www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Airtel and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced a new service plan specifically for Airtel customers in North East India. The BlackBerry® Personal Mail service plan is an innovative offering that provides Airtel customers with unlimited email and instant messaging (IM) on BlackBerry® smartphone for just Rs. 299 per month. It is the first service plan priced as less Rs. 300 to offer unlimited email and IM to BlackBerry smartphone customers in the Indian market with restricted Internet browsing
Airtel is offering a choice of Plans for Blackberry users ranging from Rs 299 p.m to Rs 899 per month with the benefit of unlimited internet browsing on Rs 899 plan. For convenience of Blackberry users long term plans of 6 months to 1 year at Rs 3999 and 6999 respectively, have also been offered. (more…)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat today confirmed that its BlackBerry plan offers Unlimited Data Services in 120 countries around the world while roaming without any additional charges regardless of usage in these markets. Subscribers can use the BlackBerry service and all its applications across these 120 countries without any additional charge. This announcement came in response to an email hoax, which wrongly informed customers that they could face charges for using their BlackBerry.
Etisalat’s roaming agreements cover most of the popular destinations around the globe through partnerships with 330 international operators. To learn more about the countries the BlackBerry service is offered in as well as other Etisalat services, subscribers can call Etisalat by dialling 101. (more…)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: STC (Saudi Telecom Company) has introduced a huge discount on its international roaming rates including data, Jawal Net, MMS, e-mail and Blackberry services by 75% for all the international roaming subscribers from June 1.
According to the press release issued by STC, the unified roaming and data roaming prices is the lowest compared with its competitors in the region. This was achieved by strategic partnerships with international operators in order to provide the best services with the lowest price for STC customers wherever they may go
STC has signed more than 1,000 agreements entailing services that include post-paid, prepaid, Internet, 3G, MMS and international video call roaming.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat has further enhanced its position as the region’s leading provider of international roaming services by expanding its partnership network to include 520 telecommunication companies across the globe. This extended network enables Etisalat customers to use their mobiles while travelling to 190 countries.
“The UAE has diverse communities with high demand for traveling abroad for business, pleasure or to visit friends and family. Etisalat is obliged to meet the communication needs of this multinational community and our international roaming services enable customers to stay connected wherever they are. We are proud to announce that we are offering truly global roaming services specially designed for travellers, through the largest international network in the region in partnership with 520 providers across the globe,” said Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Alcatel-Lucent, a global communications technology leader, today commended Etisalat for having the least call drops in the Middle East. Validated through an independent research conducted by Alcatel-Lucent, the research compares the call completion ratio, call set-up success ratio (no. of times call gets connected successfully) and the call drop ratio’s (the number of times the call disconnects while talking) of the telecom service providers in the Middle East and ranked Etisalat as the best service provider on all the three counts. Etisalat, has the lowest call disconnect ratio of less than 0.36% (approx 3 calls in every 1000 calls gets dropped) and the lowest call blocked ratio of 0.02% (not even 1 out of 1000 calls fails to get connected), in the Middle East.
The global standard for call drop rate and call failure rate is 1 % and 2% respectively. Call disconnection generally occurs due to a lack of signal in the coverage area (spread out locales, basements, tunnels) or due to network congestion. Over the years, Etisalat has invested in the best equipments and robust technology infrastructure to support reliable network performance and high quality connectivity that enables its customers to enjoy talking without interruptions. Etisalatpioneered the GSM and 3G services in UAE and currently connects the whole country through its GSM network and more than 99% of the populated areas in the UAE through its 3G network.
Ahmed Abdul Karim JulfarAhmed Abdul Karim Julfar, Chief Operation Officer, Etisalat, said, “Etisalat’s superior network ensures to provide the best user experience to our customers who can stay in touch, irrespective of their location. Over the years, Etisalat has continued to enhance its network to provide our customers with the ultimate network performance. This means that only with Etisalat customers can enjoy the fastest speed on their mobile device along with the reliability of the least dropped calls and the clearest reception with a crystal clear voice quality – from coast to coast.”
Etisalat has built a state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure and acquired a dominant leadership status in innovation and reliability among regional and international operators. Etisalat’s mobile phone service penetration has crossed over 150% in the UAE. Etisalat currently has roaming agreements with over 514 operators across 190 countries and enables mobile users with a range of services and applications such as GPRS, 3G, mobile broadband and BlackBerry services.
Etisalat customers have reported many cases where people have been rescued by the police coast guard from being lost in the sea and in the desert through the highly reliable and always available Etisalat network. Customers can connect to the Etisalat network across the entire UAE landscape, be it on land, in desert or inside the sea, with maximum voice clarity.
For more information, please visit www.etisalat.ae
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobitel intends to launch BlackBerry services in Cambodia by the end of 2009. Mark Hanna, CFO of the Royal Group, which holds a 38.5% share in the company, said that handset manufacturer RIM requires that service providers pay a subscription fee for each handset on the network, a cost which would inevitably be passed on to the consumer. Mr. Hanna added that the company must also invest in a BlackBerry email server, a fixed cost that he noted could be absorbed through developing the subscriber base over time.
The company said it will launch a range of new products and services during this period, as it seeks to consolidate its dominant position in the Cambodian mobile phone market. According to a report, Mobitel has subscriber base of 2.12 million, holds a market share of 54.08%.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: BSNL, the state-owned telco, introduces BlackBerry services in India. BSNL reportedly launches the services in collaboration with Research In Motion.
According to BSNL Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Kuldeep Goyal, the launch of BlackBerry services will boost the telcos presence in the Indian mobile market. These services will be available on BSNL’s 3G services.