Jul 23
Some anonymous source for TechTree have spilled the beans regarding the launch date and pricing for iPhone 3G in India. It may come as a shock for many people but the source reckons the phone to be priced around Rs. 12,000 range but only 8GB variant will be available. Vodafone will be the first player to get the phone here because of its global presence and has a 15 days advantage than Airtel.
> Model: Initially, the 8GB version only
> Price: Rs. 11,500 to Rs. 12,000 (note: U.S. price of the 8GB iPhone 3G is $199)
> Applications: App Store will be available
> App prices: Application prices may see a revision to suit Indian market
> 3G: No fixed date for 3G availability; expected sometime later this year
> GPS: Present on the Indian version as well
The news has definitely opened up a new discussion for everyone waiting for the mighty iPhone to come over here but we cannot trust it until we hear it from the horse’s mouth.
[source]
Jun 11
Spice Telecom has launched a combo offer of a slim 75-gram handset with a Spice connection at just Rs 599 in Punjab, targeting the rural market.The company offers both Spice prepaid and post-paid connections, and a three-year warranty for the handset.
The prepaid connection offers one-year validity with zero rental along with a call rate of 50 paise.
In post-paid connection, the customer has to pay a monthly fixed charge of Rs 35. Call rates will be 10 paise per minute for Spice-to-Spice local and 75 paise per minute to any other local number.
“We can aptly call this ’sabka mobile’ (everybody’s mobile). It is cost-effective and easy to use and especially made for rural population. This combo offer gives economically weaker people a chance to go mobile at an affordable price,” Spice Telecom chief operating officer Subodh Srivastava said.
“We are targeting rural Punjab with this combo offer. ‘Sabka mobile’ will certainly enhance our penetration in Punjab.
More…
Apr 19
Earlier this year, Apple COO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple’s expansion plans for the iPhone included India, but said only that the iPhone would arrive there “one day.” For a number of Indians, that day has already arrived thanks to unlocked iPhones, but many people are still waiting for the official release. That day may be coming soon, though, since Rediff is reporting that the iPhone will be coming to India in September of this year and that Vodafone will be the carrier.
The news is technically just a rumor, since it claims to come from a number of internal Apple and Vodafone sources. According to these sources, the 8GB iPhone will launch in September with a price of between 27,200 and 28,000 rupees, which at current exchange rates translates to $685 to $710. If that’s the case, Vodafone will be making a bit of money on the device (even if there is revenue sharing), and the company may also get a chunk of the Australian market as part of the deal.
No information about the terms of the deal, launch quantities, or sales targets is available, although one of the sources does hint that unlocked iPhones may also be available at some point. As usual, Apple and Vodafone are have no official statement on the deal, however we should be seeing an announcement sometime in the next month or two if the official launch will indeed be in September.
[source]
Mar 06
Virgin Mobile, which had plans to step into India, has finally made its entry in its own unique way. The uniqueness was in the launch where Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin group, performed a sky walk in front of the huge banner. Here’s some Gyaan on Virgin Mobile:
- Franchisee Agreement with Tata Teleservices
- Here to provide CDMA services under the brand name: Virgin Mobile
- Will mainly target the 400 million youth population of India
- Will start off with 50 cities initially and operations in 17 circles.
- Will provide call rates @ 50paise and cellphones in the range of Rs.2000-5000
- A user will be paid 10 paise for an incoming call that is more than a minute long
What’s in store for you: The service provider has a good track record and can help raise the bar in terms of service offerings. Targeting the youth is a very smart option that the company has made and we hope to see better handsets being provided with the CDMA connections.
With the byline reading Think Hatke, let’s hope it really is Hatke.
[Source]
Oct 20
Airtel mobile bills can now be paid through SMS using mChek services. If you have a Mastercard or a Visa credit card, you can now pay your Airtel mobile bill anytime and from anywhere.
Airtel and mChek guarantees the safety of your transaction and assures the user that the information provided during the transaction will be secure. The registration for mCheck can be done through SMS or through the mCheck website.
The registration via SMS is very simple:
1. SMS ‘MCHEK’ to 121
2. Enter any 4-digit numeric PIN of your choice
3. Enter your credit card details
4. Re-enter your PIN
5. You are registered!
Now, there are two more steps involved for the payment procedure. Every time the user wishes to make payment:
1. SMS ‘PAY AIRTEL’ to 121
2. Enter your 4-digit numeric PIN
You will get an instant payment receipt through SMS.
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