From the Editors Desk

The average Indian is so steeped in conventional business and finance practices that it is quite an effort to lure him into the world of electronic or mobile payments, leave alone the use of ATM and credit cards; No this is not the educated urban Indian that I am referring to here, but then a few of us still shy away from virtual purchases and payments. Mobile wallets in India are is still in the very nascent stages of adoption though they offer an easy alternative to carrying cash or cards. The current wallets applications store debit or credit card and bank account information in an encrypted form on the device that is used to make all kinds of payments such utility bills, insurance premiums, ticket reservations, e-shopping and the likes.

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Week At a Glance  News Airtel introduces unlimited international roaming data plan Bharti Airtel may kick-start 4G services from Kolkata on March 20 Etisalat DB asks 1.6 million customers to shift to other service providers Huawei to move base to Mumbai Ericsson in talks with Indian telecom operators KPMG India launches Union Budget 2012 Mobile App Indian Railways telecom plans in jeopardy LTE spectrum auction: Will India liberalize telecom investment policy? Telcos oppose TRAI's proposal to review tariff policy Company Law Board asks Unitech to buy out Telenor's stake or exit JV Trends The Top-10 Selling Phones for February 2012 Nokia reported to be closing Indian mobile money service Digital Chocolate partners with Mauj Mobile for India expansion strategy Apple's new iPad should be Google's wake-up call Why mobile phones drive economic growth in the developing world Mobile TV: Enter the idiot box while on the move Karnataka's mobile users are country's most dissatisfied Mobile money faces developed-world challenge Draw Something app downloaded 20 million times in first five weeks Cellphones lead telecom revolution Insight The Telecom Cloud Opportunity Managed VAS Services The Next Empire for Mukesh Ambani (Premium) - Voicendata The Connected Possibilities of Mobile Broadband Putting VAS Transformation In Focus Top Telecom Technology Trends for 2012 (Premium) - Voicendata Telecom- A Look into the Future (Premium) - Voicendata Are you Ready to Transition to IPv6 (Premium) - Electronics For You Mobile Trading- Make Money on the Move (Premium) - Voicendata Security- Why WiMAX will not Fail (Premium) - Electronics For You   News  Airtel introduces unlimited international roaming data plan Indian Express Telecom major Bharti Airtel has launched '1-day Bridge DataRoamUnlimited' under which its post-paid users can get unilimited data usage while roaming across Asia Pacific for USD 10 per day. This initiative was taken by Bridge Alliance which has 11 member operator networks, including Airtel, across Asia Pacific. Airtel post-paid mobile customers can activate this plan via SMS or by contacting customer care executives before their overseas trips in the Asia Pacific region. Bharti Airtel may kick-start 4G services from Kolkata on March 20 Economic Times Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile phone company by revenues and customers may kick-start its fourth generation services from Kolkata on March 20, executives familiar with the development said. This would be the second launch of 4G services in India after Augere Wireless, which has been offering high-speed data through dongles (data cards) since last month. Etisalat DB asks 1.6 million customers to shift to other service providers Economic Times Mobile phone company Etisalat DB in a statement issued on Friday said, "Cheers Mobile, the brand of Etisalat DB in India, has advised its customers to transfer their mobile number to another operator prior to the scheduled suspension of Cheers Mobile services on 31/03/2012." Dubai-based Etisalst DB has 1.6 million customers. Huawei to move base to Mumbai Economic Times Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei is moving its India corporate headquarters from Delhi to Mumbai where most of its big 3G clients are based, and where bulk of the future 4G network deals are expected to happen. The Tatas, Reliance, Vodafone and Aditya Birla group-controlled Idea Cellular are among Huawei's big carrier clients, all of whom are headquartered in Mumbai. Ericsson in talks with Indian telecom operators telecomlead.com Wireless equipment major Ericsson is in talks with Indian telecom operators to introduce its wholesale network-sharing model. The utilization of a wholesale network-sharing model will assist mobile operators to unlock added value for all stakeholders involved. The wholesale model is likely to play an important role as network sharing evolves in India. The new concept will be more valid when the operators/industry construct a Greenfield project like 4G in India. For instance, the upcoming 4G network can be owned by a company and the network can be shared by a number of operators. Ericsson believes that markets with spectrum and license shortages or those that face the greatest financial pressure would benefit from wholesale models. KPMG India launches Union Budget 2012 Mobile App Kerala IT News KPMG, a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services, and one of the Big Four auditors, has announced the release of KPMG in India's Union Budget App that will feature highlights on the outcome of the Union Budget in real time on mobile devices. This will enable users to access all budget related analysis prepared by KPMG in India on their iPhones, iPads, Android and Blackberry devices. Users can download this free application for their respective platforms from the various app stores available on their phones. The India Union Budget is scheduled for March 16, 2012. Indian Railways telecom plans in jeopardy telecomlead.com The Indian Railways is looking at spending Rs 39,110 crore in the next 5 years for telecom and signaling, as it feels that there is a need to setup high speed communication network to carry voice, video & data traffic, with Rs 2002 crore earmarked for 2012-13. The current turmoil faced by the UPA government after presenting 2012-13 rail budget is likely to add pressure on all telecom expansion plans envisaged for 2020. The Indian Railways is also looking at revenue generation potential in the telecom and IT sector, using the 64,000-km long right of way for laying optic fibers, signaling towers and other infrastructure assets that Indian Railways owns. This will be done in collaboration between the RailTel Corporation and private sector companies in a transparent framework. LTE spectrum auction: Will India liberalize telecom investment policy? telecomlead.com Though India is the second largest telecom market based on mobile user base, the country could not attract investments in mobile ventures from companies such as China Mobile, Qtel, MTN, Verizon, Telefonica, Orange, Teliasonera, T-Mobile, and others. The forthcoming LTE 4G spectrum auctions will be a big opportunity for Indian telecom ministry to attract big telecom operators in the world. However, India needs to liberalize its investment policies and guarantee hassle-free investments. Allowing foreign companies with 100 percent stake will attract major investments. Telcos oppose TRAI's proposal to review tariff policy Times of India Telecom operators have opposed sectoral regulator TRAI's proposal to review the tariff policy, saying that the current regime has appropriate regulatory measures to protect the interest of consumers. In response to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) paper on policy of forbearance in telecom tariff, both GSM and CDMA operators' bodies, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI), contended that under the current structure, mobile phone tariffs in the country were among the lowest in the world. AUSPI said the hike in tariffs was undertaken by different operators at different points of time, and not a coordinated move on the part of the industry to increase prices. Company Law Board asks Unitech to buy out Telenor's stake or exit JV Economic Times The Company Law Board, a quasi-judicial body that rules on corporate matters, on Tuesday directed Unitech Wireless to decide by March 19 if it wants to buy out the 67.25% stake held by Norway's Telenor, or exit their joint venture. Seeing no other solution, CLB Chairman Justice B R Deshmukh told Unitech, "You (Unitech) are given priority, whether you want to buy or sell (stake)." The CLB had asked the warring partners to mediate to resolve their differences but neither company took that option.   Trends  The Top-10 Selling Phones for February 2012 Cellular News The Swedish manufacturer of carrying cases for portable electronics, Krusell, has released its "Top 10" list for February 2012. Krusell's list is unique due to the fact that it reflects the sales of phones on six continents and in more than 70 countries around the globe. They are: Apple iPhone 4/4S, Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc/Arc S, Samsung Galaxy Note, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia C2-01, HTC Sensation, Sony Xperia S, and Sony Xperia Neo/Neo V. Nokia reported to be closing Indian mobile money service Cellular News Nokia is reported to be planning to shut-down its mobile money service in India, two years after it launched the facility. Nokia originally launched mobile money in 2010 through a partnership with YES Bank. Subsequently, it signed up with Union Bank to offer services such as bill payments and money transfer. Nokia currently has around 1.2 million users of its mobile money platform in the country. Digital Chocolate partners with Mauj Mobile for India expansion strategy Reuters Mauj Mobile today announced a key exclusive partnership with Digital Chocolate, a global leader in mobile and cross platform social games, for distribution of its games in India. This strategic move will help Mauj bring over 100 hugely popular and award-winning games published by Digital Chocolate to the Indian market. It will also make these games available to customers on its app store Mobango, which has a major presence in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Asia. Mauj Mobile distributes premium mobile content such as videos, applications and games to mobile users through mobile operators. The mobile gaming market in India is estimated to be worth over US$ 100 mn (Rs 500 crores) and is growing rapidly. Apple's new iPad should be Google's wake-up call Time Techland Android tabletmakers have done an admirable job keeping up with Apple's hardware in terms of creating thin, light slabs with high-end specs, but when it comes to apps, Android can't keep the pace. Like the iOS App Store, Google's Android Market, Google Play, relies on third-party developers to thrive. Those developers decide whether to optimize apps for tablet-size displays. In the iOS App Store, iPad users only see tablet apps in the top charts and categories; iPad apps are listed separately from iPhone apps in searches. It's easy to see why developers are flocking to Apple: the App Store makes their tablet software so much easier to find. Why mobile phones drive economic growth in the developing world Cellular News The transformation of the mobile phone from yuppie plaything to a tool that drives economic growth in the developing world is arguably the biggest technology story of the first decade of the 21st century. While there are approximately six billion mobile devices used across the world, only a quarter are found in the developed world. An instance of the economic impact of mobile phones is demonstrated by how, in Kerala, after the introduction of phone coverage, waste was reduced, consumer prices of fish fell by 4%, and fishermen's' profits rose by 8%. India also used tower sharing before the West. Indian operators fought over sites to place expensive towers until it became clear that it would be more efficient for companies to rent towers, thus disproving the theory that tower sharing would lead to price-fixing by operators, and now Vodafone uses tower sharing in Europe. Mobile TV: Enter the idiot box while on the move Business Standard India has now over 200 million video views a month on mobile devices, the average duration of clips viewed being 1-3 minutes. An Ernst & Young report claims that 40 percent of active Indian internet users consume TV content online. Consumers are looking for relevant content that can be viewed over 2G, 3G networks or Wi-Fi networks, and content providers are cashing in. Vamshi Reddy, Founder and Director of Apalya believes that with telcos focusing on increasing revenue from data, telecom operators are ready to even change the revenue model. Karnataka's mobile users are country's most dissatisfied Daily News & Analysis Soaring bills, network failure, unkept promises on sops, have prompted millions of dissatisfied consumers in Karnataka to opt for another service provider in the last one year. The state has received the maximum number of mobile number portability (MNP) requests in the country, according to a recent report of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). As of January 2012, 34 lakh consumers in Karnataka have made MNP requests. Though Delhi has the highest teledensity at about 23.8 crore, the number of MNP requests registered there (about 15 lakh) is far less than Karnataka, which has a teledensity of about 9.6 crore. Andhra Pradesh comes second in MNP requests with 30 lakh, followed by Gujarat. Reliance, Tata Docomo, and BSNL have been the big losers from MNP in the state. Mobile money faces developed-world challenge Phys Org The portfolio of financial services that fall under the rubric of mobile money range from paying for goods and services to transferring funds to receiving an overseas remittance. Strangely, while the technological brain and brawn required to deploy mobile-money programs are heavily concentrated in the developed world, it's actually in places lacking that infrastructure where the idea has actually taken hold. Of the approximately 130 mobile-money schemes that have been launched to date, the successes are almost all in emerging markets. Jean-Marie Letort, a partner at Greenwich explained that the concept of mobile money generally works best right now in places where people have phones. The bottleneck in the West revolves around the adoption of near-field communications (NFC), which allows wireless transfer of data over very short distances. Brett King, author and financial consultant, on the topic of mobile money says, "The tipping point is the behavioral shift on the mobile phone - that is what will kill plastic, and it's already happened." Draw Something app downloaded 20 million times in first five weeks Time Techland OMGPOP's new game Draw Something is only five weeks old and it's already been downloaded 20 million times. Right now it's the number one free app for Android and the number one paid and free app for iOS. That's not too far behind Instagram's 27 million users, an amazing feat for an app that's been around for barely more than a month. What makes Draw Something special is how it utilizes the touchscreen to create a game that is both ridiculously easy to learn and strangely engrossing. Cellphones lead telecom revolution Times of India Homes in Maharashtra are much better connected today than a decade ago, with 69% households boasting of telephones in 2011-an impressive jump from merely 14% homes a decade ago, reveals data released by the Census 2011. While the state is better teleconnected than the national average of 63% homes, it still has a long way to go to catch up with the states such as Delhi, Kerala, Chandigarh, and Lakshadweep where more than 90% homes are connected with phones. Further, over 86% of the 1 crore households in urban areas have telephone connectivity as against 54.7% of the 1.3 crore rural households. Cellphones seem to be gradually and steadily bridging the urban-rural divide.   Insight  The Telecom Cloud Opportunity Ericsson Cloud computing, along with mobility and ubiquitous broadband, is underpinning the creation of the Networked Society. As we move towards a connected world, telecom operators have a unique opportunity to position themselves to capitalise on the growth of cloud services - both as providers and adopters of the technology Managed VAS Services Comviva This white paper talks about how you can optimise customer experience with end-to-end services assurance The Next Empire for Mukesh Ambani (Premium) - View Free Sample An inside view of Mukesh Ambani's game plan to capture the broadband Market. The Connected Possibilities of Mobile Broadband Huawei This white paper describes the connected world; a technology vision for the next decade where mobile digital technologies have the potential to empower everyone regardless of who they are or wherever they may be located. In a world increasingly characterized by migration and mobility, it is paramount that nobody is left behind. Digital nomads and remote workers currently attract much of the attention but the connected world will only become a reality when our industry digitally empowers new arrivals in a 20 million megapolis like Mumbai or small farmers and artisans in peripheral rural regions. These will be the tipping points. To support the connected world, technologies will have to be multi-purpose, multi-standard and inclusive. A vast web of virtual relationships and digital interactions between people and things will require flexible, distributed broadband technologies as a backbone and cloud infrastructure, intelligent networks and multiple layers of IT and support systems binding everything together. Putting VAS Transformation In Focus Huawei With the telecom industry under greater competition than ever before from cross-industry players and content providers, many operators today realize that transformation in the VAS space is important for business growth. And for this, a change in mindset is key. Top Telecom Technology Trends for 2012 (Premium) - View Free Sample Having shown stupendous growth in the last two decades, the Indian telecom industry now needs to innovate and strategize its offerings and invest in newer technology trends. Telecom- A Look into the Future (Premium) - View Free Sample With technologies like NFC, BYOD, Cloud slated for a big leap in 2012, the year holds huge promises. Are you Ready to Transition to IPv6 (Premium) - View Free Sample What is IPv6, what if you don't transit to it and how to do it best--find out Internet protocol (IP) is a system of rules by which data is sent digitally across a network. It sends data as packets, called datagrams, over the network. Each of these data packets consists of a header and a payload. The header contains data such as the sender's and receiver's addresses, while payload contains the actual information. IPv4 is the fourth and also the most widely deployed version of IP. It is this popularity that has ultimately led to the need for an updated IPv6 protocol. Before you take the jump, be aware that transitioning to IPv6 is not as easy as toggling a switch. It will require running both protocols simultaneously- unless, of course, one decides to alienate all IPv4 customers. The time when IPv4 is not needed at all lies years away. But the security and performance implications of not switching to the new protocol are serious as well. Mobile Trading- Make Money on the Move (Premium) - View Free Sample Although mobile trading is minuscule right now, the trend is very encouraging. And it has shown good organic growth since its launch in October 2010. Security- Why WiMAX will not Fail (Premium) - View Free Sample WiMAX provides robust access control, data privacy and data integrity using sophisticated authentication and encryption technologies. This article investigates the architecture enabling the high-level security In today's fast-paced lifestyle, consumers want communication at faster speed and lower cost, more broadband capabilities as well as nomadic and mobility support. Keeping these demands in mind, IEEE 802.16 working group has come up with a new wireless communications standard called the broadband wireless access (BWA). Commonly known as WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access), this is a fast evolving technology used to form wide-range wireless networks with high data rate of information transfer. We live in a variety of networking environments for using Internet-based services and applications. Data security becomes an important issue in such interconnected networks in order to safely transmit or receive information. Due to this, different security protocols are designed and deployed with network standards.

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