Broadband services in every Panchayat by 2012: Chandrashekhar

NEW DELHI, Nov 11: The Secretary, Telecom, Mr. R. Chandrashekar, today called upon the telecom industry and asserted that the government and industry need to work closely together for future growth & development of the telecom sector in the country.

Mr. Chandrashekar said that broadband is the next challenge faced by the industry and it needs to look towards the broadband sector for growth and new opportunities & services in this behalf. Broadband though is a complex issue but will give ample of opportunities for growth to the new players added the Secretary.

At this moment there is no proposal before the department of telecom to take back any of the spectrums from any of the players for pulling away spectrum as suggested by CAG, said Dr. Chandrashkar, Secretary, DOT.

Mr. Chhandrashekar further said that “The terms of the committees that are looking at all security related issue are looking very simple, it is to find a way to meet the security concerned conveyed by the securities agency in a manner consistent with the technical and other commercial concerns of the service providers. DOT expects by the end of one or two months they would be able to arrive some conclusions.”

Speaking on the Occasion of ASSOCHAM organized ‘Industry-Interactive Session Secretary (DOT) & Chairman, Telecom Commission’ the Telecom Secretary, Mr. R. Chandrashekar said that broadband is also the immediate priority for the government and is shortly coming up with a ‘National Broadband Plan’. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is also coming up with a consultation paper on broadband services in India. The telecom secretary reiterated the government’s plan to provide broadband services in all the panchayats by June 2012 and there are no plans to further extend the deadline for the same.

Mr. Chandrashekar added that broadband as a service is a leading indicator of socio-economic development of the nation. He said that the government needs to create the broadband facility and then offer the Value Added Services thereafter.

The services offered under the ambit of broadband are entertainment, education, health, financial inclusion, e-commerce etc.

Mr. Chandrashekar stressed upon the growth of telecom sector in rural areas and the services/facilities of e-governance should not be limited to English speaking urbane populace. He also threw light on the abundant opportunity for industry in telecom security manufacturing hardware but also mentioned about the security concerns about the issue.

He also mentioned about the emission of radiation, international norms and opined that compliance of self-certification on the international radiation norms is the best option for the service providers. Stressing upon the issue he said that there are no proposals for extending the November 15 deadline for the radiation norms.

On the issue of subscriber verification deadline of 31st December the secretary said that the deadline is not to be further extended but also said that UID will be the permanent solution in this aspect. Revised norms in accordance with the Supreme Court are to be implemented by December 31st on subscribers verification.

Other Speakers who also shared their valuable views on the subject included Mr. Dilip Modi, President-Elect, ASSOCHAM, Mr. Praveen Nallapothula, MD & CEO, TeleDNA, Mr. T.R. Dua, Dy. Director General COAI, Mr. Ramamurthy Sivakumar, Member ASSOCHAM & MD, Intel India, Mr. C.S. Rao, Co-Chairperson, ASSOCHAM Communications & Converging Committee and Mr. D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

Videocon Mobile phones enters Android market with 'Zeus'

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Oct 13: Videocon Mobile Phones has announced its foray into the growing Android phone market with the launch of 'Zeus' in the Indian market, priced at Rs 12,900.

The handset is equipped with Android operating system, a 3.2-inch multi-touch screen, five megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS and Push Mail.

Alongside with ZEUS the company is extending its range of mobile phones and is introducing additional four new phones -- V1410, V1603, V1475 and V1606.

“Mobile phone market today is very dynamic and price sensitive & people are looking for a Mobile phone that can not only express their style but at the same time is unique in its own self. With the new launches we try to get interesting new elements in the industry and are very positive that it will create the desired newness in the industry,” said Rahul Goel, COO, Videocon Mobile Phones.

Android is an open-source operating system for mobiles and wireless devices, initially developed by Google, which allows developers to design applications independent of the handset type. It allows users to download over 70,000 applications like games, music, music players and location-based services. The Preloaded Applications on the Zeus opens up a whole new dimension of internet for the user.

Handset makers like HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Spice have already launched Android-powered phones in India, with more companies looking to joining the bandwagon soon. Many players like Dell have also introduced tablet PCs based on the platform.

According to research firm Gartner, Android operating system comprised 17.2 per cent share of the global smartphone market for the quarter ended June 2010, third after Symbian and Research in Motion.

Videocon V1410 is the First ever mobile device with integrated Laser Pointer. The Laser Pointer Phone is full of mischief. V1410 also features a VGA Camera, Bluetooth, 1.8” TFT screen and Micro-SD up to 4GB.

The Innovation goes into an overdrive with the Videocon V1603 which is the first ever mobile phone with Dual Battery and Dual T Flash card slot available in the market. Now the user can toggle between the two power sources and the external battery can actually be removed if the phone is on alternate power. It has a Dual T-Flash Card slot that not only provides a healthy 8 GB external storage space, but also provides the flexibility to hot swap the external card. (It means that the external SIM can be removed from the slot without switching the phone off).

QWERTY phones being the style statement at Videocon and the V1475 takes this story further. The V1475 is a Stylish QWERTY phone available in 4 trendy and fashionable colours.

Videocon V1606 is a Multimedia device with 2MP HD Camera and Dual Loud Speakers and a large 6cm TFT screen with brilliant screen clarity.

On the launch, Mr. Anil Khera, CEO, Videocon Mobile Phones said: “Our objective is to emerge amongst the leading players based on our range and offerings. The entry into the Android TM space extends our offering, thus placing us better amongst the leading Indian players, and we are keen to enhance our penetration across the markets.”

Videocon Mobile phones is emphasizing on its distribution channels to make these handsets available to its consumers for a value for money proposition. The company has a strong after sales service with its dedicated call centre and 430 plus authorised service centres are readily available for the consumers for any queries, issues and support.

Videocon Mobile Phones was awarded the Product of the Year 2010 in the ‘Value Phones’ category for their V1405. Product of the Year is an internationally recognized standard that celebrates and rewards the best innovations in consumer products. Thousands and thousands of discerning consumers across India evaluate the innovations and choose only the best as their Product of the Year.

Videocon’s new logo, the fluid “V”, coupled with a new proposition – Experience Change -- is a fresh new identity for a group that has been named among India’s top brands. It reflects Videocon’s renewed focus on moving quickly from static to energetic. The brand campaign for Videocon Mobile Phones says, “V is the New Me”. This brand campaign is a metaphor for the restless nature of youth – change becoming the only constant. Mobile phone today is a part of one's inherent self and slowly it is becoming a complete world in itself.

Videocon Group’s success has been built on various pillars, an important one being the strong relationship the group has built, over the years, with its massive base of trade and channel partners. Videocon has also made strong inroads into a third of the market through a multi-brand strategy that covers consumers of all socio-economic backgrounds. It now has almost 85% penetration in shelf space.

A N Tiwari is the new CIC

NEW DELHI, Sept 29: Information Comm A N Tiwari has been appointed as the new Chief Information Comm to succeed incumbent Wajahat Habibullah whose five-year term as head of the transparency panel ended on Wednesday.

President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday evening gave assent to the name of Tiwari, a 1969-batch IAS officer who was also a former Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, official sources said.

A notification in this regard is likely to be issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.

Tiwari, who joined the Central Information Commission on 26th December 2005 will have a tenure of three months as his five-year term will end in December this year.

According to the RTI Act, "where the Information Commissioner is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner, his term of office shall not be more than five years in aggregate as the Information Commissioner and the Chief Information Commissioner".

In one of the path-breaking decisions, Tiwari as Information Commissioner brought the Income Tax returns of political parties under public scrutiny.

The Chief Information Commissioner is chosen by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and a minister of the Union Cabinet.

Nokia launches music phone X2

NEW DELHI, Sept 14: India's top mobile handset maker Nokia launched its latest music phone, Nokia X2 in the market at a price of Rs 6,579.

Nokia X2 comes with dedicated music keys and 3.5mm AV connector, FM radio with built-in antenna, a digital music player and loud stereo speakers for sharing music. It also offers a 5 megapixel camera with flash and a video recorder, the company said in a statement.

"Nokia X2 is a fantastic mix of great music experience, excellent camera and Nokia services at extremely affordable price points targeted towards the Indian youth," Nokia India Activation, Media and Online Marketing Head Viral Oza said.

Tata Tele pips BSNL for 4th slot in wireless space

NEW DELHI, Sept 14: Tata Teleservices has become the country's fourth largest wireless telecom operator with 77 million subscribers at the end of August. The company added 2.1 million new wireless subscribers in the month thus surpassing state-run BSNL.

According to the latest figures released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Bharti Airtel the country's largest telecom operator continues to have the largest number of wireless subscribers with 139 million at the end of July. Reliance Communications is the second largest wireless operator with 113 million users and Vodafone-Essar third largest with 111 million users.

BSNLnow is the fifth largest wireless operator with 73.7 million subscribers. A TTSL statement said, “The crossing of the 75-million-subscribers’ mark by Tata Teleservices Ld and Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd is all the more commendable as both entities have shown a subscriber growth rate of more than 100% in the last 12 months — from 38 million subscribers in July 2009”.

TTSL started offering CDMA mobile services in 2005 and received permission for dual technology (GSM also) in late 2007 and started getting GSM spectrum in January 2008. The company has started GSM services in most of the circles it got spectrum.

Spice Mobiles launches two new phones

NEW DELHI, Sept 14: Spice Mobiles has announced the introduction of two new handsets into its line-up with the launch of the M5161 and the M6363.

Both the handsets are Dual SIM enabled and are priced around Rs 2800 and Rs 4800 mark.

The M5161 boasts of a 2-inch display with a resolution of 176*220. The internal phone book can take up to 1200 contacts and can store pto 500 SMS'. The phone is let down by a rather low internal memory of 1 MB. Thankfully, it has a memory card slot which can take memory cards of up to 4GB in size.

There is a basic camera at the back which can also record videos. The phone is Internet enabled and supports GPRS and WAP as well. The phone has a 1200 mAH battery that can give up to 4.5 hours of talk time. Other features include a Torch, FM Radio, Scheduled FM Recording and Wireless FM. The M5161 will set you back by Rs. 2799.

As for the N6363, the phone is slightly more premium compared to the M5161. The M6363 boasts of a 2 mega pixel camera again, with support for video recording. The front is dominated by the 2 inch TFT color display. Other features include dual expandable memory of 4GB+4GB. Other features include WAP 2.0, GPRS and Bluetooth 1.2. The M6363 costs Rs 4799.

Both the phones are now available and are on sale.

Nokia appoints Stephen Elop to President and CEO

ESPOO, FINLAND, Sept 10: Nokia's Board of Directors has appointed Stephen Elop President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia as of September 21. Elop currently heads Microsoft's Business Division. Before joining Microsoft, Elop held senior executive positions in a number of US-based public companies, including Juniper Networks, Adobe Systems Inc. and Macromedia Inc.

He holds a degree in computer engineering and management from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, which is his home country.

"The time is right to accelerate the company's renewal; to bring in new executive leadership with different skills and strengths in order to drive company success. The Nokia Board believes that Stephen has the right industry experience and leadership skills to realize the full potential of Nokia. His strong software background and proven record in change management will be valuable assets as we press harder to complete the transformation of the company. We believe that Stephen will be able to drive both innovation and efficient execution of the company strategy in order to deliver increased value to our shareholders," said Jorma Ollila, Chairman of the Nokia Board of Directors.

Elop commented on his new Nokia position: "I am extremely excited to become part of a team dedicated to strengthening Nokia's position as the undisputed leader of the mobile communications industry, with a relentless focus on meeting the needs and expectations of customers. Nokia has a unique global position as well as a great brand upon which we can build. The company has deeply talented and dedicated people, and I am confident that together we can continue to deliver innovative products that meet the needs of consumers. The Nokia slogan clearly states our key mission: Connecting People, which will acquire new dimensions as we build our portfolio of products, solutions and services."

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo will leave his current position as President and CEO of Nokia on September 20, 2010 and his position on the Nokia Board of Directors with immediate effect. He will continue to chair the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks in a non-executive capacity.

"The whole Board of Directors joins me in thanking Olli-Pekka for his thirty years at Nokia, during which he has been deeply involved in developing the company and its operations. His dedication and contribution throughout the years has been exceptional. The Board wishes him every success in his future pursuits," says Jorma Ollila.

In accordance with the terms and conditions of his service contract, Kallasvuo is entitled to a severance payment consisting of 18 months gross base salary and target incentive which totals approximately 4.6 million euro. He will also receive as compensation the fair market value of the 100 000 restricted Nokia shares granted to him in 2007, which vest on October 1, 2010.

As of September 10, 2010, the Nokia Board will consist of the following members: Jorma Ollila (Chairman), Dame Marjorie Scardino (Vice Chairman), Lalita D. Gupte, Bengt Holmström, Dr. Henning Kagermann, Per Karlsson, Isabel Marey-Semper, Risto Siilasmaa, Keijo Suila.

Olive Telecom partners with Airtel

NEW DELHI, Sept 10: Olive Telecom has recently partnered with Airtel for its handset ‘Olive FrvrOn’ V-G2300, India’s first hybrid-dual powered mobile phone compatible with any AAA battery. The users will have an advantage of a free Airtel connection with the handset.

A first of its kind in the fastest growing telecom market in the world, Olive FrvrOn has the potential of providing the user ‘Non Stop’ telephony at a consumer friendly price of Rs 1299.In the busy urban centers or in the remotest areas of the country the ability to stay connected even when the power (Lithium Ion) runs out.

As part of the initiative Olive Telecom and Airtel have started a marketing campaign to penetrate deeper into the rural markets through a Van promotion which goes way beyond 'off highway' to reach the heartland of the state. 19 vans are already in action from the Kolkata, Cooch Behar & Behrampur hubs. These vans have promoters on board who demonstrate the device and talk about the inherent advantages. The van purchase also gives villagers an added advantage of coming with a free gift, a battery powered LED lantern, a utility item which is matched with our battery operated phone.

Dow Jones Indexes names Nokia as world's most sustainable technology company

ESPOO, (Finland), Sept 9: Nokia is the world's most sustainable technology company according to prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes Review 2010. Nokia was chosen as "Technology Supersector Leader" making it number one across the entire global technology sector for the second time in row.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are globally respected rankings based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance.

Nokia scores high on all these dimensions.

According to the index Nokia strengths are especially in the areas of customer relationship management, risk management, standards for suppliers, environmental policy and management system, labor practices, talent attraction and human capital development.

Commenting on the news, Timo Ihamuotila, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Nokia said, "The second consecutive number one slot across the entire global technology industry is a great recognition of the continued and strong commitment by Nokia employees to sustainable business practices. For us, sustainability is not a trend but our way of doing business. We remain committed to action and continue to look beyond our own operations to harness the power of mobile technology to address environmental, social and economic issues."

Selecting components from 2,500 companies worldwide, the indexes are relied upon by leading institutional investors.

Loop Mobile offers innovative services celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi

MUMBAI, Sept 10: Loop Mobile, Mumbai’s leading mobile service provider,
introduced a host of unique mobile offers for its subscribers to add to the festivities of the season beginning with Ganesh Chaturthi. Along a wide range of caller tunes on Ganpati mantras, shloks and wallpapers, subscribers will now also enjoy cost effective calling during the entire festive season to stay connected with their loved ones.

In order to create a perfect blend of devotion and excitement Loop Mobile has introduced ‘GaneshChaturthi’ on its WAP portal @Cafe. From the portal, Loop Mobile subscribers can download colorful Ganesh wallpapers, animations, videos, polytones and true tones of mantras, aartis, bhajans, shlokas, and even dedicate them to their loved ones. To download Ganpati Caller tunes, customers can dial 55666.

Continuing with its legacy of providing the best value to customers, Loop Mobile introduced Ganpati special pack for its prepaid subscribers. With just Rs. 64, all Loop Mobile prepaid subscribers can get 2000 Loop Minutes and 2000 local & national SMS with a validity of 7 days.

Mumbai ka Gang (MKG) offers Loop Mobile subscribers to make all loop calls at 10p, all other mobile calls at 50p for lifetime. The local and national SMS will be charged at 10p and 50p respectively. For new subscribers the recharge denomination is Rs 41 and for existing subscriber it is Rs 4. Existing subs can avail the offer by sending SMS ‘MKG’ to 50505(charge at Rs 4). There is a nominal daily rental of Re.1/day only.

Sunil Mittal's son Shravin joins Airtel

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: It is another case of a son joining a company promoted by his father, Sunil Bharti Mittal's son Shravin has joined Bharti Airtel's International operations. He has been appointed as manager with Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV, the company informed the stock exchanges on Wednesday.

Prior to joining Bharti Airtel, Shravin was working with investment bank JP Morgan Cazenove in London as an analyst in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications division.

He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from the University of Bath (UK).

Shiv Nadar-led HCL Group and Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group are among companies that have recently brought on board next-generation scions from the promoter families.

Consumers rate Nokia as India's Most Trusted Brand for third year in row

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 1: Nokia has been ranked No.1 in The Economic Times-Brand Equity's annual 'Most Trusted Brands' survey for 2010 in India, marking Nokia's recognition as India's most trusted brand for three consecutive years. Nokia has appeared in the survey since 2005, and has held the first position in 2008, 2009 and now, 2010.

Nokia's leadership rating over the years in this survey is also an indicator of the dramatic impact mobility has on India's consumers over the years. India has been among the fastest growing telecom markets in the world with an estimated current mobile subscriber base in excess of 670 million subscribers.

"Nokia has always been a consumer-centric company and a consumer award for 'trust' is the pinnacle of all awards. This award is a testament to our team's deep focus and determined efforts to better understand the needs of the evolving Indian consumer and connect with them. Our initiatives for India - ranging from 'made in India, made for India' handsets, services such as Nokia Life Tools and extensive retail and care networks - are a proof of the fact that we are continuously striving to make a positive impact on the lives of our consumers," said D. Shivakumar, Managing Director, Nokia India Pvt. Ltd.

The award marks the celebration of 15 years of mobility and Nokia in India. The first mobile phone call was made on a Nokia phone using Nokia network on July 31, 1995.

Brand Equity's 'Most Trusted Brands' survey judges 300 brands from consumer products and services. Consumers across 13 Indian cities evaluate the brand on seven key attributes.

Tata, Reliance have brand problem: Al Ries

NEW DELHI, Sept 1: Do Tata and Reliance, two of India's most powerful corporate names, have a branding problem? One of the world's most influential figures in marketing, Al Ries, says they do. "If in the real estate business, the three more important things are location, location and location, in brands it is focus, focus and focus," said Ries, who is credited with placing the "positioning" of brands in the global marketing and advertising community.

The 83-year-old veteran, who with his daughter Laura runs Atlanta-based strategy consulting firm Ries & Ries, said Tata and Reliance are identified with too many product categories, whereas brands that excel lead a category and dominate it with focus.

"They seem to have a long-term problem," he said.

The father-daughter duo are in India to address seminars organised by event management firm Curtains Up in partnership with Bloomberg UTV.

Ries believes both Indian and Chinese companies need to build brands if they have to get out of the trap of being considered cheap destinations for manufacturing or IT services. "The definition of a brand is that it is something that people will pay more than they do for a commodity," he said.

The marketing guru believes India has a sweet spot thanks to its British colonial legacy that makes its brands linked to the English language easier to spread.

"India has a big advantage because English has become a second language," he said.

"A global brand needs to be not an English word but needs to be understood in the English language," Ries said. "Look at Polish. You can't read it, you can't spell it, you can't pronounce it."

He said brands such as Toyota and Sony, though Japanese, could progress in the American market, but Mitsubishi despite being the "Tata of Japan" could not do well because of the inherent branding difficulties associated with its name.

India could have as many Net users as US by 2015

NEW YORK, Sept 1: A spike in Internet penetration in the next five years could mean that India will have almost as many persons going online in 2015 as the US.

According to the Boston Consulting Group's report, The Internet's New Billion, India will have an estimated 237 million Internet users by 2015, as against just a million more for the United States, while China will provide the largest mass of users with 650 million. This period, the report said, could see Internet penetration almost triple by 2015, covering nearly 19 per cent of the country's population. The growth can be considered quite phenomenal since the number of Internet users in India in 2006 was pegged at approximately 49 million.

There will be a concurrent change in terms of personal computers being used, with the number expected to quadruple to cover 17 per cent of the population by 2015. But the significant bulge could be in the use of cellphones, with three-fourth of Indians using mobiles by 2015.

The report also provides an interesting insight into Internet usage patterns in India.

Nearly 95 per cent of those online check email, while nearly three-fourth also use the web for job hunting.

Videocon brings 1p/sec ISD calls

CHENNAI, Aug 31: While mobile service providers were following Tata-DoCoMo in 1 paisa per second tariff, latest entrant Videocon has pulled one over the rest in the tariff game.

Videocon Mobile Services on Tuesday announced that one paisa per second billing for ISD calls, making them at par with the local calls.

The company introduced a one-paisa-per-second calling voucher for US and Canada priced at Rs 57 with 30 days validity. In another scheme, customers can make calls to Singapore and Malaysia for Rs 1.69 per minute; and to the US and Canada for 99 paisa / minute with a Rs 22 calling voucher.

Nokia to set up server in India; may put pressure on BlackBerry

NEW DELHI, Aug 30: Amid security concerns raised by the government over encrypted data travelling through mobiles, handset maker Nokia, which offers push-mail services today said it will set up required infrastructure by November to help the government monitor the contents.

The decision of the Finnish firm may put more pressure on Research In Motion (RIM), which offers BlackBerry services, to give security agencies more access to its encrypted messenger and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES).

The similar kind of services offered by BlackBerry recently came under the security scanner, as the government failed to intercept and monitor the data travelling through the BlackBerry devices.

"Currently the Nokia Messaging Service is in beta format. We have been working towards installing the requisite infrastructure in the country and will set up servers for our push email service by November 2010," Nokia India Managing Director D Shivakumar said.

Push email uses a mail delivery system with real-time capability to "push" email to clients as soon as it arrives. Nokia Messaging is a push e-mail service, which was launched in 2009.

The Nokia Messaging servers aggregate messages from upto ten accounts and pushes them to compliant devices. BES also works similarly, as it monitors the e-mail servers, and when it sees new e-mail for a BlackBerry user, it retrieves a copy and then pushes it to the BlackBerry device. The Indian government has been demanding greater access to mobile and online communications on the back of national security concerns.

"We are launching the server on November 5 in compliance with all the rules and regulation in the country...It is for hosting mail and ensuring that the government has access (to the data)," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Blackberry gives in, agrees to monitoring of its services

NEW DELHI, Aug 30: BlackBerry mobile phone maker Research In Motion (RIM) on Monday gave in promising access to Indian security agencies to monitor all its services with immediate effect.

Nearly two months after insisting that it does not have the provision to grant access for such monitoring, RIM made certain proposals for lawful access of BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) and BlackBerry Messenger Services (BBM) by the law enforcement agencies.

RIM's response came after the Home Ministry made it clear that Blackberry has to shut down its operations in the country from 1st September if it failed to provide access to monitoring of its messenger services.

"RIM has made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies and this would be operationalised immediately. The feasibility of the solutions offered would be assessed thereafter," a Home Ministry statement said.

The Ministry has made it clear that any communication through the telecom networks should be accessible to the law enforcement agencies and all telecom service providers including third-parties have to comply with this, it said.

Nokia launches dual-SIM phones

NEW DELHI, Aug 30: Forced by the runaway success of domestic players offering features-rich dual-SIM mobile phones in the sub-Rs 5,000 category, market leader Nokia finally launched two dual-SIM phones in India on Monday.

Interestingly, Nokia C1 (C1-00) and Nokia C2 (C2-00) are the first dual-SIM mobile phones from the Finnish telecom giant.

The market share of the company - already struggling in the high-end smartphone market to match the successes of RIM, Apple and Google Android-based phones - has been battered in India in the past two years.

According to IDC research, Nokia's market share dipped from 64% in 2008-09 to 52.2% in 2009-10. The company's revenue too fell from Rs16,567 crore to Rs14,100 crore during the same period.

Nokia C1 is a basic phone meant for voice and SMS and will be available at Rs 1999. It comes with a standby battery time of up to six weeks, the longest ever for a Nokia phone.

It will also have a 'call divert' feature that will ensure users don't miss a call from either of the two SIMs. Moreover, by simply holding down a key, a user will be able to switch between the two SIM cards in the phone. The colour screen phone has a flashlight and FM radio with standard headphone jack.

Nokia C2 will be priced around Rs 2500 and comes with services such as Ovi Life Tools and Ovi Mail. It also has a music player and supports micro-SD cards of up to 32 GB.

Nokia's Ovi Life Tools provides users a range of information covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment.

The company launched 22 devices during fiscal year 2009-10. Forty-five percent of Nokia's 2 lakh retail outlets are in the rural areas.

Unveiling the new devices, Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia said,

"As per our deep consumer insights, entry level consumers need dual SIMs for various reasons including economizing time and costs, improving efficiency and for increased convenience. To address these consumer requirements, Nokia has launched these two devices that offer multiple SIM capabilities with a balanced feature set and 'relevant innovations' at affordable price points."

It is surprising that Nokia figured out the needs and preferences of the Indian customers so late, feel some experts. However, at these prices, Nokia's new handsets can pose a stiff challenge to the domestic players such as Micromax, Spice, Lava, Lemon, Videocon, Intex and others.

Indian Govt rejects BlackBerry offer

NEW DELHI, Aug 23: Toughening its stand, the government has conveyed to the BlackBerry makers to install its server in India for tracking its messenger and enterprise mail service as the offer made by it to provide data from its Canada-based server could be detrimental to national security.

Officials of BlackBerry maker RIM (Research In Motion) had offered to provide information on a deferred basis after it faced the threat of a shutdown of the core features by August 31 if security agencies cannot gain access to heavily encrypted corporate email sent on a Blackberry handset.

The RIM had provided an option to the security agencies and officials of the Home Ministry that they could hand over the details of BlackBerry phones needed to be monitored and the firm in turn will decrypt the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Enterprise mail Service (BES) of the smartphones in question, sources in the Telecom Ministry said.

The RIM officials were ready to provide the information initially manually and later through a non-human interface using the "cloud computing environment" method under which a separate wall created in the server and code and pass-code is handed over to the overall coordinator, in this case India, the sources said.

However, the proposal was rejected prima facie as security agencies claimed that handing over telephone numbers for monitoring was fraught with the danger of exposing the source to an outside company and thus can be detrimental to country's security, the sources said.

Even the automated system of extracting information from Canada-based server was not free of danger because the information could be hacked midway, the sources said.

Nokia debuts 'Touch and Type' design with the latest Nokia X3

ESPOO, (Finland), Aug 17: In a move to continue driving innovation in its market leading mobile phone range, Nokia today unveils the super slim Nokia X3 Touch and Type, with a unique combination of a touch screen and traditional 12 button phone keypad.

As Nokia's first 'Touch and Type' phone, the Nokia X3 allows people to tap quickly on the bright color touch screen, as well as enjoy the familiarity of the full keypad for quick fire text messages and phone calls. Expected to be on sale in the third quarter, the Nokia X3 is expected to retail for approximately EUR 125, excluding taxes and subsidies.

"Innovation is not just a high-end game. The Nokia X3 is a great example of bringing new consumer value to lower price points," said Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President of Mobile Phones at Nokia.

"With the Nokia X3 we are giving consumers the best of both worlds by combining a touch screen and a keypad in an affordable device. We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept critical keys such as the send and end keys. We've also added dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging," she said.

"We have designed the Nokia X3 to be a touch and type device because typing is ideal for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is needed, while touch is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games.

"Our research tells us consumers who have invested years in becoming fast one-handed, one-thumb texters want to maintain their speedy edge for SMS, chat and instant messaging - yet enjoy the benefits of touch as well," continued McDowell.

With its sleek and modern design coming in at a very thin 9.6mm - making it one of the slimmest Nokia phones ever - the Nokia X3 slips easily into the purse or the pocket, and looks the part with its brushed aluminum back cover which will come in five vibrant colors designed to suit any mood or wardrobe.

Despite its size, the Nokia X3 is jam-packed with features including 3G, WLAN, a music player and an FM radio.

Lovers of the snapshot and social networks will enjoy a great 5 megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom that can take both still and video images.

The Nokia X3 also features dedicated music and messaging keys allowing fast access to important Ovi services including social and entertainment applications. In addition to Ovi Mail, people's favorite consumer email and chat accounts can be pushed direct to the phone via Nokia Messaging.

With a gentle glide over the touch screen people can go online and get access to many services including thousands of apps from Ovi Store. In certain markets, the new phone will also be available with Ovi Music Unlimited, enabling the owner to access a virtually limitless range of the latest hit music that can be stored on the available 16GB memory card.

The Nokia X3 - affordable and accessible touch and type which is simple-to-use and beautifully designed. The Nokia X3 Touch and Type sits alongside the Nokia X3-00, a slider with strong music functionality, which was launched in September 2009.

The Nokia Mini Speaker MD-11. Pocket-sized speakers for big sound Music lovers can boost the Nokia X3's inbuilt speaker with some extra 'oomph' with the new MD-11, a light pocket-size speaker with great audio quality. For even more fun, you can connect two for stereo sound - a great way to get the music out of your phone and enjoy with friends. The Nokia Mini Speaker MD-11 is estimated to retail for EUR 25 excluding taxes and subsidies.

Idea gives 3,640 connections to one person!

NEW DELHI, Aug 5: In a major breach of licence terms and conditions, Birla group firm Idea Cellular has issued a whopping 3,640 connections to a single person and his company, endangering national security, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

"Yes, Idea Cellular had issued 3,640 post-paid connections to a single person and his company, Limco Sales Corporation of Delhi and as per the report of the Department of Telecom, the bulk connections have been rented out to other customers," Minister of State for Telecom and IT Sachin Pilot said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

He said the Home Ministry has intimated that security agencies face problems in establishing identity of actual users in cases where bulk connections have been activated in the name of a single user/location/organisation, and the numbers have been further distributed/rented for use.

To a query whether this endangers national security, Pilot said "this practice of providing mobile connections to an individual without maintaining his identity particulars has security implications and operational activities of security agencies are hampered due to non-availability of identity of a particular suspected target."

Idea Cellular has over 68 million mobile subscribers and has operations in most of the circles across the country. Pilot said the licence conditions provide that "utmost vigilance should be exercised in providing bulk telephone connections for a single user as well as for a single location."

Provision of 10 or more connections may be taken as bulk for this purpose, he said.

"Special verification of bonafide should be carried out for providing such bulk connections. Information about bulk connections shall be forwarded to respective Vigilance Telecom Monitoring cell of DoT and concerned officials authorised by DoT and security agencies from time to time on monthly basis," he said.

Sunset date for analogue TV should be 31st Dec, 2013: TRAI

NEW DELHI, Aug 5: Arguing that digital TV will enable people to watch high-quality channels of their choice, the TRAI on Thursday recommended phasing out analogue television in the four Metros by March 31 next year and in the rest of the country by 31st December, 2013.

In its recommendations on implementation of Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems in India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said the sunset date for analogue TV services in the country should be 31st December, 2013.

The implementation should be carried out in four phases.

In phase I, it should be implemented in four Metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai by 31st March, 2011.

In Phase II, it should be implemented in all cities having a population over one million by 31st December, 2011, while in Phase III, it would be implemented in all other urban areas (municipal corporations/municipalities) across the county by 31st December, 2012.

Phase IV would include all areas which are left over where it should be implemented by 31st December, 2013.

The TRAI said the digital addressable systems will enable consumers to watch high-quality digital television channels of their choice on 'a-la-carte' (individual) basis.

Also, digital systems have the capacity to deliver many more channels to the consumers than analogue cable.

In fact, the capacity crunch and the non-addressable nature of analogue cable TV systems is coming in the way of orderly growth of the cable TV sector in India, it said.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had sought TRAI recommendations on digital addressable systems on 2nd June.

Acting CMD for BSNL appointed

NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Gopal Das was on Tuesday appointed acting Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL). He succeeds Kuldeep Goyal who retired on July 31.

Mr. Das, who was till now serving as Director (Human Resources Development) in BSNL, will hold the position till the new CMD is appointed by the Centre-nominated high-level search panel.

Offer of 'Do call Registry'

NEW DELHI, Aug 2: TRAI has initiated public consultation process on “Review of telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications," according to Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sachin Pilot.

A consultation paper was issued on May 11, 2010. Do Call registry is one of the options being considered for consultation, said the Minister in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

The comments were received from various stakeholders. The last date for receiving comments was July 30.

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