Reliance revises ‘Truly Unlimited’ Netconnect+ prepaid plans, now comes with 1X FUP

Few months back, Reliance Communications had launched ‘Truly Unlimited’ prepaid plans for its Netconnect+ service. Reliance has now revised these plan and now comes with Fair Usage Policy after which the speed will be throttled to 1X speed.



Earlier Netconnect+ prepaid plans Rs 449 and Rs 797 offer true unlimited CDMA EVDO internet at 3.1 Mbps speed for 15 days and 30 days respectively. Reliance has withdrawn plan Rs 449(except for UP West) and revised  Rs 797 to offer 10GB/12GB unlimited with FUP for 28 days instead of 30 days earlier. But Reliance has retained both plans as true unlimited for UP west circle.

Reliance has made available Rs 999 plan for Netconnect+ subscribers which was earlier only available for Reliance PRO 3 users. The plan offer 10GB day + 10GB night or 12GB day + 12GB night usage for 28 days validity depending on circle. For postpaid subscribers Reliance Netconect+ offer true unlimited on Rs 999 plan available only in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra & Mumbai.

True unlimited internet plans are very rare in wireless broadband segment and Reliance offering was welcomed by users across the country. But the latest move by the company to end true unlimited plan will be a great blow to Netconnect+ subscribers.

Please share you views on Reliance revision of its EVDO true unlimited plans.

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MTS Network Coverage Locator enables users to check the connectivity in a region

MTS has launched a platform for the users to check the connectivity of its services using a network coverage locator on a smartphone or a computer.

Dubbed as MTS Network Coverage Locator, this is a Geographic Information System-based service that will first track the location of the users and enables them to check the quality of its services from the location address entered. Thus, any new customer who plans to buy a new MTS data card can check the quality of connectivity himself before purchasing the connection.

Besides checking connectivity, this platform can be used to locate the nearest MTS branded retail outlets. The service is available across Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh (West).

“This would probably be the first time in India someone has come up with this kind of graphical user interface for customers. This is an India-centric initiative to check coverage in a particular area and ensure our services do not fall in a shadow area,” said Rajeev Batra, Chief Information Officer (CIO), to a leading national daily.

“All operators have dark spots even in cities and this is an effective way to find out the quality of coverage in a region,” he added.

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Reliance Jio to commercially launch by December 2015: Mukesh Ambani

The speculations on the launch of Reliance Jio come to an end! At the 41^st Annual General meeting of Reliance shareholders, its Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced the launch of the commercial services of Reliance Jio by December 2015. Trial runs for the service will be available to a few selected consumers of Reliance in next few months.

The expected price range for the package is said to be between Rs. 300 – 500, whereas the 4G LTE smartphones will cost the consumers below Rs. 4000.



“The target of Reliance is to cover 80 percent of India’s population by year-end,” said Ambani.  Reliance will focus on the operations of Reliance Jio this year. Around Rs. 60,000 crore was already invested for Jio and the company expects it to be a top line contribution to Reliance’s revenue.

“Reliance Jio is currently in pre-launch testing and stabilising phase. The key components of broadband network are now operational and we will play an important role in the digital revolution planned by the Indian government,” Ambani said.

“At present 100,000 people are working at Jam Nagar for petrochem and refineries expansion and another 150,000 working across India in building network of Jio. The full benefits of these investments will be realized 2016-17 onwards,” said Ambani.

“The 4G smartphones, which are expected to be priced below Rs. 4000 will beam HD television, video-on-demand, music, news and magazines,” he added.

There is also a move for Reliance Jio to enter into broadcast television distribution and thus, has applied for pan-India cable television MSO license. There is also a partnership with State Bank of India to apply for a payments bank license.

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TATA Docomo introduce Rs 33 and Rs 66 internet pack revises smart life plan

TATA Docomo has introduced Rs 33 & Rs 66 2G data packs in Mumbai circle. Both packs offer one of the cheapest internet tariff in the country valid for a month.



Rs 33 internet pack offer 150MB internet for 28 days and Rs 66 pack offer 300MB for 28 days. Post free data usage subscriber will be charged at 10p/10KB. The longer validity on the packs make it attractive for subscribers who use less data but require a data pack for the whole month.

Docomo has also revised its 3G smart life plan in Maharashtra circle. Rs 299 plan now offer only Rs 175 talktime + 1GB data for 28 days instead of Rs 200 talktime + 1GB data for 28 days. Rs 253 plan was revised to offer Rs 100 talktime  + 1GB for 28 days instead of Rs 110 talktime + 1 GB data for 28 days earlier.

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Five States - New roaming pack for south customers

With telecom operators dropping the charges of roaming, Aircel has now introduced the Five States, One Rate offer for their subscribers.



Aircel has announced the launch of the Five States, One Rate offer for their customers in South India. the offer enables the subscribers to avail free incoming calls and outgoing ( local and STD) calls at just 1 paise/sec when roaming in Aircel network in five states, which include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala.

The Five States, One Rate offer, which would be applicable for all existing and new prepaid and post-paid customers, doesn’t need a special recharge but would be automatically activated for all Aircel customers in the region from June 11. The SMS and internet charges would remain unchanged and will continue to be charged at the applicable rate.

Speaking about the Five States, One Rate offer, Sankara Narayanan K, Business Head, Aircel, said, “We all like to live in a world without boundaries and restrictions and this insight is the true inspiration for Five States, One Rate. Aircel has always been at the forefront of delighting its subscribers with innovative, relevant and value for money offerings and this new and unique offering is a testimony of our commitment to enable the Aircel family to do a Little Extra. Since its inception, Aircel has consistently remained a strong telecom player in South India and with Five States, One Rate, we not only want to strengthen our position as a market leader but also want to cement our long-standing relationship with our customers.”

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Vodafone Expands its footprint in TamilNadu

Vodafone India, has invested over INR 750 crores on ramping up network and distribution in Tamil Nadu circle over the past 12 months (April 2014-March 2015). Already the preferred mobile services provider in terms of Subscriber base, Network, Revenue Market Share and Retail touch points, Vodafone has been focusing on closer engagement and enhancing customer experience in an endeavour to be future ready.

 

Vodafone has also expanded its network footprint by adding over 3600 new sites to take total network strength to close to 6300 3G and around 10,500 2G sites across Tamil Nadu. During this period, Vodafone has also expanded its exclusive retail footprint to 890 outlets (53 Vodafone Stores (20 Global Design), 236 Vodafone mini Stores (urban and semi-urban) and 600 ADVMS (rural)). With this ramp up, Vodafone has further extended its leadership in Tamil Nadu across relevant industry parameters – network coverage, subscriber base, retail footprint and revenue market share (RMS).

Expressing pride further consolidating Vodafone’s long term commitment to Tamil Nadu circle, S Murali, Business Head – Tamil Nadu, Vodafone India, said, “Gaining the trust of our customers and winning the distinction of being the most preferred mobile services provider in Tamil Nadu circle is not incidental. We have won the hearts of our customers by pursuing a continued and consistent customer centric strategy to bring the best connectivity solutions to our valued customers. It is their trust and support that has enabled us to achieve leadership position in Tamil Nadu across key parameters – Network, Subscriber base, Retail footprint and Revenue Market Share. We remain committed to continue investing in bringing the best in class, innovative, relevant products and services to win customer delight in the years to come.”

Having set up one of the largest networks in the circle, Vodafone now has about 6300 3G sites in Tamil Nadu. Specifically to spread awareness and increase adoption of mobile internet, Vodafone has been hand holding customers through on ground engagement and education initiatives. 3G has shown tremendous uptake, with 3G users now growing at 175 % YoY and 3G revenues growing at 160% YoY. Data Revenues has been growing at 90% YoY and now contributes 15.7% of circle service revenues.

With already one of the state’s largest and exclusive retail footprint, Vodafone has continued to expand its reach to cover over 32 districts in Tamil Nadu. In FY14-15, Vodafone has launched 20 + Global Design Stores in Tamil Nadu, as part of an initiative to offer an unmatched retail experience to its new age customers. Whether it is Edinburgh in UK or Erode in Tamil Nadu, Vodafone Global Design Stores offer a uniform customer experience.

Over and above our retail presence, Vodafone also offers customers an opportunity to connect with the brand through a robust customer service call centre platform, the simple and convenient My Vodafone mobile app and Vodafone Web Chat.

Besides multiple on-going schemes and customised tariff plans, some of the more notable introductions from Vodafone have been the launch of M-Pesa, a mobile banking and payment solution that has seen high affinity amongst migrant population in the state and Vodafone Angel Stores entirely staffed and run by women employees.

With a pan India distribution network of over 90,000 agents and with more than 3mn customers, M-Pesa is the largest banking business correspondent in the country. Vodafone M-Pesa was launched in March 2014 in Tamil Nadu and currently has almost 7200 agents, and a customer base of over 1. 5lacs

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Reliance Jio 4G roll out may on August 2015

Internal sources confirmed that JIO launch may be on August 2015

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Sun TV network to go off air as home Ministry denies clearance; Channel to seek legal recourse, says CFO

Read this news in Tamil

In a move that could seriously affect the fortunes of media giant Sun TV network owned by the Maran family, 33 channels of the group have been ordered to go off air. The order came after the Home Affairs Ministry denied security clearance to the channels. It is learnt that the clearance has been refused on the basis of an ongoing probe against Kalanithi Maran, owner of the group, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Earlier in April, the Home Ministry had also denied clearance for the 40 FM channels of Sun in which the Group had managed to get stay from Madras High Court till the petition disposed off. Sun TV Network is one of India’s largest media groups whose TV channels reach more than 95 million households in India.



The Home Affairs Ministry denied permission despite a favoring note from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. In a similar case in April on Sun FMs, the Home Ministry refused to revoke its decision despite request from the I&B ministry. “We will definitely seek legal recourse if our licence is revoked,” said Sun Group CFO SL Narayanan. However the Group maintained that they are yet to receive any order in this regard from the respective departments. The stocks of the channel went down by over 20 percent after the order came out.

The Maran brothers, nephews of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, are facing a CBI probe over alleged allotment of 300 high-speed BSNL telephone lines to the residence of former Communications and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran in Chennai which were extended to his brother’s channel. There are two other pending criminal probes against Sun TV Network and its owner Kalanithi Maran.

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BSNL to launch new high speed unlimited broadband plans starting at Rs. 1395

The rising competition in the telecom space has prompted BSNL to come up with lucrative data plans. In this series, the company has decided to introduce new promotional VDSL & FTTH BB plans in Bangalore TD/Karnataka circle for an initial duration of 90 days.

 

BSNL New high speed unlimited broadband plan

No.	Plan Details	BBG Super Speed ComboULD 1395VDSL CS59	BBG Super Speed Combo ULD 1495 VDSL  CS60	Fibro Combo ULD 3495 CS24
1.	Download speed	16Mbps upto 80 GB, 512 Kbps after that.	24Mbps up to 80GB, 512 Kbps beyond	100Mbps upto 100GB, 512 Kbps beyond
2.	Applicability	Users in Karnataka Circle	Users in Bangalore TD	Users in Bangalore TD
3.	Monthly Charges (Rs.)	1395	1495	3495
4.	Annual Payment Option	15345	16445	38445
5.	Two&Three Year Payment Option	NA	NA	NA
6.	Download/Upload Limit	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
7.	Free email Ids/Space	1/ 1GB	1/ 1GB	1/1GB
8.	Security Deposit	One Month Rental	One Month Rental	One Month Rental
9.	Minimum Hire Period	One Month	One Month	One Month
10.	Additional Facility	Unlimited free calls between 9PM to 7AM to any network in India

All the remaining terms and conditional will be kept unchanged. These changes will be applicable from June 10, 2015. BSNL will make available further changes

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Airtel Data packs hiked again

Following Ideal Cellular’s footsteps, Airtel has also augmented prices of its data packs. As per the reports, the 2G and 3G data packs available online will now cost more to prepaid customers across India.



Earlier, the company was offering lucrative discounts on the prepaid data packs sold online, but after the price hike announcement by Idea Cellular, Airtel has also decided to withdraw those discounts and enhance the prices. Customers will no longer receive any discounts while buying prepaid data packs online.

Apart from withdrawing discounts, the company has increased prices of over 10 data packs. Earlier users could get 2 GB 2G data for Rs. 199 with 30 days validity through online recharge mode, but now the company has reduced the data to 1.25 GB with 28 days validity. In the case of 3G, 1 GB data that was earlier available for Rs. 249 with 30 days validity has now been revised to Rs. 255 with 28 days validity.

It’s not the first time when telcos have introduced price hikes. Last year also, companies like Vodafone, Airtel and Idea Cellular had increased voice call as well as data tariffs to improve profitability. It will be great to see how the other rival companies like Reliance and Vodafone react to this price hike by Idea and Airtel.

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Microsoft WiFi coming soon

Microsoft is secretly working on a new service named ‘Microsoft Wi-Fi’ that will provide Wi-Fi connectivity to subscribers all over the world.

According to reports, a Twitter user WalkingCat  first noticed the website microsoftwifi.com on which it was mentioned ‘hassle-free Wi-Fi access around the world’, so users can be productive ‘on the go’. The same Twitter user earlier revealed Microsoft Earn on Twitter.



Soon after the news was leaked on Twitter, Microsoft pulled down the website. However, a website venturebeat.com captured the screenshot of the website, which read as below:

Microsoft WiFi

Don’t waste time filling forms with personal information or managing different carriers to get connected. Sign in once and you are done: you will automatically be connected to a vast range of WiFi providers around the world.”

“We can confirm that we are working on a new service, called Microsoft WiFi, that will bring hassle-free Wi-Fi to millions,” Microsoft spokesperson was quoted saying by few media.

The network would reportedly include 10 million hotspots in 130 countries. It looks like a revamped Skype Wi-Fi that will enable people to access internet at 2 million Wi-Fi hotspots, payable for the minutes used.

According to venturebeat, there are different versions for business and individuals.

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Call Drop problem..?Give customer a free min : DOT

Soon after Reliance’s act of compensating call drops with free call minutes came into existence, the Government has decided to mull over such an option for the rest of the service providers for the issue. Earlier, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had hinted the possibility of creating ‘a disincentive architecture (for the operators)’ to curb the frequent call drops issue.

“I have directed the officials in the department to “work on a disincentive architecture (for the operators)”, said Ravi Shankar Prasad. Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg cited the example of free call minutes for every call that gets dropped as a kind of measure to disincentivize operators on call drops, yet not confirmed on making this as a primary solution.

A solution is expected to be in place within six months. DoT’s suggestions will be soon sent to the regulator the TRAI.

The Minister also emphasized the need to install more mobile towers to improve call quality. “There is a campaign on radiation issues, which is not good. In its study, the WHO had set standards for radiation. In India, we have set a standard which is one tenth of this. To minimize call drops, it is necessary that we have more towers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prasad said that the government has already received the report on net neutrality from the panel. This report will be published on the website. Similar is the case of spectrum sharing and guidelines. It will be sent to cabinet for further processes.

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PAN India MNP from July, says minister

Subscribers will be able to change their service provider in any part of the country while retaining the number from July 2015 onwards. The measure will allow the user to keep the number in any part of the country even when they change their operator or state. Earlier the mobile number portability is only allowed within the particular telecom circle. Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted on Tuesday, confirming the landmark change in the telecom sector.



 

Following the recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authoeity of India (TRAI), it was in November last year, the department of telecom had issued amendments to the MNP license agreement stating that it has to be implemented across the country within a period of six months from the date of amendment of the licenses. However the full MNP roll out deadline on May 3 could not meet and the government extended two more months time.

Telecom operators across India have even implemented simplified dialing pattern that allow both STD and local numbers be dialed without any prefix.

The DoT said that the ‘full MNP’ is implementing after many rounds of talks. “Detailed discussions were held with stakeholders to address various technical complexities emerged while implementing the ‘full MNP’ in the networks,” the DoT said. “Various operators have already put in place hardware and software in their system required for implementation of full MNP,” the DoT added.

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No more +91 or 0 prefix for STD calls in India

While the Department of Telecom (DoT) has been striving to implement full mobile number portability (MNP) in India, the body has now achieved an important step.

 

Telecom users in India can now dial STD numbers on any network without having prefix 0 or +91. This implies that the distinction between local and STD calls has currently been depleted to a very thin line. This improvement comes in line with the departments plans to implement the full MNP across the country.

While the service has already been activated for most service providers, some users are still unable to utilize the service as it is being rolled out based on the network operator and region. However, most users are expected to have the service activated by the end of this month. Further, DoT has revealed that full MNP across India would be completed by July.

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BSNL cuts validity on data packs

BSNL has revised its prepaid 2G/3G data offering by reducing validity of most data packs. The new tariff will come into effect from 01-06-2015 on pan India basis.

 

1 GB monthly data pack to cost more

BSNL has withdrawn Rs 176 1GB 28 days pack  and has introduced new Rs 198 data pack which offer 1.1GB for 28 days. Also validity of Rs 139 1GB pack has been reduced to 15 days from existing 19 days and Rs 155 1GB pack to 22 days from existing 26 days. Newly launched 1GB for Rs 65 pack validity has also been reduced to 7 days from 10 days.

Apart from above revisions, validity of Rs 98 650MB data pack has been slightly reduced to 16 days from existing 17 days. BSNL also has withdrawn recently introduced night data packs Rs 29 and Rs 45 which used to offer 500MB and 800MB respectively between 11pm to 6am.

Extra data and talktime for higher denomination data packs.

While BSNL has hiked smaller data packs, it has added extra data to Rs 251 data pack which now offer 2.2GB data instead of 2GB earlier. But validity has been reduced to 28 days from current 30 days. BSNL is now offering Rs 100 talktime along with 2GB data on Rs 451 data pack with 60 days validity.

BSNL used to offer one of the cheapest 3G 1GB monthly data pack for just Rs 139. But has been silently hiking tariff by reducing the validity of existing 1GB packs and introducing new 1GB monthly pack at higher denomination. With these regular revisions, BSNL is trying to match its 3G offering price with incumbent operators, who offer 1GB 3G for Rs 250.

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Vodafone demonstrates ‘Speed is Good’ on speed test drive in Chennai

As part of ‘Speed is Good’ campaign, Vodafone India undertook a speed test drive in Chennai by reaching out to 2,000 Telecom Retailers across the city. Vodafone employees met with retailers in the city and did live demo of Vodafone’s faster 3G network. Retailers who participated in the initiative was presented a ‘Speed Test’ certificate by Vodafone.

 

As per Vodafone, the ‘Speed is Good’ campaign is based on the findings of Ookla (global leader in broadband speed testing) speed test data conducted during the period September 2014 to February 2015. Vodafone claims its 3G offers 22% faster download, with 43% faster upload and 23% faster page-load experience as certified by Ookla.

“The continued surge in smartphone sales have lead to a synergistic demand for high speed and reliable data connectivity. 3G & fast Data Services in general is a huge game changer in today’s market. As the popular saying goes, ‘Seeing is believing’. We have undertaken this ‘Speed Challenge’ today to drive home the efficacy of Vodafone’s 3G network through live demos and convey the fact that customers can get the best of connectivity and service at the best tariff plans with Vodafone 3G.” said S. Murali, – Business Head – Tamil Nadu, Vodafone India

As 3G service has gone mainstream in Indian mobile market, operators are  now pushing for faster 3G services. Recently Airtel has introduce 3G on 900MHz as Platinum 3G which claims to offer faster speeds and better coverage. With ‘Speed is Good’ campaign Vodafone claims its 3G network is faster than other operators 3G network in the country.

 

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Vodafone demonstrates ‘Speed is Good’ on speed test drive in Chennai

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