Showing newest 14 of 59 posts from March 2010. Show older posts

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Distimo Mobile World Congress 2010 Presentation - Mobile Application Stores State of Play

Distimo Mobile World Congress 2010 Presentation - Mobile Application Stores State of Play

India's Bharti Airtel set to acquire Zain Africa BV

Good one for Airtel and India. Makes Airtel a transnational corporation now with a South Asia (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) and pan-African footprint.

Deal values Zain at ~US$250/sub (far lower than current India valuations).

It will be interesting to see if Airtel can now export its well oiled and evolved minute factory to Africa apart from leveraging the benefits of scale and geographical presence further with vendors/partners

PRESS RELEASE

Set to Enter Africa – one of the few remaining global high growth markets

Bharti Airtel is set to become world’s fifth largest wireless company with operations across 18 countries
Bharti’s total customer base to be around 179 million and includes Zain Africa’s mobile operations in 15 countries with over 42 million customers
Bharti’s telecom footprint to cover 1.8 billion people across Asia and Africa – second largest among telcos

New Delhi , March 30, 2010 : Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti”), Asia’s leading telecommunications service provider, today announced that it has entered into a legally binding definitive agreement with Zain Group (“Zain”) to acquire Zain Africa BV based on an enterprise valuation of USD 10.7 billion.

Under the agreement, Bharti will acquire Zain’s African mobile services operations in 15 countries with a total customer base of over 42 million. Zain is the market leader in ten of these countries and ranks second in four countries. With this acquisition, Bharti Airtel will be the world’s fifth largest wireless company with operations across 18 countries. Bharti group’s global telecom footprint will expand to 21 countries along with the operations in Seychelles, Jersey, and Guernsey. The company’s network will now cover over 1.8 billion people - the second largest population coverage among Telcos globally.

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel said, “This agreement is a landmark for global telecom industry and game changer for Bharti. More importantly, this transaction is a pioneering step towards South South cooperation and strengthening of ties between India and Africa. With this acquisition, Bharti Airtel will be transformed into a truly global telecom company with operations across 18 countries fulfilling our vision of building a world-class multinational.

We are excited at the growth opportunities in Africa, the continent of hope and opportunity. We believe that the strength of our brand and the historical Indian connect with Africa coupled with our unique business model will allow us to unlock the potential of these emerging markets. We are committed to partnering with the governments in these countries in taking affordable telecom services to the remotest geographies and bridging the digital divide. I would also like to compliment the Zain group for building world-class operations in Africa and we have enjoyed working with them on this transaction.”

Mr Mittal further added, "The extremely tight time lines and the enormity of the task posed a real challenge. Bharti was able to achieve this important milestone through much hardwork and support from SingTel and the external advisors. Appreciation is in order for all the team members involved in this transaction."

Mr. Asaad Al Banwan, Chairman, Zain Group said, “Since we acquired Celtel in 2005, we have grown substantially to become one of Africa’s leading mobile operators, and we are proud of the contribution Zain Africa has made to the development of telecommunications across the continent."

He added, “Bharti Airtel has a fantastic track record in running successful operations in the emerging markets and we are delighted that the African telecom asset that we so assiduously built is becoming part of such a committed and reputable telecom powerhouse. We wish Bharti Airtel all the very best for their future success in Africa.”

Zain Africa BV has mobile operations in the following 15 countries - Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The total population of these 15 countries stands at over 450 million with telecom penetration of approximately 32%.

With this acquisition Bharti’s total customer base will increase to around 179 million in 18 countries. Bharti launched mobile services in India in 1995, Sri Lanka in 2009 and acquired Warid in Bangladesh in January 2010.

Standard Chartered Bank is the Lead Advisor to Bharti on this transaction. Barclays Capital is the Joint Lead Advisor and SBI Group is the Lead Onshore Advisor. Global Investment House KSCC is the Regional Advisor to Bharti on this transaction.

India DoT releases bidders' list for India 3G, BWA spectrum

The Indian 3G & BWA auctions enter the next phase with all the bidders qualifying

By Shauvik Ghosh, Mint

March 31, 2010

For once adhering to its timeline, the department of telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday published a list of pre-qualified bidders in the auction of spectrum for third-generation (3G) mobile phone services and broadband wireless access (BWA), fuelling expectations that the long- awaited sale may finally take place next month. All nine applicants for 3G-- including Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Essar Ltd, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd--and 11 applicants for BWA qualified to take part in the auction, according to a statement posted on the web- site of DoT.
The government collected a total of Rs5,806.25 crore in earnest money from the po- tential bidders. Each appli- cant seeking 3G spectrum across the country paid Rs550 crore; those that want a pan- India presence in broadband wireless access paid Rs252.50 crore each.
It's the first time in more than two years since the Indi- an government has looked into auctioning spectrum that it has been able to stick to a given timetable. The next step in the process is a mock auc- tion on 5-6 April, followed by the start of the 3G auction on 9 April. The broadband wireless auction will take place two days after the 3G spectrum sale closes.
Of the nine telecom compa- nies that applied for 3G spec- trum, which would enable them to offer high-speed data transfer and multimedia serv- ices, six sought to bid for radio waves across all 23 telecom circles, or operating areas, seeking a pan-India presence.
These six are Bharti Airtel, Reliance Telecom, Idea Cellu- lar, Tata Teleservices Ltd, Air- cel Ltd and Vodafone Essar.
Videocon Telecommunications Ltd, S Tel Pvt. Ltd and Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd will bid to operate in a limited number of areas.
Similarly, of the 11 potential bidders for broadband wireless spectrum, eight applied for spectrum across the country.
The eight are Bharti, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Infotel Broad- band Services Pvt. Ltd, Qual- comm Inc., Reliance Wimax Ltd, Tata Communications Ltd and Vodafone Essar.
Firms that have applied to bid for a limited number of op- erating areas are Augere (Mau- ritius) Ltd, Spice Internet Ser- vice Provider Pvt. Ltd and Tikona Digital Networks Pvt. Ltd.
Reliance Telecom and Reli- ance Wimax are both part of Reliance Communications Ltd, India's second biggest mobile phone firm.
The government wants to use the auction proceeds to re- duce its fiscal deficit, which it will plug by borrowing Rs4.57 trillion in the year starting 1 April. The auction is expected to raise Rs35,000 crore.
The reserve price for a slot of pan-India 3G spectrum has been set at Rs3,500 crore and that for broadband wireless ra- dio waves at half as much.
But the winning bids are ex- pected to be in multiples of the reserve price because appli- cants by far outnumber the number of slots of both kinds of spectrum available.
“While the auction may hap- pen on schedule, the start of commercial services may take a little longer as the defence forces may not be able to va- cate the spectrum they have promised to in time,“ said a Mumbai-based analyst with an international brokerage firm, who declined to be named be- cause he isn't authorized to speak to the media.
“Till the spectrum is vacat- ed, none of the operators would be able to start com- mercial operations of the serv- ices,“ the analyst said.
The winning bidders of the auction will be allocated the spectrum only in September by when the defence forces are expected to vacate the radio waves they are using.
That's dependent on state- run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Ni- gam Ltd building an alterna- tive optical fibre cable network for the defence forces in time.

For once adhering to its timeline, the department of telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday published a list of pre-qualified bidders in the auction of spectrum for third-generation (3G) mobile phone services and broadband wireless access (BWA), fuelling expectations that the long- awaited sale may finally take place next month.

All nine applicants for 3G-- including Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Essar Ltd, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd--and 11 applicants for BWA qualified to take part in the auction, according to a statement posted on the web- site of DoT.

The government collected a total of Rs5,806.25 crore in earnest money from the po- tential bidders. Each appli- cant seeking 3G spectrum across the country paid Rs550 crore; those that want a pan- India presence in broadband wireless access paid Rs252.50 crore each.
It's the first time in more than two years since the Indi- an government has looked into auctioning spectrum that it has been able to stick to a given timetable. The next step in the process is a mock auc- tion on 5-6 April, followed by the start of the 3G auction on 9 April. The broadband wireless auction will take place two days after the 3G spectrum sale closes.
Of the nine telecom compa- nies that applied for 3G spec- trum, which would enable them to offer high-speed data transfer and multimedia serv- ices, six sought to bid for radio waves across all 23 telecom circles, or operating areas, seeking a pan-India presence.

These six are Bharti Airtel, Reliance Telecom, Idea Cellu- lar, Tata Teleservices Ltd, Air- cel Ltd and Vodafone Essar.

Videocon Telecommunications Ltd, S Tel Pvt. Ltd and Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd will bid to operate in a limited number of areas.

Similarly, of the 11 potential bidders for broadband wireless spectrum, eight applied for spectrum across the country.

The eight are Bharti, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Infotel Broad- band Services Pvt. Ltd, Qual- comm Inc., Reliance Wimax Ltd, Tata Communications Ltd and Vodafone Essar.

Firms that have applied to bid for a limited number of op- erating areas are Augere (Mau- ritius) Ltd, Spice Internet Ser- vice Provider Pvt. Ltd and Tikona Digital Networks Pvt. Ltd.
Reliance Telecom and Reli- ance Wimax are both part of Reliance Communications Ltd, India's second biggest mobile phone firm.

The government wants to use the auction proceeds to re- duce its fiscal deficit, which it will plug by borrowing Rs4.57 trillion in the year starting 1 April. The auction is expected to raise Rs35,000 crore.

The reserve price for a slot of pan-India 3G spectrum has been set at Rs3,500 crore and that for broadband wireless ra- dio waves at half as much.

But the winning bids are ex- pected to be in multiples of the reserve price because appli- cants by far outnumber the number of slots of both kinds of spectrum available.

“While the auction may hap- pen on schedule, the start of commercial services may take a little longer as the defence forces may not be able to va- cate the spectrum they have promised to in time,“ said a Mumbai-based analyst with an international brokerage firm, who declined to be named be- cause he isn't authorized to speak to the media.

“Till the spectrum is vacat- ed, none of the operators would be able to start com- mercial operations of the serv- ices,“ the analyst said.

The winning bidders of the auction will be allocated the spectrum only in September by when the defence forces are expected to vacate the radio waves they are using.

That's dependent on state- run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Ni- gam Ltd building an alterna- tive optical fibre cable network for the defence forces in time.

Windows Phone 7 Is Impressive, But 3 Challenges Remain for Microsoft

Pretty impressive but this is clearly going to be an uphill long haul battle for Microsoft. An impressive apps store, tightly integrating their key assets (bing, zune and xbox), building a consumer brand (for phones) and related recall and being flexible in partnerships (without losing control or the risk of fragmentation) is going to be key.

By Colin Gibbs

Feb. 15, 2010

Microsoft unveiled the long-awaited upgrade to its venerable mobile operating system this morning, and — so far, at least — the results are pretty impressive. The company has finally scrapped the cumbersome look and feel of Windows Mobile in favor of a more intuitive, streamlined user interface, and – much like HTC — is focusing on consumers by emphasizing the personalized nature of mobile phones in addition to productivity features. (See video below.)

Windows Phone 7 Series, as the new OS is dubbed, is built on the Zune HD interface and enables users to navigate the device via a series of integrated “hubs” (Office, pictures, games, music and video) and widgets. And Microsoft has wisely enlisted the help of industry heavyweights such as Qualcomm and AT&T to help it regain its lost relevance in the ultra-competitive smartphone space.

But producing a knockout mobile operating system won’t be enough to get back in the game, as Palm can tell you. For Microsoft to challenge platforms like Android and iPhone, it will have to address these three primary challenges before its new devices come to market in the fourth quarter of 2010:

Build a better app store. Smartphone users already have the luxury of browsing through tens of thousands of apps in the Android Market or Apple’s App Store, so Microsoft will have to quickly find a way to build an impressive library of offerings for its new Phone 7 Series. CEO Steve Ballmer today quashed speculation that the company might make its OS freely available to developers, so the company must find other ways to attract the attention of developers who already have lots of attractive platforms on which to build their mobile apps

Build a better brand. Forrester’s Charles S. Golvin noted this morning that 24 percent of Windows Mobile users in North America say their phone was made by Apple or RIM, and more than one-third of European Windows Mobile users said Nokia made their phone. And the Windows brand isn’t linked to phones that use the OS on any carrier’s web site, Golvin said. So Microsoft will have to leverage its partnerships and invest heavily in promoting its brand if Windows Phone 7 Series is to be a hit with consumers

Understand the mobile web. Microsoft’s inability to become a major player on the Internet is well documented, and is a key reason the company has failed to connect with consumers. Apps are great, and Microsoft’s apparent progress in tearing down the siloed world of mobile apps to create a more integrated experience is impressive. (That progress was illustrated this morning by the company’s success in integrating Bing and social networking sites with the mobile experience.) If the overhauled OS is to find an audience, though, Microsoft must prove that it understands how consumers want to use the web while they’re on the phone. That will be a particularly difficult hurdle for a company that has always been about software — not consumer experiences.

It’s easy to get excited after a single demonstration, of course, and Windows Mobile will surely continue to lose market share before Windows Phone 7 comes to market late this year. Meanwhile, those competing platforms will only become more so in the coming months. And while Microsoft’s move to give network operators flexibility to tweak the OS is commendable, it runs the risk of carriers damaging the platform as they put their own stamp on it. But the smartphone space is a wide-open field, and Windows Phone 7 Series indicates that Redmond might finally be getting a clue. If it can continue to execute in the coming months, Microsoft may just find itself back in the game.

Report: Etisalat launches ‘Cheers Mobile’ in India

Another new entrant in the hyper competitive Indian telecoms arena. I guess people still find the market attractive !!

Their proposed tariffs are likely to trigger a new round of tariffs wars in the already bloody arena.

GSMA Business Briefing

March 31, 2010

UAE-based Etisalat is poised to launch its new Indian mobile network across 15 circles promising to offer some of the lowest tariffs in an already fiercely competitive market. According to an exclusive report by India’s Telecom Talk, the new network – a joint-venture between Etisalat and local real estate firm DB Realty – will launch under a new brand, Cheers Mobile. The report says that the network will offer local on-net calls at just INR0.010 per minute. This rises to INR0.030 per minute for off-net local calls and to INR0.060 per minute for national STD calls to all networks. Although the tariffs have been published, the exact launch date of services is not known. However, Mumbai – where the firm is headquartered – is likely to be among the first markets to go live.

Etisalat DB India Pvt. Ltd – as the company is officially known (previously Swan Telecom) - has Unified Services Access Licenses (USAL) in 15 Indian circles including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Network build-out has been outsourced to Reliance Communications as part of a INR10,000 crore deal that was signed last year. Etisalat DB India is also one of the nine firms to have registered to bid in next month’s 3G spectrum auctions in India. The country’s Department of Telecoms announced this week that all nine bidders – along with the 11 separate applications for BWA spectrum – have all prequalified to participate in the auctions.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Intel Capital Invests US$23 Million in India

Interesting investments. I like the term "Mobile 3.0" for whatever that jargon means !!

July Systems is a good investment though I am not sure of the rationale of the investment in MCX.

Overall I would expect corporate tech funds like Intel Cap to be much more aggressive going forward in India given the opportunity in the mobile, internet and infrastructure domains.

Press Release

March 25, 2010

Investments in July Systems, KLG Systel, and MCX signal continued commitment from Intel Capital to foster Indian innovation

Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment organization, today reaffirmed its commitment to Indian entrepreneurship by detailing plans to invest US$23 million in three Indian technology companies:

July Systems provides mobile Internet solutions which enable media brands to publish, distribute, monetize inventory and personalize services for consumers;
KLG Systel provides smart grid and energy management and efficiency solutions to power utilities and end-users; and
MCX, a leading commodity futures electronic exchange in India, has permanent recognition from the Government of India for facilitating online trading, clearing and settlement operations for futures market across the country.

Individual investment amounts were not disclosed. Funding will come from the US$250 million Intel Capital India Technology Fund established in December 2005. This fund invests in Indian technology companies to stimulate local technology innovation and the continued growth of India's information technology industry.

“Intel Capital’s investment in July Systems, KLG Systel and MCX reinforces our commitment towards fostering Indian innovation,” said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. “We believe that India is poised for the next phase of growth. Intel Capital’s investment will help with global resources, knowledge and expertise to assist these companies with their growth and success.”

Investment in July Systems: July Systems developed the industry’s first Mobile 3.0 publishing platform. The company plans to use Intel Capital’s funds to grow its sales, business development and operations teams in North American and the Asia Pacific. In addition, it will deepen R&D investments in the company’s Mi™ platform, including its cross-platform publishing across mobile web and native applications, rich media advertising technologies, real-time interactive video and micro-payment management systems.

Rajesh Reddy, Founder and CEO, July Systems, commented: “We are delighted to receive investment from Intel Capital. This represents the next phase of our growth and will allow July Systems to strengthen its position by investing in technology, operations and expanding our team. Intel Capital’s strategic investment will help enhance the appeal of our offering.”

Investment in KLG Systel: KLG Systel developed Connectgaia.com and SG 61 technologies, which allow the monitoring and control of electrical devices remotely over the Internet. The company has also developed a software as a service solution, known as Vidushi, for CIS and utility billing and management. The company is developing a Smart Grid and energy efficiency device based around the Intel Atom processor, as well as creating a center of excellence to showcase technology and emerging models.

Kumud Goel, Managing Director, KLG Systel, added: “Investment by Intel Capital shall enable us to access the latest technologies to upgrade our Connectgaia.com and SG 61 technologies on the Intel Atom chipset. We shall be able to provide innovative solutions to address the issues of global warming and CO2 emissions by reducing and optimizing usage of energy across the electricity supply chain.”

Investment in MCX: MCX is a leading Indian electronic commodity futures exchange that trades more than 40 commodities from various market segments including bullion (globally #1 Silver, #2 Gold), energy, metals, fiber, and agro-commodities. Intel Capital has purchased an equity investment stake in MCX via a secondary transaction with an existing MCX investor. Intel and MCX plan to work together to advance technology adoption in hinterland India, where MCX and its sister companies have deep existing reach through an existing network of 4,000 bulk warehouses and extensive broker network.

Commenting on the investments, Sudheer Kuppam, managing director, Intel Capital Asia Pacific, stated: “Investing in electronic financial exchanges, smart grid technology solutions and mobile Internet-nabling technology platforms demonstrates Intel Capital’s strong commitment to India’s on-going infrastructure build-out, as aligned with the national agenda. Investing in entrepreneurship within technology sectors vital to the growth of the country will continue to characterize Intel Capital’s activities in India over the medium term.”

Since 1998, Intel Capital has invested more than US$200 million in Indian technology companies across 10 cities, showing the importance that Intel places on fostering entrepreneurship and technology innovation in India.

India Telecoms Update - Feb10

Source : TRAI

Total telephony subscription reached 600.7 Mn translating to overall teledensity of 51.1%

With 18.8 Mn adds during the month, wireless subscriptions reached 563.7 Mn

Share of monthly wireless subscriptions (top 5) - Vodafone (16.5%), Bharti airtel (15.5%), Tata (15.2%), Reliance (15%) & Aircel (9.7%)
Wireless subscriptions market share (end Feb) (top 5) - Bharti Airtel (22.1%, 125 Mn), Reliance (17.6%, 99 Mn), Vodafone (17.3%, 97 Mn), BSNL (11.5%, 67 Mn) & Tata (11.2%, 66 Mn)
Category B circles accounted for 44% of subs followed by Cat. A (30%), Cat. C (17%) and Metros (9%)

Wireline subscriptions declined marginally to 37.0 Mn

Broadband subscriptions grew by 0.6 Mn to 8.6 Mn

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Are the Indian Chinese vendors moving up the value chain ?

Are the Indian Chinese vendors moving up the value chain ? The first smartphone from Micromax based on Windows Mobile 6.1. But this suffers from a lot of glaring gaps at the given price point starting with the display

Form Factor		BarStyle

Band		Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz

Weight		113g

Dimensions		1125514.2mm

Display		262K, 3.2 inches” WQVGA. Touch Lens

Camera		Yes, 2.0 MP CMOS with Flashlight

Music		Multi Format Music Player (MP3 / AMR / MIDI / WMA)

Operating system		Windows Mobile 6.1

GPS		Yes, with maps from Mapmy India

Motion Sensor		Yes

WLAN		WiFi 802.11b/g

3.5MM Jack		Yes

Video Palyer		WMV/WMA/Mp4/H.263/AVI

Messaging		Yes, SMS/MMS/EMS/Email

Games		Yes

EDGE/GPRS/WAP/MMS		Yes, EGPRS (Class10)

PhoneBook Memory		Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall

Internal Memory		157 MB

Expandable Memory		MicroSD (upto 16GB)

Battery Type		Li-ion 1500mAh

Talk Time		Up to 5 hours*

Standby Time		Up to 480 hours*

Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Services and some features may be dependent on the network service/content providers, SIM Card, compatibility of the devices used and the content formats supported. *Talk and Standby time are affected by network preferences, type of SIM cards, connected accessories and individual usage patterns.

In the Box

1 Transreceiver 1 Battery 1 Charger Software CD Data Cable 2Gb T Flash Card GPS Manual User Guide Service Guide Stylus Warranty Card

Bharti Airtel iPhone 3GS Pricing

Apple again seems to have got its India pricing and proposition incorrect

Bharti Airtel iPhone 3GS Pricing

Details	iPhone 3GS Plan
Free Data per month (MB)	500 **
iPhone 3G 8GB (Rs)	29,500*
iPhone 3GS 16GB (Rs)	35,500*
iPhone 3GS 32GB (Rs)	41,500*

This includes 500MB/mth data for 1 year.

*The prices may vary in some States due to differential VAT.
** For a year from activation of iPhone 3GS connection.

India Mobile Data : TataDoCoMo Tariffs

The other plus of the bruising telecoms battle in India - More competetive data tariffs with the charge being led by the new players

Is INR 0.5 US$0.01)/MB (peak) and INR 0.02 (US$0.0005)/MB (off-peak) the new benchmark for data tariffs ?

Tata DoCoMo GPRS tariffs

PACK	Day free (7am to 11pm)	Night free usage (11pm to 7am)	Validity Days	Post Free usage with validity left
95/-	200MB	4GB	30	50p/1MB
48/-	100MB	2GB	30	50p/1MB
33/-	50MB	1GB	15	50p/1MB
15/-	30MB	500MB	3	50p/1MB
5/-	10MB		valid till Mid Night	50p/1MB

Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet?

Innovative India Mobile VAS - Part III in my series (Interesting proposition from TataDoCoMo to garner subscribers and drive on net usage to drive retention and lower interconnection payouts). Brings down on-net voice tariffs to 0.2 paise (US$0.000044)/sec

What is Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet?

Welcome to Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet, the coolest platform to bring your world of buddies closer!

Any existing or new Tata DOCOMO Prepay customer can join Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet.
Once you are in, all you need to do is to ask your friends to join Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet and you are on your friendship express.
Oh! By the way – once you join Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet you will get 50 SMSs free for inviting your friends to join Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet… and you are on your way.
To make best use of Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet, get everyone you know to join Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet and enjoy the following benefits:
- Chat and Social Network endlessly with your buddies (Free browsing on specified Social Networking web/wap-sites namely – Facebook, Twitter, Nimbuzz, Linked- in and Orkut) [Currently upto 2GB usage/ month is free. Thereafter the Fair usage policy (FUP) will apply on Free usage under this offer. However any embedded applications and external URLs/Links will be charged at base tariff rates( i.e. 1ps/1kb)]
- Also, enjoy local calls at 1p/6sec and STD at 1p/2 sec to all other Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet members
- Use your balance to Gift a recharge to other Tata DOCOMO customers
- Share your Talktime with your Tata DOCOMO buddies

Well, at Tata DOCOMO we love having a really big family!

All these benefits at a nominal weekly rent of Rs. 7/ week. Just like the benefits with Tata DOCOMO, we believe the friends in your life should be unlimited and ever-increasing – thus, bring as many buddies onto the Tata DOCOMO BuddyNet as you can, there is no limit!

Tata DoCoMo : Comix on the Go

First in a series of posts om innovative India Mobile VAS. Includes a post earlier on Airtel Talkies

Source : TataDoCoMo website

Can't DO without your daily dose of comix? Have time to kill and want to lose yourself in the magical world of comix on your long journey back home?

Tata DOCOMO brings to you Comix on-the-go on your mobile phone.

Watch comix from legendary comic houses like Amar Chitra Katha, Virgin comix as well as world famous Japanese comix

Read full comix, short scripts of new as well as evergreen comix like Suppandi, Birbal - The Clever, Bhagat Singh, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, etc

What's more. You can also enjoy moving images and vibration feedback in sync with the action in the comic!!

How :

Visit "Dive-In" (our wap portal) on your Tata DOCOMO phone and click on the "Comix on-the-go"
Download your favorite comix from the exhaustive list available.
The comic reader will be downloaded on your phone….it's that simple!!! .
Download of application is free on Tata DOCOMO home and Roaming network. While on roaming with Non Tata DOCOMO network standard data rates (mentioned below) will apply.
The application will be present in your applications/installations folder of your phone with the name "Comix on-the-go"
Once you have downloaded the application all your downloaded comix will be stored in its library and you don't have to download them again. You can check for more comix from the Catalog in the Comic reader itself and don't need to visit the portal again for it.

How the application looks on the phone :

Pricing:

Check out our free promotional content. The comix are also available at the following prices:

Rs.3 for Small scripts,
Rs.10 for Short stories
Rs.20 for Full comix

Smartphones now account for half of AdMob traffic

Interesting. Fueled by heavy application usage

by Ewan MacLeod, Telecoms.com

March 25, 2010

AdMob’s metrics report is out today and there’s some interesting stats to ponder.

The first point to consider:

In February 2010, smartphones accounted for 48 percent of AdMob’s worldwide traffic, up from 35 percent in February 2009.

More and more people are upgrading to smartphones. This can only be good news for the marketplace.

The strong growth of iPhone and Android traffic, fueled by heavy application usage, was primarily responsible for increase. Although the share of feature phone traffic in AdMob’s network declined from 58 percent to 35 percent year-over-year, absolute traffic from feature phones still grew 31 percent. Mobile Internet devices experienced the strongest growth of the three categories, increasing to account for 17 percent of traffic in AdMob’s network in February 2010. The iPod touch is the top mobile Internet device and is responsible for vast majority of this traffic, other devices include the Sony PSP and Nintendo DSi.

Highlights from the February 2010 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report include:

iPhone OS increased its share of smartphone requests from 33 percent in February 2009 to 50 percent in February 2010.

That’s pretty impressive — but to be expected given AdMob’s heavy emphasis toward the platform. Good news for publishers and advertising chasing iPhone users!

Next up, Symbian…

Symbian’s share of smartphone requests fell from 43 percent in February 2009 to 18 percent in February 2010.

This is why Nokia and Symbian is viewed as more or less irrelevant by much of the American media and application developer space. It is perhaps to be expected, given the reach AdMob has embedded on applications and on sites heavily frequented by iPhone/Android users. Let’s look at Android:

Android increased its share from two percent in February 2009 to 24 percent in February 2010.

That’s pretty dramatic, given the number of handsets that shipped last year.

Now let’s get some more Android focused perspective:

The top five Android devices worldwide, by traffic, were the Motorola Droid, HTC Dream, HTC Hero, HTC Magic, and the Motorola CLIQ. The Google Nexus One only generated one percent of total Android traffic in February 2010.

And now a nod to the rest of the marketplace:

Samsung, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and LG were the top manufacturers of feature phones. Top feature phones from each manufacturer in AdMob’s network were the Samsung SCH R350, Nokia 3110c, Sony Ericsson W200i, Motorola RAZR V3, and LG CU920.

[Note: Do remember that AdMob's stats, whilst indicative, are based on being able to track users viewing AdMob inventory. So if you visit Mobile Industry Review on your mobile, you're being tracked by AdMob (since we carry ads there) but if you *ONLY* visit The Application Review on your mobile, you won't be tracked and your usage won't be included in AdMob's metrics. So do keep a pinch of salt around when you're evaluating the stats in the context of the whole industry.]

YouTube Caught in Net Neutrality Flap in India

Interesting given Google's vociferous Net Neutrality advocacy in the US. Current regulkation and license conditions currently do not have any explicit mention relating to equal treatment of internet content they handle

by Ryan Lawler, GigaOM
March 25, 2010

Google has long been a proponent of net neutrality, but it appears the company may have unknowingly allowed an advertising partner in India to promote preferential treatment for certain video streams on YouTube. A reader in India tipped us off that YouTube advertiser Bharti Airtel, a major ISP in India, was promising its subscribers faster Internet access when they tuned in to YouTube’s Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket coverage.

The Indian ISP recently ran an ad on YouTube saying its subscribers would get preferred access to live cricket matches streamed from the YouTube IPL site. “TV QUALITY VIDEO WITHOUT BUFFERING,” the advertisement promised. “Airtel Broadband gifts all its customers 2Mbps SPEED UPGRADE for youtube.com/ipl.” Here’s a screenshot of the offering provided by our India-based reader:

The offer is only open to Airtel Boadband subscribers, and only extends to IPL videos. For other pieces of content, subscribers would suffer through their usual broadband plan speeds, which are typically lower than 2Mbps. In that way, the offer is kind of like Comcast promising guaranteed video quality or better broadband speeds for video streams from NBC.com, a practice that would most likely be criticized by competing broadcasters ABC, CBS and Fox — and possibly even by Google itself.

YouTube’s coverage of the Indian Premier League marks its first live sports deal, which gives it exclusive rights to live streams of the cricket matches worldwide (except in the U.S.).

Google has been very vocal about net neutrality in the U.S., where it has argued that all Internet content should be treated equally. In a filing sent to the FCC after the commission sought comment on net neutrality proposals, Google asked that it establish a non-discrimination policy to “prevent a broadband provider from using its control over the network to favor or disadvantage particular sources of content or applications” — which is exactly what Airtel is doing with IPL streams.

A source close to the situation says that Google didn’t see the ad before it appeared on the YouTube IPL site, but once it did, the company objected to it and asked Bharti Airtel to revise it. The ad has since disappeared from YouTube, according to our reader, but Airtel is still promoting the offer on its own web site. Even so, in the weeks since the ad first appeared, Google has benefited not only from revenues associated with it, but also from Bharti subscribers that have taken advantage of increased broadband speeds when viewing cricket matches.

Google has disavowed any association with Bharti’s preferential treatment of YouTube streams, issuing the following statement on the matter:

“We do not have any commercial arrangement with Airtel for preferential access to YouTube or to the IPL’s channel. We did not ask for nor did we approve of giving YouTube any preferential treatment. This is independent of their sponsorship arrangement with us and is not a component of it.”

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