Ram rules!

One of the problems many traveling executives face is the need to power up the laptop to send out an email. Blackberrys addressed quite a few issues, but don’t kid yourself into thinking that a berry can be as good as a laptop to view your emails.

Dell have come up with a smart-phone like solution – a system that never sleeps. Check out this article by David Pringle, Freelance Media Relations Consultant/Mobile Innovation Exchange Moderator at “Mobile Innovation Exchange”.

Dell has come up with an innovative, if rather inelegant, solution to the dilemma faced by many road warriors. With ten minutes to kill at the airport or hotel, do you power up your laptop to write a few emails and endure the lengthy boot-up process or do you painstakingly punch out the messages on the small keypad of your Blackberry, or even worse, the virtual keyboard of the iPhone.

Dell’s solution? Produce a laptop containing both an ARM-based microprocessor running Linux and an Intel processor running Windows (Wintel). If they are in a hurry, the user will be able to wake up the Linux operating system and get on the Web, access email and read (but not edit) documents almost immediately, according to Dell. Apparently, the ARM/Linux combination will also be frugal with battery life, addressing one of the other perennial frustrations of business travellers. But when the user needs their full-suite of PC software, the 16-inch screen Latitude Z laptop will be able to run in conventional Wintel mode.

The move, which is the kind of innovation we might have expected from smartphone pioneer Nokia, is a clear signal that Dell doesn’t expect the Wintel alliance to soon achieve the same kind of always-on experience associated with smartphones, nearly all of which use ARM-based chips. It also appears to be a partial validation of the “smartbook” format being touted by Qualcomm and Freescale, which see the ARM architecture as the basis for always-on devices with displays of up to 12 inches on the diagonal.

The downside with the Dell approach is that two microprocessors and two operating systems will inevitably add to the complexity, cost and size of a laptop. The Latitude Z, which also boasts many other high-end features, will retail for about $2,000 and weighs two kilograms. Still, the computer market’s tilt towards always-on machines with long battery lives has to be the right direction for an increasingly mobile workforce.

An interesting article I found on the internet –

Indian mobile network operator Sistema Shyam TeleServices (MTS India) has been valued at USD3.5 billion by an independent appraiser, according to Reuters. The valuation of the operator comes on the back of the Russian government’s decision to acquire a 20% stake in it, which on the back of the valuation will cost the state approximately USD700 million; in its 2009 budget Russia set aside RUB23.7 billion (USD707 million) for the purchase. It is understood that the Russian government will look to acquire the stake from Sistema Shyam’s majority owner, Russia-based Sistema, which holds a 73.71% stake in the joint venture; India’s Shyam Group has a 23.79% stake in the cellco; the remaining 2.5% is publically held.

Previously indications have been that, should the sale go ahead, it may be used by Russia as part of a plan to settle New Delhi’s outstanding Soviet-era debt to Moscow. As a result of India’s significant debts to Russia, stemming from purchases made prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two governments have agreed that Russia can utilise this rupee debt to finance its investments and joint venture projects in India.

This one got me wondering on how the “debt” system between nations works. Is it as simple as the ones we do daily, only on a larger scale?

Recent changes to India’s regulations regarding foreign investment have allowed UK-based Vodafone Group to increase its stake in its Indian subsidiary, Vodafone Essar, the Economic Times reports. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Vodafone had previously been unable to enlarge its holding in the cellco as the Essar Group’s 33% stake in the mobile operator was structured so that 22% was held offshore, filling the 74% foreign ownership quota set by the government. Under regulatory changes made earlier this year, however, indirect foreign investment routed through a company owned by Indians can now be treated as local equity.

On the back of the regulatory changes Vodafone has revealed it will acquire 49% of the holdings of Analjit Singh, who has a 7.58% stake in Vodafone Essar through three separate holding companies, and Asim Ghosh, who has a 4.68% interest in the cellco, again held through three companies. The Vodafone Group will pay a total of INR8.62 billion (USD180 million) for the stake – INR5.33 billion to Mr Singh and INR3.29 billion to Mr Ghosh – which will see it increase its share in Vodafone Essar to 58%, up 6% from the 52% it currently holds. Both Ghosh and Singh applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on 11 September for permission to divest their stakes.

© Commsupdate from TeleGeography

BSNL and HCL partner for subsidised broadband rollout

State-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and software solutions provider HCL Infosystems have entered into a partnership aimed at accelerating the uptake of information technology in India. According to The Indian News, the two companies have signed an agreement to work together on the National Broadband Penetration Programme (NBPP), and BSNL has revealed it will benefit from funding from the country’s Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for the project. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved subsidies for the telco of INR4,500 (USD92.93) per broadband connection that is rolled out through any of the operator’s 27,789 rural exchanges. For its part HCL will offer subsidised computer hardware, as well as setting up four call centres, two each for enquiries and technical support. For those looking to sign up for a broadband service, HCL will offer computers through its ‘Touch’ outlets in more than 4,000 towns, with hardware costing an initial INR2,250 plus a further INR300 per month; the cost of the broadband service itself post-subsidy will be between INR99 or IN150 per month. Commenting on the development, Kuldeep Goyal, BSNL’s chairman and managing director, said: ‘This is indeed one of the major initiatives to bridge the digital divide by offering personal computers plus broadband at subsidised rates to our customers.’

Source: Telegeography’s Commsupdate

IB calls for block of VoIP services citing security concerns.

India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) has reportedly called on the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to block all internet telephony services in and out of the country until the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is able to track such calls, the Economic Times reports. The IB claims that India currently lacks the necessary technology to track VoIP calls, and argues that this presents a national security issue, with the bureau noting: ‘In the absence of Caller Line Identification (CLI) parameters of calls landing from abroad, it is next to impossible to identify the country of location of the caller. Moreover, of late a number of service providers in India have started providing VoIP solutions for making calls both domestics as well as foreign. The calls passing through the VoIP/IP route contain inadequate parameters rendering it impossible to trace the actual callers. As DoT had conveyed that it is not possible to mandate transmission of CLI from abroad, we had approached DoT to block such calls till a technical solution is found.’
Should the DoT act on the recommendations, hundreds of thousands of VoIP subscribers would be affected; according to the latest available statistics from the Telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) there are 34 companies providing commercial VoIP services at the end of March 2009, and more than 130 million minutes of calls using internet telephony were logged between January and March 2009.

© Copyright 2009 PriMetrica

T-Mobile USA has unveiled plans to upgrade its 3G networks with HSPA 7.2 and HSPA+ technology, FierceWireless reports, citing company CTO, Cole Brodman. The carrier will reportedly begin deploying HSPA 7.2, which provides theoretical downlink speeds of 7.2Mbps, across its W-CDMA networks by year-end. Mr Brodman was also cited as saying that he expects T-Mobile to begin deploying HSPA+ with theoretical downlink speeds of 21Mbps sometime in 2010. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, T-Mobile launched its first 3G networks in May 2008, and as at the end of August 2009 the infrastructure covered 176 cities and around 121 million people. The company has said it expects to cover 200 million by year-end, adding an additional 100 cities to its coverage.

© Telegeography.com

…and served with “red napkins”….

The feeling that a come from behind victory gives is extraordinary. If someone still questions the ability of this team to deliver without CR, then they should go back to their football lessons. What a good match that was! And Ryan Giggs just proved why he is considered one of the best winger of all times. That shot was tremendous. And so was Ando’s finish. People may say whatever they want to about his commitment, continuity, etc. He answered them with his boot!

Cant wait for the City game now. It will be interesting to see whether city would play Tevez, especially after the Ade-gate scandal. If Ade misses out, I don’t think city have got enough in their ultra rich selves to do the needful on the pitch.

Bring on the blues…..we are waiting.

A trio of Japanese electronics firms – Hitachi, Casio and NEC – have announced plans to merge their mobile phone operations in a bid to reduce costs and improve their competitive position in the domestic market. The three companies are relative minnows in the mobile phone market but plan to change this by agreeing to share technology and resources. From 2010 NEC will take a 71% equity stake in the enlarged entity, with Casio owning 20% and Hitachi holding a 9% stake. The tie-up will catapult the group into second position in terms of Japan’s leading mobile phone makers, with analysts predicting more consolidation could follow in the intensely competitive Japanese mobile market. All three vendors have suffered badly during the downturn.

DoT announces 7 December date for 3G auction; CDMA1xEVDO and WiMAX sales on 9 December.

Progress on the long-delayed Indian 3G auctions once again appears to be gaining momentum; on the back of recent decisions by a group of ministers confirming the base price for spectrum, the government has finally announced the auction date for UMTS spectrum. According to the Economic Times, the state will hold the W-CDMA auction on 7 December 2009, with bids invited between 26 October and 13 November; auctions for CDMA 1xEVDO and WiMAX licenses will be held two days later. Successful bidders will be required to pay deposits within five days of the auction closing, and the balance will be due after 15 days. A revised memorandum is expected to be produced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 29 September, detailing the new timeline.

Keen to ensure that no issues arise at the bidding stage, the state has also called on all interested parties to submit ownership information, alongside compliance certificates, and this documentation must be received by the DoT by 23 November. Details of company shareholdings must also be submitted, with a deadline of 18 November. In addition, the DoT has announced it will hold a pre-bid conference on 12 October, with a deadline of 8 October for any questions to be heard at the meeting.

It has been claimed by an industry experts that telcos in Australia are in a unique position to profit from online content, despite this area being traditionally dominated by Hollywood studios.

It has been claimed recently by an industry official that teclos in Australia are in a ‘unique position’ to benefit and profit from online content. Online content has become more and more popular as a result of more widespread and higher speed broadband, and telcos in Australia could really cash in on this according to Internode MD Simon Hackett, who was addressing the Telecoms World Conference.

Hackett stated: “It’s probably the reason why Hollywood hasn’t moved into this country as fast as people might like it to, apart from the overall market size is the fact that there’s a perception those download caps are a barrier to take-up by consumers here. I actually think they’re not nearly as much of a barrier as Hollywood might think.”

He went on to state: “In the US you have this whole conversation around network neutrality, which I interpret as being the outbreak of the tension with unlimited value providers who don’t have a way to charge for the higher amount of data, and the fact that they’re being used as an easy transport path without being part of the value chain.”

He also added: “So in Australia we’re standing here with download caps – actually that provides us with an opportunity as an industry to say ‘well we can take that [content] off the meter, but you need to… make us an active part of the value chain in return. And that’s unique here. The issue comes down to making sure everyone on the value chain can actually get paid. Because in the act of unmetering stuff we’re actually giving away stuff that previously we were charging for… the issue then of course is what happens when you unmeter a massive firehose.”
© Broadband Expert