Tata Docomo today announced the launch of its latest customer care initiative Live Chat.
The service will address post paid and pre paid queries of the customer, providing real time solutions. The option to chat live will be available 24×7.
In addition, TATA Docomo will also provide feedback forms that customers can use to give inputs.
Earlier, Reliance Communications had announced a similar service for both its CDMA and GSM services across India. The service offered a chat-based online platform to offer real time handling of consumer issues and queries.

Loop Mobile has launched a new plan called Smart Paid. Smart Paid allows new as well as existing prepaid subscribers to get bundled local and STD minutes under various rental plans.
Surya Mahadevan, chief operating officer, Loop Mobile, said that the offers double the value the customer gets from the typical prepaid product on a monthly commitment of Rs 320 plus.
A new subscription with Smart Paid costs Rs 349, and comes bundled with minutes. Recharge options start from Rs 320. In this, the subscriber gets 1,300 SMSs, 700 minutes of local calls within the network, 500 minutes of local calls with other networks, and 100 minutes of STD calls free. Users also get 2GB internet data usage, missed call alerts and free voice mail. SmartPaid comes in four value options.
Loop mobile is aggressively targeting high value customers. It had earlier launched a Rs 1,000 plus plan called epaid.
Mahadevan added, “Prepaid market is one dimensional with same value proposition across different levels of usage. The insight we had was that subscribers are getting confused about various offers on top-ups and special tariff vouchers in the market. Smart Paid is a simple answer to that confusion as it bundles voice, SMS, VAS and data to present a complete product.”

S Tel, a joint venture between Siva Group and Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), announced the launch of its GSM service in Assam, starting with 26 towns of the state.
The company will shortly launch its service in the remaining cities of Assam and other North East states including Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
S Tel is offering two tariff packages in the state: Starter Pack at Rs 49 with 30 days validity, and a limited period launch offer with full Talk time on all top-ups.
Shamik Das, chief executive officer, S Tel, said, “Our strategy is aimed at making benefits of mobility accessible first to under-penetrated markets of Assam and then gradually expanding to bigger towns, thus aiming to bridge the stratum divide as we roll out our services in phases across the region. By the end of this year, we plan to expand our reach across 90 major towns of Assam. We aim to provide a congestion free network with excellent voice quality to consumers in our markets of operation.”
Soumen Ghosh, chief operating officer, Assam and North East circle, S Tel, said, “Today onwards, S Tel products and services can be availed across 2,300 plus retail points present in 26 key towns. Within six months, we aim to double the size of our retailer universe i.e., above 4,500 point of sales, thus ensuring easy access to products anywhere across our markets of operation.”
S Tel offers caller tunes from a database of more than 1,000 songs in Assamese, featuring singers such as Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, Udit Narayan, Dikshu and Barnali, to its customers in the state. Voice services in Assamese include regional songs, career advice, travel and tourism related information, local recipes and devotional content from Maa Kamakhya temple. The company also plans to launch a regional voice portal soon and will shortly extend mobile commerce solutions to its customers.

It seems like ages since the time when the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) was the most debated topic in telecom corridors, but reality is that the much awaited MNP was delayed for what was the fourth time from June 30 to October 31.
In a statement announcing the new deadline, Department of Telecommunication (DoT) said “The government has taken the decision after reviewing the readiness of the various access/international long distance service providers and keeping in view the complexity and enormity of the testing involved before MNP is implemented.”
Way back in 2003 the USA was the first country in the world to launch MNP to enhance the mobile service industry in the country. Now India is on the same track, but is facing roadblocks because of repeated postponement.
As and when MNP is implemented, it will facilitate the user to alter his mobile service provider, without losing the original number.
MTNL and BSNL were the cause of the delay as they had not implemented its MNP gateway. Finally, though, BSNL issued orders for gateway implementation in April.
Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing director, BSNL, said, “We will be able to meet this revised deadline.”
On its part, MTNL has also assured that its gateway will be ready in a month’s time. “We have ordered for the gateway and we are waiting for the software to come. We would meet the new deadline of October 31, to implement the service,” said MTNL chairman and managing director Kuldip Singh.
MTNL said in an official statement that it has given a $1.76 million (or more than Rs eight crore) MNP contract to Tekelec. The contract has to be implemented in 16 weeks from the date on which it was made; it must be tested and delivered on site within eight weeks from the date of issue of the order.
Another bit of good news is that since orders for the roll out have already been placed by BSNL and MTNL, and it’s now upto the vendor to install and test the gateway, implementation of MNP is expected to be completed on time, as the terms of the contract penalises vendors for delay.
On the other hand, all the 13 private operators had already rolled out the gateways. However, most of them have not yet tested them, which is an important step in implementation. However, the deadline is still four months away and there is enough time for these operators to complete the testing.
It is expected that MNP will bring about a lot of churn as customer who have till now shied away from switching mobile service providers (since a number becomes a persons identity), will switch operators for better services or tariff plans.
Some analysts feel that private operators have prevented the timely roll out of MNP by delaying testing on purpose as they fear this churn. The fear of MNP is so great that operators are planning to use expensive 3G spectrum to augment their voice services so that quality of service doesn’t become a reason for customers to change their operator.
But DoT seems to be getting tough on operators regarding MNP implementation by openly criticising operators for the delay.
However, more than private operators it’s public sector companies who have caused the delay and there are two plausible reasons for that: Both public sector units MTNL and BSNL have been steadily losing customers to private operators and the second reason is their bureaucratic procedures, the latter reason being stronger.
Let’s hope that consumers are lucky this fourth time round and that MPN brings about a positive change in the Indian telecom ecosystem.