India Telecoms Update @Oct11

Source : Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

• Overall telephony base reaches 915 mn taking overall Teledensity to 76% (wireless @ 73%, wireline @ 3%)
• Share of Urban subs @ 66% of total
• 7.8 mn wireless additions during the month taking the overall wireless base to 881 mn
• 4.4 mn Urban and 3.4 mn Rural additions
• 606 mn Urban and 309 mn Rural wireless subs
• Wireless teledendity @ 73% (160% in Urban & 36% in Rural)
• Service provider-wise share of incremental wireless additions in Oct (top10): Uninor (34.2%), IDEA (21.1%), Reliance (13.3%), Bharti Airtel (12.2%), Vodafone (11.9%), Sistema (9.6%), Aircel (6.3%), BSNL (5.2%), Etisalat (0.7%), Stel (0.6%)
• Of the wireless adds in Oct, in the Metros there was a net add of 0.6 mn subs, Category A circles 2.0 mn, Category B circles 3.5 mn and Category C circles 1.6 mn 
• Service provider-wise cumulative wireless market share end-Oct : Bharti Airtel (19.7%), Reliance (16.8%), Vodafone (16.6%), IDEA (11.6%), BSNL (10.9%), Tata (10%), Aircel (6.8%), Uninor (3.7%), Sistema (1.6%), Videocon (0.7%)
• Dispersion of wireless sub base end-Oct : Metros (12%), Category A circles (35%), Category B circles (39%), Category C circles (14%)
• Peak active wireless subscribers on VLR in Oct @ 626 mn 
• 71% of total wireless base was active at peak time during Oct 
• Jammu & Kashmir has the highest proportion of VLR subs @ 81% followed by Assam and MP (77%); Mumbai has the lowest proportion with 60%
• Service provider wise, IDEA leads the tally with 92%  followed by Bharti Airtel with 89%; Etisalat is at the bottom with 28%
• Cumulative Mobile Number Portability requests till end Oct stood at 23.2 mn. Highest requests from Gujarat followed by AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan
• Wireline base continued to steadily decline and was at 33.2 mn 
• Broadband (>256 kbps) subscriber base inched up to 13 mn

Windows Phone Marketplace passes 50,000 apps

Published by Rafe Blandford, All About Windows Phone

December 27th 2011

The Windows Phone Marketplace has now passed the 50,000 app and games submission mark. Content is being added at the rate of 265 items per day. At the time of writing, 50,126 items have been published. Of these, 17,276 were added in the last 90 days and 8,010 were added in the last 30 days. These items come from 13,002 different publishers.


The 50,000 mark, which has been reached sooner than we estimated, is a key milestone, but more important is the accelerating growth of the Marketplace. It took just over a year to get to 40,000 apps, but just 40 days to add the next 10,000 apps. That bodes well for Windows Phone in 2012. 

Number of Content Items (Apps) Published

The graph below shows the growth in the total number of applications published to the Windows Phone Marketplace over the last year.

Growth of Windows Phone Marketplace. Note: December 2011 is not complete. Figures up to December 27th.

In common with other application stores, the total number of published items is not the same as the number of items available to consumers. Of the 50,126 items published to the Marketplace, just under 6,000 are no longer available (removed by Microsoft or withdrawn by the publisher). In addition, some apps are only available in select markets. This means the number of available items to a consumer, in a given market, is lower than the number of published items. 
The current approximate figures are: US (42,655), UK (40,305), France (39,235), Spain (37,027), Italy (36,944), Germany (36,958), Australia (37,024), India (36,752) and Singapore (36,922). 


During the last four weeks, an average of around 265 new content items has been added each day. When the Marketplace reached 40,000 items (November 16th 2011) this rate was 165 items per day, which means the rate of addition is accelerating.

Apps and Games added each week to Windows Phone Marketplace.

The last few weeks have seen an acceleration in the rate of submissions. There are two likely causes here: firstly the expanded availability of the Windows Phone Marketplace geographically (extended from 16 to 35 countries) and secondly the release of Nokia's first Windows Phone devices. 

Content by category and license

The chart below shows the proportion of content in each of the Windows Phone Marketplace's top level categories. Entertainment is the single biggest category (7,543 items). The next three biggest categories are books + reference (7,014 items), games (6,991) and tools + productivity (6797 items). The four biggest categories (out of seventeen) make up 57% of the content.

Table showing number of items by category and license (free, paid, paid with trial) type:

Note: Some items are not included in this table due to missing category data. All percentages are approximate.

Category	Free		Paid		Paid with Trial		Total
	Items	% of toal	Items	% of total	Items	% of total	Items
Totals	26234	58%	13010	29%	6381	14%	49305
books + reference	1293	18%	4931	70%	501	7%	7014
business	760	72%	170	16%	102	10%	1058
education	933	77%	209	17%	68	6%	1213
entertainment	5235	69%	1556	21%	588	8%	7543
personal finance	526	53%	222	22%	161	16%	988
games	3591	51%	1411	20%	1746	25%	6991
government + politics	77	84%	11	12%	4	4%	92
health + fitness	705	50%	431	31%	250	18%	1412
kids + family	193	57%	72	21%	73	22%	339
lifestyle	1479	44%	378	11%	258	8%	3366
music + video	636	63%	188	19%	157	16%	1003
news + weather	2817	70%	304	8%	165	4%	4050
photo	352	47%	168	22%	216	29%	750
social	985	70%	231	16%	159	11%	1408
sports	1140	62%	445	24%	216	12%	1826
tools + productivity	4157	61%	1317	19%	1182	17%	6797
travel + navigation	1355	39%	966	28%	535	15%	3455

 
58% of items in the Windows Phone Marketplace are free, 14% are paid with a free trial and 29% are paid. By comparison, the free / paid ratio for Android is approximately 69% / 31% and for iOS is approximately 43% / 57%.

Comparison with Android and iOS


Both Android and iOS (both 500,000+) have at least ten times more apps available than Windows Phone. However, this metric is, for obvious reasons, strongly correlated to how long an app store has been in operation. A more interesting comparison is to look at their relative performance.


Windows Phone has taken just under 14 months to reach the 50,000 milestone. Android took 19 months (October 2008 - April 2010) to reach 50,000 apps, reflecting Android's relatively slow start in terms of device licensees. iOS took 12 months (July 2008 - June 2009) to reach the same figure, but arguably had an advantage, given it had an installed based of around 4 million first generation iPhones before the App Store launched.

This relative comparison would suggest Windows Phone Marketplace is a credible challenger to both Apple's App Store and Google's Marketplace in terms of app metrics.

About

These numbers are from our own tracking system, which is also used to power the All About Windows Phone Apps & Games section, where you can browse all of the applications and games, and install them via links to Zune Desktop, the web-based Marketplace, or install them directly by scanning the QR Code with Bing Vision on your smartphone.

The Future of the Camera

I guess the panacea lies in integrating smartphone features into the camera - Social, apps, tips, etc.

By Richard MacManus, ReadWriteWeb

December 24, 201

As smartphones integrate ever more powerful cameras, what can the traditional camera companies do to compete? While there will always be a market for high-end cameras - specialist devices used by professional photographers - it's that middle and lower end market which is slipping away from the likes of Kodak, Canon, Olympus, Sony and Nikon.

Click link above for full article.


'via Blog this'

Android Phones Pass 700,000 Activations Per Day, Approaching 250 Million Total | TechCrunch

No comments on professional proprietary grounds

Erick Schonfeld, TechCrunch
December 22nd, 2011

Android just keeps ramping up higher and higher. Andy Rubin tweeted yesterday that there are now more than 700,000 Android phones activated every single day, which is up from 500,000 activations per day last June. You can see how steep the ramp has been over the past three years by looking at the chart up top, which comes from Horace Dediu at Asymco.

Dediu estimates that the total cumulative number of Android devices activated so far is between 224 million and 253 million. To put this in perspective, last October, Apple announced a cumulative total of 250 million iOS devices sold. But that number includes iPods and iPads.

For full article click link above

'via Blog this'

Samsung Galaxy S Phones Wont Get Ice Cream Sandwich Update

No comment on professional proprietary grounds but I guess Google still has a learning curve as far as software licensing goes

Steve Kovach, Business Insider | Dec. 23, 2011

Today Samsung announced that its line of Galaxy S phones, one of the most popular Android phone models of 2010, will not get Google's latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

That means ~10 million people who bought the phone are going to be stuck on the outdated version 2.3 Gingerbread (or 2.2 Froyo in many cases) until they decide to drop more cash on a new phone.

It also means Samsung is basically throwing its pledge to the Android "Alliance" that it will keep devices released within 18 months updated with the latest version of the OS out the window."


Link to full article above.


'via Blog this'

Canvas M launches 'Saral Rozgar' job portal service in collaboration with TATA DOCOMO

Great initiative. Data aggregation (including awareness creation and changing habit to catalyze usage) is likely to be by far the single largest obstacle.


The architecture of the service again highlights the importance of audio as a bearer to scale mobile services in India

Press release

Unique initiative to provide flexible and end-to-end solution for ‘skilled/semi-skilled/Blue Collar’ workforce

New Delhi, December 21, 2011: Canvas M Technologies, Tech Mahindra’s VAS subsidiary and part of the US$ 14.4 Billion Mahindra Group,  today announced the launch of its unique service “Saral Rozgar” with Tata DOCOMO, the unified brand of Tata Teleservices Limited, a leading telecommunications carrier to launch a unique job portal service called Saral ROZGAR. 

Taking the first movers advantage Tata DOCOMO will be the first operator to offer this service pan India.

“Saral Rozgar”, is a first of its kind mobile VAS solution from CanvasM targeted at providing utility based services to bottom of the pyramid , the blue-collar job segment. Using this service, a blue collar job hunter (like driver, maid, supervisor, plumber, electrician, salesman etc.) will be able to create resumes and apply for jobs through their mobile handsets over a simple human assisted voice call by dailing a short code 541410 using their TATA DOCOMO number. On the other hand the service lets a Job Provider access this huge pool of registered Job seekers over WEB (www.saralrozgar.com) or voice & employ a blue collar job worker matching their requirement & criteria. The service also enables both the parties to seamlessly connect with each other by simple click of button on mobile. The service will also enable the vast rural population willing to work in cities to register themselves from their phones & applying for the jobs at their convenience also helping the prospective employers to get better depth and width of talent.

The charges to access this service is priced very economically, Tata DOCOMO subscribers will only pay Rs 10 for 10 days with 25 free minutes of free browsing. A top up option of Rs 5 for 12 minutes can also be availed.

There are more than one hundred categories of job seekers available under this service, which can enjoy the benefits of low cost service; location based opportunity matching; direct interface with job providers through the media that they understand. 

Saral Rozgar won a  National Award for "Excellence in Innovation with Rural Telecom Focus” at the 5th National Telecom Awards 2011 held on the occasion of World Telecom Day on May 17, 2011.

On the occasion of the launch, Mr Jagdish Mitra, Chief Executive Officer, CanvasM, said “As part of CanvasM’s focus on minimizing the digital divide, we have developed India’s first such platform  which combines the features of internet like service on  a voice platform, therefore enabling the customer to use search , discovery and  market place.  As part of that platform, we are launching the first ever job market place service for blue collar workers. With mobile VAS providing huge opportunities across sectors and projected to pace up further, we are confident that with this service, both job-seekers and job-providers will be able to explore the opportunities and benefit out of this unique service solution.”

Mr. GurinderSingh Sandhu, Head Marketing, Tata Teleservices Limited said “We have partnered with CanvasM to offer job related services to blue collared job seekers. ‘Saral Rozgar” will provide a huge opportunity for the blue collared workforce in the country to access thousands of job postings with a click from their mobile.”

Silicon Valley VCs predict the top trends for 2012

Absolutely agree. Would still continue to also highlight Mobile, Social, Gamification and Cloud though much spoken about already. For India, I would add Enterprise, Mobile Financial Services, Commerce and Governance


Link to Full Article


DECEMBER 25, 2011BY CHRISTINA FARR, Digital TREnds

We asked Silicon Valley’s best and brightest venture capitalists to help illuminate which trends will shape the coming year. Their answers may surprise you.

If the venture capital community has anything to do with it, this time next year, you’ll be monitoring your blood pressure with your iPhone, recruiting helpers from the Web to help around the house, and automatically receiving coupons for free coffee at your destination the next time you board a train.

In Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship is the engine that is driving jobs creation and stimulating economic growth. We are in the midst of a “second bubble,” that is showing no signs of bursting anytime soon.

Terry Opdendyk, a venture capitalist with more than 30 years of investing in tech companies, said the global recession had produced a climate that is ripe for innovation. “This is the best time in history to be an entrepreneur,” he explained. With a wealth of investment opportunities in every space, it’s an even better time to be a VC.

Tech tycoons are remarkably aligned on the trends for 2012. There are the buzzwords you hear again and again, “mobile,” “gamification”, “cloud” and “social”, which are being incorporated into every pitch. We asked partners from some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent firms (includingONSET Ventures, SV Angel, GC Seed, Morganthaler Ventures and Bessemer Ventures) which categories are set to explode in 2012. Here’s what they said.

Healthcare

While our political leaders have been duking it over out-of-control healthcare costs out in Washington D.C., Silicon Valley has been busy investing in its own remedies to the problem. Founders are in the process of beta-testing technologies that will disrupt every aspect of the status quo, including patient management, medical devices and health insurance.

At this year’s Health 2.0 conference, a meeting of the minds gathered to discuss the future of healthcare. In an article for Huffington Post, Dave Chase noted a dramatic spike in attendance, but said he felt dismayed by the misguided radicalism of some of the ideas. Chase’s observations are nothing new; entrepreneurs are just beginning to understand how to take on momentous challenges in the healthcare space. However, Silicon Valley’s VC community is confident that a suite of technologies will emerge to address patients’ most imminent needs. Opdendyk said he would continue to invest in medical devices that provide lower-cost and lower-risk alternatives to the most common procedures.

“I believe all the pieces are in place for the healthcare sector to undergo the kind of transformation that financial services went through 15 years ago,” said Rebecca Lynn, a partner at Morganthaler specializing in Health 2.0. “With cloud computing, smart phones, Web technologies that enable sharing on a massive scale, and creative government programs like ‘Open Data,’ the healthcare sector will be revamped over the next few years,” she added.

Why? While there are plenty of startups in this space with more smoke than substance, there are bound to be some huge successes that will yield billions of dollars. Health IT will definitely be a space to watch in 2012.

Ones to Watch: Healthtap, Vertos Medical, Avado, Skimble, Patientslikeme, 23andme

EdTech

In Silicon Valley, education technology is the “hot” space, thanks to major boosts in funding for initiatives in the previous year. In a twist, administrators and teachers have become outspoken advocates of technology’s role in augmenting the classroom experience. Typically tech averse, they have been won over by the sweeping promises of the gregarious founders in the space.

Why the shift in attitudes to embrace technology? “We took our social lives online, and now are beginning to entrust the Internet with our professional and academic lives,” said Ethan Kurzweil, vice president of Bessemer Ventures.

For this reason, education presents the most exciting opportunity for many investors in 2012; those interviewed provided an exhaustive list of nonprofits and for-profit companies that aim to transform the way we learn.

Why? We are still in the early innings; the big players will focus their energies on reaching students in college and high school. In 2012, the vast majority of startups will not take on the crises in the public school system. Instead, they will improve education outside of the classroom by offering access to test prep, mentorship, tutors, easy-to-use multimedia tools and webinars.

Ones to Watch: Khan Academy,Grockit, Piazza, Course Hero, Codecademy, Skillshare, Tutorspree

Data science and “Big Data”

In Silicon Valley, investors are keenly aware that every time you open your browser, you leave megabytes of data in your wake.In 2012, the explosion of real-time and social data will create an enormous opportunity for entrepreneurs.

“A very big chunk of it is unstructured,” said NikolaosBonatsos, an early stage investor at GC Seed. “The ways we store it (databases), make sense of it (analytics) and see it (visualization) need to be revised.”

Why? We create a vast quantity of data every minute that can be manipulated in useful ways. The winners in this somewhat crowded space will provide actionable insights into consumer behavior that can be leveraged by big brands.

Ones to Watch: Socrata, Palantir, Addepar, Hortonworks, CitusData, Relevvant

Consumerization of the enterprise

Employees are accustomed to clean, user-friendly applications in their personal lives, and have begun to expect the same from enterprise tools. As a result, they will use consumer-focused applications for their business needs in 2012.

Evernote, a multi-platform note taking application, is the perfect illustration of this trend. Sixteen million people better organize their personal lives with this mobile application. It’s no surprise that these users are dragging Evernote to their workplace. The tech startup will adapt their offering to the enterprise, while maintaining the features that drove its early success.

Why? The line between our professional and personal lives is blurrier than ever. Cloud computing has enabled tech companies to deliver their services for less with feature-sets that are increasingly commoditized.

Ones to Watch: Evernote, Box, Socialcast, Survey Monkey, Yammer, Dropbox

Collaborative consumption

There has been a rapid explosion in swapping and renting that shows no signs of slowing down. A personal favorite is Kickstarter, which uses the power of crowdsourcing to fund creative and entrepreneurial projects.

Whether it’s our cars, homes, clothes, or even our spare time, the Internet has stepped in to facilitate the sharing process. Is this a “we”, rather than a “me” generation?

The recent backlash to Airbnb when a user’s home was trashed illustrates that we don’t completely trust these services to safeguard our treasured possessions, let alone ourselves. In 2012, the most successful services will communicate a “safety first” message to win over new sectors of the market.

Ones to Watch: Airbnb, GetAround, Rentcycle, Zipcar, Kickstarter, Task Rabbit