SMS
4:30 pm
BSNL Launches Two New Data-SMS Combo Packs
New Combo STVs w.e.f. 18.04.2013:
Recharge 17 (STV17) : 90 SMS (Any Network) + 90 MB Data (2G) for 15 Days
Recharge 67 (STV67) : 400 SMS (Any Network) + 400 MB Data (2G) for 30 Days
Saturday, July 6
NEWS
4:25 pm
Airtel directed to stop 3G services in 7 circles. Airtel moves to Supreme Court.
Airtel 3G services in as many as seven circles in India may get disrupted owing to a directive issued by the Delhi High Court.
The Delhi High Court acting on a plea by Reliance Communication, which claimed that Bharti Airtel was providing 3G services in nearly seven circles where it did not have spectrum rights and this was incurring RCOM huge losses for the 3G on daily basis as Bharti has been using it free of cost.
A notification from the Department of Telecommunications, ordered Airtel to stop providing 3G intra-circle roaming facilities in seven circles where it did not have the spectrum and also levied a penalty of Rs 350 crore for violating the licence terms and conditions. The circles affected by the order are Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, UP, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
While Airtel had initially managed to obtain a stay on the notification, the Delhi High Court has now thrashed it making the company to move to the Supreme Court for relief. As the petition before the Supreme Court could not be heard immediately and is now delayed till Monday, DoT has ordered Airtel to stop 3G services in these seven circles immediately.
Tuesday, July 2
Technology and Gadgets
6:59 pm
Railways launches Free Wi-Fi Service
With this facility, it becomes the country’s first Wi-Fi-enabled train to offer connectivity to passengers free of cost.
The Railway plans to extend the service on other Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto Express trains based on customer feedback.
The passengers will be required to register themselves by providing their PNR number and other details after which they will be given login ID and password through an SMS. The ID and Password will be valid for the entire journey on the train.
NEWS
6:50 pm
Idea and Huawei announce successful deployment of optical fibre in India
According to reports, Idea Cellular along with Huawei has announced that they have successfully deployed the latest optical fibre in India which would give customers data transmission speeds of up to 8 terabits per second.
The companies used the Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), for transmission of data vital for telecom and broadband services, to deploy the optical fibre network in the country. With Huawei’s 100G solution, the network would give high performance for ultra-long haul transmission.
According to Idea, with the 100G DWDM system, having OTN based ASON in backbone optical network, the company is prepared to experience data explosion in coming years. The company is said to be the first to implement this technology in the country.
NEWS
6:40 pm
Aircel ties up with Nimbuzz to provide free messaging
As per reports, Aircel is offering Nimbuzz app in Jammu & Kashmir as regular SMS services are unavailable in the region. Considering the success, Aircel now plans to launch similar packages in Delhi, followed by India.
With the increasing popularity of free messaging apps, mobile operators are losing their revenues earned through SMS, which is usually around 6-7 percent of the total revenues. Nimbuzz CEO, Vikas Saxena said that the tie-up will help Aircel expand its user base and also compensate for the SMS revenue loss it incurs.
Rajan Mathews, director-general of industry body Cellular Operators Association of India, said he expects to see more tie-ups between mobile operators and messaging services. He claimed that partnerships with free messaging apps could result in a slight drop in SMS revenues for operators, but increased data usage will make up for the loss.
