Tata Indicom launches ‘Doctor on call’
Tata Indicom in collaboration with Rx Healthcare Magic Private Ltd has launched an emergency service, “doctor on call”, to offer consultation to all Tata Indicom and Tata Walky subscribers at minimal rates.
The service is based on an interactive voice response system. Through this service users can directly consult the doctors. The doctors would ask the medical history of the caller, including details such as age, sex, marital status and location. The doctor will then determine if the case falls under three categories– acute, chronic or emergency.
If it would be an acute condition, the doctor would suggest some home remedy to the caller for immediate relief. In chronic condition, the patient will be asked to take preventive measures and if it is a case of an emergency, the doctor would suggest that the patient be rushed to the emergency ward of the nearest hospital.
According to Vineet Bhatia, regional head (North-Central), Tata Teleservices Limited, today advanced mobile telephony is offering complete mobility services in the interest of the common man and having introduced the medical emergency service the company has ensured that the subscribers get the best in class value- added services at a nominal fee.
Vodafone ties-up with Blackberry
Vodafone has launched Blackberry services in Ghana. The new deal with RIM has helped Vodafone Group Ghana to provide mobile customers with the next level services, and a real smart phone experience through their Blackberry devices.
According to William A. Darkah, Head of Enterprise Operations, Vodafone Group Ghana, BlackBerry is mainly a messaging phone with the largest collection of messaging features in a smart-phone, which includes auto-text, auto-correct, text prediction, and support for many languages, keyboard shortcuts, text emoticons, push email, push Facebook and Myspace notifications, among others.
BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smart-phone devices, developed and designed by Canadian company (RIM) since 1996 as a personal digital assistant with address book, calendar and to-do list capabilities. It also functions as a portable media player with video playback and camera facilities, and has the ability to send and receive (push) Internet e-mail wherever mobile network service coverage is present.
According to Mr. Marc Norris, Director, Consumer Fixed Vodafone Ghana, users of smart-mobile-phone would enjoy the freedom and productivity benefits of staying in touch with their family and business partners through the numerous technological offers.
Tunisia grants a 3G License
If reports are to be believed, Tunisia’s state-controlled mobile network operator, Tunisie Telecom has been awarded a 3G license. Tunisie Telecom had paid US$80.2 million for the license.
Tunisie Telecom is majority owned by the state while Dubai’s TECOM Investments and Dubai Investment Group jointly hold 35%.
There are currently three mobile network operators in the country – the state controlled Tunisie Telcom which is the sole landline operator, and Tunisiana, which presently operates a mobile phone network.
Previously this year, France Telecom’s Orange launched a 3G network in the country, in cooperation with Investec, a Tunisian subsidiary of the Mabrouk group. Orange holds 49% of the joint venture. The company was awarded its operating license in June 2009.
According to figures from the Mobile World analysts, the country has 9.95 million mobile phone users, which represents a population penetration level of 94%.
Verizon CEO envisions future in Verizon Wireless dividend
According to the head of the majority owner of Verizon Wireless specified that the wireless venture would pay a dividend once it has reduced its net debt in line with its cash flow levels.
Verizon Communications, which has 55% ownership and operational control of the venture, has privileged using Verizon Wireless cash to reduce the venture’s debt load instead of paying its parents a dividend. However, this has disturbed the shareholders in Vodafone Group, a 45% owner of Verizon Wireless.
Verizon Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg told a Goldman Sachs conference that he sees that situation changing.
According to him, as the business generates cash and Verizon reach a point where net debt gets closer to about a balance, then a distribution of cash to the owners is probably the right thing to do. The company doesn’t have any problem with that.
Colao had rejected speculation that Verizon and Vodafone could merge and claimed that a Verizon Wireless dividend or a split of the joint venture were the most likely options.
T-Mobile G2: Pre-order sales to start up soon
T-Mobile has announced its new handset G2, which is a HSPA+ device. The G2 is going to be up for pre-order starting tomorrow and it will go on sale at the latest by October 6th. The handset’s price is approx US$199.99 and currently only available to existing subscribers.
According to the reports T-Mobile is actually targeting the end of September for their initial deliveries.
The phone would also be made available on the Best Buy’s site. G2 runs on Android 2.2 on Qualcomm’s new 800MHz Snapdragon processor, and comes with a 5-megapixel camera, WiFi , along with a QWERTY keypad. With the new GPS software one can use the phone for finding places anywhere in the world. The phone also features YouTube, G-Talk, Picasa, Google search, G-mail, Maps. It also includes 8 GB memory card expandable up to 32GB microSD card support.
Airtel, Tata sends BlackBerry compliance reports to DoT
Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices have sent the compliance report to the Department of Telecommunication communicating them that they have upgraded the network. The compliance reports were sent on the day of the deadline to submit them. It wasn’t, however, immediately clear the next steps the DoT may take since the compliance reports submitted were about the messenger services and didn’t include the BlackBerry corporate email services, which are also under a security cloud.
According to the sources, Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Tata Teleservices Ltd. have sent compliance reports to India’s DoT, confirming they have upgraded their networks to allow local security agencies to intercept and monitor messenger mails sent through BlackBerry Smartphones.
The sources revealed in a report that the networks were tested by a joint team of the operator (Bharti Airtel), security agencies and Research In Motion. The testing reports were considered as compliance reports.
Previously this week, the DoT had sent a letter to all telecom companies to upgrade their networks to allow security interception.
According to notes sent to the operators, a compliance report that the network has been technically upgraded to intercept all BlackBerry services by law enforcement agencies for lawful interception must be provided to this office [DoT] by Sept. 22.
As per the note, a team from the country’s telecom department and the security agencies will again test the networks at a date to be announced shortly.
India extended the deadline for another two months from Sept. 1 after RIM provided solutions for local security agencies to monitor BlackBerry’s corporate email services. RIM had already provided access to other services such as messenger and chat.
Huawei and Qualcomm Upgrade its UAE Network
The UAE based mobile network, Du has launched a network upgrade giving mobile data download speeds of up to 42.2 Mbps. At the launch, 98% of the populated areas in the UAE will be covered by the network upgrade, which was carried out by Huawei and Qualcomm. The special data cards will soon be introduced to support up to 42.2 Mbps.
According to Hatem Bamatraf, Senior Vice President of Network Development at Du, the upgrade of the company’s mobile broadband network from HSPA+ to support DC-HSPA+ doubles Du’s current mobile broadband downlink peak rate of 21 Mbps – a major milestone for the company. The company is proud to announce another UAE first with the launch of the fastest mobile broadband speed experience with up to 42.2 Mbps downlink speed to meet the growing demand for broadband access on the move.
According to Huawei UAE’s General Manager Mr. Lv Jun, the company would like to congratulate Du for achieving this key milestone. Huawei’s HSPA+ solution with dual-carrier technology which has been chosen and deployed by Du making Du one of the fastest and the most advanced network in the region.
MTS to launch its services in Grozny
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has expanded its services to the capital of the Chechen Republic, Grozny, where it will be providing complete 2G coverage with limited 3G coverage in the city’s main business region.
Mobile TeleSystems is the leading telecommunications group in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group serviced over 102.4 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Belarus, a region that boasts a total population of more than 230 million.
MetroPCS beats Verizon and AT&T in 4G LTE offering
4G services has recently hit Las Vegas and within days a small prepaid wireless provider MetroPCS, has flattened Verizon Wireless and AT&T to offer a 4G alternative to Sprint and Clearwire’s WiMAX.
MetroPCS is offering its LTE service plans for US$55 and US$60, depending on features. The carrier is also offering a 4G handset, the Samsung Craft, for US$300 after a US$50 rebate.
MetroPCS aims to organize LTE in three other cities in the U.S. by the end of this year, and its remaining markets in 2011. AT&T had originally targeted an initial launch of its own LTE network at 2010, but just announced a decision to push back deployment until mid-2011, putting it behind competitor Verizon in 4G deployment plans.
Offering daily and weekly prepaid service plans as options might make sense for MetroPCS, too, especially in cities such as Las Vegas which attract huge numbers of vacationers, convention-goers, and other short-term visitors.
