Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Telecom News/27th Sept.

 

 

  • Sept 27th :-Sistema JSFC, Russia's largest private consumer services firm, on Wednesday bought 10 per cent stake in telecom operator Shyam Telelink for $11.4 million, marking the entry of a Russian company in India's rapidly growing telecom space.

 

  • Sept 27th :-Videocon has applied for mobile licences in all 22 telecom circles in India with joint venture with an American company Verizon and can hold a 74% stake in the company.

 

  • "Kasturi", the new Kannada TV channel owned by Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, went on air on Wednesday.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Telecom News 25th Sept. 07.

 

 

  • Sept 25th:-Indian Space Research Oraganisation is planning to launch a satellite that will provide direct link to the mobile phone handsets.

 

  • Sept 25th:-The department of telecom (DoT) on Monday announced October 1 as the deadline for accepting new licence applications.

 

  • Sept 25th:-The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to the income tax department, following a writ petition by Vodafone Essar challenging the tax department’s move to levy capital gains tax following the Vodafone-Hutch deal.

 

  • Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL and Spice, are undertaking a major shift in their strategy and tying up with handset makers to offer bundled handsets.

 

  • A $3.95 billion syndicated loan backing Indian telecom group Essar Communications India (ECIL).

 

 

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Telecom & Media News/24th Sept 07

  • Sept. 24th:-Novatium & MTNL will sell computing service against the traditional model where the customer buys the device and then takes a connection from a telecom company or internet service provider to access the net.

 

  • Sept. 24th:- US-based UTStarcom, which had recently bagged two IPTV deals Bharti Airtel and MTNL, expects more deals for triple-play services in India.

 

  • Reliance Industries is likely to enter the telecom sector soon and is exploring various options in the sector.

 

  • Sept 24th:- Stepping up their protest against Sun Network's newly launched direct-to-home (DTH) service, cable operators today blacked out Sun Network's channels in many parts of Tamil Nadu.

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, September 21, 2007

Telecom News/22nd Sept.

  • Sept 22nd:-Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Spice — have jointly asked the department of telecom to treat their pending applications for mobile licenses ‘on a different footing’ by considering them on a ‘top priority’ basis, when compared to other applicants.

 

  • Sept 22nd:-India's wireless market, the fastest growing in the world, crossed another milestone, with the subscriber base crossing the 200-million mark in August.

 

  • Sept 21st:-Real Estate major Unitech has decided to enter mobile telephone service in all 22 circles of the country. The Unitech board cleared a decision to this effect on Friday and the company plans to leverage its telecom tower manufacturing capabilities for the diversification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Telcom News/20th Sept. 07

  • Sept 20th :- Reliance Communications (RCOM) recently launching ultra budget handsets with prices starting at Rs 777, the industry buzz is that Vodafone would lower the entry barrier to an unbelievable Rs 666. There’s also news that Vodafone may follow the pricing model of Rs 666, Rs 777, Rs 888 and Rs 999 for its ultra-cheap handsets.

 

  • Sept 19th :- Gemini Communication has bagged a Rs 10-crore order from BSNL for installation and commissioning of telecom equipments and accessories across 11 circles in India including Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Kerala.

 

  • Sept 19th :-Vodafone, will keep intact its predecessor's assurance of following customers wherever they go while telling them to 'Make The Most Of Now'. Which could cost between Rs 80-100 crore.

 

  • Film distributor Eros International and Sony Pictures Entertainment on Wednesday said they will co-invest in Indian movies that are scheduled to be released in India and overseas.

 

  • Nimbus Sports on Wednesday said it has tied up with Hong Kong's leading mobile operators for providing mobile clips of the Barclays Premier League football matches for next three seasons up to 2010.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Telecom News/19th Sept 07

 

  • 19th Sept:-Essar group sold Shipping Stop Dot Com, which has a licence to offer national and international long-distance services, to BPL Mobile just ahead of applying for pan-India universal access service license (UASL).

 

  • 19th Sept:-Chinese communication major ZTE is targeting revenues of $350 million by selling GSM network equipment and an additional $100 million from its broadband division in India this fiscal.

 

  • 18th Sept:-Cellular major Bharti Airtel has awarded a 150 million-dollar deal to Chinese vendor Huawei for building and managing GSM mobile infrastructure for its Sri Lankan operations for next 3 years.

 

Monday, September 17, 2007

Telecom & Media News/18th Sept. 07

 

  • Sept 18th:-Reliance Telecom and Airtel are among 12 companies for Qatar's second mobile licence as the deadline for submission of bids ended.

 

  • Sept 18th :-Vodafone, which had got the government’s permission to rename Hutch-Essar as Vodafone Essar, is set to unveil the new branding for the company in Mumbai this week.

 

  • Movie-buffs can hope to enjoy their visit to cinema halls without loosening their purse strings if the Information and Broadcasting minister succeeds in persuading states to reduce entertainment tax on films.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Telcom & Media News/17th Sept.

  • Sept 17th :-BSNL and MTNL has said regulator Trai’s direction on opening up domestic leased circuit (DLC) would lead to hoarding of last mile connections by the private sector, rendering the two PSUs uncompetitive.

 

  • Sept 17th:-India has now become the second largest market for Chinese handset major ZTE and accounts for a third of the company’s handset sales by volume after China.

 

  • Sept 16th:- International IPR watchdog WIPO has directed a Saint Kitts-based company to transfer the domain name bhartiairtel.com to the domestic telecom major.

 

  • Sept 16th :- Essar group company Essar Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited (ETIPL) is in talks with cellular operator Aircel for leasing out its towers.

 

  • Sept 17th :-- PVR Cinemas has been conferred with the 'Retailer of the Year' award by India Retail Forum (IRF) 2007, for its corporate social responsibility initiatives including those for the underprivileged children.

 

Friday, September 14, 2007

Telecom News/15th Sept.07

 

  • Sept 15th:-TDSAT has rejected Bharti Tele-Ventures’ petition for refund from BSNL and MTNL on claims of excessive billing of interconnect charges.

 

  • Sept 15th:-Vodafone Essar has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the right of the tax authorities to levy a capital gains tax on it.

 

 

 

Telecom & Media News/14th Sept.

  • Sept 14th :-Idea Cellular has joined the Asia Mobility Initiative.

 

 

  • Sept 14th :- GSM operators added 5.95 million subscribers in August to take their total subscriber base in the country to 147.7 million.

 

 

  • Tata Teleservices Ltd expects to gain a bigger share of India's mobile-phone market with the launch of a new Internet-enabled handset.

 

  • Kavveri Telecom, a leading manufacturer of communication cables, expects to double its turnover to over Rs 100 crore this year on the back of orders received from Vodafone Essar, Tata Teleservices and Idea for their base stations roll-outs in 2007-08.

 

  • Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL), the publisher of The Times of India and The Economic Times, has acquired 6.83% equity stake in Kolkata-based lifestyle retail firm Nik-Nish Retail Ltd.

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Telecon and Media News/13th Sept.

  • Sept 13th :- Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Wednesday served a legal notice to the department of telecom (DoT) over the delay in allocating spectrum to GSM operators.

 

  • Sept 13th :-India’s largest GSM mobile service operator, Bharti Airtel, is embarking on a significant shift in its marketing strategy.

 

  • Sept 13th :-Idea plans to spend about Rs 9,000 crore in capital expenditure over the next couple of years and has already begun outsourcing its information technology operations to IBM earlier this year.

 

  • Sept 13th :-With an average 1.5 billion SMSes generated nationally every week, the Indian SMS saga is already the stuff of legend. If anything, the marriage of reality TV shows and mobile telephony now promises to set the national SMS turf on fire.

 

  • Sept 13th :-Much to the disappointment of DD viewers in non-cable homes, Prasar Bharti’s negotiating skills have fallen short just one day ahead of India’s first Twenty20 match.

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Telecom & Media News/Sept. 12th

 

  • Sept. 12th :The Delhi High Court on Tuesday restrained telemarketers from making unsolicited calls to mobile phone users, irrespective of the fact whether or not they are registered with the DND facility.

 

  • Sept 12th :Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), the GSM operators’ body, has written to the government to strictly enforce licence conditions.

 

  • Sept 12th : The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) has put the recent tariff hikes by leading telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar under the scanner for alleged cartelisation.

 

  • Sept 12th :Since September 1, NSDL and CDSL have introduced free SMS alert facility to apprise equity investors of any shuffle in their demat share holdings. This alert facility could put an end to probable mischief in the hands of the brokers.

 

  • Sept 12th : Harry Potter has deposed James Bond as the most money-spinning movie character of all time, entertainment industry press reported on Wednesday.

 

  • Sept 12th : Probably for the first time as many as 20 Hindi films, with production costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore, are releasing in the next six weeks.

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 10, 2007

Telecom & Media News/11th.Sept.07

Telecom Media & Entertainment News:

 

 

  • Sept. 11th :Idea Cellular Ltd said on Monday its board had approved a proposal to spin off its telecom towers business into a subsidiary, following in the footsteps of its larger rivals. No other details were disclosed in the statement.

 

  • Sept 11th :The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has never seen more Indian films and their representatives than this year. Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Rahul Bose and Nandita Das are among the denizens of Indian cinema currently in the Canadian city.

 

  • In what said be a "first of its kind" initiative in the fast growing radio market, domestic player Big 92.7 FM has tied up with US-based Asian FM, which caters to the Indian diaspora in some US cities.

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Kr. Chanchal

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Telecom News/9th&10th Sept.

Telecom News:

 

 

  • 9th Sept. 2007:-- Five years after it first invited bids for its Call-Data-Record project, state-run BSNL has finally placed Rs 1,200 crore orders with TCS, HCL and Wipro for the programme that will enable it to provide a single bill to subscribers for all its services.

 

  • 10th Sept. 2007 :-- With the list of companies wanting to start telecom services in India growing by the day, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is taking a closer look at the applications to establish the real identities of all those who have sought licences. Government sources said the move was not aimed at disqualifying any player; instead it will help the Centre in obtaining some details such as the stakeholders in the company, the proposed foreign direct investment and the net worth.

 

  • 10th Sept. 2007 :-- Planning to buy the new Nokia 3310 or 6210? Think again — 12 people from Finland and 7 people from China died recently — common among all deaths is that they all purchased Nokia’s new 3310s and 6210s. The medical team that examined the bodies reported extreme levels of radiation from the two cell phone models. Do not pick up calls from following numbers — 9888308001, +919316048121, 9876266211, 9888854137. Calls from these numbers will be of very high wave length and frequency. It can cause brain haemorrhage. It’s not a joke. 27 persons died just by receiving calls from these numbers.

 

 

 

 

Best Regards,

 

Kumar Chanchal

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Telecom News/8th Sept.

 

 

 

 

  • BPL Mobile, the Mumbai circle operator at the centre of a battle for control between Vodafone Essar and the Ruias, has applied for a pan-India licence through a subsidiary. This is seen as an attempt by the Ruias to fortify their telecom presence.

 

  • Public sector BSNL has announced that it would invest Rs 22,881 crore this fiscal on expanding operations and added that it had awarded a Rs 5,200-crore contract ($1.3 billion) to Swedish equipment major Ericsson for 13.12 million GSM lines.