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104 Pages·2012·0.72 MB·English

Domestic News - January 2011 Rewind 2011

Rewind 2011: Agriculture
Manmohan Singh launches nationwide Mobile Number Portability Newsletter
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh launched Mobile Number Portability
(MNP) Service in the country here today by making inaugural call to Kapil Rewind 2011: Automobile
Sibal, the Union Minister of Communications & IT from a ported number. Newsletter

Congratulating the Telecom Sector for the introduction of MNP and for being
Rewind 2011: Aviation
the fastest growing telecom market in the world, the Prime Minister said that
Newsletter
the MNP is a shining example of how our telecommunications services have
helped to widen human choices in a very important area of nation’s economic Rewind 2011: Banking
activity. Telecommunications provide a key tool for socio-economic Newsletter
transformation of our rural areas, he added.
Rewind 2011: Hotels & Tourism

Newsletter
Speaking on the occasion, Kapil Sibal said that though India has introduced

Mobile Number Portability relatively late vis-à-vis other developed countries Rewind 2011: Information
but at the same time it has done so by adopting latest technologies and Technology Newsletter
methodology. India has now joined the band wagon of advanced countries
Rewind 2011: Infrastructure
like USA, UK, China etc. in providing the MNP. He further stated that seeing
Newsletter
the size of the country, number of subscribers & their growth rate and the

number of operators per Licensed Service Area, there will be hardly any
Rewind 2011: M&A Newsletter
country with a network of so much complexity where MNP has been
implemented. Read More… Rewind 2011: Metal & Mining
Newsletter

TRAI to unveil new proposals on 2G spectrum soon
Rewind 2011: Oil & Gas
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will reportedly come out with
Newsletter
fresh proposals on 2G mobile phone spectrum pricing in the next few days.
According to reports, TRAI had recommended in May last year that mobile Rewind 2011: Real Estate
carriers pay a one-time fee for holding 2G radio-spectrum beyond 6.2 mega Newsletter
hertz based on 3G prices. The regulator would submit fresh proposals to the
Rewind 2011: Retail Newsletter
government after a consultation process.

Rewind 2011: Telecom
SC issues notice to 11 telecom, Centre Newsletter
The Supreme Court took cognizance of a public interest litigation (PIL) to
cancel 2G licences that were issued in 2008 and served notices to the
Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the TRAI and 11 telecom
companies. The companies, TRAI and the Union Government have to respond
to the apex court before 1st February, which is when the court will next hear
the matter. The PIL was filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan on behalf of the
Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) and others. The petitioners
demanded that licences of those companies who failed to comply with their
roll out obligations within set time frames by the licences be cancelled. The
bench comprising Justices G.S Singhvi and Ashok Kumar Ganguly demanded
that TRAI be made party to the proceedings. The court took up the matter
based on a letter dated 18th November 2010 from TRAI to DoT Secretary,
which asked the Government to cancel the licences of companies who had
failed to comply with their licence obligations. DoT has already collected Rs.
930mn as fines and penalty for delaying roll out obligations. These fines are
consequence of show cause notices sent by DoT early December 2010 to the
companies. However, the DoT is yet to cancel any licences. On issue of
cancellations, the companies have time till mid-February to respond.

Kapil Sibal announces 100-day agenda for Telecom Ministry
Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister of communications and Information
Technology announced action plan of the Ministry of Communications and IT
for next 100 days. The Minister said that the action plan has been worked so
as to ensure that the common people gets services at the reasonable cost,
the Industry remains robust and the Government gets its share of revenue.
Action Plan of the Departments of Telecommunications, Information
Technology and Posts was announced in a Press conference here today.
Department wise Plan of Action is as under: Read More…

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Vodafone objects Essar's plan to seek Indian valuation: report
Vodafone Group Plc reportedly objected to its Indian partner Essar Group’s
plan to value the stake held in Vodafone Essar Ltd. According to reports,
Essar Group has sought legal approval from the Madras high court to merge
unlisted Essar Telecommunications Holdings Pvt. Ltd (ETHL), which owns an
11% stake in Vodafone Essar Pvt. Ltd, with listed India Securities Ltd (ISL).
Vodafone has primarily objected on the grounds that it does not want a
company in which it holds a majority interest to become the subject of a false
market. Vodafone is concerned that the value of ISL could be misinterpreted
as a fair market value of Vodafone Essar. Read More

RIM gives solution to India for messenger access: report
Research In Motion reportedly said that it had given a solution to India ahead
of a Jan. 31 target date for access to consumer services including BlackBerry
Messenger, but reiterated that no changes can be made to the security
system for corporate emails. Indian government in October last year said
that RIM had set up an interim arrangement for lawful interception of
BlackBerry Messenger services and assured a final solution by end-January.
According to reports, RIM said in a customer update the solution it had given
would enable Indian wireless carriers to address lawful access requirements
for consumer messaging services including BlackBerry Messenger and
BlackBerry Internet Service and that the solution meets the standard
required by the Indian government. The firm reiterated that it did not have
capabilities to provide access to its highly secure corporate emails. Read
More

Tata Communications to acquire BitGravity
Tata Communications, a leading provider of a new world of communications,
has announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire
BitGravity, an award winning content delivery network (CDN). BitGravity’s
network and products accelerate the delivery of media assets to end-users
and enables scalable, real-time video communications over the Internet.
Upon successful completion of the transaction, Tata Communications
(Netherlands) B.V. will own 100% BitGravity, Inc., which will operate as a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Communications. Terms of the transaction
are not being disclosed.

In 2008, Tata Communications entered into a strategic alliance with
BitGravity that included the licensing BitGravity’s CDN technology and the
federation of BitGravity’s and Tata Communications’ delivery networks. The
company also made a strategic investment of US$11.5mn in BitGravity. The
alliance enabled Tata Communications’ to enter the market with its own
global CDN in 2008 and has resulted in successful traction with high profile
media, content and gaming companies in Europe, Asia and India such as
NDTV, IAH Games, Quick Heal Technologies and Nimbus Communications.
Read More

RIM seeks 2 more months from Indian Govt
Research In Motion (RIM) has reportedly sought another 18-24 months to
address India's security concerns. Indian security and intelligence agencies
have been asking for lawful access to the Canadian smartphone maker's
corporate email and messenger services. According to the minutes of a
meeting between RIM, the Government and security officials held on
December 29, the company has asked the Government not to ban its
services in the interim period. RIM has also told the Government that it has
already provided a manual solution to intercept BlackBerry messenger
service, and auto solution for this service will be provided by January 31.
But, the Home Ministry, DoT and the Intelligence Bureau have told RIM that
installation as well as testing of the auto interception for BlackBerry
Messenger must be completed before January 31. The home ministry has
also directed RIM to adhere to its commitment that testing be completed by

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January-end.

RIM denied that it was planning to provide access to data transmitted
through Blackberry Enterprise Server. "RIM reaffirms that any suggestion
that it is enabling, or planning to enable in any time frame, access to data
transmitted through BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is both false and
technologically infeasible," RIM said in a statement. The Centre has
threatened to shut off BlackBerry Messenger and corporate email services
unless it gains access to them citing security concerns. RIM averted a ban
last year, and the Government said in late October that RIM had set up an
interim arrangement for lawful interception of BlackBerry Messenger services
and assured a final solution by the end of January 2011.

Tata Tele, Aircel only bidders for MTNL 3G airways: report
Tata Teleservices and Aircel are reportedly on the edge to bag third-
generation spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai metros as they are the only
bidders for MTNL’s offer to share its 3G network with two firms that pay the
highest price. MTNL had set Rs14bn as the base price per operator when
inviting bids from other telecom service providers to use its 3G frequencies,
which enable services such as video calling and high-speed internet on
phones. MTNL will make a minimum of Rs. 28bn from this deal. According to
reports, the financial bids of both Tata Teleservices and Aircel will be opened
in January—it is possible that the bid amount may be comparatively higher
than the base price.

DOT rejects RCOM's allocation for additional 2G spectrum: report
Department of Telecom has reportedly rejected Reliance Communication's
application for additional 2G spectrum on grounds that it would be
inappropriate to give air waves to any operator at a time when the entire
allocation policy is under the scanner. In December, RCom had put in its
request for spectrum up to 6.2 Mhz in 12 circles. According to reports, in its
representation to the DoT, the company had said that it was eligible for 6.2
Mhz of spectrum. In May 2010, the TRAI had suggested giving additional
spectrum first to operators that had already received start-up air waves.
Going by the regulator's recommendations, RCom should get be the first to
get spectrum.

RIL targets national rollout of 4G broadband by December: report
Reliance Industries Ltd, is reportedly targeting a national rollout of its fourth-
generation broadband services on December 28 this year. Through a firm
called Rancore, RIL is in the process of evaluating proposals from different
network equipment makers and service providers. According to reports,
officials at RIL are working towards getting the network ready for rollout on
December 28. In mid-December, Rancore Technologies, an associate firm of
RIL invited request for information or RFI from various service providers and
equipment manufacturers including Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson,
Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei and ZTE. RIL is pinning plans on Long-Term Evolution
(LTE), the broadband technology pioneered by the US-based Qualcomm Inc.

2G scam...Tenure of one-man DoT panel extended
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications &
Information Technology, has extended the tenure of One Man Committee
comprising Justice Shivraj V. Patil, retired Judge of the Supreme Court up to
January 31, 2011. DoT has earlier notified on December 13, 2010 the terms
of reference of the One Man Committee for looking into the appropriateness
of procedures followed by the DoT in issuance of licences and allocation of
spectrum during 2001-2009.

MTS announces plans for MNP...Rolls out attractive offers
Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd (SSTL) which operates its telecom services
under the brand MTS; today announced a range of innovative offerings for

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GSM and CDMA customers wanting to come on board the MTS’ congestion
free network. These offerings have been specially designed to offer
convenience and benefits to customers switching to MTS’ network. MTS has
partnered with leading banks to offer the latest range of Smartphones
through Easy Monthly Instalment (EMI) options. The customers can enjoy a
slew of benefits including free MTS to MTS local calls, free data and free local
SMS. Customers can also enjoy the popular tariff of MTS – Half paisa,
pioneered by MTS. Read More

RCOM gets clean chit on Swan Telecom stake
Reliance Communications reportedly gets clearance from Indian Ministry of
Corporate Affairs from allegations that it held more than 10% of Etisalat EB
(formerly Swan Telecom) which would be have been a breach of Indian law,
which limits cross shareholdings in rival companies. According to reports,
Reliance Communications had no equity share holding or voting rights in any
of the subsidiary companies who created Etisalat DB. The company was
created in 2007 and was granted telecoms licenses in January 2008,
although RCom did hold a 9.9% equity stake in the firm at the time. The UAE
based Etisalat later took a 45% stake in the company. The company is still
facing a show notice from the regulator to explain why it should not forfeit
some of its licenses, which is it alleged to have been awarded without the
necessary qualifications.

RCOM draws down ECB of US$ 255mn for 3G Spectrum refinancing
Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) has drawn down US$ 255 Million
(Rs. 1155 Cr) by way of External Commercial Borrowing to part refinance
rupee resources used for 3G Spectrum fee payment to the Department of
Telecommunications (DOT), Government of India. This loan is funded by a
consortium of banks led by Australian and New Zealand Banking Group
Limited, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, DBS
Bank Limited and Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.a. RCOM will benefit from extension of
maturity, and substantial savings in interest costs from this facility. Read
More

Apple iPad now available in India...Price starts @ Rs. 27,990
All those Indians who dreamt of owning the Apple iPad can rejoice, as the US
company has finally decided to market the most sought-after gadget in the
world in India starting today. Gizmo lovers in India can visit the nearest
Apple retailer (or iStore) and pick up the tablet device that has taken the
technology world by a strom. What's more, the Apple iPad is available in
India at an unbelievable starting price of Rs. 27,990. The standard version of
the iPad (16 GB, wi-fi only) has been selling at Rs. 33,000 in the grey market
and on online stores. In less than a year of its launch, Apple has sold nearly
15 million iPad units. The iPad launch was announced in the US exactly a
year ago (January 27, 2010), and went on sale in April 2011. Apple will sell
six versions of the iPad in India with storage capacities of 16 GB, 32 GB or 64
GB. One can either pick up iPad with Wi-Fi only or iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G. The
16 GB Wi-Fi only version will be priced at Rs. 27,990 while the top of the line
64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G version will be priced at Rs. 44,990. Read More

RIM to Indian Govt: can't give access to corporate emails
Research In Motion (RIM) told the Indian Government that it was not
possible for it to provide access to the corporate email accounts of its
BlackBerry customers. The Canadian maker of the BlackBerry smartphones
has been in talks with the concerned domestic authorities on giving access to
Indian security agencies to its corporate email and BlackBerry Messanger
services. There is no technology available that will allow monitoring of the
email service, Robert Crow, RIM's Vice President for industry, government
and university relations. "We can't give a solution for enterprise services
[corporate email]. It's not possible to do so, because the keys of that service

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are with the corporate enterprises and corporate entity that owns the
server," Crow said. Read More…

airtel makes its 3G debut
Bharti airtel announced the launch of its 3G service in India - bringing the
airtel internet experience on 3G first to Karnataka - its largest circle by
revenue market share. airtel is targeting to launch in all 13 license circles by
March. airtel introduced easy-to-understand intuitive 3G tariffs with
personalised data usage limits. airtel 3G customers will be empowered to
manage their 3G data usage alert and prevent ‘bill shock’ with proactive,
personalized and timely data usage alerts. Announcing this, Sanjay Kapoor,
CEO - Bharti airtel (India & South Asia) said, “World over ‘data traffic’ on the
back of high speed internet and use of social networking has already
exceeded the ‘Voice traffic’. India is ushering in the domain - though later
than most of the world - but no doubt we will catch up at a much faster
speed. 3G is much more than a technology migration - it is a
transformational shift - and airtel's focus would be to bring to its customers
an enriched user experience on the back of a world class delivery network. I
welcome all 745 million mobile customers of the country to be a part of this
journey with airtel!"

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International News - January 2011

Steve Jobs goes on medical leave
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is going on a medical leave amid reports of
deterioration in his health as he continues to battle a rare form of cancer and
the effects of a liver transplant, according to reports. Shares in Apple fell 6%
on the Frankfurt market after the company said that Jobs was granted a
medical leave. US markets were shut on Monday on account of the Martin
Luther King Jr. day. US stock futures signaled losses for benchmark indexes
as the news of Jobs taking a medical leave spurred concern over the
prospects for the maker of iPad, iPhone and Macintosh computer. The
announcement may lead to a marginal decline in Apple's stock, which has
rallied 319% since March 2009.

COO Tim Cook will look after Apple in the absence of Jobs, who is taking
leave for health reasons for the third time in seven years. Jobs’s last medical
leave was disclosed after markets closed in New York on Jan. 14, 2009. Apple
shares fell at least 9.9% in after-hours trading that day and then declined
2.3% on Jan. 15 in the first full trading session. The shares recovered and
rose 70% through June 29, 2009, the day Apple announced his return to
work. Apple shares closed last week at US$348.48, a record high. Apple has
a market value of US$321bn, behind only Exxon Mobil, which is worth
US$392.5bn.

…Steve Jobs’ letter to Apple employees

…..Apple shares fall in pre-market as Jobs takes leave

iPhone 4 alarm fails to ring on New Year
The New Year kicked off on a rather sour note for thousands of iPhone users
across the globe, as its alarms failed to ring aloud due to a technical glitch.
Users who set their iPhone alarm for a single wake-up rather than recurring
ones found themselves in the bed for longer than usual as the alarm didn't
go off on the set time. The glitch affects iPhones using Apple's latest iOS 4.0
operating system, including earlier versions of the smart phone whose users
have upgraded to the latest software. Online postings on blogs and social
media web sites showed that people being late for work, church services and
other appointments over the weekend because of the failed alarm. Apple said
that the glitch, which had to do with the phone’s clocks, will be resolved
soon, according to reports. All alarms should be working properly by January
3, an Apple spokeswoman was quoted as saying. The iPhone’s alarm has
shown to have problems in the past, including not recognizing daylight
savings time, making the alarm go off at the wrong time, according to
reports. In early November, Apple had said that the end of daylight savings
time could cause problems for iPhone users.

Qualcomm to acquire Atheros for US$3.1bn
Qualcomm would acquire Atheros in a transaction valued at approximately
US$3.5bn. Under the terms of the agreement, Atheros shareholders will
receive US$45 for each share of common stock held. Although Qualcomm’s
acquisition price represents about a 21.5% premium over Atheros’s closing
share price on January 3, (and approximately 29% more than the stock’s
average over the last month), the average offer price for all announced
acquisitions in the US for 2010 was 43.2% more than the targeted
company’s 30-day average.

In addition, Atheros has enjoyed steady growth in sales, recently announcing
that the company’s revenue in the third quarter of 2010 was a record
US$247.1mn, up 4% compared the second quarter of 2010. Third quarter
2010 revenue increased 58% compared to US$156.6mn reported in the third
quarter of 2009. Under the terms of the agreement, Atheros stockholders will

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receive cash of US$45 in exchange for each share of Atheros common stock.
Atheros’ current president and CEO, Dr. Craig H. Barratt is expected to join
Qualcomm as president of Qualcomm Networking & Connectivity.

iPhone to be available on Verizon network from Feb 10
Starting next month, the iPhone will finally be available on the Verizon
Wireless network in the USA. The much-awaited move was confirmed by
Verizon. The development also marked Apple's entry into the CDMA space.
Verizon said that it will begin selling Apple's iPhone on Feb. 10, ending
AT&T's four-year monopoly over the smartphone. Existing Verizon customers
can start pre-ordering the device Feb. 3. The price will be US$199 for 16GB
device, US$299 for 32GB model, both with two-year plans. Verizon did not
outline the phone and data plan pricing, which will be announced in the
future. Since being introduced in 2007, Apple's phone has only been available
through AT&T’s network in the US.

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Domestic News - February 2011

A Raja, 2 aides sent to 5-day custody
Former telecom minister A Raja and his two former aides - former telecom
secretary Siddharth Behura and personal secretary RK Chandolia were
remanded to a five-day custody by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
special court in New Delhi in connection with the 2G spectrum scam. "The
prayer of police custody is justified and all three accused are accordingly
remanded to police custody till Feb 8," special CBI judge O.P. Saini said in a
statement. Raja was on Feb. 3 presented in the Patiala House court along
with his two aides.

"We will also be filing a formal charge sheet against the three accused within
60 days," a senior CBI officer said. "There could be further arrests." The
allegation against the three accused are that they allotted the unified access
service licences in violation of rules and procedures and caused huge loss
estimated to be Rs. 220bn to the Government, Saini said. "The allegation
against the trio is very serious on the face of it and required no elaboration.
Accordingly, considering the nature of the allegation, seriousness and gravity
of offences, there is a consequent need of interrogation of the accused
persons," he added. Read More

DoT procedures not in tune with extant policies
The Union Minister of Communications and IT, Kapil Sibal briefed media on
the report submitted by the One Man Committee (OMC) comprising of Justice
(Retired) Shivraj Patil, a former judge of the Supreme Court.

Following is the text of the press brief.
“On December 13, 2010, Government had appointed a One Man Committee
(OMC) comprising of Justice (Retired) Shivraj Patil, a former judge of the
Supreme Court. The OMC was constituted to go into deficiencies in the
formulation and implementation of internal procedures by the DOT in the
issuance of 2G licenses and allocation of spectrum during the period 2001-
09. The OMC submitted its report on January 31.

“The major finding of the Report is that since 2001, the internal procedures
adopted by DoT /Government have not been in tune with extant policies and
directions of Government. It has held that the decisions taken by DOT in
respect of grant of UASL licenses (bundled with spectrum), right from 2003
onwards and including the actions in 2007-2008, were neither consistent with
the decisions of the Union Cabinet dated October 31, 2003 nor the
recommendations of TRAI.

SC says 2G licences cannot be cancelled on CAG report
The Supreme Court made it clear that the CAG report cannot be the only
basis for cancellation of licences for the 2G spectrum and any decision taken
by the Government on the issue will be subject to the outcome of the
petitions pending before it. "Everything the Government does after filing of
the petition, is subject to the outcome of the petitions,'' a Bench comprising
Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice A.K. Ganguly said. "We do not know what
they are doing. But if they do, it is subject to the outcome of our order,'' the
Bench said. The remarks by the Bench came on the plea by an NGO Centre
for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) which was seeking a direction to the
Government for restraining it from regularising the licence of the telecom
companies which failed to meet the roll-out obligations. The NGO's counsel,
Prashant Bhushan, said that the Government was regularising the licences of
the companies by imposing penalties on the companies. The Bench further
said: "If the licences are going to be cancelled, it cannot be cancelled only on
the basis of the CAG report.'' The apex court was hearing two petitions filed
by the CPIL and the Janata Party chief, Subramanian Swamy, seeking
cancellation of the licences of 2G spectrum allotted during the tenure of Raja

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on the ground that there were large-scale irregularities on the allocation. The
court posted the hearing on the petitions for March 1.

Bharti Airtel continues to sustain growth momentum: Sunil Bharti
Mittal
Speaking about the company's third quarter results today, Sunil Bharti Mittal,
Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel Ltd, said, "Bharti Airtel
continues to sustain its growth momentum across India, South Asia and
Africa. The new airtel brand was successfully launched across 19 countries in
one go, breaking barriers of language and culture in India. In India, we have
commenced a new journey with the rollout of 3G services and pilot launch of
airtel money.In Africa, we have been focussed on developing a long-term
sustainable business model that will transform the african market in terms of
network coverage, quality of service and affordability."

RCOM introduces 'Reliance Job Search on Voice'
Reliance Communications, India’s largest integrated telecom service provider
introduces Reliance Job Search on Voice - a first-of-its-kind voice enabled job
search services for its customers. ‘Reliance Job Search on Voice’ service is a
real-time connection between the recruiter and the candidates and is initiated
by playing the phone number of the employer to the job seeker which
enables the job seeker to listen to the job announcements and the recruiter
can listen to profiles of hundreds of candidates that matches his requirement.
With a simplified process, Job seekers in the Formal Segment (IT, BPO,
Banking, and Manufacturing etc) can submit their job profile and browse
through hundreds of matching jobs (from Naukri, Monster, Click Jobs etc)
and select suitable jobs to apply for. The Reliance Job search on Voice service
will then provide Job seekers with details of the selected job via SMS. Read
More

SC asks RCOM to pay 50% of increased spectrum charges
RCOM Spokesperson has stated that the DoT had increased spectrum
charges by 1 % from April 2010. RCOM is already making payment of the
increased charge under protest. Supreme Court has given an interim relief by
asking only to pay 50% of the increased charge and for the balance 50% to
submit the Bank Guarantee. This judgment is exactly the same as what has
been passed in case of other operators including Airtel and Vodafone.

Dell unveils smartphones Venue and Venue Pro in India
Dell announced an expansion to its mobile portfolio with the new Venue and
Venue Pro launch at the Bangalore Fashion week. Designed to be the
ultimate social-networking and entertainment hub for professionals, families,
students, gamers and more, the latest smart phones from Dell are available
in India on all GSM networks. Venue and Venue Pro users on the Aircel
network will enjoy exclusive privileges of a preferred partnership between
Dell and Aircel, a leading telecom player with Pan India operations.

Venue: Your Personal Express Lane to, Well, Everything. Elegantly designed,
the Venue with Android 2.2 is the perfect one-touch, unlocked 3.5G
smartphone providing instant access to everything you love. It offers a
vibrant, high-contrast 10.4 cm (4.1-inch) AM-OLED display with curved
Corning Gorilla Glass that’s perfect for watching videos to performing
business applications. The Venue’s elliptical, slender form factor feels great in
hand and also slips easily into the pocket. Read More

A. Raja, Shahid Balwa sent to CBI custody till Feb 14: report
Delhi court sent former Telecommunications Minister A. Raja and Shahid
Balwa, DB Realty Managing Director in CBI custody till February 14 over the
2G spectrum scam. Raja was arrested Feb 2 over the allocation of 2G
spectrum case.

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CBI reportedly said that Balwa's company Swan Telecom, which allegedly got
favours in the spectrum allocation, had caused the national exchequer a loss
of over Rs. 220bn. Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested
Shahid Usman Balwa, director of Mumbai-based DB Realty in the 2G
spectrum case.

TRAI recommends a fee of Rs. 109.72bn for 2G spectrum
The Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) recommended an almost six fold
hike in prices of 2G Spectrum. The TRAI recommended Rs. 109.72bn for a
pan-India licence with 6.2 MHz spectrum. The recommendations are in line
with estimated loss as computed by the Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) in the 2G spectrum allocation. CAG had pegged the losses at Rs. 1.76
lakh crore. This figure included new licences, dual technology licences and
revenues from additional spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz. BSNL, Bharti and
Vodafone hold spectrum in excess of 6.2 Mhz. TRAI, in a letter to the telecom
department, also recommended ‘one-time’ entry fee for additional spectrum
beyond 6.2 Mhz. It classified valuation of spectrum in two categories - first,
for spectrum up to contracted limit of 6.2 Mhz and second for additional
airwaves. The spectrum price varies from circle to circle in both categories.

What’s the buzz …Anil Ambani meets Jaipal Reddy
Reports stated that the ADAG Chairman met Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal.
Anil Ambani also met Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy for an hour. Speaking to
reporters Reddy said the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) Chairman
sought natural gas for a power project. No further details were available.

TRAI receives over 17 lakh requests for MNP
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently reviewed the
status of Mobile Number Portability. About 17.11 lakh subscribers have
submitted their requests to different service providers for porting their mobile
number as per the reported data, till 5th February, 2011. Out of these
requests, around 2.29 lakh pertains to Haryana Service area wherein MNP
was implemented earlier. In rest of the country, in Zone-I (Northern &
Western Region) maximum number of requests have been received in
Gujarat (1.67 lakhs) followed by Rajasthan (1.44 lakhs) whereas in MNP
Zone-II (Southern & Eastern Region) maximum number of requests have
been received in Karnataka (1.16 lakh) followed by Tamilnadu service area
(1.14 lakh). It may be recalled that the facility of Mobile Number Portability
(MNP) was introduced on a pilot basis in the service area of Haryana on 25th
November 2010. After successful trial, it was introduced all over the country
from 20th Jan 2011. TRAI is constantly monitoring the implementation of
MNP in the country. Based on the complaints and feedback received, TRAI
has instructed the service providers to strictly comply with the provisions of
MNP Regulation.

CBI steps up probe into 2G scam...Anil Ambani examined
The CBI accelerated its investigation into the mega 2G scam, with high-
profile names such as ADAG chief Anil Ambani, Essar Group CEO Prashant
Ruia and Unitech director Sanjay Chandra being examined by the national
agency. Anil Ambani was reportedly confronted with former Telecom Minister
A Raja and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa at the CBI headquarters
for over an hour. Investigators are trying to find out whether Swan Telecom
was a front for others, and most of the funding into the newly-formed
company came from other sources. Swan, since rechristened Etisalat DB
Telecom, is now owned by Mumbai-based builder Balwa, who is in CBI
custody, and his partner Vinod Goenka, and other investors, including foreign
partner Etisalat. CBI sleuths asked Anil Ambani, Raja and Balwa if it was a
coincidence that a day after Reliance ADAG got GSM licence, Swan's equity
holding also changed. They were also asked about other alleged favours to
Swan in 2G allocations. The company got the Delhi circle, considered to be

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