BANGALORE, INDIA: Indian mobile operator IDEA Cellular is upgrading its network in 22 telecom service areas to tap into the lucrative value added data services market. By March 2010, IDEA subscribers will be able to enjoy multimedia messaging, email, web browsing, online music and other innovative mobile services.
The services will be enabled by Nokia Siemens Networks’ GPRS (general packet radio service) technology and Unified Charging Solution (UCS evolve).
Nokia Siemens Networks will add GPRS capability to 10 IDEA telecom service areas, while the existing GPRS capability in 12 other areas will be expanded.
“The value added services market in India holds tremendous potential. The greater opportunity lies in data services, and in expanding our capabilities and service portfolio in this area. The right technology foundation is fundamental to our success, and it needs to include not just a method of delivering services, but of monetizing them effectively. Nokia Siemens Networks has strong credentials in this field and has played an important role in the development of our technology strategy for data services,” said Anil Tandan, CTO, IDEA Cellular.
As part of the project, Nokia Siemens Networks has also designed and will implement a charging solution that will enable IDEA Cellular to use a single system across these locations for real time charging of the new services for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.
Michael Kuehner, Country Head, Nokia Siemens Networks, said: “Customer lifecycle management entails building a flexible ecosystem of multiple partners that can develop innovative applications and content quickly, and at the right price points. The volumes and complexity are high, which makes billing and charging of these services difficult. As its technology partner, we are confident that our solution will not only help IDEA Cellular build new revenue streams but also deliver greater quality of service.”
The IDEA service areas where Nokia Siemens Networks will add GPRS capability are Mumbai, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Kolkata and West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab, Assam and North East.
Nokia Siemens Networks will upgrade IDEA’s existing GPRS capacity in the service areas of Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Haryana, Kerala, Bihar, Maharashtra and Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Showing posts with label Idea Cellular. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idea Cellular. Show all posts
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Zook partners with IDEA Cellular
BANGALORE, INDIA: Bangalore based Ziva Software has announced that its popular mobile fetch engine and flagship product Zook, will power IDEA Cellular’s newly launched personalized ‘Stock Search and Subscription Service’.
IDEA Cellular, a leading telecom services provider, would be initially providing this service to their Punjab subscribers.
Dr. Ajay Sethi, CEO, Ziva Software, said: “Under the ‘Stock Search and Subscription Service’, IDEA would provide the subscribers with updated stock market SMS alerts on their mobile, enabling them to keep an eye on their portfolio while on the move. Unlike other broadcast services, one can choose to be alerted on specific stocks. This is a pure value service, just providing information and there are no tips, speculations or hints. A diligent investor can make the right decisions using the alerts.”
“Available at a nominal monthly amount of Rs. 30, IDEA Punjab subscribers need to only SMS ACT to 51234 to get alerts on all business news, customized stock information, NSE & BSE conclusive information and the day’s top gainers and losers. With customized stocks, the user can choose to receive periodic information of up to 3 stocks of their choice at no additional cost.” added Dr. Ajay Sethi.
The IDEA network in Punjab covers over 10,000 towns and villages. IDEA aims to provide superior connectivity to mobile users, with a network of over 2500 cell sites in rural and urban Punjab.
Zook, launched in India in March 2008, is India’s No. 1 Mobile Fetch Engine that gets exact answers to ANY query, across the whole of India. The service is accessible via mobile browsers (www.zook.in) or just by sending a SMS to 57575665. Zook is a free service, but the operators’ SMS or data plan charges for GPRS may apply.
IDEA Cellular, a leading telecom services provider, would be initially providing this service to their Punjab subscribers.
Dr. Ajay Sethi, CEO, Ziva Software, said: “Under the ‘Stock Search and Subscription Service’, IDEA would provide the subscribers with updated stock market SMS alerts on their mobile, enabling them to keep an eye on their portfolio while on the move. Unlike other broadcast services, one can choose to be alerted on specific stocks. This is a pure value service, just providing information and there are no tips, speculations or hints. A diligent investor can make the right decisions using the alerts.”
“Available at a nominal monthly amount of Rs. 30, IDEA Punjab subscribers need to only SMS ACT to 51234 to get alerts on all business news, customized stock information, NSE & BSE conclusive information and the day’s top gainers and losers. With customized stocks, the user can choose to receive periodic information of up to 3 stocks of their choice at no additional cost.” added Dr. Ajay Sethi.
The IDEA network in Punjab covers over 10,000 towns and villages. IDEA aims to provide superior connectivity to mobile users, with a network of over 2500 cell sites in rural and urban Punjab.
Zook, launched in India in March 2008, is India’s No. 1 Mobile Fetch Engine that gets exact answers to ANY query, across the whole of India. The service is accessible via mobile browsers (www.zook.in) or just by sending a SMS to 57575665. Zook is a free service, but the operators’ SMS or data plan charges for GPRS may apply.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Telcordia gains in India through MNP initiative, customer wins
GURGAON, HARYANA: India represents one of the most dynamically evolving mobile markets in the world, with 10+ million new subscribers each month, and remains a strategic area of focus for Telcordia, a global leader in the development of fixed, mobile, and broadband communications software and services.
With its unmatched expertise in highly scalable communications networks, Telcordia is ideally positioned to help both the country's government and leading mobile operators successfully manage the sharply rising demands for advanced mobile services.
Recently, MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India Pvt Ltd, a joint venture of Telcordia, was selected by the India Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as the provider of number portability clearinghouse and centralized database services for the country's southern and eastern regions for the next 10 years. This will facilitate accurate number porting for subscribers, enabling the transfer of telephone numbers when subscribers want to keep their numbers if they move from one operator to another.
"Telcordia is committed to the India market and is helping operators successfully manage the unprecedented growth, realize operational efficiencies, and maintain a competitive edge that will drive communications usage and revenue," said Mark Greenquist, President & CEO, Telcordia. "The recent number portability clearinghouse deal will bring added choice and convenience to India's 400 million mobile subscribers and accelerate the rollout and adoption of brand-differentiating, value-added services."
Telcordia is a leading global provider of fixed, mobile, and broadband communications software and services. For 25 years, the company has created the innovations that have helped organizations deploy advanced networks and groundbreaking new communications services.
On the number portability front, Telcordia is the world's market leader in number portability clearinghouse and gateway solutions supporting fixed and mobile number portability services. Telcordia market leading number portability solutions are already deployed in 14 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.
Telcordia's operator customers in India include:
* TATA Teleservices, which selected the Telcordia service delivery solution to grow its prepaid customer base, and introduce new and innovative value-added services in the converged environment.
* Idea Cellular, which relies on the Telcordia® Converged Application Server to consolidate prepaid services on a single real-time charging platform.
* Reliance Infocomm, which uses the Telcordia® Network Engineer planning and design solution to streamline the outside plant engineering process.
"Telcordia has made a substantial investment in India to fully understand the various cultures and business challenges that this hyper-growth market presents," said Greenquist. "We are seeing this commitment result in business opportunities throughout the country, highlighted by the recent number portability initiative."
Telcordia established an entity in India, Telcordia Technologies India Pvt Ltd, in 2006. The business is headquartered in Gurgaon, with program delivery offices in Hyderabad. The entity also includes Telcordia India Labs, a state-of-the-art facility based in Chennai. The office in Tidel Park provides dedicated software resources, including development, for mobile, fixed line and cable operators throughout India.
With its unmatched expertise in highly scalable communications networks, Telcordia is ideally positioned to help both the country's government and leading mobile operators successfully manage the sharply rising demands for advanced mobile services.
Recently, MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India Pvt Ltd, a joint venture of Telcordia, was selected by the India Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as the provider of number portability clearinghouse and centralized database services for the country's southern and eastern regions for the next 10 years. This will facilitate accurate number porting for subscribers, enabling the transfer of telephone numbers when subscribers want to keep their numbers if they move from one operator to another.
"Telcordia is committed to the India market and is helping operators successfully manage the unprecedented growth, realize operational efficiencies, and maintain a competitive edge that will drive communications usage and revenue," said Mark Greenquist, President & CEO, Telcordia. "The recent number portability clearinghouse deal will bring added choice and convenience to India's 400 million mobile subscribers and accelerate the rollout and adoption of brand-differentiating, value-added services."
Telcordia is a leading global provider of fixed, mobile, and broadband communications software and services. For 25 years, the company has created the innovations that have helped organizations deploy advanced networks and groundbreaking new communications services.
On the number portability front, Telcordia is the world's market leader in number portability clearinghouse and gateway solutions supporting fixed and mobile number portability services. Telcordia market leading number portability solutions are already deployed in 14 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.
Telcordia's operator customers in India include:
* TATA Teleservices, which selected the Telcordia service delivery solution to grow its prepaid customer base, and introduce new and innovative value-added services in the converged environment.
* Idea Cellular, which relies on the Telcordia® Converged Application Server to consolidate prepaid services on a single real-time charging platform.
* Reliance Infocomm, which uses the Telcordia® Network Engineer planning and design solution to streamline the outside plant engineering process.
"Telcordia has made a substantial investment in India to fully understand the various cultures and business challenges that this hyper-growth market presents," said Greenquist. "We are seeing this commitment result in business opportunities throughout the country, highlighted by the recent number portability initiative."
Telcordia established an entity in India, Telcordia Technologies India Pvt Ltd, in 2006. The business is headquartered in Gurgaon, with program delivery offices in Hyderabad. The entity also includes Telcordia India Labs, a state-of-the-art facility based in Chennai. The office in Tidel Park provides dedicated software resources, including development, for mobile, fixed line and cable operators throughout India.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Kodiak brings PTT conferencing, group SMS to India
US-based Kodiak Networks is in the business of voice-based VAS for mobile networks. It has a large presence in Bangalore ~200 full-time employees, with a total global workforce of 260. All R&D, testing and customer support are handled out of India.
Kodiak's worldwide growth and application adoption puts a spotlight on this region for innovation and business success. The demand for wireless voice services continues to grow globally, but especially in this region.
According to Dr. Giridhar Boray, Country Manager - India, Kodiak Networks, three major operators have deployed the Kodiak Connected Portfolio [Idea, Airtel and Tata], and that Kodiak will continue to announce new applications geared toward business users and consumers.
He said that operators faced a common trend worldwide -- increasing subscriber growth and declining revenues. Hence, the operators are now looking at VAS. Push-to-talk (PTT), as a solution, is becoming popular in the USA. An example is Nextel, which grew out of Fleetcall, has evolved into cellular.
Dr. Boray said: "Initially, all operators were waiting for 3G, but they could not wait. They wanted PTT in 2G, with migration into 3G." Delving into history, he pointed out that AllTell, a CDMA operator and Kodiak's first customer, agreed to trial PTT product in 2002. Kodiak's customer base has swelled to 16 globally, since!
Dr Boray said: "In PTT, you need to have a dedicated button and a speaker. Our solution goes into the voice channel." He explained that for 2G PTT, the industry adopted two approaches -- PTT on the voice channel or PTT on the data channel.
Some of Kodiak's competitors reportedly introduced PTT on data channel. India's Tata Teleservices was the first to use PTT, but the service was discontinued after some time. Dr. Boray also added that for using PTT, the US government mandates that any service that is put on to the network can be legally intercepted or tapped as a matter of national security.
Kodiak's next big customer was AT&T Wireless, which tested its PTT solutions. A lot of its customers in the US are regional operators, who have roaming agreements with the bigger operators, which also helped Kodiak.
AT&T Wireless was also able to drive handset vendors to use PTT via Kodiak's solutions. "Right now, 45+ handset models carry our solutions," added Dr. Boray. "These include Blackberry, LG, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, ZTE, etc."
Conferencing, group SMS trials in India
India hosts Kodiak's development center. He mentioned TRAI's statement on PTT that, PTT is legal as operators are able to meet the ADC requirements, plus all regulatory requirements related to voice, such as lawful interception. "They did not say that PTT on data channel was incorrect. To do that, you would need to first build the infrastructure," he added. Kodiak's solutions work on both GSM and CDMA standards.
Kodiak has now evolved PTT into two-way conferencing. As an example, on the Airtel Blackberry, users can select up to six people and do conferencing. Dr. Boray said: "We also have the application on the SIM card as AVS (advanced voice services). From our side, you can conference with up to 30 users, but operators generally allow the selection of up to five to six users from your contacts list."
Kodiak will be offering conferencing as well as group SMS with Airtel. "Only one SMS goes to the server, which distributes it," he said. "Group SMS, conferencing, etc., should be helpful during emergencies."
Touching on Kodiak's partnership with Airtel, Dr. Boray said: "Airtel started over six months back as a market trial. It is offering the services to some corporates, but only on postpaid. We will be extending it over prepaid as well over the next few months." As for the charges, he said that the customers would probably get deducted as per the existing and applicable NLD and ILD call charges.
Kodiak is also trialing the service with Idea in New Delhi. The next trial is with Tata Teleservices over BREW-enabled handsets. Kodiak offers applications for BREW.
Dr. Boray added: "We also want to enter into the prepaid coverage. Prepaid is widely used in enterprises as well." Besides these three -- Airtel, Idea and Tata -- Kodiak is in discussions with some other operators as well. Kodiak also offers voice SMS, which it is not pushing hard enough for the moment. Kodiak's India chief said that the enterprises may find value in this application.
PTT rollout with JMCC in China in Q1-08
Kodiak has also announced the first commercial PTT deployment in China for China Mobile's Jiangsu Mobile Communications Co. (JMCC). Its target are corporate users with an emphasis on transportation, municipalities, and retail segments. The PTT subscribers will be billed a monthly service charge (bundled service offering).
The initial launch will include Nokia Symbian GSM handsets. According to Dr. Boray, the roll-out is scheduled for Q1-2008. "JMCC is a big operator. This win will also help us get into the other provinces of China as well," he added.
The Kodiak PTT voice-based solution provides superior mobile coverage compared to previously trialed data/GPRS solutions. It is the only solution with QoS resulting in best-in-class reliability and speed for JMCC customers. Also, Kodiak PTT provides users with a convenient alternative to trunked radio (one handset provides function of both a radio and a mobile phone).
Some of Kodiak PTT's unique features include: real-time presence and availability indicators; quick group calling up to 10 group members; convert to cellular (upgrade a one-way PTT call to a two-way cellular call); PTT/GSM call waiting; permission-based contact management; and contact alerts.
Dr. Boray added: "Lot of IM features are also making their way into PTT. Our focus is on group communications."
Continued growth in 2008
To add to Kodiak's PTT success in 2008, eight new PTT handsets are likely to be announced in the first half of the year. Significant PTT customers in three regions are likely to be announced as well. Finally, 2008 will also see two Open OS, downloadable PTT client versions announcements with commercial customers.
Research firm In-Stat believes that the number of PTT global subscribers will grow to 67.8 million by the end of 2009. PTT/PoC has an opportunity to reach non-traditional business and consumer (especially youth) markets. One-third of In-Stat respondents would consider switching carriers in order to be able to use PTT/PoC.
According to a Wintergreen Research report from September 2007, there were 45.6mn PTT subscribers in 2006 and 64mn in mid 2007. This is likely to reach 340mn by 2013. The PTT subscriber revenue of $1.2bn in 2006 is also likely to reach $16.7 billion in 2013.
Multi-generation platform support
Kodiak's solutions are built on the Kodiak RTX platform, which will support the converged IMS network architecture with a software upgrade.
Kodiak RTX is a multi-generation platform that spans 2G and 3G network technologies, and extends services to social networks and IM communities. Kodiak IMS applications also leverage the Kodiak IMS Client framework.
Kodiak's worldwide growth and application adoption puts a spotlight on this region for innovation and business success. The demand for wireless voice services continues to grow globally, but especially in this region.
According to Dr. Giridhar Boray, Country Manager - India, Kodiak Networks, three major operators have deployed the Kodiak Connected Portfolio [Idea, Airtel and Tata], and that Kodiak will continue to announce new applications geared toward business users and consumers.He said that operators faced a common trend worldwide -- increasing subscriber growth and declining revenues. Hence, the operators are now looking at VAS. Push-to-talk (PTT), as a solution, is becoming popular in the USA. An example is Nextel, which grew out of Fleetcall, has evolved into cellular.
Dr. Boray said: "Initially, all operators were waiting for 3G, but they could not wait. They wanted PTT in 2G, with migration into 3G." Delving into history, he pointed out that AllTell, a CDMA operator and Kodiak's first customer, agreed to trial PTT product in 2002. Kodiak's customer base has swelled to 16 globally, since!
Dr Boray said: "In PTT, you need to have a dedicated button and a speaker. Our solution goes into the voice channel." He explained that for 2G PTT, the industry adopted two approaches -- PTT on the voice channel or PTT on the data channel.
Some of Kodiak's competitors reportedly introduced PTT on data channel. India's Tata Teleservices was the first to use PTT, but the service was discontinued after some time. Dr. Boray also added that for using PTT, the US government mandates that any service that is put on to the network can be legally intercepted or tapped as a matter of national security.
Kodiak's next big customer was AT&T Wireless, which tested its PTT solutions. A lot of its customers in the US are regional operators, who have roaming agreements with the bigger operators, which also helped Kodiak.
AT&T Wireless was also able to drive handset vendors to use PTT via Kodiak's solutions. "Right now, 45+ handset models carry our solutions," added Dr. Boray. "These include Blackberry, LG, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, ZTE, etc."
Conferencing, group SMS trials in India
India hosts Kodiak's development center. He mentioned TRAI's statement on PTT that, PTT is legal as operators are able to meet the ADC requirements, plus all regulatory requirements related to voice, such as lawful interception. "They did not say that PTT on data channel was incorrect. To do that, you would need to first build the infrastructure," he added. Kodiak's solutions work on both GSM and CDMA standards.
Kodiak has now evolved PTT into two-way conferencing. As an example, on the Airtel Blackberry, users can select up to six people and do conferencing. Dr. Boray said: "We also have the application on the SIM card as AVS (advanced voice services). From our side, you can conference with up to 30 users, but operators generally allow the selection of up to five to six users from your contacts list."
Kodiak will be offering conferencing as well as group SMS with Airtel. "Only one SMS goes to the server, which distributes it," he said. "Group SMS, conferencing, etc., should be helpful during emergencies."
Touching on Kodiak's partnership with Airtel, Dr. Boray said: "Airtel started over six months back as a market trial. It is offering the services to some corporates, but only on postpaid. We will be extending it over prepaid as well over the next few months." As for the charges, he said that the customers would probably get deducted as per the existing and applicable NLD and ILD call charges.
Kodiak is also trialing the service with Idea in New Delhi. The next trial is with Tata Teleservices over BREW-enabled handsets. Kodiak offers applications for BREW.
Dr. Boray added: "We also want to enter into the prepaid coverage. Prepaid is widely used in enterprises as well." Besides these three -- Airtel, Idea and Tata -- Kodiak is in discussions with some other operators as well. Kodiak also offers voice SMS, which it is not pushing hard enough for the moment. Kodiak's India chief said that the enterprises may find value in this application.
PTT rollout with JMCC in China in Q1-08
Kodiak has also announced the first commercial PTT deployment in China for China Mobile's Jiangsu Mobile Communications Co. (JMCC). Its target are corporate users with an emphasis on transportation, municipalities, and retail segments. The PTT subscribers will be billed a monthly service charge (bundled service offering).
The initial launch will include Nokia Symbian GSM handsets. According to Dr. Boray, the roll-out is scheduled for Q1-2008. "JMCC is a big operator. This win will also help us get into the other provinces of China as well," he added.
The Kodiak PTT voice-based solution provides superior mobile coverage compared to previously trialed data/GPRS solutions. It is the only solution with QoS resulting in best-in-class reliability and speed for JMCC customers. Also, Kodiak PTT provides users with a convenient alternative to trunked radio (one handset provides function of both a radio and a mobile phone).
Some of Kodiak PTT's unique features include: real-time presence and availability indicators; quick group calling up to 10 group members; convert to cellular (upgrade a one-way PTT call to a two-way cellular call); PTT/GSM call waiting; permission-based contact management; and contact alerts.
Dr. Boray added: "Lot of IM features are also making their way into PTT. Our focus is on group communications."
Continued growth in 2008
To add to Kodiak's PTT success in 2008, eight new PTT handsets are likely to be announced in the first half of the year. Significant PTT customers in three regions are likely to be announced as well. Finally, 2008 will also see two Open OS, downloadable PTT client versions announcements with commercial customers.
Research firm In-Stat believes that the number of PTT global subscribers will grow to 67.8 million by the end of 2009. PTT/PoC has an opportunity to reach non-traditional business and consumer (especially youth) markets. One-third of In-Stat respondents would consider switching carriers in order to be able to use PTT/PoC.
According to a Wintergreen Research report from September 2007, there were 45.6mn PTT subscribers in 2006 and 64mn in mid 2007. This is likely to reach 340mn by 2013. The PTT subscriber revenue of $1.2bn in 2006 is also likely to reach $16.7 billion in 2013.
Multi-generation platform support
Kodiak's solutions are built on the Kodiak RTX platform, which will support the converged IMS network architecture with a software upgrade.
Kodiak RTX is a multi-generation platform that spans 2G and 3G network technologies, and extends services to social networks and IM communities. Kodiak IMS applications also leverage the Kodiak IMS Client framework.
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