services are at a pilot stage, technology players are hopeful that the more advanced 4G will be here soon. Its economic advantage over the former besides its easy upgradeability on the existing infrastructure is a plus point for it and its popularity.

Nikhil Sadarangani of JDSU India, a provider of optical products and solutions said, "The 4G is likely to be in India sooner than later, as early as next year, because it is economically more advantageous than 3G , apart as it can be easily upgraded on the existing infrastructure." With speed as a consideration, 4G will be introduced here in a phased manner from the next year. However, its proper implementation would take some time and by 2014-15 it is likely to become a reality.

GSM providers like Vodafone and Airtel are all set to switch on fast 4G network. The companies will soon be providing 4G services to the customers who have a compatible handset. The big question here is all 4G compatible handsets are either less in terms of variety in the market or else are priced high. So it would be see what will be the growth of this 4G network in India.

With various 4G phones getting launched in India like most popular iPhone, HTC sensation 4G, T-mobile My Touch, HTC Evo 4G and many others. With rapid launch of these phones a big question was whether the customer will be able to use it all in it and with 4G coming soon to India gadget lovers can have a cheer for it.