Indian telco BSNL goes live with Wimax Network
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: India is set to become the biggest base on earth for Wimax by 2012, with the state-owned carrier BSNL going live with the country’s first Mobile Wimax network. The company already has deployments using fixed Wimax but now plans a major national rollout based on 802.16e.
Out of two parallel projects, one for rural areas and other for metro areas, the former has already been launched by state minister for communications and IT, Sachin Pilot. Initially, access will be delivered to Common Service Centers since few people in rural districts will have personal computers or even power supply.
BSNL is planning to work with partners to enable several key applications in order to help to meet the Indian government’s targets to lift the country’s woeful levels of broadband penetration. 1,000 rural districts, 32 in Rajasthan, which will involve 11,500 Common Service Centers, will be covered in the first half while the second half will cover system across the nation, covering 50,000 CSCs.
The broadband tariffs will be very low, starting at INR140 ($3) a month and will aim to harness video to support telemedicine and remote education. Other utility will include utility bill payments, issue of official documents like land or vehicle registrations or birth certificates, state e-government processes and inter-village communications.
Eitsalat and Du subscribers enjoy mobile banking via Mashreq (UAE)
Mashreq today premiered its latest service, Mobile Banking, raising the bar for customer convenience in the UAE. In keeping with the fast-paced lifestyle of the region, Mashreq Mobile Banking will provide customers secure and fully transactional access to their bank accounts through their mobile phones 24/7, from any GPRS / 3G / wireless (Wi-Fi) network, anywhere in the world.
Douglas Beckett, Head of Retail Banking at Mashreq, comments, “Mobile banking is emerging as a key service for consumers who expect their bank to be available to them anytime, anywhere and globally. We are enabling 6 million users across the UAE who have mobile phones to connect with their bank account in a more convenient way than any of our competitors.”
Used at the customers’ convenience, Mobile Banking provides a secure, user-friendly solution to an emerging demand for managing and tracking finances around the clock. Services include full access to the details and transactions of personal bank accounts, as well as making Credit Card and utility bill payments and transferring funds instantly.
Signing up for Mashreq Mobile Banking is simple and straightforward. All that is required is a Mashreq account, access to online banking, and a mobile phone with an ‘Etisalat’ or ‘du’ subscription. Users will be able to register for the service through MashreqOnline by downloading the mobile banking application to their phones; the process is quick and easy to follow. Once installed, the customer is free to use the Mobile Banking service at their own convenience, completely free of charges from the bank. The only cost is the normal call cost by the network operators.
Mobile Banking reinforces Mashreq’s strategic approach of introducing innovative and convenient solutions for all its customers’. Earlier this year, Mashreq launched the Etisalat-Mashreqcredit card, the region’s first co-branded loyalty card that offers customers’ free talk time for every Dirham spent. “This was a huge success for Mashreq. We are extremely happy with the launch results which have significantly exceeded our expectations. We continue to build on the success of such products and services which position Mashreqas clearly the most convenient bank in the UAE. We “do banking” allowing our customers to focus on the important things in their lives,” concluded Beckett.
About Mashreq
Mashreq is the largest private bank in the UAE and also the second oldest. Founded in 1967 as Bank of Oman, the bank has played a pioneering role in the industry, particularly in retail banking. Among its many firsts it was the first to launch such products as travellers’ cheques, credit cards and ATMs.
Mashreq has received numerous international awards, particularly for quality management. According to independent research it has more ISO certifications than any bank in the region by a wide margin. It’s most recent acknowledgement was the Best Bank in the UAE 2008, from Euromoney.
As a leading financial Institution in the UAE Mashreq aims to be world class in every facet of its business, including its social responsibility to the community it serves. Towards this goal the bank pays particular attention to recruiting, training, developing and retaining UAE National employees.
About Wireless Federation
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They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.
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