Tag: bsnl

Airtel Introduces Super Cheap Unlimited Voice Calling Schemes for Broadband Subscribers

Following the footsteps of Indian cellular service provider BSNL, Airtel has announced plans to boost its landline service. Bharti Airtel launched an unlimited voice calling service for its broadband customers in the country.

The telecom company announced two voice packs: there is a Rs. 49 pack for unlimited local calls for a month, and the other is Rs. 99 per month plan to make unlimited local and STD calls.

Airtel said in a statement –

In an industry first, it will announce that its broadband customers can enjoy free voice calls to any network in the country 24×7. Customers can enjoy unlimited free local calls with the pack priced at Rs. 49 per month and unlimited free STD+local calls at Rs. 99 per month to any network, anywhere in the country to both landlines and mobile phones round the clock.

The new offers are for non-commercial use, and allow users to make calls to both fixed lines and mobile numbers.

Airtel has an extensive network of fixed-line telephone and broadband services in 87 cities of India, but its user base is smaller in comparison to BSNL. According to a study by TRAI, Airtel has around 3.39 million landline customers in the country, while BSNL had more than five times the fixed-line subscribers, at 16.6 million.

Recently, BSNL announced free unlimited voice calling from 9pm to 7am across India, which will kick off from 1st May.

April 27, 2015
BSNL Announces Free Unlimited Night Calling Across India

In an attempt to revive its landline service, Indian telecommunications company BSNL announced an unlimited scheme for its landline users. Under this scheme, users of BSNL fixed line service will be able to make free calls to any landline or mobile operator across the globe during night hours, i.e. between 9pm to 7am. The plan will kick off from 1st May.

BSNL said in a statement –

BSNL has introduced unlimited free calling during night hours from its landline phones to all landline phones and mobile phones of all service provider’s network on all India basis from 1st May. This unlimited free night calling shall be available from 9 pm to 7 am.

This scheme covers all major plans of rural and urban areas like landline general plans, landline special plans and all major Combo (landline with broadband) plans. The company said that it will review the responses of its customers after six months; however, they haven’t provided an end date for the scheme.

The Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL, Anupam Shrivastava remarked about the same, “We hope to resurrect our fixed-line business, and we hope that it will attract customers back to fixed-line. There will be some impact on revenues, but with only 10% calls made at night, it may go up to 15% with the offer. However, if we can add more customers, then, it is worth the attempt.”

Since the entry of more versatile mobile operators like Airtel, Vodafone, Tata Docomo and few more, BSNL has been losing its market slowly. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is hopeful that the new scheme will yield positive results. In the past five years, fixed landline subscriptions have fallen from 27.83 million in 2010 to 16.93 million in 2015. The latest TRAI data also shows that BSNL was the biggest loser of fixed landlines customers in February, while Airtel emerges as the top gainer. Still, BSNL’s share in the market was 62.26 percent in February.

Recently, BSNL announced that it will be setting up Wi-Fi hotspots with 3G, 4G networks across the country within the next 3 to 4 years. Read more about it here.

April 24, 2015
BSNL Aims to Install 2,500 3G and 4G Wi-Fi Hotspots Across The Country

BSNL officially announced that it will be investing Rs 7,000 crore in setting up WiFi hotspots with 3G, 4G networks across the country within the next 3 to 4 years.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Anupam Shrivatava” author_title=”Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL”]

Wi-fi is an obvious choice for BSNL going forward but it alone cannot be successful. It has to be integrated with 3G, 4G network so that the customer can be seamlessly transferred to WiFi. In two to three years, we will be investing Rs 7,000 crore to set up integrated WiFi across the country.

[/quote]

BSNL has already started rolling out the service in places like Varanasi and aims to extend it to more tourist spots by the end of this year. Additionally, BSNL has also partnered along with QuadGen Wireless for setting up Wi-Fi hotspots on a revenue sharing basis. QuadGen will be setting up WiFi hotspots in the South and the West Zone under the terms of the partnership. Anupam Shrivastava says they aim to set up at least 2,500 WiFi hotspots around the country.

In the words of M S S Rao, Chief General Manager of BSNL Telecom, since huge amounts have been invested in the spectrum auction, it is a high time to invest in the networks. BSNL seems to be taking the right steps in ensuring that all part of our well connected.

April 3, 2015
BSNL Shifts To Next Generation Networks Technology For Fixed Line Services

Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology, has inaugurated the Next Generation Networks (NGN technology) for the fixed line services of BSNL today at the Bharat Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi.

According to their statement,

At present, BSNL plans to convert 14 million telephone lines with NGN technology. This is expected to cover more than 80 percent urban customers and approximately 90 percent rural customers. However, it is anticipated that the entire fixed line customers will have NGN facility by December, 2017. Initially, BSNL plans to invest approximately Rs.1,000 crores in upgrading the TDM technology with NGN technology.

The prominent feature of the NGN is that one network can transport all kinds of information or services by condensing these into packets, much like the Internet. Commending BSNL on the introduction of the new technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that this technology would help India in accomplishing the aims of the Digital India program of the Prime Minister. The voice calling feature on this new technology will be available at the same rate as the present BSNL fixed line service . Although, video calls may be charged a bit higher.

Currently, BSNL has more than 36000 telephone exchanges. Out of these, 28000 are in rural areas. These exchanges are working on the Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology that provides only voice calls. NGN will help to provide both, the fixed line telephony and broadband from the same telephone exchange. The government has planned to invest approximately Rs 1,000 crore is to upgrade the TDM technology.

March 14, 2015
BSNL Planning a 50 Percent Cut in 3G Data Rates

State-run telecom company, BSNL, has some great news for its mobile subscribers. In the next phase of network expansion, BSNL plans to slash 3G network rates by 50 percent.

BSNL is one of the most budget friendly operators in the market. They offer 3G rates that are at par with the 2G rates of the private telecom operators. The officials have said that they cannot reduce the rates at present as they have utilized 90% if their allotted 3G capacity but they will slash it as soon as they finish expansion. A sudden, drastic decrease in 3G rates might lead to an enormous increase in traffic, so the company wants to ascertain its capability to handle the traffic before reducing the rates.

BSNL at present is in its 7th network expansion phase that will cost Rs.4800 crores and is expected to be completed by June of this year. The company has already started working on the 8th phase and will begin the process of issuing tenders at the start of the financial year 2015-16 that begins in April.

Under phase-8 of network expansion, BSNL is planning to integrate 3G network’s with city-wide WiFi hotspots to have a better handle on traffic. With this process, 3G users will be able to switch automatically between 3G and WiFi networks. This will allow for the traffic to shift to WiFi which will help free up the 3G space. This unique approach to handling internet traffic might be good for the company but might lead to massive battery drain for the consumers. But it wouldn’t be much of a concern to folks who would be using the BSNL network at 50 percent of the cost of competing networks. Hopefully, BSNL’s initiative might encourage other telecom companies to give a break to their subscribers from massive 3G data bills.

March 2, 2015
State Telecom Companies BSNL and MTNL Not Participating in Spectrum Auction

The telecom industry is looking forward to the spectrum auction with bated breath. While the government expects to make massive profits, telecom companies will be battling each other to gain spectrum to stay in business. The competition became a little easy today as state telecom companies BSNL and MTNL have backed out of the auction.

The Indian government plans to earn about Rs.1 lakh crore. Both BSNL and MTNL have said that they would now be engaging in the auction as they have no use for any additional spectrum.

The Indian government has been criticized for the high base price for the spectrum; even TRAI had suggested lower base pricing for the spectrum. The association of GSM operators COAI and GSMA have said that the auction might end up being a dull affair because of the low availability of spectrum and high price tag.

During the previous auction too, the telecom operators had to borrow heavy sums of money from the bank to buy spectrum that led to a staggering debt for the industry worth Rs. 2.5 lakh crores. COAI has also said that the high spectrum prices will also act as a major hindrance in the audacious Digital India Project of the present government. The auction will be held on February 25.

February 9, 2015
iGyaan Gift Guide: Tablets

In this festival season if you want to spend some money on your loved ones, here we bring you the recommended list of tablets that you can gift to your near and dear ones.

BSNL Penta IS701C:

The BSNL Penta IS701C is a budget tablet which is available for 3950 INR. The device features a 7 inch Multi touch TFT screen and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Tablet is powered by a ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz Processor which is coupled with a 512 MB DDR3 RAM and 4 GB inbuilt memory -expandable memory upto 32 GB. The device has a 0.3 MP primary camera and it is a 3G tablet which is packed with a 3000 mAh battery.

Intex I-Buddy 7.0 Tablet:

The Intex I-Buddy 7.0 Tablet is available in WiFi only and also in calling support individually. The Wifi Only version is available for 6300 INR. The device features a 7 inch Capacitive Touch Screen and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Tablet is powered by a Boxchip A13 1.0 GHz Processor which is coupled with a 512 MB DDR3 RAM and 4 GB inbuilt memory -expandable memory upto 32 GB. The device has a 0.3 MP primary camera and it is a 3G via dongle tablet which is packed with a 2350 mAh battery.

iBall 6318i Tablet:

The iBall 6318i is a 7 inch tablet which is available for 5395 INR. This tablet is powered by a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Processor and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device features a 2 MP primary camera and a VGA secondary camera. The Tablet is packed with a 1 GB of DDR3 RAM and 4 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable to 32 GB, the device has a 4000 mAh battery and supports 3G via dongle.

Lenovo A2107 Tablet:

The Lenovo A2107 is a 7 inch tablet which is available for 5395 INR. This tablet is powered by a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Processor and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device features a 2 MP primary camera and a VGA secondary camera. The Tablet is packed with a 1 GB of DDR2 RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable to 32 GB, the device has a 3550 mAh battery.

Nexus 7 Tablet (1st and 2nd generation):

Nexus 7 1st generation is already available in the Indian market from a long time now, while the second generation Nexus 7 will supposedly be available in India by the month of November.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3:

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 T211 features a 7 inch touchscreen and is priced at 16250 INR. The device sports a 3 MP rear camera and a 1.3 MP front camera. The device is powered by a 1.2 Ghz dual core processor and has 1 GB of RAM, the tab has an expandable storage option of upto 32 GB.

Sony SGPT211IN/S:

The Sony Sony SGPT211IN/S is a foldable tablet which has a 5.5 inch screen and is priced at 15999 INR. The device runs on Android Honeycomb. The sony Sony SGPT211IN/S sports a 5 MP primary camera and a 3 MP secondary camera. The device is powered by a ARM Cortex Dual Core Processor.

Apple 16 GB iPad Mini with Wi-Fi:

The Apple iPad Mini runs an a relatively older, Apple A5 chip that has a dual-core 1GHz cortex A9 processor and 512MB of RAM. The tablet sports a 7.85-inch IPS display that has a resolution of 768 x 1024 pixels (roughly 162 ppi) which was one of the biggest downers of the iPad Mini when it was announced, as it lacked a retina display. If you consider, you can actually wait for the upcoming iPads, the iPad mini retina display.

Lenovo Idea Tab S6000 Tablet:

The Lenovo Idea Tab S6000 Tablet has a 10.1 inch screen and is priced at 22499 INR. The device runs on Android 4.2 and is powered by a 1.2 Ghz processor. Lenovo Idea Tab S6000 Tablet sports a 5 MP main camera along with a VGA secondary camera.

Sony (SGPT111IN/S) Tablet S:

The Sony (SGPT111IN/S) Tablet S sports a 9.4 inch screen and is priced at 22900 INR. The device is powered by a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Dual Core processor and runs on Android Honeycomb. It has 1 GB of RAM along with a 16 GB of inbuilt storage.

Apple 16GB iPad with Retina Display and Wi-Fi (4th Generation):

The Apple 16GB iPad with Retina Display and Wi-Fi (4th Generation) features a beautiful 9.7 inch screen and starts with a price tag of 31900 INR. The device runs on latest iOS from Apple and is powered by A6X Chip with Quad-Core Graphics. You might want to wait for the newly launched iPad Air to hit the Indian Market!

Samsung Galaxy Note 800:

Samsung Galaxy note 800 and Samsung Galaxy note 10.1 both are great value for money, the Note 800 is priced at 35490 INR which can be reasonable to some compare to 49990 INR for the newly launched Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. Both tablets share the same screen size and the S Pen support.

Sony Xperia Z Tablet:

The Sony Xperia Z Tablet features a 10.1 inch display and is priced at 41499 INR. The device runs on Android 4.1 and is powered by a 1.5 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor. The device sports 8.1 MP and 2.2 MP primary and secondary cameras respectively.

These are few recommended tablets, there could be many others as well. If you have any tablet we missed on which you think can be a best gift and great value for money, you can leave your valuable inputs in the comment section below.

October 23, 2013
Penta T-Pad WS707C Tablet Launched For Rs. 7,999

Pantel Technologies has come with the country’s first EDGE enabled voice calling Jelly Bean tablet in collaboration with BSNL. The latest tablet called Penta T-Pad WS707C comes with 3D graphics support and bears an affordable price tag of Rs 7,999.

The tablet has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) multi-touch capacitive touch screen which supports a dual screen video operation that allows users to perform two tasks simultaneously, like Samsung’s Multi-window feature.

[quote]Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vijender Singh, MD Pantel Technologies said “As a pioneer in the Tablet PC industry, Pantel Technologies is proud to introduce the power packed Penta T-Pad WS707C. Endowed with superior specifications, Penta T-Pad WS707C is an EDGE-enabled device which personifies performance with superior connectivity at an affordable price.”[/quote]

The Penta T-Pad WS707C is powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 processor with 1 GB DDR3 RAM and a Mali 400 GPU. It comes with 8GB of internal storage with additional support for upto 32GB via microSD.

The Penta T-Pad measures 10.5mm in thickness and weighs 340 grams. It boasts a 3,000mAh battery and comes pre-installed with a host of popular applications including Facebook, Skype (for video calling), NexGtv and more.

The device supports various connectivity options like WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 3G (via external dongle), 2G (via SIM card Slot), Bluetooth 2.1, USB OTG and HDMI.

February 18, 2013
Pantel WS802C-2G Penta T-Pad Tablet Launched For Rs 8299

Pantel Technologies has launched its 8 inch WS802C 2G Penta T-Pad for Rs. 8,299.

The Penta T-Pad comes with an inbuilt SIM slot, enabling users to access 2G data as well as make calls. It also features Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G USB dongle support. Under the hood, a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB DDR3 RAM power the device. It has 8GB of built-inl storage, expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. It also boasts of a 5,000 mAh battery and 3D graphics accelerator.

[quote]At the launch of the tablet, Vijender Singh, MD, Pantel Technologies, said, “This latest product, introduced in India for the first time, the Penta T-Pad WS802C Voice calling tablet PC, with a unique accessory and multiple connectivity options at an affordable price of Rs 8,299, is an initiative to bring more excitement and enhanced capability for our customers in this ever evolving market-place.”[/quote]

There’s also a keyboard with an inbuilt stereo-phonic speaker system available for the device. The price for that is Rs 1,499. The Penta T-Pad WS802C-2G comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Skype, and Angry Birds.

November 25, 2012
India’s GSM subscriber base drops by 7.1 million in August says COAI

According to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), India’s GSM subscriber base is now at 671.95 million, after major players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea Cellular, lost roughly 5.1 million subscribers in the month of August, 2012. It is estimated that the total GSM subscriber base in India declined by 7.1 million in the same period.

Bharti Airtel, which currently holds a 27.82 percent market share, lost 1.90 million subscribers in August, bringing its total subscriber base to 186.9 million. Idea Cellular lost 1.64 million subscribers in the same period, placing its subscriber base at 115.97 million. Vodafone on the other hand, lost 1.55 million subscribers in the same period, giving it a total subscriber base of 153.35 million.

The other GSM operator to lose subscribers in the month of August was Uninor, which lost a significant 2.38 million subscribers. This brings its total subscriber base to 42.11 million. Airceland Loop Mobile were the only two GSM operators to have added subscribers in the same period, with Aircel adding 793,717 subscribers, and Loop Mobile adding 79,842 subscribers.

The COAI report does not include detailed data for BSNL and MTNL, but stated that the former held a subscriber base of 94.67 million subscribers in August, while MTNL held a 5.12 million subscriber base.

September 17, 2012
BSNL Penta T-Pad tablet launched, priced at INR 14,699

Pantel Technologies has launched a new 8-inch tablet PC – Penta T-Pad WS802C – that comes bundled with a 3G data plan of 2GB from BSNL valid over a period of 60 days.

Priced at Rs 14,699 , it runs on Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. The tablet features an 8-inch capacitive touch screen and is powered by a 1GHz processor and 512MB DDRII RAM. Penta T-Pad Tablet PC, the WS802C, is portable and acts as a brillianthandheld tablet PC, according to the company. The tablet supports 1080P HD videos via HDMI and comes with a built-in GPS, 3G SIM slot and Wi-Fi option.

The tablet comes pre-loaded with several games such as Angry Birds and Wow Fish, and applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Talking Tom, Google Maps, and Skype video calling and e-book facilities.

August 2, 2012
Ignore missed calls from international numbers to prevent SIM cloning

BSNL has issued a fresh warning to users to not respond to calls from numbers starting with +92; #90 or #09, saying if they do they may fall prey to a bout of SIM card cloning. According to a report in TOI, BSNL has issued alerts to subscribers — particularly about the series mentioned above — saying that calling the number back after a missed call may make a user susceptible to SIM card cloning. There is, however, confusion over this claim made by some BSNL and intelligence officials. Cloning a SIM card requires physical access to it or the interception of the communication between the caller and his or her cellphone operator’s network.

It is said that one lakh subscribers have fallen prey to this scam. Intelligence agencies too are said to have confirmed to the service providers particularly in the UP West telecom division that such a racket is going on and the menace is growing fast.

If a subscriber attends the mobile phone before it starts ringing, the person on the other end pretends to be a call centre staff whose job is to watch whether the connectivity and call flow is seamless. The subscriber is requested to dial #09 or #90 to contact the caller in this regard.

When the subscriber does so, it leads to cloning of SIM. This enables the culprits to then utilise the information stored in the phone as also the SIM, memory and data cards.

There have been instances of subscribers receiving missed calls from numbers starting from +375 and this been on a rise in the recent past. These instances are alarming because if one tries to call back, then they’re charged a whopping $15 – $30 for that call. +375 is an international code, more specifically belonging to Belarus.

July 3, 2012
BSNL plans to outsource Operation and Maintenance of 40,000 towers

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) plans to outsource operation and maintenance (O&M) of its 40,000 telecom towers across the country.

BSNL has proposed to set up tower operating centres (TOCs) at each of its circles, a tender inviting comments from interested parties till January 23 has been issued by the company. A TOC would have a centralised web-based monitoring system and the access would be with BSNL.

According to BSNL officials this would cut costs down by 50% and therefore also free up the over worked and used up staff. This step may have come after the company recent financial situation. BSNL posted a loss of Rs 1,823 crore in financial year 2009-10 and about Rs 6,000 crore in 2010-11. Its revenue came down toRs 28,876 crore in 2010-11 fromRs 32,072 crore in 2009-10.

The contract would be valid for three years and would carry an extension for two years if required. The company hopes that private enterprise would improve overall performance from the company. Chairman and managing director R K Upadhyay had said it expected to get Rs 3,000 crore from this segment in the current financial year. The company is also hoping for an overall 15% increase in revenues from circle management and improvement.

January 16, 2012
BSNL Upgrading 3G infrastructure in wake of private launches

BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has started upgrading its existing 3G network infrastructure to compete with new private players who offer better infrastructure.

“A nationwide project to upgrade the 3G network has begun which is expected to be completed in a fortnight. Kolkata is likely to be the first circle in the country to experience the upgraded 3G network,” Calcutta Telephones Principal General Manager (Consumer Mobility) AK Garg said.

He also said that the current 3.6 mbps network will become 14 mbps network. However, the ideal speed for a customer would be at least 1-2 mbps as against the current speed of 300-400 kbps. Following this, the speed issue on the 3G network would be resolved and on the other hand revenue from data usage would also improve, he said.The project involves some minor hardware and software upgradation, but it does not involve fresh capex from BSNL.Kolkata and Bengal circle have around 75,000 3G connections.

March 14, 2011
EcoTech : Solar Mobile network towers will save the country – 260 crore liters of Diesel

Hindustan Times reports that in a government initiative – a R 120-crore project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), will kick off in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and involve state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and tower infrastructure firm GTL and Indus Towers. Under the project the existing towers will be transformed into solar powered towers.

Of the 400 towers, installed at R30 lakh each, 100 will be of BSNL. The ministry will subsidise about 30 % of the tower costs. Usually these towers require large amounts of electricity and are connected to the National Grid

“But, in the uneven areas where the grid connectivity is erratic, ministry has planned to construct Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) plants to generate DC electricity, which in turn will be stored in the battery to get consume for transmitting signals” Said, minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah.

The ministry claims that in an estimate the country will save up to 260 crore liters of Diesel annually

Multiplied by 40 = 1,040 Crore Rupees saved annually (approximate)

A little more research by iGyaan.in led to Delta Hybrid Renewable Energy Solutions (RenE), which were announced recently on 31st Jan 2011. Delta announced that their RenE solutions feature a modular power supply concept that can use any combination of solar power, wind turbines, mains power, diesel generators and fuel cells, which may reduce payback time as well as electricity bills for over 50%.

“With RenE, telecom customers can go all green using only renewable energy sources whether it’s in the heart of the city or in the remotest areas of the globe. Compared with utilizing the more expensive traditional energy sources, using renewable energy sources alone or in a hybrid solution may bring down payback time from 7 to 2 years, varying with site designs,” says Krzysztof Puczko, Product Manager, RenE-Hybrid Power Systems.

Delta Hybrid solution includes Solar panels, generator, AC/DC power system, and battery. The product is made out of state of the art facility at Rudrapur which has green building credential too. Best Suitable for Rural or Remote Sites as it offers complete integrated power system which is Simple to install and easy to maintain with added advantage of Remote Control and Monitoring including Data Logging. All in all, RenE is an energy-efficient and OPEX-optimized solution for ensuring lower CO2 emissions.

Here is to a greener India, cheaper communication and hopefully, better performance.

February 21, 2011