Importance of S BAND

The S-Band spectrum has been a bone of contention between terrestrial mobile phone service providers and backers of satellite mobile services for the last few years, according to letters exchanged by interested groups with agencies such as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Wireless Planning and Coordination Authority.

Terrestrial mobile phone operators have been insisting that the”2.5 -2.69 GHz band (S-Band) be fully preserved as an extension band for 3G services”. But advocates of satellite mobile services such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) argue that S-Band is the only available spectrum in India to establish satellite mobile services.

Providers of services such as Wimax have at the same time sought the S-Band spectrum to propagate wireless broadband technology.

“Due to the lack of availability of spectrum in 2.1 GHz to meet India’s 3G requirements, it is important that the use of full 2.5 GHz to 2.69 GHz band as an extension band for 3G needs to be assured to have secure and predictable access to spectrum in order to provide social and economic advantages,” the Cellular Operators Association of India wrote in May 2008 as its recommendations for the National Frequency Allocation Plan 2008, which came into existence in 2009.source

17lakh Opt for MNP till date in INDIA

About a fortnight after the national roll-out of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service, more than 17 lakh mobile subscribers have opted for the facility, that allows users to change their service provider while retaining the number, the telecom regulator said on Tuesday.

The MNP service was introduced on a pilot basis in Haryana on November 25, 2010 and later rolled out pan- India from January 20 this year. Of the total 17.1 lakh requests received, about 2.3 lakh were from Haryana circle where MNP was first implemented, Trai said in a statement. In other circles, Gujarat saw the highest number of switching requests at 1.7 lakh, followed by Rajasthan (1.44 lakh) in Zone-I (northern and western India).

In MNP Zone-II (southern and eastern region), maximum number of requests were received in Karnataka (1.16 lakh) and Tamil Nadu (1.14 lakh) circles.source

HTC to invest $40 million in cloud-gaming service OnLive for mobile development

Mobile technology developer HTC invests $40 million in cloud gaming service OnLive.

OnLive is a pretty astounding service, as those who have tried it can attest to. Basically, you’re able to play console-quality video games like Batman: Arkham Asylum andSplinter Cell: Conviction on virtually any computer, as long as you’ve got a reliable Internet connection and, preferably, a USB gamepad. The company’s offering of games is admittedly small in comparison to the enormous library available on proper present-day gaming consoles, but it’s a growing brand that offers high-end gaming for a fraction of the price that one would pay for a comparable console or PC experience. The possibilities offered by OnLive’s cloud-based delivery method are vast, enough to catch the attention of mobile tech firm HTC.

The early Android adopter is once again making moves with an eye toward the future, now with a $40 million investment in OnLive’s mobile development efforts, the Wall Street Journal reports. That is the sum total of the details provided, but anyone who is already familiar with OnLive can probably see where this is heading. The service already has a presence in the mobile world as an iPad app that offers game spectating. Enhanced functionality, such as actuallyplaying said games, has been hinted at and even demoed, but no official solutions have been released yet. HTC’s $40 million investment will presumably going a long way toward reaching that goal.

The cloud gaming offered by OnLive is remarkably simply in concept. Essentially, the company has a series of network relay stations scattered at strategic points around the country. Each of these locations houses all of the computer and graphics processing horsepower necessary to run the latest games along with some hefty networking gear. OnLive subscribers load up the service’s software front-end on their computers and choose a game to play. The nearest relay station then does all of the heavy processing work; the player’s controller inputs are sent to the station and the actual gameplay footage is streamed right back. The lag time related to sending such large amounts of information in real time is the main obstacle, but it’s one that OnLive has been able to overcome for the most part. Multiplayer-focused experiences like Call of Duty will no doubt continue to be most popular on consoles, but the lag issues are almost non-existent for more single player-driven experiences.

OnLive has managed to make some steady gains in an industry that is already crowded with three consoles and two dedicated gaming handhelds (with two more on the way this year), not to mention the long-established PC gaming market and the rising popularity of mobile gaming. In addition to the service’s PC functionality, subscribers also have the option of picking up a $99 MicroConsole (with gamepad), which allows OnLive to be accessed directly from your TV. The company also recently announced a $10 monthly subscription plan for unlimited play access to complement the game-by-game for-purchase and for-rent options that were previously available as well as plans to offer streaming movies. Mobile platforms are undoubtedly the next frontier, and a compelling one for anyone who’s hoping to one day play Batman: Arkham Asylum on a 4-inch screen.source

Push Mail and Video Download service by Loop Mobile

Loop Mobile expanded its portfolio of Value added Service with the launch of two new services - Loop Mobile Mail and Loop Mobile Video. With Loop Mobile mail subscribers can send and receive emails on their mobile in the form of SMS without the need to have GPRS, whereas Loop Mobile Videos offers multiple genre videos downloads.

Using Loop Mobile Mail service, a subscriber can compose, reply and forward e-mails from the handset using the SMS option. A subscriber’s mobile number by default becomes an email id. For eg:9821XXXXXX@loopmail.in. To use this service Loop Mobile subscribers need to send a message LMAIL to 50303. Loop Mobile is offering this service to both its Prepaid and Postpaid users for free for one year.

Keywords that will help you Send/Receive Emails using your SMS Inbox:

Functionality	Keyword	How to use
To compose a new mail	NEW to 50303	New <recipients mail id> s:<subject> b:hi, let's meet up
To reply back to sender of the mail	REPLY to 50303	Reply <msg id> <UR Reply> e.g. Reply 04 ok, I will attend
To reply back to the sender & all the recipients of the mail	REPLY A to 50303	Reply a <msg id> <UR Reply> e.g. Reply a 04 ok, I will attend
To read more of the message received	READ to 50303	Read <msg id> <part no> e.g Read 04 2
To forward mail to anyone	FWD to 50303	Fwd <msg id> <recipients mail id> <content> e.g. Fwd 04 test.gmail.com hi, check this invitation
If password is forgotten, sending 'Password' will resend a new password for easy access	PASSWORD to 50303	SMS Password to 50303>

• To receive Emails from your Gmail, Hotmail accounts in your SMS Inbox, you set the auto-forwarding option from your current Email ID to the Loop Mobile Mail ID.
• For Emails where you receive attachments, you will receive a link in the SMS using which the attachment can be viewed. Please note the attachment viewing feature is available for only GPRS enabled devices.
• To Unsubscribe SMS UNSUBMAIL to 50303

The other service Loop Mobile Videos is also available to both Prepaid and Postpaid Loop Mobile subscribers. For using this service users will not be charged any rental but subscribers need to pay 10p for each video they download. To use this service subscribers need to send a SMS - VIDEOS to 50800 (toll free) or visit WAP URL http://atcafe.loopmobile.in

OnMobile today has a presence in 28 Countries

How is OnMobile planning to cash in on 3G?

With 3G services, a new era awaits mobile users with faster and more robust mobile Internet and better access to data services. By 2013, 3G service revenues are expected to generate $15.8 bn, accounting for a share of 46% in the overall wireless service revenue.

At OnMobile, we are aggressively looking forward to build on 3G video as it is the biggest wave in the Indian market today. Video solutions will be a major differentiator for the operators. As operators are increasingly turning to managed VAS to drive efficiencies and improve the mobile user experience, the acquisition is an opportunity to offer video services by leveraging Dilithium's market leading technology combined with OnMobile's managed services business model. Additionally, Dilithium's technology enables the delivery of novel 3G value added services by offering superior quality and scale to the creation, adaptation, and distribution of all types of multimedia assets.

How do you see the m-commerce service fairing in the regions you operate in, including India?

M-commerce in India has tremendous potential, especially in the areas of mobile payments, m-coupons, mobile ticketing, shopping, trading, and banking. Mobile ticketing and m-coupons are rapidly growing in India, at a rate of over 30%. Currently, there are some challenges to the growth of m-commerce, because of the small credit card and bank accounts base in India and the associated risk of fraud.

However, the introduction of UID nationwide will help make these services a reality. Additionally, 3G will enable replication of the Internet user experience on the mobile phone. In 2011, this will significantly benefit the adoption of m-commerce.

Is innovation in the mVAS segment moving in the right direction?

In the current scenario, the VAS segment is showing steady growth and tremendous potential. VASgrowth has been further spurred by increased focus on this segment by operators, thanks to steadily declining voice ARPUs and cut-throat competition. The imminent mobile number portability has also driven operators to offer unique and innovative value added services to differentiate themselves in the market. Availability of rich content, access to which is simplified through solutions such as OnMobile's m-search, has also increased consumer awareness and uptake of VAS. SinceVAS is in such an exciting stage in India, today the market scenario is such that there is tremendous potential for a good idea to result in market success. remaining on source

Yahoo Developing Personalised Mobile Web Service

Yahoo is reportedly developing a dynamic content portal specifically for mobile phones.

According to reports, the move is expected to boost mobile apps created by Yahoo as well as those developed by third-party content publishers on smartphones and tablets. The software includes many features  that Yahoo already offers to its users via its website.

According to Yahoo, it already had agreements with 100 wireless carriers and handset makers to pre-install its applications on mobile devices. Yahoo! Mobile for the web is now available on more than 300 devices with HTML-enabled mobile browsers, while the Yahoo! Mobile iPhone app is available in the Apple iPhone App stores. Both are currently available in eight countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, with additional localized versions expected to launch over the next  few months.source

ICICI Bank & Aircel Tying Knot For Financial Inclusion

ICICI Bank Ltd, India’s largest private sector bank and Aircel, one of the leading Mobile Network Operators in India, today announced a joint initiative to drive financial inclusion in the country. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ICICI Bank will offer, in partnership with Aircel, various financial products including savings accounts, pre-paid instruments and credit products.

This partnership is expected to bring the un-banked and under-banked population into the organised financial services framework and assist in furthering the electronic payments market in India. ICICI Bank will leverage the distribution strength of Aircel, which has the required reach to drive the initiative.

The Government of India and the Reserve bank of India have been working towards ensuring that financial products and services are within reach of the entire population. The partnership between ICICI Bank and Aircel sets out to achieve the goal of financial inclusion in the country. With the use of the mobile phone, ICICI Bank and Aircel will target the unbanked and under-banked population by bringing a cost effective solution to this space. 

Speaking on the alliance, Mr. Rajiv Sabharwal, Executive Director, ICICI Bank, said, “We are excited about this partnership with Aircel, which will help ICICI Bank in deepening its base within the country. Mobile penetration currently stands at 60% in the country of which the rural market forms a major contributor. There is a huge potential for offering mobile banking in these regions, which will facilitate access to the financially excluded parts of the society and ensure that benefits from various welfare and growth programs of the government reach them along with other financial services and products. ”

Talking about the joint initiative, Mr. Gurdeep Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Aircel    said: "We are very pleased to partner with ICICI bank in their endeavor towards financial inclusion. The partnership would enable the companies to unleash exciting products and services that will empower enterprise and retail customers across rural and urban India. The partnership will leverage on Aircel's rich experience and infrastructure in IT, customer services and extensive sales and distribution network which will facilitate the delivery of financial products and services. Aircel also brings to the partnership proven capability of providing differentiated products, focus on non-voice services and vision to connect people to their world of possibilities.”   

Both parties will work out the specific arrangements in the coming few weeks and chart out a go-to-market plan.

About ICICI Bank: 
ICICI Bank Limited (NYSE:IBN) is India's largest private sector bank and the second largest bank in the country, with consolidated total assets of over $115 billion at December 31, 2010. ICICI Bank’s subsidiaries include India’s leading private sector insurance companies and among its largest securities brokerage firms, mutual funds and private equity firms. ICICI Bank’s global presence currently spans across 18 countries.

About Aircel: 
Aircel, a part of Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia, is India’s fifth largest GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of over 50 million and is the fastest growing mobile operator in the country. It is the market leader in Tamil Nadu, Assam, North-East and Chennai. . Aircel is now present in 23 Telecom Circles and is a Pan India operator (Mumbai, Pune, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Assam, Bihar, Chennai, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North-East , Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, MP & Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat & Rajasthan).For more information, please log on to www.aircel.com

Except for the historical information contained herein, statements in this release, which contain words or phrases such as 'will', 'would', etc., and similar expressions or variations of such expressions may constitute 'forward-looking statements'. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to our ability to obtain statutory and regulatory approvals and to successfully implement our strategy, future levels of non-performing loans, our growth and expansion in business, the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses, technological implementation and changes, the actual growth in demand for banking products and services, investment income, cash flow projections, our exposure to market risks as well as other risks detailed in the reports filed by us with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. ICICI Bank undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date thereof. source

CUBES promise to replace cell towers

Better coverage, cheaper networks with less power

Mobile network equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent unveiled a new development in mobile network technology, showing off a pint-sized 'cube' which promises to replace large cell tower base stations.

The new "LightRadio" cube has the potential to simplify mobile networks as the device is small enough to mount on ordinary light poles while providing a better service than tradition cell towers and at a much lower price, they said.

Inside the cube is a wideband active array antenna which is able to deliver current 2G, 3G and next-gen LTE mobile services via a cloud like infrastructure. The devices are the result of a partnership with HP and embedded specialist Freescale.

Alcatel-Lucent siad that it hoped to be able to launch the new technology in 2013.source