January 7, 2003 |
GSM operators are trying to promote MMS (multimedia messaging service) and other value-added services as a match-up for the non-voice, value-added services offered by CDMA players, primarily Reliance. Can these value-added services really help the GSM players retain their subscribers? According to IDC, it is unlikely that MMS will help prevent the churn. Lack of utility for the common man, high cost per message and price-tags of GSM sets compatible with MMS may ensure that it is only the top-end customer who sticks on. But then such a customer would not have switched over to limited mobility in a hurry, anyway.
December 28, 2006 |
MUMBAI: OnMobile, the Infosys-backed provider of ringtones and mobile-commerce services, has acquired 100% of ITFinity, a specialist mobile software company, for $15-20 million, a person close to the transaction said. The acquisition has delivered a whopping 10 times return on investment to ITFinity's investors who include Rajat Gupta of McKinsey & Co, Ashish Dhawan of ChrysCapital, Luis Miranda of India Development Fund, Mumbai-based Edelweiss Capital and Rajesh TS Reddy, former founder of Unimobile.
August 24, 2009 |
MUMBAI: Tata group company Tata Communications on Monday said it has launched Tata Indicom Extra which allows all broadband/internet users in India to access the company's portfolio of value-added services (VAS). "Tata Indicom Extra is a unique first-of-its-kind pre-paid offering, which allows internet customers access to our entire bouquet of value-added services like global internet roaming, net telephony and content services," Tata Communications Retail Business Unit Head, Sales and Marketing, Mehul Kapadia, said in a release.
May 2, 2011
NOIDA: Mobile handset company Spice Mobility today announced that it will invest Rs 1,000 crore this financial year to position the company as a "mobile internet company" and synergise its various divisions under this positioning. "Earlier, we were known as a mobile phone company. Now we have merged our various divisions like devices, retail and value-added services into one and focus on mobile internet . Now we are close to a Rs 2,400 crore company," Spice Mobility Chairman B K Modi told PTI . "We will invest Rs 1,000 core in this financial year on research and development, creation of value-added services, acquisition of firms, setting up new offices and building capabilities," Modi added.
February 8, 2008 |
MUMBAI: Leading global provider of technology and services to telecom operators Ericsson on Friday announced its first contract for delivery of its hosting consumer push e-mail service to Indian operator Aircel. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Ericsson will have complete responsibility for the consumer push e-mail service, a release issued here said. This includes systems integration and management as well as maintenance. Integration of the service has already begun, and commercial launch is scheduled for the second quarter of this year, the release said.
January 15, 2010 |
MUMBAI: Aircel Cellular, promoted by Malaysia's Maxis Communications, on Thursday said it was targeting 100 million users by 2012, over three-fold increase from the current base of 31 million. However, Aircel's strategy for subscriber addition will be data driven and not tariff driven. "Per-second billing is unsustainable. It constrains EBIDTA margins. We will see these tariffs for another year-and-a-half after which consolidation will set in," Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh said after announcing an agreement with GTL Infrastructure to sell its towers.
November 28, 2005 |
NEW DELHI: The days of just listening to ringtones could well be numbered, as in the latest avatar one can besides hearing, can also see the tone's video! Welcome to video ringtones! Customers can now view the latest video with original music in lieu of ringtones and what more, the quality too is good. And the people involved in this new application are already excited. "The very fact that many handset manufacturers and service providers have already latched on to the idea is a proof that the application is a success.
April 5, 2009 |
NEW DELHI: Data communications and software services firm Tulip Telecom plans to launch value-added services, such as push mail and corporate Internet services, for the corporate sector in few months. The New Delhi-based firm will offer these services to its corporate customers directly as the service can work on any phone with GPRS connection. "We plan to launch value-added services like push mail, data leasing and corporate Internet services over the next few months.
May 5, 2004 |
VADODARA: " Darakht ke paimane pe, chilmane husn ka furkat se sharmana. Gar ho dum tum main to yeh line mujhe bhi samjhana . " This was an SMS joke (minus the expletive) that did the rounds recently. Only it would sound so much dearer to our ears if it could be read in Hindi, or a regional language. Top mobile phone companies of Gujarat are already in the process of introducing their GSM services in Hindi and it's not just for those addicted to jokes on the SMS. The companies believe that Hindi can bring a phenomenal rise in users.
April 14, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended to the department of telecommunications (DoT) to review National Numbering Plan '03 so that service providers can use star and hash for value-added services. National Numbering Plan (NNP) does not permit the use of any special characters for voice services. However, it does not encompass the procedure by which the subscriber can access the service provider's physical network. "It is required that NNP '03 should be reviewed and amended to accommodate the intra-network services also by using special characters such as star and hash within the service provider's network," said Trai in its recommendations submitted on Thursday to DoT. The recommendation was made after obtaining clarification from service providers who were using special characters or symbols.