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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France Telecom has re-entered the Indian market through the acquisition of enterprise and managed services division of GTL for around Rs 250 crore. The acquisition will be made through France Telecom’s group company, Orange Business Services.
This marks the re-entry of France Telecom to Indian shores, which it exited in 2003 after selling a 26% stake in BPL Mobile, offering services in Mumbai circle.
“British Telecom was the other serious bidder for the business,” said a source familiar with the deal. While there were other bidders earlier on, the BT and France Telecom were the serious players who were eventually in the race to acquire it.
A formal announcement will be made on July 11. The board of the company will meet on July 11 to ratify and approve the agreement pertaining to the sale of business to Orange. The company’s shareholders have already approved the sale through a postal ballot on July 5.
The ITeS business of GTL, a network service provider, was put on the block last fiscal as the company is keen to focus on the network services business, which is expected to bring in Rs 1,500 crore revenues this fiscal.
GTL is aiming to increase contribution from high margin segments like network planning and design, network operation and maintenance and professional services from 20% to 40%.
In such a scenario, IT had turned a non-core business for the company. The segment was bringing in annual revenues of just over Rs 100 crore. “The target was to complete the sale of enterprise and managed services business within this fiscal and it has been achieved,” said sources.
France Telecom offers integrated business communications solutions spanning consultancy, data, voice and video, mobile and fixed communications services.
It has been looking for opportunities in India for a while now. France Telecom has “a number of options” to enter the Indian market, the French company’s chief executive Didier Lombard said last week. However, he added that the company was looking at “modest options” in view of the high prices of telecom assets in India.
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Bharti Airtel and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) have signed an MoU for a USD900 million expansion contract across Airtel’s mobile, fixed and intelligent network (IN) platforms. In the first multi-platform network contract of its kind to be awarded in India, NSN will expand Airtel’s GSM network in eight circles; its national long distance and international long distance network with 1.8 million NGN ports, and its international calling card prepaid service capacity by 4.5 million new users. The GSM and NGN expansions are planned to take place over two years and the calling cards expansion over three years.
The two year GSM expansion will cover the eight circles of Mumbai, Maharashtra & Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh, Bihar & Jharkhand, Orissa, Kolkata and West Bengal, where NSN already provides equipment and managed services. The expansion will enable Airtel to rapidly expand its geographical footprint to rural India and increase its overall network capacity. The contract includes network planning, implementation and project management, handling of local logistics and materials as well as system integration for the base station sites.
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India’s Essar Group is planning to launch a network of 4,000-5,000 retail telecom outlets called The MobileStore all over India with an investment of $250 million over the next 2 to 3 years.
The firm said these stores will offer products and accessories from all the leading brands, billing services, value-added services, and handset repair services.
Essar has already launched 40 stores in Mumbai, Delhi and some other large cities. In the initial phase, Essar will launch 150 stores in the top 11 cities.
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Airtel launches GPS navigation on mobile handsets
