One of the leading telecom service providers, Bharti Airtel in collaboration with Sweden-based Wayfinder Systems AB today launched GPS based navigation application on mobile handsets.
The application turns the compatible mobile phone into a complete GPS-based navigation system with detailed maps and points-of-interest of a number of cities in the country.
The system will provide all users with continuously updated, real-time content and geographical data via the wireless network using EDGE/GPRS, the company said in a statement.
To start with, the application shall be available on BlackBerry 8800. The Airtel users can avail map information and area coverage details of the cities - Delhi and NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chandigarh.
‘’We are now introducing in India, a state-of-the-art GPS based navigation system that will largely benefit all frequent travelers using compatible mobile handsets like BlackBerry 8800,'’ Bharti Airtel Chief Marketing Officer (Mobile Services) Sanjay Gupta said in the statement.
Bharti Airtel is offering a six months free trial for all its Airtel BlackBerry 8800 users. As per the offer, the customer will not have to pay any subscription charges on the application during this period. However, data download charges will apply as per the subscriber’s BlackBerry plan.
To download the application, Airtel BlackBerry 8800 users need to send ‘NAV’ as an SMS to shortcode ‘3636′.
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Bangalore-based VAS provider OnMobile is planning to enter the capital market this financial year with an IPO of Rs 500-600 crore!
Onmobile is a network-level VAS provider and powers voice portals of most Indian operators. The company is gearing up to become an end-to-end VAS solution provider, intending to invest the IPO proceeds for its foray into the GPRS segment.
Onmobile’s annual revenues are approx. $50 million (around Rs 210 crore) and the estimated value of the company is approx. $300 million (around Rs 1,250 crore).
Infosys has a 14% stake in the company. Onmobile had secured a strategic financing of $27.8 million (around Rs 115 crore) from Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Polygon Investment Partners late last year. This was the second round of funding for the company following its $18 million (around Rs 73 crore) first round in 2000 secured from Argo Global and HNQ Asia-Pacific.
The company’s competitors include IMI Mobile, Cellebrum and Mauj.
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Good News for residents of Bangalore. Just a while ago a reader of this blog tipped me with a mobile number. Bingo!!! Reliance Communications, a Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group company is the first company to launch Wimax for residential consumers in Bangalore / Bengalooru. [Sify has it for Corporates. Bangalore Unwired for Selected Users]. I spoke to Reliable Enterprises, Bangalore which is providing pre-launch offer WiMax broadband connections.
Reliance WiMax Broadband Delivery Platform:
No more Trences for Cable saves a lot of headache in congested Bangalore. They will install a WiMax antenna on top of your house, just like the DTH Dish and a cable is drawn to a Modem. If you have mroe than one computer to share than you need a SOHO router to hook your PC and Laptops. The Wimax antenna talks directly to Reliance Towers.
The Cost Structure:
Pre-launch offer - Rs 500 Installation Cost. The Pre-launch offer is valid through June-15th. For residential use, the cost for Wimax broadband is same as that of Reliance Wired Broadband. A 150 Kbps Unlimited Data Transfer connection costs Rs 750 / Month and a 300 Kbps Unlimited Data Transfer connection costs Rs 999 / Month. All other taxes are additional.
Availability of WiMax Broadband:
It is currently available within the Ring Road areas. The whole of Bangalore will be covered shortly - few weeks. The connection will be established within 2 weeks of application. To apply, Contact Reliable Enterprises at 99800-62800. Let us know of your experience.
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What’s holding back WiMax in India: As per this story in the Mint, the spectrum policy imposes a recurring charge on ISPs for base stations, thus making it viable to target only volume users. Expecting a change in policy to a revenue-share model, operators are setting up wireless infrastructure:
– Reliance Communications plans to have 3000 base stations in 25 cities by end 2007, and plans to launch services in Pune and Bangalore in July. Expected expenditure is around $50 million.
– VSNL is setting up 1300 broadband towers in five cities. According to CIOL, VSNL has launched today, WiMax services for enterprises in Bangalore.
– Sify has plans to put up wireless transmitters on top of its retail outlets.
Now all of this, when no single standard for WiMax has been decided? Also, it’s the telco’s who do not have the last mile access, unlike BSNL and MTNL, who are adopting these new technologies - would they invest in wireless infrastructure if they did have last mile access? I’m not sure of how much to read into some of these announcements. If you remember, CP in Delhi was supposed to be WiFi’ed, with free Internet access, by this January. Nothing so far.
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Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL) has launched WiMAX services in India, the company announced to the Bombay Stock Exchange. It is offering WiMAX services in Bangalore for enterprise customers. VSNL claims to be the first company to provide WiMAX services in India. It plans to extend the network to around 120 cities for enterprise customers and to 5 cities for retail customers by end of the current FY.
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Nokia and Siemens have meregd their network division and the entity is also the biggest benificiary of BSNL’s megatender. Nokia-Siemens’ chief, Ashish Chowdhary said that it is not too late for Indian Telcos to go the 3G way.
Here is an official document that gives you more insight on Bangalore Unwired project. [PDF].
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Airtel launches GPS navigation on mobile handsets
