No more roaming in 3G services

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have suffered a severe setback with the department of telecommunications (DoT) ordering them to immediately stop 3G services in telecom circles where they don’t have spectrum. The three operators have roaming pacts and offer pan-India 3G mobile services without having spectrum in several circles. 

“We have come to a conclusion that 3G roaming deals are in violation of the terms and conditions of the licence and will ask operators to stop their services through such arrangements with immediate effect,” DoT Secretary R Chandrashekhar said. 

Government to Provide Countrywide Optical Fibre Broadband Network: Milind Deora

Government has decided to own and operate a countrywide broadband network with an optical fibre base through which different operators could provide a range of services, Union Minister of State for Communications and IT, Milind Deora announced today while inaugurating 8th Broadband Tech India Conference organised by Bharat Exhibitions.

“Keeping future users of this network in mind this will to be a non-discriminatory access to all types of information and services” Mr. Deora told. “This network would be the way governance will be delivered to the whole nation” reaching out to the last village, he added. The Minister recalled how several countries were supporting optical fibre and wireless broadband networks to reach out to everyone. The Minister termed this project as “unprecedented” in its reach and its vision.

Hungama brings Shah Rukh Khan exclusive

The digital entertainment company Hungama.com is offering exclusive content related to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, ahead of the release of his movie Don 2. The SRK special is called Super Khan - Shah Rukh Unlimited. 

Hungama.com provides access to exclusive SRK songs, videos, wallpapers, ringtones and movies. Furthermore, SRK games like Don 2 - Prison Break and Don 2 - The Chase are available on mobile. 

Digitisation bill signals growth opportunity for DTH companies

With the Parliament approving the Digitisation Bill recently, cable, especially, multi-specialty operators and Direct to Home, or DTH, companies are expected to grab a higher market share from local cable operators, who are reported to declare lower subscriber numbers and in turn revenues.

Companies such as Den Networks, Hathway Cable and Datacom, Wire & Wireless India, and Dish TV India are among the companies that may see potential revenue improvement over the next year or two.

Sibal says no to censorship, wants social media support

Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on 15 December 2011 said the government had no plans to censor the contents on social networking websites. After a meeting with Internet firms like Google, Facebook and Twitter, the minister said the government was trying to find ways to use these social media platforms effectively to reach out to the masses. 

The discussion came a few days after Sibal asked Internet firms to ensure that no defamatory and incendiary material are uploaded in their platforms. 

TDSAT declines to hear Media Pro in Dish TV, ESPN dispute

Broadcast tribunal TDSAT has dismissed the plea of Media Pro to hear it as a party in the dispute between DTH operator Dish TV and the global sports broadcaster ESPN on their subscription agreement.

Media Pro Enterprise is a 50:50 joint venture between the Star Den and Zee Turner. Star Den is channel distributing arm of media giant Star, while Zee Turner is for the Zee group and global media leader Turner International.

Trai issues consultation paper for FM Radio

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought the opinion of stakeholders whether it would be acceptable if the minimum channel spacing within a license service area can reduced from the current level of 800 KHz. 

In a consultation paper on "Issues related to prescribing minimum Channel spacing, within a license service area, in FM Radio sector in India", Trai has asked stakeholders to consider the implications of reducing/not-reducing the minimum channel spacing within a license service area. Furthermore, should the reduction of minimum channel spacing be confined to A+ and A category cities or should it be reduced across the country, and how should funding for the modification of transmitting setups be funded. 

Sun TV to launch 4 HD channels

Sun TV Network will launch four new High Definition channels in Tamil and Telugu languages on 11 December 2011.

The launch of these HD channels is in line with that tradition and reinforces the company's competitive positioning in the South Indian broadcast media space.

DTH subscriber base crosses 41 Million

Pay direct-to-home (DTH) television platforms have a registered subscriber base of 41,044,463 as in September this year, showing a steady increase over the past four years.

The registered subscriber base for pay DTH was 11,104,997 in December 2008, 19,148,848 in December 2009 and 32,054,073 in December 2010.

Zensar Tech to offer Google Apps to APAC

Zensar Technologies, a technology and business process company announced that it will provide Google Apps solutions in APAC region, and to large retail and manufacturing customers in India. 

The company also said that it is adopting Google Apps on a company-wide basis for enhanced communication, collaboration and efficiency. 

Tata Sky and Ericsson bring on-demand pay TV to Indian satellite subscribers

Satellite operator Tata Sky takes first mover advantage ahead of major cable players to capture Indian Video on Demand make it. The company announced on 5 December 2011 that it had added VOD and catch up TV on DTH platform using Ericsson technology.

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has supplied Tata Sky, a leading Indian direct-to-home (DTH) operator, with an advanced TV on-demand system that enables its 8 million satellite subscribers to enjoy the flexibility and enhanced choice of unlimited movies on-demand and catch-up TV. The deployment is one of the first in the world to be based on Ericsson’s Media Delivery Network (MDN), a media-centric solution for the distribution, delivery and content management of linear and non-linear TV. It further builds on the relationship between Ericsson and Tata Sky, following the provision of an Ericsson headend system for the launch of high definition (HD) services this year.

INSAT 2E life ends, broadcasters left in the lurch

INSAT 2E going out of space has put many broadcasters in panic. With its 12-year life having ended four days ago, broadcasters including Doordarshan are running around to find a new satellite space for themselves. INSAT 2E was launched in April 1999.

Sources said ISRO has asked all such private broadcasters to find their own satellites and shift. Normally, all broadcasters and their teleport operators have to go through ISRO when moving to a foreign satellite.

Google in talks with retailers, plans to take on Amazon

GoogleInternet search titan Google is in talks to create a service that would let consumers pay a low fee to receive goods from online orders within a day -- in a potential challenge to Amazon. 

"The web-search giant is in talks with major retailers and shippers about creating a service that would let consumers shop for goods online and receive their orders within a day for a low fee," the Wall Street Journal reported citing a person familiar with the matter. 

Trai seeks info from operators on tariff hike

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has written a letter to various telecom operators seeking information about reasons for the recent tariff hike and measures adopted for communicating the increase to consumers, among other issues. 

Trai has written a letter to various operators seeking their responses on issue related to recent upward tariff hike, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora informed Rajya Sabha. 

Trai seeks info from operators on tariff hike

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has written a letter to various telecom operators seeking information about reasons for the recent tariff hike and measures adopted for communicating the increase to consumers, among other issues. 

Trai has written a letter to various operators seeking their responses on issue related to recent upward tariff hike, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora informed Rajya Sabha. 

moneycontrol.com offers new iPad app

moneycontrol.com has launched a new application for iPad. The free application provides real-time information about the Indian and global stock markets, and also allows users to watch CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and popular videos featuring top business news, market analysis, and management interviews. 

Commenting on the launch, Joyson Thomas, chief operating officer, Web18, says, "As an increasing number of users are now consuming content and services through tablets and smartphones, it made sense to tap into this fast-growing segment of savvy users. The launch is part of an endeavour to stay in tune with changing user preferences. Looking at the overwhelming response to the moneycontrol.com app across all other platforms, and considering the feedback that iPad has received from the market, we are positive that the combination will take this product to a new level." 

Video-on-demand service & Catch-up TV on Tata Sky soon

Direct-to-home satellite television service provider Tata Sky is set to launch two services that none of its competitors is offering in the country, allowing its subscribers to watch content on demand and to download TV shows after they have been broadcast.

Tata Sky aims to double its private recorder base over the next two years following this initiative, says chief executive officer Harit Nagpal.

Trai extends date for comments on priority call routing

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has extended the last date for receiving comments on priority call routing in mobile networks for persons engaged in response and recovery work. 

The Trai had on November 8 sought comments from stakeholders on pre-consultation paper on priority call routing during emergencies like natural calamities and terror attacks.