Think India Foundation

Uninor’s West Bengal staff opposes plan to shut operations

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Norwegian telecom group Telenor's Indian arm, which only recently emerged out of a bitter fight with its local partner, is now at the centre of another dispute — this time with a group of its employees in eastern India.  

Hundreds of employees of the Indian arm Uninor's Kolkata and West Bengal circles have asked Norway's government to investigate a decision by the company's management to shut down operations in the two regions next month, businesses they claim were profitable and which the company had originally decided to keep. Read more 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India govt unveils five-year plan to revamp cybersecurity

Operations will be coordinated and connected to major critical infrastructure agencies in the country, to monitor real-time information and react faster to cyberattacks.

The Indian government has set in motion a five-year project to revamp cybersecurity apparatus of critical sectors in the country to meet the growing challenge of cyberattacks.

The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center (NCIIPC), the agency to coordinate cybersecurity operations for critical infrastructure across the country, has been given this responsibility, The Times of India reported on Tuesday. Read more

Source : www.zdnet.com

Uninor begins exiting Kolkata, West Bengal

Uninor assets will be transferred to Telewings Communications over the next few years, says company 

According to Trai, Uninor has 5.6 million subscribers, of which 57% are active, in Kolkata and West Bengal. Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint

New Delhi: Mobile-phone services provider Uninor has started the process of winding up its business in telecom circles where it has lost licences to operate because of a 2 February Supreme Court order and where it failed to secure permits in the recent spectrum auction.

“With no new 1,800 Mhz spectrum auctions being indicated by the authorities and 900 Mhz spectrum also likely not to be available to auction winners in 2013, Uninor will have to stop its operations in the two circles of Kolkata and West Bengal on January 19, 2013,” Uninor said in an emailed statement. “The company will issue a public notice to all its customers in Kolkata and West Bengal requesting them to exhaust their balance by 18 January 2013 and utilize mobile number portability to port out to any other operator of choice.” Read more

Source : www.livemint.com

North Delhi corporation puts cell tower sealing on hold

NEW DELHI: North Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to postpone sealing of mobile phone towers for a few more days. A delegation of cell-phone operators met all three municipal commissioners seeking more time either to regularize the towers or move them elsewhere. 

"We have asked operators to clear dues or face sealing. Another meeting has been fixed up with nine operators on Monday. If they don't pay up, we will come down on them starting Monday evening ," commissioner (north) P K Gupta said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Invest IPO funds in clean energy: Greenpeace to Bharti Infratel

Greenpeace has termed this IPO as a decisive moment for the Indian telecom industry and raised the concern whether the new investment will fulfill the sustainability mandate under the Green Telecom Directive of the Government of India

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Ahead of the launch of Bharti Infratel Initial Public Offering (IPO), Greenpeace called on investors to demand Bharti Infratel utilise the money raised from the IPO to invest in clean energy. Greenpeace has termed this IPO as a decisive moment for the Indian telecom industry and raised the concern whether the new investment will fulfill the sustainability mandate under the Green Telecom Directive of the Government of India, said a press release. Read more

Source : www.ciol.com

Nationwide mobile number portability by Feb: Sibal

NEW DELHI : Telecom minister Mr Kapil Sibal today said nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) was expected to be rolled out by February next year, which would allow users to retain their numbers even if they move from one state to another.

“For the timely implementation of the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012, the Department of Telecom has finalised broad agenda for next three months from December 2012 to February 2013,” Mr Sibal said at the 'India Telecom 2012' here. Read more

Source : www.thestatesman.net

Use 'Green Fund' to convert towers to solar: Farooq Abdullah

Abdullah moots an idea to convert telecom towers to solar, wind or other energy resources

Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

BANGALORE, INDIA: Batting for Green cause to curtail carbon emission and cut fuel imports at significant levels, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, said that if the telecom towers are turned onto solar, India can save enormous amount of diesel fuel. Read more

Source : www.ciol.com

Now, solar-powered bonsai tree to charge your mobile

London: A French designer has created a unique bonsai tree that will not only look pretty on your coffee table but also charge your cellphone and other gadgets using solar energy.

Created by designer Vivien Muller, 'The Electree' has 27 miniature silicon solar panels - or 'leaves' - that can be arranged in any style the users want to create their own unique tree. Read more

Source : www.ndtv.com

KTwo Technologies, Keonics to partner with Bihar govt

The consortium has won this project on a Build Own Operate and Transfer for 3 years

Bangalore : KTwo Technologies, a Bangalore-based company which is into healthcare solutions, is partnering with Karnataka-government owned Keonics to provide primary health care services in Bihar. The consortium has won the National Rural Tele Medicine Ayush Network (NARTAN) and will set up telemedicine delivery system in 212 primary health centres, 38 district hospitals and a central unit at Patna. The consortium has won this project on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model for 3 years.

KTwo with its flagship product Kshema - Unified Healthcare System would set up the primary and district health centers with a command and control center in Patna to over steer the complete operation with video conferencing facilities. KTwo Technology Solutions founded by Anant R Koppar who completed his Doctoral research in “affordable and accessible healthcare system for rural India” had conceived the technology way back in 2007 and set up such Kshema kiosk in Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states in India. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

SMSes to update citizens on Sakaala application status

SMS Gateway, a facility to update the applicant about the status of his/her application in regard to services provided by the police department under Sakaala scheme was launched here on Tuesday.

Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka, who holds the home portfolio, launched the project at the office of Director General and Inspector General of Police. Read more

Source : www.deccanherald.com

Tata Tele to close operations in J&K, North-East & Assam

New Delhi: Telecom major Tata Teleservices (TTSL) will shut down its operations in Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam circles from January 18 as it does not have spectrum to operate in these areas.

TTSL's three circles of J&K, North-East and Assam were among the 122 telecom permits that the Supreme Court cancelled in February this year. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

NAC pitches for development of Northeast region

New Delhi: Seeking to speed up development of the Northeast, the National Advisory Council has favoured internet connectivity to the region through Bangladesh, daily direct flights from each of the seven state capitals to Delhi and a separate plan to implement healthcare initiatives. 

The NAC, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, also took a dim view of the telemedicine project, jointly implemented by ISRO and the Northeast Council, and pitched for time-bound roll-out of the planned 72 telemedicine nodes and deployment of trained staff. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com 

Five million Uninor subscribers up for grabs in West Bengal

New Delhi : About 5.6 million mobile users having Uninor connections are up for grabs in Kolkata and West Bengal. Uninor, which has been operating in both Kolkata and West Bengal telecom circles since December 2009, will lose the validity of its licences in Kolkata, West Bengal and Mumbai telecom circles on January 18, 2013.

The company has already stopped taking new subscribers in the two circles, according to local retailers. Uninor has 1.8 million customers in Kolkata of the 15.31 million GSM users in the circle, while 3.7 million subscribers of the total 33.82 million mobile phone users in the West Bengal telecom circle use Uninor connections. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

2G auctions: Competitive intensity to decline; Tariffs may go up

The 2G spectrum auctions held in November were a damp squib as expected, jeopardising the government's target of garnering Rs 400 billion from the auctions proceeds and one-time spectrum fee this fiscal. While the CDMA auctions found no bidders at all, the GSM auctions saw a lukewarm response in most Metros and 'A' circles where the reserve price was really high. Spectrum in Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka and Rajasthan, which accounted for 51% of the pan India reserve price, found no bidders at all.

Also, for all other circles, except Bihar, the reserve price turned out to be the winning price. Incumbents stand to gain from this as it will lead to a significant reduction in the one-time spectrum fees and license renewal with no auction discovered price in four circles in GSM and all circles in CDMA. The government has announced further auctions of the unsold spectrum by March 2013. The modalities of these auctions are yet to be figured out. Read more

Source : www.myiris.com

Govt allots 25 cents of land at Kinfra Park to Startup Village

KOCHI : Startup Village, India’s first telecom incubator, has set an ambitious target of having a one-lakh-sq-ft campus by 2014. The Village got an additional space of 10,000 sq ft today.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who formally opened the new building for the Startup Village at the Kinfra Hi-Tech Park near here, said the government was giving greater importance to the demands and requirements of the Startup Village in view of its potential to create employment opportunities. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

India mobile telcom mkt bound to consolidate: Telenor

The expensive licensing process helped company turn a profit in India after years of losses

Barcelona : India's mobile phone market is bound to consolidate after an expensive licensing process, helping Norway's Telenor turn a profit in the country after years of losses, finance chief Richard Olav Aa said.

The consolidation and further licence sales could present expansion opportunities, but Telenor is comfortable with its new size after giving up licences in several states when they got too expensive, Aa told a conference on Thursday. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Survey reveals digital lives of Gen-Z in India

NEW DELHI: The age for tech adoption seems to be going down rapidly in India, as reveals Ericsson's new ConsumerLab study titled " The Digital Lives of Generation Z". The report shows that even the youngest age group (9-11 years) shows advanced technology adoption and mobile internet usage similar to their older counterparts. 

Fredrik Jejdling, head of region, Ericsson India, says: "This report captures the insights of a dynamic consumer group. These young people will shape the future mobile consumption for our industry." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India's rural-urban digital gap yawns

New Delhi : The success of the telecom sector has still not fully percolated to rural India in 18 years of service liberalisation, as the latest data by the department of telecommunications (DoT) reveals a big digital divide between rural and urban India.

In rural areas, only 40% of the people owned phones, compared to 166 connections for every 100 urban residents, by the end of August. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Oracle India, telecom incubator partner to train Kerala students

Will integrate Oracle's computer science curriculum into Startup Village's engineering program to train students, teachers

Mumbai : Oracle India and Startup Village, the first telecom business incubator in the country, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to integrate the Oracle Academy’s Advanced Computer Science curriculum into Startup Village’s engineering program in Kerala.

The Startup Village, located at Kinfra Hi-Tech Park, Kochi has been set up jointly by the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), under the DST Government of India, and the Kerala Government-run Technopark in collaboration with MobME wireless. It is being projected as the largest national attempt to scale up innovation in the country through incubators in collaboration with the private sector. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Youngsters bringing in innovations in renewable energy; new techs are reducing dependence on fossil fuels

BANGALORE: At an age when most people are still wondering what to do with their lives, 25-year-old Abhishek Humbad is showing through his startup NextGen that being eco-friendly can also mean good business.

NextGen, which turns organic waste into energy and fertiliser, has teamed up with Mahindra & Mahindra-the largest genset provider to telecom towers in India with a 50% market share-and its unique bio-compressed natural gas will power more than 500 telecom towers. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

CII, Green Business Centre to encourage hybrid off-grid energy solutions

HYDERABAD : The CII and Green Business Centre are working on hybrid off-grid energy solutions to empower the rural parts of the country while making telecom towers part of the solution.

"We have partnered with Rockefeller Foundation based in the US and completed several pilot projects in Bihar. The off-grid power solution seeks to use rice husk for power generation and this is then supplied to local people by charging them for supply," Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman of CII Godrej GBC and Chairman of Godrej & Boyce Co. said. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

BSNL Deploys Carrier Grade E1 Radio

GURGAON: In its bid to strengthen delivery of enterprise services for its set of customers, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, India’s largest telecom service provider has deployed carrier grade E1 Radio: RM600 from Shyam Networks Ltd, a next generation networking infrastructure provider.

As part of this nationwide deployment, Shyam Networks has provided over 2000 links to BSNL. “We are privileged to be part of this project where our 2 E1, 4 E1 and 8 E1 Radios are being used to enable true next generation communication infrastructure and deliver enterprise solutions for BSNL’s end customers. Our E1 Radio driven enterprise solutions offer mobile operators the ability to fill in network gaps in urban or rural areas and to maximize their reach and grow their business potential in remote locations as demand requires by overcoming limited spectrum availability and meeting the need to maintain high-quality legacy TDM voice services,” explained, Nafis Kazim, COO, Shyam Networks Ltd. Read more

Source : www.lightreading.in

Going local on wireless broadband

How about developing an indigenous 4G handset for Rs 3,650 in 365 days?

Despite the infamous scams and taints that the industry has faced, each Indian can claim to be a proud beneficiary of the country’s telecom revolution. More importantly, the sector’s near $100-billion contribution to Gross Domestic Product has proved the link between telecom penetration and economic development. Where do we go from here?

Much like we leapfrogged the analog first-generation cellular mobile service in the nineties directly to second-generation digital mobile systems, to the benefit of users and operators alike, opportunities do exist today to usher in a wireless broadband revolution. Broadband penetration in the country continues to slip behind targets, thanks to inadequate wire-line and wireless coverage. Though the optic fibre projects funded through the Universal Service Obligation Fund to provide backhaul connectivity up to gram panchayat level is progressing, last-mile access is still a problem. Wireless broadband as the access solution is the only viable alternative to achieve the desired target. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Each state in India to have 2 'smart' cities soon

New Delhi: With the on going diplomatic mission between India and Austria, Urban Development Minister of India Kamal Nath has met with Australian delegation led by Austrian minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology Doris Bures, to create smart cities all over the the country. As per details furbished, the government envisions to have 2 cities in each state, with a population of around 1 million, which could be given carbon neutral features, apart from broadband networks and intelligent transport, in order to change into hi-tech destinations for residents. Speaking on this development, Kamal Nath mentioned, "Now how do we define these smart cities, what will it cover....right from broadband, intelligent transport to carbon neutral (features), these are so many components...that is what we propose to collaborate with the Austrian Institute of Technology."

 

This plan by the Ministry of Urban Development comes as a part of the  Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal mission, which aims at bringing changes to Indian cities with regards to modernizing and making them carbon neutral. Hence, the Austrian Institute of Technology and National Institute of Urban Affairs will be working hand in hand on the project. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Sibal says broadband fundamental for empowerment and education

New Delhi (ANI): Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday said broadband is fundamental for empowerment of the poor and for making education accessible to millions of children.

Sibal said the potential of broadband gives hope to millions of children who do not have immediate access to decent educational resources. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

India's 3G adoption worst among top 30

CHENNAI: Launched with much fanfare more than 18 months ago, 3G services have so far seen a subdued response in the country. A report by Wireless Intelligence, a mobile industry tracking analyst, only confirms the trend. India's 3G/WCDMA connections topped 33 million in the first quarter of 2012, less than 4% of the total telecom subscriber base of around 920 million, the report said.

(India ranked eighth globally…)

According to venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) Internet Trends Report 2012, while India ranked eighth globally in terms of absolute number of 3G subscribers, its 3G penetration rate of 4% was worst on a list of to 30 countries in terms of users. Other emerging economies like Brazil and China had a better 3G subscriber base as well as penetration than India. Similar fast-growing economies like Indonesia (11%), South Africa (21%) and Philippines (11%) had better penetration rates too. The data was compiled at the end of the fourth quarter of 2011. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Assam to soon have property taxes on mobiles

The property tax collection system in all 89 urban local bodies will be connected to mobile phone networks from 2013

Guwahati : Residents living in cities and towns across Assam will be able to use their mobile phones to check their property taxes starting next year. 

Assam’s urban development department has decided to launch an e-governance project, under which the property tax collection system in all 89 urban local bodies, including municipalities and town committees, will be streamlined to bring in more transparency. Read more

Source : www.igovernment.in

International calls set to become cheaper on new TRAI rule

Customers to choose from calling cards of different operators

NEW DELHI : International long distance call charges are set to come down with the telecom regulator introducing a new measure that will intensify competition in this segment. TRAI has allowed telephone users of one operator to use calling cards issued by another operator.

For example, a Vodafone user will now be able to make calls to the US or UK using Reliance’s global calling card. Until now, a Vodafone subscriber was forced to make ISD calls using only Airtel’s network. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

Conference on security in cyber world, cities, borders

New Delhi: Security in cyber world, urban centres and along the borders will be discussed threadbare at a two-day conference to be held here from September 20.

Recent incidents of hacking of websites of several government organisations, misuse of Internet and mobile services that led to exodus of northeasterners from Bangalore and other cities will also be discussed. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Government to unveil new rules to regulate social media, cyberspace

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office is pushing for a multi-pronged strategy to 'prevent and contain malicious use of internet and social media', indicating the government's seriousness in regulating the cyberspace. 

Appropriate regime planned to block content on the internet and social media in a 'smart, timely and consistent manner.

At an August 27 meeting in the PMO, attended by heads of all intelligence agencies, as well as representatives from the ministries of home, telecom and IT, the government decided to set up an 'appropriate regime' that will address issues related to blocking content on the internet and social media in a 'smart, timely and consistent manner'. Read more

 

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

India must address disparities in teledensity

India's telecom base dipped by 20.71 million subscribers in July 2012, but the disparity in teledensity in rural and urban areas, and among the various states, is a matter of greater concern.

In July this year, for the first time in its history, India saw a dip in its overall telecom user base.

According to the data released by the regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the overall telecom user base dropped by 20.71 million subscribers to 944.81 million, from 965.52 million in June 2012. Read more

Source : www.zdnet.com

Orissa govt no to mobile towers in schools

BHUBANESWAR: Schools housing cellphone towers will face government crackdown soon. The school and mass education department has asked the district administrations not to allow these towers on school premises in view of the perceived health hazards.

Citing Union department of telecommunication's guidelines to mobile service providers to reduce electromagnetic radiation and ensure structural safety of such towers, school and mass education secretary Usha Padhee wrote to district collectors and district education officers to ensure that such towers are not installed in any school. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India will have phone facilities in all its villages by 2013

Telecom Lead India: India will have phone facilities in all its villages by 2013. 

Mobile Phone

At present, about 37,000 villages in the country are yet to be connected with mobile connectivity as per an analysis done by CDOT based on the WPC data of March 2011. Read more

Source : telecomlead.com 

4G penetration in India on the rise: TelecomLead

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel has 3,180 TD-LTE subscribers through its 4G network in Kolkata and Bangalore. The state-run BSNL has provided 50,077 connections through 4G/WiMAX, the minister of state for communications and information technology Milind Deora informed the Lok Sabha. Airtel launched 4G TD-LTE services in Kolkata in April 2012 and Bangalore in May 2012.

Recently, analysts predicted that TD-LTE subscribers will reach 5 million by 2013 in Indian telecom market and 2012-13 will be the year of mobile broadband.

Airtel has BWA licenses in four circles - Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra - and 3G licenses in 13 circles in India. Its recent deal to buy BWA license from Qualcomm will enable Airtel to secure a nation-wide broadband leadership through a combination of 4G and 3G, with its own networks in 18 circles. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mobile Web usage overtakes fixed-line Internet in India: StatCounter

Back in May we reported that India’s fast growing mobile Internet usage was all set to overtake the country’s use of the fixed-line Web and now, four months later, the landmark has been crossed, according to StatCounter data from August.

The Internet measurement firm reports that, last month, mobile accounted for 51.63 percent of Web usage, with desktop devices making up the remaining 48.37 percent. That’s a first for India, and it follows a steady uptick in the share of Internet usage from mobile and tablet devices. Read more

Source : thenextweb.com

Meghalaya min claims receiving threatening texts

Shillong: Meghalaya Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Friday said she had received threatening text messages in her cell phone after her goodwill visit to Maharashtra and Karnataka to stem the exodus of NE students in the wake of backlash against Assam violence.

The messages were sent by an unidentified person to her cell phone on the intervening nights of August 27 when she landed in Kolkata, Lyngdoh said. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Rural Web Population to Touch 45 mln by December

Till very recently internet penetration in rural India was said to be very low. But a new report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India ((IAMAI) and the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) proved that the new technology is getting popularized not only in urban areas but also in rural areas of the country. 

According to the I-Cube report titled "Internet in Rural India" jointly published by IAMAI and IMRB, the country currently has 38 million internet users from the rural community. The report also made the observation that the number of internet users of rural India who have accessed the internet at least once in life will touch 45 million by the end of this year. Read more 

Source : www.ibtimes.co.in

Smartphones to replace landlines within 5 years: Survey

LONDON: Landline phones in offices will be replaced by smartphones within five years, a new study has suggested.  

According to a research complied by Virgin Media Business, the once vital office landline will soon be a thing of the past and will be replaced by smartphones. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rural telecom subs grow at faster rate than urban users: CAG

'The growth rate of subscribers in rural areas during the last five years was higher at 485% compared to 233% in urban areas'

New Delhi : Telecom users in rural areas have grown at a faster pace compared to their urban counterparts in the last five years, a CAG report said today.

Rural subscribers have grown to 282.23 million as on March 2011, from 45.71 million in 2006-07, while the urban user base increased to 564.08 million from 160.15 in the same period, the CAG report tabled in Parliament said. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Telcos can save Rs 80,000 cr by using renewable fuel source

Telecom companies can save up to Rs 80,000 crore over the next eight years by replacing diesel with a renewable energy source to power towers, says a report released by NGO Greenpeace today.

Telecom companies can save up to Rs 80,000 crore over the next eight years by replacing diesel with a renewable energy source to power towers, says a report released by NGO Greenpeace today.

"With an ambition to be diesel free by 2020, 12.5% of these towers need to be retrofitted (with renewable energy source) every year, telecom companies average savings would be Rs 10,000 crore every year that adds up to nearly Rs 80,000 crore over the 8 year period," the report said. Read more

Source : www.moneycontrol.com

Study mobiles’ health risks

The government’s concern over high radiation levels from mobile base stations and its plans to bring them down soon emanates from the principle that it’s always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with public health issues.

There is no reason yet to panic over such radiation causing cancer in humans. These fears are articulated more by those opposing building of more such towers as mobile telephone density, already one of the highest in the world, grows by the day in India. Read more

Source : www.asianage.com

Northeast exodus: Mobile companies lose 7-9 per cent revenue due to curb on SMS

New Delhi: Restriction on SMS to five per day is not only causing problems for millions of mobile phone users but may also leading to loss of 7-8 per cent revenue of telecom operators for the month, operators' association COAI has said.

Due to the ban, prepaid mobile users are unable to send more than five messages per day.

The government had banned bulk SMSes and MMSes for 15 days across the country from August 18 to check spread of rumours which has led to exodus of Northeast Indians from cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

North-East panic: Govt blocks 245 Web pages

Facebook, Twitter, Google to cooperate with Govt on screening sites

North East migrants, who fled Bangalore after rumours of attacks, on their arrival at Guwahati railway station on Monday.- PTI

NEW DELHI : After cracking down on bulk SMSes, the Government on Monday blocked as many as 245 Web pages that fuelled the rumours causing panic among the North-Eastern community.

A statement from Communications and IT Ministry said that more than 150 Web pages – 76 on Saturday and 80 on Sunday, respectively – were blocked. The rest were blocked on Monday, including some pages on Facebook, Google and Twitter. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

India's telecom tower operators turn to renewable fuels

In India, thousands of telecom towers across the country help keep mobile phone customers connected.

But with so many communities located in rural or remote areas with little access to electricity, operators rely on fuels like diesel to keep the towers running. Read more

Source : www.bbc.co.uk

Over 51,000 phones disconnected for telemarketing

New Delhi: The government has disconnected over 51,000 unregistered telephone numbers being used to carry out telemarketing activities till July, 2012.

Based on the provisions of the regulations, over 51,181 telephone numbers of subscribers not registered as telemarketer but carrying out telemarketing activities were disconnected till July 30, 2012, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on Friday. Read more

Source : www.ndtv.com

India bans bulk text messages after rumours spark city exodus

India took the emergency move of banning bulk mobile phone message for 15 days on Friday, in an attempt to stem panic after rumours of attacks had led to a mass exodus of some 20,000 people from cities in the south. Natives of Assam and other north-eastern states, many of whom had moved to southern cities such as Bangalore to work, have been leaving in droves since rumours of targeted violence started spreading Wednesday by text message and social media. 

On Friday, the country's Home Ministry responded by banning bulk mobile phone text messages. A ministry official said all sms (short message service) and mms (multimedia messaging service) on mobile telephones would be banned for 15 days. No cellphone user could send a message to more than five people at a time. Read more

Source : www.brecorder.com

Cell phones to carry 'radiation level' tag from Sept. 1 in India

Smartphone radiation has been a hot topic of debate for years. As per a latest update, the new stringent radiation emission rules make it mandatory to all the smartphone makers to mention the specific absorption level (SAR) for every handset. 

According to officials from telecom department, all smartphones will carry a radiation tag from September 1, 2012 in India. Read more

Source : www.itvoir.com

Mobile commerce catching up in non-urban areas

NEW DELHI : Online purchasing through mobile phones is catching up fast in non-urban and rural areas.

According to eCommerce firm eBay India, the ratio between rural and urban buyers would be 1:10 right now but it may go up to 6:10 over next two years. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

"A phone in every hand" scheme for India's poor in final approval stage

NEW DELHI: India's ruling coalition is in the final stages of approving a plan that will give one mobile phone to every household below the poverty line.

The move is largely seen as a populist measure, giving the coalition as early start to its 2014 election campaign.

The scheme is called "Har Hath Mein Phone" or "A phone in every hand". Read more

Source : www.channelnewsasia.com

Mumbai govt should act upon the advisory of union ministries on cellphone towers

MUMBAI: In an important advisory issued this week, the union environment ministry has stated that new cellphone towers should not be constructed within a radius of one kilometre of existing towers, in view of the electro magnetic radiation (EMR) threat they imbue. But more significantly it has advised local governments to undertake a review of existing towers and relocate or remove ones that pose a threat. It has also recommended an urgent refining of safe standards of exposure. 

The guidelines follow the report of an expert committee which was set up to study the possible impact of communication towers on wildlife including birds and bees. "The review of the available scientific information by the Expert Committee in the report indicates that the EMR interfere with the biological systems," states the advisory. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com