Reliance Mobile has launched call manager service on its GSM network on supporting handsets. This service provides Reliance mobile subscribers a wide range of call completion services. The call manager service allows customers to respond to incoming calls with pre-recorded voice messages. The call manager also features SMS based chatting and voice mail on mobile.
It allows one to respond to phone calls by using an intuitive user interface without talking or typing. The voice message feature enables callers to leave a message once a call is left unanswered. The recorded messages are saved in the phone’s Inbox folder and can be played, forwarded, replied or removed. The voice message feature can be activated either manually or by selecting it from the ringing menu. Reliance allows users to customise their greeting message and the duration after which voicemail automatically answers a call.
In cases where the receiver might not notice the call or may not be able to answer at the moment, the application provides options like call another number. This will enable the caller to dial other available numbers of the same contact. It also enables the caller to start chatting.
Reliance Mobile is offering the call manager service through a subscription module and the user will not be charged for downloading the application. After the installation, customers can avail a free seven day offer and the subscription for the service will be activated post this free-trial period. Subscription fee for this service is Rs 15 per month.
Reliance Mobile offers call manager service on GSM
Bharti Airtel launches comic strips on mobile
Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of a live mobile comic portal on its mobile entertainment portal, Airtel Live.
Airtel’s comics portal provides subscribers with access to more than 300 Indian and international comic characters via WAP. The comic strips will include Doga, Nagraj, Akbar-Birbal, Tenali Raman, Jataka tales, Love Is…, BC, Animal Crackers, Popeye and Dick Tracey as well as comics provided by Amar Chitra Katha.
Compatible with all GPRS-enabled handsets, customers would be charged Rs 10 per week for 10 comic strips (inclusive of data charges).
Saleem Mobhani, head m-entertainment, Bharti Airtel, says in a company statement, “More than a third of Airtel customers in India have GPRS enabled handsets and with the mobile becoming the one-stop device for all entertainment needs, comics would be a much sought after addition to our existing services on Airtel Live.”
Bharti Airtel inks deal with Twitter
Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement with Twitter, allowing over 110 million Airtel customers to send and receive tweets via SMS.
With this deal, Airtel customers can receive text messages from people they opt to follow via SMS and send text messages to a short code (53000) to tweet or message someone directly on Twitter. They will also be able to access links included in SMS tweets. Till date, Twitter services work either on the web or on a WAP site. New Twitter users can also sign up using SMS.
Atul Bindal, president, mobile services, Bharti Airtel, said in a company statement, “We are delighted to introduce the globally popular Twitter service to Airtel users. We have always believed in bringing the best and most innovative services from across the world first for our users. With social media becoming immensely popular in India and across the world, we now empower the Airtel customer community of over 110 million to follow or provide tweets while on the move and at their convenience.” The new service is compatible with all handsets and offers fast mobile access to Twitter. The service is live from October 15 for all Airtel mobile users across India.
“Twitter has mobile DNA given its initial design focusing on the ubiquity of SMS. Working with world class network operators, such as, Bharti Airtel is essential for Twitter to build a valuable Messaging platform that facilitates the open exchange of information.” said Biz Stone, co-founder, Twitter, in the statement.
Twitter mentioned in its blog (blog.twitter.com), “We worked quickly to establish full SMS service in India with the largest operator because organic growth in the region has been unusually strong and there is huge potential for positive impact.”
MTS comes to Delhi, plans to invest $50 million initially
MTS, the CDMA brand of Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd (SSTL), announced the launch of its services in the Delhi NCR circle. The company plans to invest $50 million (Rs 230 crore) initially and about $70-80 million (upto Rs 370 crore) within the next five years in order to expand its operations here.
For Delhi subscribers, the company has rolled out a tariff plan called ‘Power of One’ which will be come with per second billing system. MTS is looking at switching to per second billing in other circles too. It has also announced the nationwide availability of its high speed data services called MBlaze.
Vsevolod Rozanov, president and chief executive officer, SSTL, said at the launch, “We have lot of hopes from Delhi. The city is bustling with young population and professionals.”
On being asked why MTS did not look at Delhi initially, Rozanov joked, “Delhi users are very demanding and picky and therefore we thought it is a good idea to launch our services in Delhi later when we have the system in place.”
The operator, which is present in Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and now Delhi, plans to expand its operations in India by launching its services in Bangalore, Mumbai, Maharashtra and Haryana circles by year end.
MTS is also looking at building telecom infrastructure in the country. Rozanov said the company is currently sharing infrastructure with other service providers, which is hindering its prospects of moving to smaller cities and towns. Therefore, it needs to set up its own infrastructural facilities in order to spread its wings further.
The company became a member of CDMA Development Group in September. Commenting on the same, Rozanov said, “The association has helped us a lot in understanding the modern technology. We will also have access to international Roaming very soon.”
Rozanov asserted MTS is a “‘runner up'” in all its existing circles and it does not feel the pressure of competition. He added that the company does not plan to enter the GSM domain and thus it is less susceptible to competition from major players like Airtel.
To promote its launch, MTS will provide free access to all vehicles on the Delhi-Noida Flyway and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway on October 9 between certain time slots. This marketing exercise is being done to show MTS’ promise of unhindered network access.
MindTree forays into mobile handsets
MindTree, a global IT solutions company, has announced its entry into ready-to-brand mobile handset products business. The new business, N!Mo (Next in Mobility), will offer white-labeled mobile handsets to telecom service providers and original equipment manufacturers.
MindTree’s N!Mo will address the complete product lifecycle — from concept through delivery and the recent acquisition of Kyocera Wireless India will give it a strong foundation. The business will be headed by Samartha Raghava Nagabhushanam as president and chief executive officer, and will be a part of MindTree’s product engineering services group.
“N!Mo further adds to our strong leadership position of delivering intellectual properties and design services, by offering ready-to-brand products in wireless technologies to our customers. This will enable higher value creation through non-linear business models,” says Janakiraman S, president and group chief executive officer, product engineering services, MindTree, in a company statement.
Ashok Soota, executive chairman, MindTree, adds, “N!Mo will become MindTree’s seventh engine of growth and will play an important role in achieving our stated vision of $1 billion in revenues by 2014,” said.
MindTree Ltd specialises in IT services, independent testing, infrastructure management and technical support, knowledge services and product engineering.
Movie rental service BigFlix now on mobile
BigFlix.com, the online DVD rental service of Big Entertainment, has launched a mobile application and a mobile WAP site. The site was already offering voice and SMS-based interactive services.
To download the BIGFlix application to their mobiles, customers have to SMS ‘BIGFLIX’ to 55454. BIGFlix then will send a SMS reply containing an active link, https://mobile.bigflix.com. The user has to click on this link to commence the downloading of the application which completes within just a few seconds, followed by few step-by-step on-screen installation instructions. After the installation, the application is ready to be used.
To begin using the BIGFlix WAP site, mobile users have to launch their mobile’s web-browser and visit the link https://m.bigflix.com. A micro version of the BIGFlix Movie Rental website with entire DVD catalog and all the features will become available to the user.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Kamal Gianchandani, chief operating officer, BIGFlix.com, said, “These applications will help us enhance our customer relations and drive greater engagement with our existing users. Today, mobile phone is a must have communication tool and is accessible to almost every common man across the country, hence launching this service will help us reach and meet with our aim to connect with a vast number of people across the country anytime anywhere.”
Commenting on the release of these service enhancements, Sanjeev Singhal, chief technology officer, BIGFlix.com, added, “BIGFlix.com users appreciate technological innovation and will welcome the enhanced convenience that comes from having fast and easy access to the BIGFlix movie rental catalog and rich quality of service features available for queuing, pickup and more, while being on-the-move. We have designed these services keeping in the mind the needs of the burgeoning class of users preferring mobile access to our services.
The BIGFlix application runs on popular handsets made by leading manufacturers such as Nokia, Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, iPhone and many more.
Reliance Communications to offer Windows Mobile services
Reliance Communications and Microsoft have entered into a strategic partnership to offer Windows Mobile solution on Reliance’s wireless network. According to the agreement, Microsoft will offer its productivity solutions to Reliance customers including push email support, chat, photo-sharing, content back-up and other applications. The company will offer Microsoft’s Windows Mobile solution as part of its post-paid and pre-paid offerings on its networks.
As part of the roll-out, Reliance Communications is introducing a data plan offering a data download of 200MB for Rs 95 per month exclusively to Reliance Mobile customers using Windows Mobile phones.
Vrajesh Shelat, head wireless data business, says in a statement, “By offering the Windows Mobile solution, we will be able to address a wider customer base in this segment. This special data plan for Windows Mobile for post-paid and pre-paid users on Reliance Mobile GSM and CDMA networks will ensure that price is no longer a barrier for premium data services.”
“This is a one of its kind partnership between Reliance Communications and Microsoft that underscores the importance of the mobile software in delivering an unmatched user experience,” adds Amajit Gupta, director, communications and media segment, Microsoft India.
Reliance Communications will leverage its telecom infrastructure backbone to offer Windows Mobile service on its network.
New features in Windows Mobile include support for rich HTML e-mail, increased functionality within Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile and Office Mobile programs, and improved security and device management for IT managers. It also delivers advanced mobile communications, increased mobile productivity and optimised mobile business performance, with a consistent and familiar Microsoft software experience.
Spark Mobiles announces launch in India
Spark Mobiles, a part of United Arab Emirates-based Spark Group of Companies, has announced its foray into the Indian market. The company has signed on actor, R Madhavan as the brand ambassador for its range of mobile handsets.
Elaine Ester Roach, chairperson, Spark Group of Companies, tells afaqs!, “We will zero in on the creative and media agencies to handle our communications in a month’s time. The pitch is currently on.”
Currently, the promotional activities are being handled by the company’s in-house creative department in Dubai.
Spark Mobiles has earmarked ad spends of over Rs 100 crore for its Indian business, says Roach. The campaign will kick off in December. The handsets will be launched before the end of 2009, Roach says.
The company stresses on the ‘toughness’ of the handsets and will build its positioning around phones that are “virtually indestructible under demanding conditions”, specifies Roach. The phones are waterproof, shockproof and have been tested by four-wheel drive over. Additionally, they will also offer high-end multimedia, Web access and advanced music features.
In a press statement, Roach says, “We have a strong base and a respectable market share in the UAE and are now eyeing India as an important potential for our growth strategy. We have a demonstrable past of challenging established brands and are confident our handsets would be a hit amongst Indian audiences.”
“The single most important factor that convinced me to endorse this product was the amount of research and development that has gone into the making of the phones,” says Madhavan.
The company plans to launch five phones by the year-end and add 15 more handsets in another year’s time. While the pricing of the phones is being decided on, the basic handset is priced at Rs 2,200.
The handsets will initially be manufactured in the UAE. The company will set up assembly units in India soon.
Sony Ericsson starts free Cloud storage rollout
Sony Ericsson back in the month of November surprised its users by announcing free 50 GB of cloud based storage from Box.net but later backtracked. However, now it has finally made the free 50 GB free Box.net Cloud Storage space available to all its Xperia smartphone users.
So under this festive offer, all Xperia users can simply download the Box.net application on their smartphones to enjoy 50 GB of cloud based storage which is otherwise available for a premium price only. Existing Box.net users can also download the application and the free 50 GB storage space will be added to their existing accounts.
Xperia user can store, retrieve and edit files on Box cloud storage through their smartphone or any device they choose. So basically this service is not just meant for the users to be used on the smartphones only but can be used across a wide range of devices including personal computers as well.
Sony Ericsson has LED down its Xperia users once and this time they are taking extra precautions to make sure that the service is working flawlessly throughout the globe.
To make use of this survive, users just have to simply download the Box application from the Android Market. Log in to your Box account (or create one) from any Xperia Android handset before December 31st 2012, and you will get the free storage worth 50 GB.
Vodafone most admired telecom brand online: Survey
Drizzlin Media, a social media consultancy, has released the results of its survey on the most admired telecom brands based on social media conversations.
According to the survey, Vodafone is the most admired telecom brand online with a score of 117.57 points. This brand was admired most for its ads and promotional messaging. In terms of products and services, BSNL Mobile is most admired.
However, in terms of customer service, MTNL scored the highest while Vodafone was at the bottom of the stack.
The survey also showed that despite the popularity of Facebook, only two telecom brands Tata Indicom and Vodafone are active on it.
The survey monitored 10 telecom brands on six online platforms: blogs, Twitter, social networks (Facebook and Orkut), forums, YouTube and Mouthshut. About 7000 conversations were taken as a sample, of which relevant ones numbered 1631. Of the conversations where gender could be identified, 83 per cent were by men and six per cent were by women.
Another revelation of the survey was that telecom companies in India are limited in their engagement of customers online.
“We chose to analyse the buzz around telecom companies in India as the first of our surveys since telecom is a consumer intensive industry. Since the industry is so competitive, it becomes essential for telecom companies in India to understand what their consumers say about them online as it directly impacts subscriber numbers, reputation and revenues,” says Deepak Goel, chief executive officer, Drizzlin, in a statement.