Bhutan Telecom has reduced mobile roaming charges to Thailand for its B-Mobile service. Roaming charges between Bhutan and AIS (Thai GSM) will be reduced with effect from 1st June 2011.
In the event, the subscribers need to inquire about any product or service they can contact the Roaming Coordinator at 332730 or the Marketing Division at 322515 or contact customer care at 1600 (Toll Free).
Bhutan Telecom has introduced a new service called Cell Broadcast Centre (CBC).
The service allows businesses to send one message to handsets in a particular area. Bhutan Telecom is targeting businesses, educational institutions, community service companies, and shops for the service.
Rates begin at US$5.58 for a dzongkhag (administrative area).
Avaya has announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Bhutan Telecom (BT), to build up and deliver Unified Communications, Contact Centers, Desktop level Video Conferencing & Data Networking solutions, to help BT’s customers in Bhutan.
Under the agreement, Bhutan Telecom will build a new technology practice focused on Avaya’s industry-leading solutions & services. The companies also expressed the willingness to set up ‘Avaya Lab’ at Bhutan Telecom Campus shortly. In addition, Avaya will also help Bhutan telecom to have an end to end Consulting for Next Generation Contact Centers, having an industry-leading IT services, best in class business solutions and a robust infrastructure for outsourcing.
Avaya and Bhutan Telecom have also developed a joint go-to-market strategy, which will meet the infrastructure, networking, voice and video requirements of corporations across Bhutan.
Both companies will invest in skills development and training labs, to provide an end-to-end solution to meet customer requirements. The Avaya Labs in Pune will allow BT to have the first hand experience of its cutting edge, next generation technology, develop skills and certify BT employees on Avaya platforms of Data, UC, CC and Video.
Bhutan Telecom (BT) has announced that it has launched a trial Wi-Fi service for customers of DrukNet, its wholly owned ISP subsidiary.
Named ‘DrukNet Wi-Fi’, the service will be available to customers in the vicinity of the firm’s head office in Thimphu. The telco advises that customers can expect Wi-Fi connectivity within a 1km radius if they have a clear line of sight to BT’s tower in Chubachu, or 500 metres in cases where there is no line of sight available.
If the trial successfully accomplish, Bhutan Telecom will extend Wi-Fi services to other locations across the country. As at end September 2010 Bhutan was home to just 6,666 broadband subscribers.
Bharti Airtel has all the plans to facilitate its customers with its new service which will enable them to make virtual payments at retail outlets and restaurants using their cell phones.
Airtel has got the nod from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to collect a maximum of 5,000 from customers, which can be converted into virtual money stored on mobile phones, and can be used at outlets that have a tie-up with Airtel.
All leading mobile phone companies are also lined up to get the ‘semi-closed wallet license over the next couple of months.
India has over 650 million mobile users and all telecom companies are observing offering a range of financial services, including the electronic version of the leather wallet, which can be used to make secure payments across a wide spectrum of goods and services covering all sectors. These concepts are already operational in Japan, South Korea, parts of China and certain markets in Europe.
In the recent past , RBI in its annual monetary policy had said that it was looking to use mobile phones as a medium for taking banking facilities to the remote and far-flung areas while also adding that banks and cellular operators must cooperate, rather than compete with each other for this initiative.
According to Bharti Airtel, semi-closed wallets are the prepaid payment instruments that are redeemable at a group of clearly-identified merchant locations/ establishments which contract specifically with the issuer to accept the payment instrument. These instruments do not permit cash withdrawal or redemption by the holder. In fact, Bhutan Telecom has already introduced M-money, which is a one-stop shop for making payments of all utility bills including telephone, electricity and water bills. Bharti Airtel did not give any timeframe for the launch of services on this platform. Currently the company is evaluating various options that this license provides to find out how best they can create a value proposition for Airtel customers. It is imperative to design a safe & convenient deployment before the company can take to the market.
As per the RBI guidelines, the pre-paid value that is being loaded will be distinct from talk-time. In other words, the telecom operator will not be able to create money. For the consumer, this implies, they will not be able to exchange this money for talk-time. Bharti Airtel will also be ordered to deposit the money raised in a zero balance escrow account with a bank.
According to the analysts RBI’s move to approve ‘Semi closed wallet’ will be the first step towards democratization of mobile commerce in the country. It is estimated that only 1% (8 million) of the country’s 650 million cell phone users avail mobile commerce services. This is expected to go up to 50 million by 2012.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After BSNL’s back out, another state owned Indian telco MTNL has too decided to abandon the bid to buy out Zambian telco Zamtel. Earlier, both BSNL and MTNL were to make a joint bid for 74% stake in Zamtel, but the combine did not submit a financial bid.
MTNL has been suffering financial loss over the past two years and lost Rs 894.95 million in the quarter ended December 2009. According to MTNL chairman and managing director Kuldip Singh, the losses are on account of pension payment but the company expects to be in profits in the January-March 2010 quarter, besides, it is still keen on Africa and will look for acquisitions there.
Bids were invited by the Zambian government last year to sell 74% stake in Zamtel which is the only landline operator, with revenues of $100 million in 2008. MTNL had bid for licenses in several countries across Asia and Africa, including Kenya, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Bhutan, but the limited funds failed its attempt.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: An investment of BTN2.03 billion (USD43.99 million) in the networks has been planned by state-owned Bhutan Telecom over the next four years. The news came after an investment of BTN52.61 billion was announced by Druk Holding and Investment (DHI), the state-owned holding company, in its operations in the same time-frame.
Bhutan Telecom has revealed its plans to use the funds to expand the networks of its B-Mobile subsidiary, besides continuing work to upgrade the PSTN. Recently B- Mobile completed the expansion projects in the Paro, Samdrupjongkhar, Samtse, Chukha and Haa dzongkhags (regions) and it is currently upgrading its GSM network in the rural areas.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Leading Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel has announced its prospects of expanding its base in various SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries with Bangladesh being the first step towards this direction.
The SAARC includes eight countries — India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. According to Akhil Gupta, the deputy group chief executive officer of the Bharti Enterprises, the company is very much interested in Bangladesh and other SAARC countries and on the auction of 3G spectrum, he hoped that it takes place on the scheduled time of January 14, 2010.
With over 110 million subscribers of the total 520 million and a market share of around 20 percent, Airtel continues to be the market leader.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Reliance Communications and China Telecom have today announced the opening of the first direct terrestrial cable link between the Chinese and Indian domestic markets.
The Reliance Communications and China Telecom constructed cable was the first cross border terrestrial connectivity project to be planned between India and China, and was completed earlier this month. The cable passes through the inhospitable terrain of the Nathula Pass, linking Yadong in China to Siliguri in India. The cable will provide direct, enterprise class connectivity between all major Indian and Chinese locations as well as expanding high-bandwidth coverage to more rural regions and cities in both countries. Neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and even Pakistan and Bangladesh will also benefit in the longer term, through increased bandwidth availability and global termination options. (more…)
