BSNL Choose Your Mobile Number Online Goes Pan India

Pan India 3G mobile service operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) all set to launch its Online Mobile Number Reservation initiative dubbed as “Choose your Mobile Number” scheme for its prospective mobile customers across all telecom circles.

In November, BSNL introduces “Choose your Mobile Number” Portal (under its AP circle website) for Andhra Pradesh circle as we reported. Apart from AP circle, now “Choose your Mobile Number” online service is launched and available in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Chennai and will be extended to Maharashtra – Goa, Gujarat and all other circles in next few days (from16th December 2011 onwards).

With this online service, customer can select any prepaid mobile number (maximum 1 number at a time) by his/her choice from the available more than 1 lakh numbers on their circle’s website under “Choose your Mobile Number” portal page.

After selecting and reservation of the desired mobile number, prospective customer will get 7 digit PIN number via SMS. Customer needs to visits the nearest BSNL CSC or Franchise with required documents and PIN with reserved mobile number to get the prepaid connection as per his/her choice. The reserved or selected mobile number from on-line portal will be valid for 96 hrs.

Now Get Your BSNL Voice Calls and 3G Data Usage Details Online

India’s National telecom backbone and pan India 3G mobile service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today introduces Online Bill Details service for its Postpaid 2G and 3G Mobile subscribers.

BSNL’s Postpaid subscribers now can check their Voice Calls and 3G data usage in details just through on-line billing system on self care portal. Presently the service is  available for Tamilnadu, Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala circles only. It will be launched for other circles in next few months.

Apart from the bill summary, now the current voice / data usage for postpaid 2G / 3G customer are available on BSNL’s customer care portal –http://portal.bsnl.in. To use this new service, subscriber needs to open the site on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Firefox Browser and follow the procedure as below:

1.Click on upper tab: “Duplicate bill / Usage details” mentioned on Self Care Portal.

2. Click on Left menu: “Usage details”.

3. Enter Mobile number and Account number.

4. Click on “generate PIN” .

5. You will shortly receive an SMS on the specified mobile giving your PIN number.

6. Enter this PIN.

7. Now you can see the current Un-billed usage on the screen.

8. This information can be saved as a PDF document by clicking on “Save as PDF”.

Vodafone Launches ‘START STOP’ Service

Vodafone India today announced the launch of ‘START STOP’ service for its customers across all circles Airtel was the first to come up with a similar service couple of months back.

Customers can now subscribe to popular VAS products just by messaging START and STOP for deactivating the service.

Instead of remembering multiple codes, customers can subscribe / unsubscribe to most VAS products by messaging to 321 making it a hassle free customer experience.

To activate, customers can SMS START to 321 to receive a list of content categories and reply with the category number to get the list of services.

Customers can then reply with the selected service number to send activation request. To deactivate, customers can SMS STOP to 321 to receive a list of currently active services and reply with the selected service number to send deactivation request.

Airtel Launches Unlimited 3G High Speed Data Card Plan – Airtel Super 950

Bharti Airtel today announced the launch of new 3g data plan “Airtel Super 950” in Rajasthan telecom circle. This unlimited 3G high speed USB data card plan is priced at only Rs. 950/month and the customer will get a speed of upto 7.2 MBPS for first 6 GB data as a promotional offer.

Airtel 3G is available across 42 towns in Rajasthan and “Airtel Super 950” plan will give best value for money with unlimited data (6 GB) at best or higher speed to airtel’s high-end 3G data users.

The 3G high speed USB data card “Airtel Super 950” plan offers speed up to 7.2 Mbps that is more than double of the speed offered by CDMA. In Rajasthan circle, CDMA/EVDO data service provider MTS, is most preferred data network for Data Card or Wireless Broadband users,  So it seems, to counter the MTS offerings, Airtel bring this plan to the peoples of Rajasthan.

Beyond 6 GB, unlimited free downloading speed at 20 kbps. The offer will be valid till 3G Double Dhamaka offer lasts (till 31st Dec 2011), after which the high speed data would be only 2.5 GB.

Airtel increases ISD tariff by a tenth

India’s leading telecom service provider  Bharti Airtel has increased international tariff  for some destinations for all of its subscribers by about ten per cent.

The operator has also reduced certain benefits on add-on services provided to the pre-paid customers . A company spokesperson said that tariff changes is a continuous process for the company and is part of the market dynamics.

With the currection   of tariffs for a few international destinations, we continue to remain competitive and deliver value to our customers," the spokesperson said.

Other than that, the schemes for pre-paid customers that offered flexibility on billing plans, reduce call rates during roaming will have lesser benefits. The operator has reduced the validity of such schemes by half to six months from one year.

Airtel has also reduced the usage limit on wireless Internet service on mobile phones. It now offers 1 GB data download limit for Rs 98 instead of 2 GB earlier. However, the company reduced the regular data download price of its 2G and 3G network to 10 paise per 10 KB from 30 paise per KB.

“With the correction of tariffs for a few international destinations we continue to remain competitive and deliver value to our customers,” the spokesperson said.

Handset Review: NOKIA C2-06

Nokia C2-06 is a stylishly designed multimedia phone that comes with touch screen and slider keypad along with latest features and applications. It is equipped with 2’ inch Resistive Touch Screen Display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution and slide-out primary keypad option, Dual Sim-Dual Standby, 2 Mega Pixel Camera, MicroSD Card up to 32 GB support, MP3/ MP4 Player with 3.5mm audio jack support, FM Radio with Recording option, SMS, MMS, Video Recording, Micro USB Connector, Bluetooth, EGPRS, WAP Browser. The handset comes with LI-ion 1020mAh battery that gives up to 300 minutes of talk time and up to 480 minutes of standby time offer.

Nokia C2-06 Price India

Price:	Rs. 5,000
Warranty (years):	1
Color Options:	Black

Technical Specifications of Nokia C2-06

Overview Body Type Slider Camera Camera Yes Camera Resolution 2 MP Memory Card Slot Yes Complimentary Card N/A Multimedia Features FM Radio Yes MMS Yes MP3 Player Yes Connectivity Options Bluetooth Yes USB Connector Yes GPRS Yes WAP Yes Technology Cellular Network GSM SIM Type Dual SIM Features Input Type Alphanumeric Keypad, TFT Resistive Touchscreen Handsfree Speaker Yes

Vodafone Launches M-Paisa Mobile Money Service With HDFC Bank

Vodafone India and HDFC Bank launched “m-paisa“, a mobile banking service in Rajasthan to enable millions of unbanked Indians perform basic banking transactions on their mobile phone. This initiative will allow Vodafone’s select retailers to act as HDFC‘s sub-agents through which customers can deposit and withdraw cash through their mobile phone without having to go to bank branches.

In Rajasthan where this national partnership has been implemented, over 2,200 retailers across 320 villages and 54 towns are operational in opening HDFC Bank mobile bank accounts with Vodafone m-paisa.

The companies will expand the service pan-India in a phased manner by March-April next year and also have plans to deliver it in all the major languages gradually. Currently it is available only in English. In order to open an account, a customer will have fill in a KYC (know your customer) form and submit it to the retail outlet authorised by Vodafone and then start availing service on fulfilment of the bank’s formalities by dialing *135#.

Sunil Sood, director, business operations, Vodafone India said:

“It is a great opportunity for a country like India to improve financial inclusion through mobile banking. It is a pioneering initiative modelled on the lines of Vodafone’s m-pesa product running in three different countries of Africa, offering to more than 17 million people basic financial services beyond the reach of traditional banking. With our reach and ability to connect customers, we expect many million people to come into the banking fold through this service.”

Rahul Bhagat, country head, retail liabilities, marketing and direct banking channels, HDFC Bank said:

“There are 6,00,000 habitations but only about 89,000 bank branches in the country, making access to banking services difficult in remote areas. We feel that Vodafone’s significant distribution reach will provide customers the security of financial transaction offered by bank”.

Speaking about the security of the service, Reserve Bank of India deputy governor K.C. Chakrabarty, who launched the service, said:

“We will be supervising HDFC Bank… we have issued mobile banking guidelines. We want to ensure that efficient use of mobile technology takes place in financial inclusion.”

Bharti Airtel inks services contract with Ericsson

Telecom equipment-maker Ericsson today said it has signed a five-year deal to provide managed services for Bharti Airtel's India operations for an undisclosed amount. Under the five-year, multi-vendor, multi-technology managed services agreement, Ericsson will operate, maintain and provide services across 15 of Bharti Airtel's networks in India, Ericsson said in a statement. In addition, Ericsson will also take responsibility for the intelligent network that manages Bharti Airtel's pre-paid customer base, it added. "With India emerging as the third-largest internet market and a multi-fold growth in data traffic on the back of a rising number of smartphones, wireless networks need to be ready for the data revolution that has only just begun," Bharti Airtel CEO (India and South Asia) Sanjay Kapoor said. This partnership will help Airtel focus on creating a compelling service proposition for customers as it looks at ramping up its market access for next generation services on 3G and 4G, he added. The two companies had inked a five-year managed services contract in July this year for the Africa operations of Bharti Airtel. The 15 telecom circles under the scope of the partnership include Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh West and UP East, Rajasthan, the North Eastern states, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Kerala. "The rapid increase in customer numbers and the network complexities due to multiple technology overlays defines the need for a renewed focus on differentiated user experience," Ericsson India Head Fredrik Jejdling said.

Nimbuzz launches cross platform free video calling and chatting for iPhone and PC

Nimbuzz, A multi-award winning IM application in the world has introduced video calling and video chattingtechnology to its 65 mn users globally, bringing in a new phase of communication. Video calling that works over 3G and WiFi, enables people to stay-connected with fellow Nimbuzz users who have installed the latest Nimbuzz version. Even the users can experience video communication on their mobile with the existing 2G network, by using Nimbuzz video chat where the users can have the visual advantage with text-based communication.

With the increasing need of video communications, Nimbuzz also plans to introduce video-communication technology to other major platforms like Symbian and  the burgeoning Android. This application is                                        available for free download in app store.

 Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Jamshed V Rajan, Country Manager, Nimbuzz India, said, “At Nimbuzz, we believe in providing the best possible communication platform for our users. With 3G becoming popular and with Smartphones with front cameras in vogue it was only natural for us to get into Video Calling. In fact, we have done one better by introducing a Video chat as well wherein users share the video streams with each other but communicate by text.”

BSNL Launches New 2G Special Plan for Senior Citizens In Kerala

In a bid to offer seamless connectivity at affordable price, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) announced the launch ‘New 2G Mobile Special plan for Senior Citizen’ in Kerala telecom circles.

This plan will cost Rs. 60 and provides, talk value of Rs.20, Free SMS facility (200 SMS for 1st month after that 50 SMS/month) and 1p/2sec tairrf for 1st month. With this plan senior citizen can talk @30p/min to any BSNL number within Kerala circle (Mobile/Landline) from 5 PM to 10 PM (all days).

The Plan also enables its subscribers to make calls to 5 Local Number of any at reduced call rates of 20p/min to BSNL network within Kerala, 30p/min to other network within Kerala and 30p/min to one BSNL number outside Kerala/anywhere in India.

New 2G Prepaid plan for Senior citizens (60 years and above) is introduced in Kerala Circle w.e.f 28/11/2011.
2G SIM Cost	FREE
MRP of Starter Pack(Incl. of .Tax)  (Bundled plan similar to Mithram/Maveli)	Rs. 60
Freebies for 30 days from the Date of activation:-
Free Talk Value	Rs. 20
Call charges(for the first month)	1p/2sec onnet,   1p/sec offnet
SMS(Local/National) in numbers	200 free beyond 200 will be charged as per PPS plan
Tariff (from second month onwards)
Call Charges	1p/sec onnet,   1.2p/sec offnet
Free SMS	50 free/month
Evening talk @30p/min to any BSNL number within Kerala from 17.00 hrs to 22:00hrs (all days)
Initial SIM validity	180 Days
STVS & Topups applicability	All STVs & Topups allowed
Friends & Family (5 numbers (1st number should be BSNL number within LSA/outside LSA, other 4 numbers can be BSNL numbers within LSA/other network numbers within LSA)	20ps/min to BSNL networkwithin LSA,30p/min to othernetwork within LSA& 30p/minto one BSNL number outside  LSA