My-Mobilephone News

Jump Games & Zapak.com get Cricketing with Ishant Sharma

2008-05-05T20:04:00.001+05:30

- Launch mobile game and online based game on the latest pace sensation of India

Monday May 5, 2008 – Mumbai, India – The two gaming divisions of Reliance Entertainment, a part of the Reliance ADA Group, Jump Games and Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. today announced a tie-up with the latest pace sensation of India, Ishant Sharma. As a part of the deal, Zapak.com would be creating and hosting an online game based around the cricketer while Jump Games (a leading publisher and developer of games across mobile platforms) would be creating a mobile game for him.

Mobile Game from Jump Games – Cricket Fever

Cricket Fever showcases the ace bowler Ishant Sharma's bowling skills to the max. It is a ten-over cricket game where the player opens the over as Ishant Sharma and shoots his deliveries towards the opponent's batsman. The game offers and exhaustive array of deliveries like yorkers, in-cutters, out-swingers and the player can also control the speed and swing of the ball. The game offers a fantastic gameplay with auto-updated scorecards and statistics displayed after every over as well as an exhaustive list of teams from across the globe. Studded with a host of interesting features, Ishant Sharma Cricket Fever is an absolute must-have for any cricket enthusiast!

Online Game from Zapak.com – Power Bowler!

This is a browser based cricket game based on the young Indian cricket prodigy Ishant Sharma. The game allows the player to step into Ishant's shoes and play as him wherein he bowls five overs to an opponent batsmen. The game is set against the backdrop of a packed international cricket stadium with the crowd cheering him on. A user is offered numerous bowling options such as in and out swingers and seamers, straight balls along with special deliveries such as a Yorker which has to be used intelligently. The player has to get the batsman out in the lowest number of balls while giving the least number of runs. The game will be the first of its kind cricket based bowling-only-game.

On this occasion, Rajesh Sawhney, President, Reliance Entertainment Ltd. said, "We believe that Cricket is not just a sport but a religion in India and we at Reliance Entertainment are all set to capitalize on the huge opportunity this game presents. Gaming is a new industry in India and we believe that Cricket can play a significant catalyst to give the industry the right kind of growth impetus. Today we have created both an Online and a Mobile game around Ishant Sharma, these are the first of their kind bowling only cricket games and are sure to be a hit with all cricketing fans in India."

Giving insights into his first online and mobile avatar, Ishant Sharma said, "Today the youngsters are no longer content with usual ways of playing a game they want it across all means of communication mediums be it television, mobile or the internet. We Indians are excited at all forms of cricket, for us cricketers are demi-god, cricket is a religion. I'm excited about this new Online and Mobile avatar that I'm donning as it gives me another opportunity to connect with this cricket crazy nation."

Talking about the association and the Mobile Game, Salil Bhargava, CEO, Jump Games said, "Cricket is one of the most popular genres in mobile gaming in India; and now with our association with Ishant, we aim to provide the audiences with much more of their favourite content. It has been a fabulous year for Jump Games. We signed on Manchester United – the world's most popular football club earlier this year and now we are bringing the rising cricket star Ishant Sharma on the mobile screen. Ishant is one of the most popular names in Indian cricket right now and we hope our games give another opportunity to his fans to play as their favourite cricketer."

Talking about Zapak.com and its association with cricket, Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. said, Ours is truly a cricket crazy nation and it is proven from the fact that we have over 18 cricket games on Zapak.com and each of them are equally popular with the audiences. We at Zapak have a record of more than 80,000 users playing cricket games on our website everyday. And we believe that through this association we will create another milestone in Online Cricketing in India.

IBM works on new mobile services

2008-04-22T22:17:00.000+05:30

With more and more people switching to mobile phones rathar than PCs to access web, cell phones are defenitly heading to replace PCs over the coming years.
The move is having big effect among the cell phone makers coming up with wireless handsets with enhanced features.

IBM too is working out on mobile programs that would offer services to people to access web, even allow financial transactions, and many other improved mobile web services.

IBMs research projects include allowing commerce to be conducted by voice, instant mobile translator that allows users to communicate between multiple languages, social networking via mobile etc.
--MP

MOTOROKR U9 launched

2008-04-20T20:23:00.001+05:30

Motorola, Inc has launched its new handset phone MOTOROKR U9 in Indian markets.

The new phone provides music a multi-sensory experience, Stereo Bluetooth, CrystalTalk Technology, external touch sensitive music controls etc. The stylish U9 phone supports multiple audio files including Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ enhanced.

The phone is available in 2 versions- Deluxe Pack with 1 GB microSD card and the Premium Pack with 2GB microSD card and wireless stereo Bluetooth ROKR S9. MOTOROKR U9 can be purchased in Indian markets at prices ranging between Rs 10000- Rs 15000.
--MP

India's Cell users to cross 500cr by 2010

2008-04-14T22:14:00.001+05:30

The Indian mobile phone base is expected to cross over 500 million by the year 2010 says, leading telecom provider Nokia.

The prediction was made by the Nokia India Chief who also pointed out that half the subscribers will be accessing the Internet facility through their mobile phones.

According to him the Indian customer market could be classified into three based on the user types- the top-end limited to some 50 million customers, the mid-range comprising around 150 million subscribers, and the third tier dominated by low-cost basic handsets with minimal functionality.
--MP

Sistema eyes India market

2008-04-14T22:00:00.001+05:30

In an attempt to foray into the Indian markets, Russian based consumer services and telecommunication provider Sistema Group is rolling out its mobile services in India by next year.

"India is focus market for us and we are looking at growing our presence in the telecom space by acquiring an existing operator. We are already talking to some of the players." said Sistema official.

The company is also expected to invest around Rs 4,000 crore this fiscal for the launch of its network.
--MP

Educational portal on Reliance Mobile

2008-04-09T21:15:00.001+05:30

Leading mobile network provider Reliance Communications has launched a new educational portal for users in their mobile phones.

The new portal extended by RCom offers a variety of services including getting exam results, details on college admissions, schedule of exams, admission deadlines, mock tests, tips and many others.

The portal will provide a list of major universities, colleges and secondary education boards.

The portal, 'Exam Guru' services can be acessed at Re 1 per minute rate.

--MP

Jump’s Games win top awards at FICCI BAF 2008

2008-03-31T14:26:00.000+05:30

March 31, 2008 – Mumbai, India - Jump Games, a part of Reliance BIG Entertainment and India’s leading publisher and developer of games won top awards at the FICCI BAF 2008 that concluded in Mumbai on March 27th 2008. Two of Jump’s popular games – Hanuman Returns and Tiger of Mysore – won awards for the Outstanding Indian Content in mobile and online categories respectively.

The mobile game Hanuman Returns is loosely based on Percept Picture Company’s animation feature The Return of Hanuman and follows Maruti’s adventurous journey in achieving victory over evil forces of Guru Shukracharya and Rahuketu. Fast-paced and packed with slick animations, Hanuman Returns takes the player on an exotic journey across jungles, outer space and far-fetched cities. The game is created for BREW and j2me platforms.

The online game Tiger of Mysore takes you back in the pages of history where your mission is to play as the legendary Tiger of Mysore and save the last standing fortress of India, Mysore. The game brilliantly captures the adventure and thrill of ancient Indian battlefield and infantry. The game is currently available at www.zapak.com.

With these awards in its kitty, Jump Games has made its presence felt at FICCI BAF awards for the third time now, having won the Outstanding Indian Content award & The Best Mobile Game of the Year award in 2007, and the Special Jury Award in the year 2005.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO of Jump Games, Salil Bhargava, said: “Jump has always believed in the quality and exclusivity of the content we create here. These awards have come as a token of the fact that all of us at Jump have been working consistently to raise the bar. I would like to thank everyone at Jump Games for putting in their best to realise our vision of creating world-class games. And now that we’re poised for a global leap with licences like Manchester United, it feels great to be a winner on the home front. The challenge ahead is to aim for excellence awards internationally!”

BPL Mobile introduces “Jukebox” – Mobile Radio Service

2008-03-10T18:50:00.000+05:30

Mumbai, March 10, 2008: BPL Mobile, Mumbai’s leading cellular service provider has introduced ‘BPL Mobile Jukebox’, a mobile radio service that will allow its subscribers to get hooked onto their choice of music while they are on the move.

BPL Mobile Jukebox is a Full-Song mobile Music service that addresses the mood function of the user by offering a variety of songs ranging from Bollywood to Devotional, from English to Ghazals and from Retro to Regional at fingertips. The service would be available to both post-paid and pre-paid subscribers of BPL Mobile and also accessible on a basic entry-level Non-Data enabled handset.

The subscriber just has to dial 543213 to listen to the complete song from the Jukebox Catalog which has over one thousand songs. This service comes at an affordable monthly subscription of Rs 25/- and charges of 50 p/min (9am - 9pm) & 20 p/min (9pm - 9am). Not just this, ‘BPL Mobile Jukebox’ enables the listeners to download the Ringtone of the songs that they like as well as dedicate those songs to their loved ones at only Rs. 10/-event.

Commenting on this new service, Mr.S.Subramaniam – CEO, BPL Mobile said, “With our new mobile music service – BPL Mobile Jukebox, we are not just making music of our subscriber’s choice affordable, but also easily accessible on their mobile phones. It addresses the mood function of each of our users and offers them a huge variety of high quality, legal music at their fingertips.”

More than being user friendly, this intelligent service also greets its listeners in their preferred language, remembers their favorite songs and presents them with their previously chosen song categories. It allows the user to skip songs that they are bored of or replay the ones they crave to listen more often. Also in the event of one skipping a certain mood/category over 5 times, he/she gets an option of switching the category/mood; thus giving a personalized feel and easy navigation.

About BPL Mobile

Having started its services in 1995, BPL Mobile currently operates in Mumbai, India. BPL Mobile serves over 1 million happy and satisfied subscribers. In a recent assessment of Cellular Mobile Services across all GSM and CDMA service provider conducted by TRAI, BPL Mobile emerged as the cellular service provider in Mumbai delivering the highest customer satisfaction. BPL Mobile is one of the very few cellular service providers nationally to have met all benchmarks on parameters set by TRAI.

For more information please contact:
Suryaprabha - Hanmer & Partners, Mumbai
E-mail: suryaprabha@hanmerpr.com

Lalu propose rail tickets via cell phone

2008-02-27T09:56:00.001+05:30

The Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav while presenting this year's rail budget has proposed the option of issuing rail tickets through cell phones.

India currently has 30 crore mobile phone subsribers and is expected to grow to 50 crore by 2010.

With the increasing usage of cell phones in the country, the Indian Railways is exploring the option of issuing reserved and unreserved rail tickets through mobile phones, said the Rail Minister said in the Assembly.

--MP

8.7mn new cell phone users in Jan

2008-02-26T11:06:00.001+05:30

India is making a revolution in the mobile industry by adding 8.77 million new subscribers in the month of January 2008 alone.

As per the data presented by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number is a record high in the global market pushing behind China's record of 8.42million.

India's leading telecom player, Bharti Airtel Ltd added 2.3 million new mobile phone users in January making its customer base to 57.4 million. Among others Reliance added 1.6 million users, with a total customer base of 42.6 million, and Vodafone Essar Ltd added additional 1.3 million users, taking its customer base to 41.2 million.

As per the current trend, India is adding an average of 9 million phone subscribers every month.
--MP

Sunil Mittal conferred top honor in global telecom

2008-02-16T20:12:00.001+05:30

Leading leading business group Bharti Enterprises chairman and CEO,Sunil Bharti Mittal has been conferred with the GSMA Chairman's award.

The award is the top honor in the global telecom industry and is given to recognise people or organisations for their distinguished services and contributions to the mobile industry.

Mittal on recieving the honor said the award was a tribute to India's telecom growth story, Bharti's vision and the emergence of Indian telcos on the global stage.

"It has been a privilege for me personally and Bharti Airtel to have been a part of this telecom revolution that has delivered affordable telecom services for all and has transformed the lives of millions across India." ,he said.
--MP

International Voice SMS for BPL users

2008-02-11T21:52:00.000+05:30

BPL mobile useres can now send Voice SMS to mobile users across the world with the launch of an innovative messaging solution.

BPL mobile has patnered with Kirusa, the leading developer of value added mobile services to provision the Voice SMS service to BPL Mobile subscribers within India.

This Voice SMS solution allows the subscibers to send a voice SMS to anywhere in the world and the person at the recieving end can access it with a local call and and reply to messages.

The launch of the International Voice SMS has made sending voice messages as simple and effective as delivering a Voice SMS message anywhere in India.

--MP

Tata Indicom's Valentines contest

2008-02-11T21:35:00.001+05:30

Popular telecom operator Tata Teleservices has come up with a new offer for its customers during this Valentine Day season.

You many answer an interactive question round and winners can take away prizes on daily, weekly and grand prizes basis. The weekly winner gets a cash prize of Rs 1000 while the grand prize winner gets a trip with his Valentine to a surprise city with all the travel arrangements made available free of cost.

To take part in the contest, one can dial 12800 and follow a set of instructions and answer a question. Based on that one can earn points along with a free Welcome Tune. Callers can then opt for more questions and accumulate points which can be further redeemed for the prizes.

--MP

Nokia Launches 3120 classic

2008-02-09T00:19:00.001+05:30

Leading cell phone manufacturer Nokia has come up with a new product-3120 classic.

The company has recently announced the launch of its new addition 3120, which is a mid range phone featuring 2-inches QVGA display, a 2 mega pixels camera, music player with 4GB memory with support for most common formats. The phone comes in a variety of colors including Plum/Powder White, Chestnut Brown, Deep Red, and Graphite.

The Nokia 3120 classic is expected to begin shipping in select markets in the 2nd quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of €150 before subsidies or taxes.
--MP

Mobile Content for Bollywood Movie ‘Sunday’ from Mauj Mobile

2008-01-30T00:17:00.001+05:30

Catchy tones, attractive wallpapers and graphics...

Mumbai, 29th January 2008: Mauj Mobile, one of India's leading wireless solutions providers, in association with Eros Multimedia Pvt. Ltd has unveiled exciting mobile content for the movie 'Sunday' across the country. With this film, Mauj continues its association with all films produced by Kumar Mangat.

'Sunday', is a part of Mauj's ongoing relationship with Eros Multimedia Pvt. Ltd that gives the company Worldwide Telecom Rights for the film. Mauj Mobile in their signature style has developed highly creative and attractive mobile content based on the film's visuals and catchy sound in the form of video animations, wallpapers and video ring tones of the movie.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Manoj Dawane, CEO, People Infocom (Mauj), said, "Mauj is known for the quality content and innovative products that it provides to its consumers. Sunday has given us an opportunity to develop content that is fun filled and exciting, in-keeping with the feel of the movie, and we have utilized this to the maximum best in the form of – Ringtones, Videos, Animations, Wallpapers, etc. As the first major release of 2008, we are optimistic about the uptake of the movie in the form of mobile content."
"Eros International enjoys a successful relationship with Mauj and they have developed some highly innovative and exciting content for our films. With Sunday they continue in their endeavor in providing quality mobile content, which will help create maximum visibility for the film", Kumar Ahuja, VP – International Sales & New Media – Eros International adds.

With a look & feel similar to the 2006 super-hit film Golmaal which was directed by the same director Rohit Shetty starring Ajay Devgan and apparently being the only major release in Jan 2008, 'Sunday' is expected to generate interest amongst film enthusiasts across the country.
-AA

Alabot partners with mobile-worx to launch Intelligent SMS Search

2008-01-28T20:01:00.001+05:30

New Delhi, Jan 28 (ANI/Business Wire India): Alabot has announced its partnership with mobile-worx, a leading mobility solutions firm to launch Intelligent SMS Search in India.

"Alabot is a paradigm shift in how SMS services are used currently. We are pleased to be partnering with mobile-worx to take this innovative product to market," said Akshat Shrivastava, CEO of Alabot.

Asif Ali, President, mobile-worx said: "Intent marketing works - this has been proven time and again. This service will better understand the users intent and make recommendations to him delivering compelling value to advertisers."

The service will be powered by a "bot" - a self directed intelligent agent, who understands natural human language and interacts with users using non-syntax based data inputs.

This Intelligent SMS Search will enable users to search the directory of users (from open social networks), mobile content, local business directories, local deals, train / flight tickets, hotel deals and movie tickets for major cities in India. Users can eventually transact through the service.

The service will be completely supported through mobile advertising as a primary business model and contextually relevant ads will be inserted during the conversation as recommendations by the bot.

This interactive interface represents the next step in the usability of mobile SMS applications and will remove the frustrating roadblock of remembering keywords of short code based services by combining and aggregating local search in an extremely user friendly interface.

Users can search using phrases from English, Hindi and other languages without having to remember syntax, sentence structure or multiple short codes.

Both Alabot and mobile-worx are in the process of forming alliances with a slew of content partners that will drive the search service.

ZestADZ - India's leading mobile ad marketplace will serve contextually relevant text advertisements and related offers that will be recommended to the user during the conversation, making the service highly contextual and non-invasive. (ANI)
--MP

Man United teams up with Indian firm on mobile deal

2008-01-23T20:53:00.001+05:30

London, Jan.23 (ANI): England Premier League Champions Manchester United has teamed up with an Indian firm to make the six games for popular handsets, including puzzles and those based on ball skills.

The partnership, due to be unveiled today, will see each game cost around three pounds, The Sun reported.

The first in the series, due out in April, will be Manchester United Word It!, a brain-buster where players must identify words and phrases associated with the megabucks club.

"I think it's a fantastic venture. For our fans all over the world, it's an opportunity to get involved," said the team's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Salil Bhargava of Jump Games said: "Our games will reflect the excitement and interest globally in the team, the club and its players, wherever people want to play them.

"Fans from Manchester to Mumbai will be able to feel a part of the club from testing their knowledge to playing the team on the virtual pitch." (ANI)
--MP

Idea Cellular announces un-audited results for Q3

2008-01-21T21:55:00.001+05:30

Mumbai, Jan 21 (ANI/Business Wire India): Idea Cellular Limited (Idea)
today announced its un-audited results for the quarter ended December
31, 2007.

Idea ended the quarter with a subscriber base of 21.05 mn, adding 2.38
mn subscribers during the quarter.

In its current 11 service areas of operation, Idea increased its
subscriber market share from 15.6 per cent at the end of September
2007, to 15.8 per cent at the end of December 2007.

The consolidated revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 of
Rs. 17103 mn grew by 48 per cent, and EBITDA of Rs. 5694 mn grew by 51
per cent, on a year on year basis. The net profit for the quarter
ended December 31, 2007 was Rs 2368 mn, a growth of 108 per cent over
the same quarter last year.

The consolidated revenues grew by 9.3 per cent when compared to the
previous quarter ended September 30, 2007, while EBITDA grew by 11 per
cent.

The Company has recently received the spectrum to launch operations in
the Mumbai and Bihar service areas in addition to receipt of spectrum
in the remaining districts in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
--MP

Airtel introduce Rs.495/- Lifetime Prepaid offer

2008-01-20T11:00:00.001+05:30

Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has come up with a new offer Rs 495/- Lifetime for prepaid users, slashing local out going call rates to Re. 1/- from the current Rs 1.99 per minute. The tariff cut is now applicable to Delhi & NCR customers. This is effect from January 15, 2008. All Rs. 495/- Lifetime Prepaid customers will be able to make local outgoing calls both mobile & landline at Re. 1/- per minute and all existing customers will be migrated to the revised tariff plan without any extra charges. To retain the lifetime validity and benefits, customers will have to recharge with a minimum amount of Rs. 200/- at least once in every 180 days.
--MP

BPL Mobile slashes pre-paid rates; Now call and SMS anywhere in India at Re. 1/-

2008-01-11T15:57:00.001+05:30

Focus shifts to the large base of pre-paid subscribers with reduction in call rates by nearly 50%
BPL Mobile first to offer All Calls and SMS, both local and STD @ Re. 1/-for prepaid users

Mumbai, January 10th, 2008: Having significantly enhanced network bandwidth, BPL Mobile - Mumbai's leading cellular service provider now equipped to play the volume game, announced a further slash in pre-paid call rates. Subscribers will now enjoy all local and STD calls any where in India from BPL Mobile to any mobile service and landline for a flat Re. 1/- per minute. This reduction sees call rates drop by nearly 50%. Short Message Service or SMS across India will also be at Re. 1/-. This makes BPL Mobile the first cellular service provider to offer all Calls and SMS, both local and STD @ Re. 1/-for prepaid users

Subscribers to this special offering will be able to avail the same for a daily rental of Re. 1/-. (Rs 30 would be deducted as advance rental. After 30 days, Rs 1/day rental would be applicable). Subscribers will need to SMS India to 50505 (toll-free), which would give them more details on One India Prepaid. Recharge vouchers are also available.

Announcing this Mr. S. Subramaniam, CEO & Director, BPL Mobile said, "The pre-paid market, which is a highly price-sensitive market, constitutes more then 70% of our subscriber base. In a way this significant reduction in call rates is our new year's gift to our loyal customers. We continuously look at adding value to our subscribers, this new offering is another step in that direction".

BPL Mobile has strengthened its network capacity taking the no. of cell sites to nearly 1,100. BPL Mobile a few months back revolutionized the pre-paid market by offering the lowest lifetime pre-paid at Rs. 444/-. This was followed by 'Mini Validity', a path breaking product that provided the subscriber unmatched value, flexibility and convenience of staying mobile at the lowest possible cost.

Having started its services in 1995, BPL Mobile currently operates in Mumbai city with more than 1 million happy and satisfied subscribers. In the latest TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) benchmark study on quality of service of mobile phone service providers across all GSM & CDMA operators places BPL Mobile amongst the top in Mumbai. BPL Mobile scored high marks in critical network performance parameters of Call Set Up Success Rate, Call Completion Rates & % age connections with good voice quality with scores ranging between 98.6- 99.5%. BPL Mobile has set benchmarks in the sector with its innovative value added service offerings like Voice SMS, m-commerce, Mobile Tracker, Mobile TV among others. Please visit www.bplmobile.com

For more information please contact:
Schubert / Minesh
Hanmer & Partner, Mumbai
schubert@hanmerpr.com, minesh@hanmerpr.com
-AA

Broadband Connectivity Essential to Steer India to Next Phase of Telecom Growth

2007-11-24T22:14:00.001+05:30

Develop Villages as Knowledge Centres : Planning Commision

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, November 22, 2007 -- (Business Wire
India) -- The next phase of telecom growth will be driven by broadband
paradigm, said Mr. R R Shah, Member Secretary, Planning Commission at
a conference on 'Connecting the Next 500 Million: Telecom Roadmap for
the 11th Five Year Plan 2007 - 12', organised by the Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII), here on Thursday.

Majority of the next 500 million customers in telecom will be in the
rural areas, through rural connectivity. The approach to enable this
will require the government to review the strategy pursued so far, and
bring substantial change in policy framework followed, to enable the
growth of the Telecom industry during the next Plan period, said Mr.
Shah. Government is planning to develop villages as knowledge centers,
he said.

There is a whole set of need at the rural level which has to be
converted into opportunity in which Information and Communication
technologies will have a major role, he said. Local content has to be
encouraged to implement e-governance applications and connect rural
India for the overall inclusive growth, he added.

There will be substantial outlays in the next plan period for
education and health. Rural connectivity, e-governance applications, e
commerce, tele-medicine and e-education which are going to contribute
to substantial growth of telecom industry in the next phase of
inclusive development in the 11th Five Year Plan period up to 2012,
said Mr. Shah.

Mr. Sanjeev Aga, Chairman - CII National Committee on Telecom and
Broadband and Managing Director, Idea Cellular Limited said that
telecom industry is facing the challenges of interconnectivity as well
as growth and expansion within the sector. He emphasised on the need
that the government should instill confidence of the telecom industry
by planning standard policies for the sector. Mr. Aga suggested that
telecom policy should be integrated with national planning process
undertaken by the Planning Commision.

Next three years will be difficult for the telecom industry as
telecom companies will enter different geographical and socio-economic
regions to foster growth, said Mr. Aga. The cost of passive
infrastructure is enormous and telecom companies should consider the
infrastructural challenges in the rural areas, he added.

Mr. D Shivakumar, VP and Managing Director, Nokia India Pvt. Ltd. said
that telecom sector in India has grown because of innovative schemes
offered by Indian operators. Growing economy, consumer spend,
consistency of policy framework, operator's innovation and affordable
handset will enable the telecom sector to reach the target of 500
million connections by 2010, said Mr. Shivakumar.

The telecom growth will bring prosperity in rural areas and push the
productivity in all the sectors, said Mr. Shivakumar. Affordability
and availability of infrastructure will be key challenges for telecom
industry to reach the rural customer, he mentioned. Value added
services (VAS) industry is going to reach Rs.77,823 crores in 2012
which would be around 25% of mobile telephony market, informed Mr.
Shivakumar.

Vikram Tiwathia, Chief Information Officer, CII said that emphasis on
broadband technology and introduction of NGN technology will maneuver
the telecom sector to next phase of growth. As recommendations for the
growth of telecom industry on behalf of CII, he suggested spectrum
availability, unbundling of copper local loop for enhancing broadband
use, rationalisation of taxes, stable electricity supply and proper
handling of e-waste components be attended to for the next phase of
growth in the 2007-2012 FYP period.

The report "Telecom: Catalyzing the New Indian Economy" was released
by Mr. R R Shah at the conference. The report produced by Frost &
Sullivan examines the telecom growth in 11th Plan period.
Specifically, the focus is on identifying challenges of reaching the
650 Million users by 2012, infrastructure and regulatory issues that
need to be addressed. The report is based on valuable inputs from
across academia, policy makers, and business leaders across telecom
and related industries.

Presenting the findings, Mr. Anand Rangachary, Managing Director,
Frost & Sullivan said that supportive policy environment, improving
telecom infrastructure and growth in rural telephony are the key
challenges for the telecom industry.

He mentioned that Indian telecom industry had contributed over
Rs.1,05,287 to the Indian economy in 2006 and is expected to grow at a
CAGR of 26.8% to reach Rs.3,44,921 crores by 2012.

Mr Rangachary added that the Telecom industry is going to provide
direct employment to 2.8 million people whereas 7 million people will
get indirect employment, the report stated. E-agriculture will reduce
procurement costs of farmers by 2.5% which will result in an economic
benefit of Rs.6100 crores, added Mr. Rangachari.

First Mobile Game on Hanuman by Jump Games

2007-11-23T14:20:00.001+05:30

Jump Games Ties-up with Percept Picture Company To launch Exclusive Mobile Game series on Hanuman Returns

Mumbai, November 22, 2007: Jump Games, the country's leading publisher and developer of mobile games have announced their association with Percept Picture Company (PPC) to launch a series of mobile games based on their forthcoming animated feature 'Hanuman Returns'.

Jump Games signed a two-year exclusive worldwide contract with Percept Picture Company to create and distribute Mobile game titles based on the film Hanuman Returns. The first game of the Hanuman series is titled "Hanuman Returns" and features Hanuman in his human avatar who is reborn on earth with the blessings of Lord Brahma. This game will be released in December 2007 in India.

Touted as the biggest original Indian superhero to hit the movie screens, Hanuman will now be seen in a global avatar in the film. Jump's mobile games will recreate the magic of Hanuman on the mobile platform.

Fast-paced and packed with smashing animation, Hanuman Returns takes the player on Hanuman's exotic journey across jungles, outer space and far-fetched cities. Hanuman's mission in the game is to rid the world of evil forces of Guru Shukracharya and Rahuketu. Zipping past wacky obstacles like meteors and demons, Hanuman's character is shown to brave enemies with his mighty weapon 'The Gadda'.

Jump is also planning to launch a contest around the mobile game Hanuman Returns as a part of the promotional activity for the game. In addition to that, the game will also be made available to consumers via Game Kiosks placed at various locations across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Salil Bhargava, CEO, Jump Games said, "Hanuman Returns is a brilliant game that will definitely appeal to audiences globally. This was a novel initiative for us and we've created a game that rightfully recreates the experience of the animated film Hanuman Returns on to the mobile platform. It's been a great association with Percept Pictures and we are in the process of creating a series of games based on the animated film in coming months. Hanuman Returns games series will definitely be something to watch out for."

Speaking about the association, Preet Bedi, CEO, Percept Picture Company, says, "Hanuman was a movie that achieved dizzying heights of success; and with Hanuman Returns Percept Picture Company vies at delighting audiences furthermore. Hanuman has the potential to be a globally recognized brand and thus we intend to release Hanuman not only on a national scale but also in various international languages to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to view this visual treat. We've had a great association with Jump Games in developing a fun, casual game that adds a whole new dimension to the movie. Let's say you can now access Hanuman right on to your mobile phones."

EnableM - IMS launch unique "I-msg" Service for CAT takers

2007-11-17T15:08:00.001+05:30

Mumbai, Nov.16 (ANI): EnableM, a pioneer in mobile learning technology, in association with IMS, an undisputed market leader in the field of Management Entrance Training, has announced the release of an innovative service - The I-msg.

I-msg is a secure and simple SMS-GPRS combo tool, targeted at MBA aspirants, appearing for the all-important CAT exam this year. It allows them to analyze their performance in the CAT exam.

Students can register to the service by sending a SMS, JOIN CAT to 55454. The service is currently available for Airtel and Vodafone users at a one-time cost of Rs.30.

On the day of the CAT, the registered students just have to SMS their Questions Paper Series Number and within hours, they will receive all the correct answers for the CAT questions.

EnableM is a leader in the wireless space offering functional products and content and their focus has always been on, adding value to the end consumer experience. Their offerings include innovative social networking and utility based applications.

IMS is India's most successful career counseling and test preparation brand. With a portfolio of products ranging from Test-Prep: CAT, GMAT, GRE to Career Counseling to Admissions Consultancy to Educational Consulting to Career-focused. (ANI)
--MP

BPL Mobile doubles its network strength; announces ‘Network Trial’ Offer

2007-11-03T02:04:00.001+05:30

Mumbai, October 29th 2007: In an initiative that would take the
mobile service offering in the country to a new level, BPL Mobile,
Mumbai's leading mobile service provider, today announced 'Network
Trial' – a first ever campaign inviting new subscribers to try and
experience BPL Mobile's top quality network strength. This attractive
offer will function as a tool to gauge the company's confidence in
their network capacity, which has doubled in the last one year.

BPL Mobile is launching 'Network Trial Packs' for this activity
wherein, any new user who wants to take the 'Network Trial' can buy
this pre-paid pack at Rs.150 and get 5 minutes of free local talktime
daily for 120 days to experience the best quality network and try
finding fault in the same. The five minutes if unused, lapses at the
end of every day and next day starts afresh!

This makes BPL Mobile the only mobile service provider to offer
Rs.1200 worth talktime to every person who is accepting the 'Network
Trial' in a reiteration of their network strength. The company
recently rejuvenated and refreshed the BPL Mobile brand following
substantial investment of Rs.200 crores in major network expansion
and technology up-gradation. BPL Mobile has over 1000 cell sites
currently and aims to add another 300 cell sites by the fiscal year
end.

Commenting on this unique 'Network Trial' campaign, Mr. S.
Subramaniam, CEO - BPL Mobile said, "We are confident that we provide
seamless coverage and to pass on this assurance to our subscribers,
we have announced the 'Network Trial' offer. We are inviting new
subscribers to try us out and experience the best quality network
themselves. Today, the biggest challenge for any mobile service
provider is managing network quality. Offering an open challenge to
test our network quality in a metro like Mumbai, where the tele
density is about 60-65%, is a proof enough to confirm our conviction
in our commitment towards providing our subscribers quality network
and best services."

Bharti Airtel Selects NDS To Protect and Power New Digital Satellite Service

2007-11-02T21:53:00.001+05:30

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and Hong Kong S.A.R, Thursday, November 01, 2007 -- (Business Wire India) -- Highlights:

-- India's leading cellular operator, Bharti Airtel, has chosen technology from NDS for its new digital satellite platform

-- NDS' market-leading VideoGuard(R) conditional access, MediaHighway(R) middleware and customized electronic programme guide selected to protect and enhance new service

NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, announced that it has been selected by Bharti Airtel to provide a suite of digital broadcasting solutions for the launch of the company's digital satellite service. Bharti Airtel announced recently that the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has granted the company a Letter of Intent, licensing the new DTH platform.

NDS will provide Bharti Airtel with world-leading VideoGuard(R) conditional access, MediaHighway(R) middleware as well as a customized electronic programme guide (EPG). VideoGuard is currently securing TV content in 78.6 million set-top boxes worldwide, and 69.9 million deployed Mediahighway clients are enabling operators around the world to provide enhanced services to viewers. Through these NDS solutions, Bharti Airtel gains the flexibility to introduce future enhancements including interactive applications and additional advanced services for subscribers.

Announcing the latest development in the company's DTH strategy, Mr. Arjun, Executive Director, Bharti Airtel, said: "Bharti Airtel has successfully focused its strategy on offering a full range of integrated telecom services, and today is one of the world's fastest growing telecom companies. The launch of DTH services is part of our ongoing strategy to offer consumers in India the most extensive range of converged services in the market."

Ms. Sue Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of NDS Asia Pacific said: "Being selected by Bharti Airtel is a validation of the technology leadership of NDS and recognition of the significant investment in NDS' Indian capabilities over the past six years. We look forward to partnering with Bharti Airtel on their future growth strategies. NDS market-leading technology will enable Bharti Airtel to deliver world-class digital and interactive entertainment services to their subscribers."

NDS' R&D facility in Bangalore, which has been operational for six years and now employs over 750 people, will be leading the development of a state-of-the-art electronic program guide for Bharti Airtel. In addition, this development centre will be instrumental in designing interactive TV applications tailored to the Indian audience.