Posts made by Dipika Menon

The Andhra Pradesh state government plans to set up Wi-Fi facility at Rythu Bazaars to promote cashless transactions. Chief Minister Mr, N Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials of Agricultural Marketing department to facilitate cashless transactions between consumers and farmers.

Rythu Bazaar is a concept of farmer’s market initiated by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1999 during the regime of Chandrababu Naidu to help small-scale farmers sell directly to the consumers to eliminate the middlemen.

Rythu Bazaars as Cashless Markets:

The AP state government started Wi-Fi facility project in four Rythu Bazaars across the state on a pilot basis. The state would soon witness Wi-Fi facility in all the 80 Rythu Bazaars across 13 districts of AP. The concerned officials are negotiating with the banks and farmers to transform all Rythu Bazaars as cashless markets.

The Wi-Fi facility at Rythu Bazaars will be a boon for both customers and traders as it will ensure easy and rapid transactions without worrying about change. The Agricultural Marketing Department is in talks with BSNL, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio to provide the necessary Wi-Fi set up facility at these functional markets.

While the nationalized banks will provide necessary infrastructure like POS machines and e-wallets to farmers or traders to encourage cashless transactions.

India’s third largest mobile operator, Idea Cellular has launched Idea Ultimate !-Plan to offer unlimited Idea-to-Idea local calls at a monthly rental of ₹199. Though the add-on voice pack costs ₹199 only, it needs to be clubbed with the ₹99 base pack making an effective actual rental of ₹298.

Unlimited Plan Voice Packs:

Under this plan, the Idea postpaid subscribers can enjoy unlimited idea to idea local calls at a monthly rental of ₹298. In order to activate the new Idea Ultimate plan, the users should dial 1211298. Apart from this plan, Idea Cellular also rolled out other voice packs to offer unlimited calls. With ₹499 voice pack, the Idea subscribers can now make unlimited local mobile and fixedline calls.

Similarly, ₹599 voice pack offers unlimited local and STD calls. If the subscriber wants to make unlimited local and STD calls with roaming then a monthly rental of ₹699 would be levied. As a promotional offer, free music and movies subscription is provided with the base plan.

Fair Usage Policy Conditions Apply:

Idea Cellular has got Fair Usage Policy on this ultimate plan. This plan is meant only for retail customers and the user is allowed a maximum of 5000 minutes in a month. This Idea Ultimate plan cannot be treated at par with Reliance Jio free voice calling and surely cannot match the prepaid offering by the telecom operator itself.

@Mrinal-Chauhan

Hey! This is again a spectacular show by Lenovo’s latest K series smartphone. Within 15 minutes after opening the second sale, Lenovo K6 Power sale went off.

35,000 Units of Lenovo K6 Power Smartphone Sold:

Just now, the eCommerce portal Flipkart tweeted that it had sold 35,000 of Lenovo K6 Power smartphones in 15 minutes. Even during the first sale, there was a similar rush. More than 1.7 million visitors tried to grab the newest phone from Lenovo India.

And the eCommerce portal Flipkart mentioned that it would host the third sale during Big Shopping Days December 18-21. The customers can expect a flat 10% discount while using SBI credit cards.

The Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia-owned Aircel Group has launched a unique recharge pack RC14 that allows the subscribers to make unlimited voice calls (both local and STD) across all networks for a day. As said, this RC14 has a validity of just one day but gives unlimited calling from Aircel to Aircel, and Aircel to other networks (local and STD).

RC249 - Reliance Jio effect:

Apart from RC14, Aircel has launched RC249 that offers unlimited voice calling across any network and unlimited 2G mobile data with a validity of 28 days. Aircel subscribers residing in 3G circles will enjoy 500MB of 3G data in addition to unlimited 2G data. Moreover, the customers with 4G handsets will get an extra 1.5GB of 3G data along with unlimited 2G data.

Addressing the launch of unique packs, Mr. Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, said: “Both RC14 and RC249 recharge packs are designed for a wide spectrum of users to enjoy free calling at an affordable cost.”

It is to be noted that pricing of recharge packs may vary depending upon the telecom circle. Aircel known for launching Industry first’s products is also facing stiff competition from the extension of free services till March 31, 2017, by Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Major telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Aircel, and Tata Teleservices witnessed severe damage of its International undersea cables. As a result, its internet traffic has been affected resulting in slow internet connectivity and data speeds. If you happen to live in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, you will experience reduced internet speeds.

Vardah Cyclone Effect:

The Cyclone Vardah happens to be the most intense storm to have hit Tamil Nadu in two decades. It left total power disruption and damage to the communication network. Moreover, the sea cable system damage resulted in slow internet connectivity. Even the broadband service providers like ACT Internet, YOU Broadband, PioneerElabs etc got impacted by this severe Cyclone Vardah.

All the telecom operators have been working on war footing basis to restore services. However, the total power disruption due to fallen trees and electricity poles make it longer to get it fixed. Addressing the situation, the Indus Towers has deployed adequate infrastructure material and 60,000 litres of fuel (diesel) to the affected sites to reduce the downtime. Mr. K Sankara Narayanan, Head-SBU 1, Aircel, said: “Once power is restored, our sites would work and in the meanwhile, we are also filling diesel to the generator sets continuously.”

As a result of patchy mobile signals and slow internet speed, digital money transactions at retail stores and fuel stations went dry. A lot of international traffic has been routed as of now. It is better to reschedule sensitive operations accordingly so that there is a minimal impact.

Social media occasionally circulates false news, but this loot offer for all Airtel users took the social networks by storm. For the past few days, this fake news about Airtel activating unlimited 4G/3G data for 3 months is going viral on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.

As per the message, the user has to follow the link to avail Bharti Airtel’s unlimited 4G data offer. There’s nothing to do with the telecom carrier Airtel. It’s absolutely a fake message. When the user clicks the link, it gets redirected to an unknown page with Airtel logo on it.

The user has to enter some basic information such as name, phone number and the state of residence. After submitting the required information, the site invites the user to download sponsor apps. This is to warn the users that downloading such stuff would corrupt the smartphone as it contains malware.

Stay Away from Fraudulent Spam:

Stay away from such nasty fake messages. If the telecom operator wants to offer any extra benefits then the subscriber will get a message from the company itself. It is true that the incumbent telecom companies are offering value-added data packs to the subscribers hang on to their network. But these loot offers are something fishy. Stay away from such fraudulent spam messages.

The tech-savvy Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu launched ‘AP Purse Mobile App’ to help people in the state to move to cashless payments using mobile wallets. Currently, this new platform has 13 mobile banking and 10 mobile wallets to pay utility bills and carry out digital transactions.

Encouraging by Providing Incentives:

Addressing the launch, AP CM Mr Naidu, said: “The citizens should opt for mobile banking to come out of the present small currency crisis after demonetisation. The government will encourage people including students to improve digital financial literacy among people.” He further added that his government will provide incentives to the agents named ‘Marpu Nestam’.

As per the new initiative, engineering students would be persuaded to train common people in mobile banking using several wallets. For this, the government would use the services of engineering colleges and students and help them to earn while learning.

To encourage cashless transactions, the AP Govt has already introduced Aadhaar linkage at fair price shops across the state. With this AP Purse App, the government hopes to expand adoption of digital wallets outside urban areas. Using this mobile app, the user can pay utility bills, property taxes, purchase goods and transfer money from anywhere and anytime.

AP Purse Mobile App – Just a Mediator Interface:

The AP government has got tied up with many mobile wallets and payment gateway apps including Airtel Money, Freecharge, JioMoney, MobiKwik, Ola Money, Paytm, PayUMoney, SBI Buddy etc. Contrary to expectations, this AP Purse mobile app is just an e-wallet aggregator or mediator interface that lists already popular Apps being used by smartphone users.

What’s Your Say on This?

Though the App is in beta stage, the AP government needs to be appreciated for taking an initiation in providing a platform for cashless transactions. Hope the other state governments too will shift their focus towards digital transactions.

Addressing employees and customers, Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Mr. Mukesh Ambani extended Reliance Jio free offers for its 52 million existing subscribers till March 31, 2017. Starting 4th December 2016, every new Jio user will get the full bouquet of Jio services absolutely free under the Jio Happy New Year Offer until March 31, 2017.

Jio Happy New Year Offer:

The existing Jio users will get automatically get signed on the Jio Happy New Year Offer after the earlier deadline of December 31, 2016. However, the new telecom operator has come up with a Fair Usage Policy that will cap the data usage at 1GB per day instead of the present 4GB per day limit.

Mr. Mukesh Ambani cited that Reliance Jio has become the fastest growing tech company, ahead of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Skype, in less than 3 months. Highlighting the achievements, Mr. Ambani said that an average Jio user consumes 25 times more data than an average broadband user. With eKYC, Jio has signed up 6 lakh customers every single day and the teleco has been activating Jio SIMs under 5 minutes.

Love & Hatred:

Reliance Jio has got 2 lakh digitally enabled outlets in India and very soon the number will double. Incidentally, this is the nearly equal to the total number of ATMs in the country. Terming subscribers unprecedented love for Jio, Mr. Ambani also mentioned that the lack of support from incumbent players resulted in a block of 900 crore voice calls from Jio.

Congratulating the Indian Prime Minister’s bold and historic demonetization move, RIL Chairman said with Jio Money every Indian will now have a digital ATM in their hands.

Reliance Communications had announced the launch of the ‘149 Unlimited’ calling plan accessible on all 2G, 3G, and 4G handsets. In a clear market expansion bid, Reliance Communications has launched this bucket plan offering unlimited voice calls plus 300MB data.

In a bid to compete with the new entrant Reliance Jio, Mr. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications has stormed the telecom market by offering 149 Unlimited. With this, the subscribers can make unlimited outgoing talk time to any telecom network in India including STD calls for just ₹149 with a validity of 28 days.

RCOM Advantage:

RCom’s ‘149 Unlimited’ bucket plan resembles a similar Reliance Jio tariff plan which requires a 4G enabled handset. On the contrary, RCom’s revolutionary ₹149 Unlimited calling plan is accessible on all the 2G, 3G, and 4G technology platforms. Regardless of the type of the phone, the subscribers can enjoy unlimited free local and STD calls to any phone on any network in the country.

Addressing the launch of the 149 Unlimited Plan, Mr. Gurdeep Singh, co-CEO, Reliance Communications and CEO of RCom’s Consumer Business, said: “The new unlimited plan is set to change the dynamics of mobile recharges in India, as customers move away from a traditional revenue per minute tariff model to a service subscription model based on ARPU”. Mr. Singh added that there are hundreds of millions of older 2G handset owners in India, and RCom is positioning the new bucket plan of unlimited voice calls with 300 MB of data to get them hooked to data.

RCOM – Everywhere Except East:

The new tariff plan is applicable in all the 17 RCom telecom circles excluding the 5 eastern markets. Incidentally, Reliance Communications doesn’t have 2G airwaves in the territories of Assam, Bihar, North East, Odisha and West Bengal.

As per the latest recharge pack FR 149, the subscriber can enjoy unlimited free local and STD calls with 300MB data on any 2G/3G/4G compatible handset. The pack also offers free incoming calls in national roaming but doesn’t offer outgoing calls while in roaming, unlike Reliance Jio’s offering. Moreover, this revolutionary plan is applicable for new and MNP customers for the next 6 months.

If RCom any provide better quality both in terms of services and network, then definitely it can rule the market post its merger with Aircel and MTS.

Tata DoCoMo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Ltd, launched RC 494 Pack offering unlimited local and STD calls for a period of 30 days in their home circles. Amidst cut-throat competition after the entry of Reliance Jio, the telecom operators are offering unlimited voice calls in order to retain their market share. With RC 494 pack, the Tata DoCoMo subscribers can enjoy unlimited calling at ₹494.

Post demonetisation, the Indian Government has extended some benefits and allowed the telecom operators to accept old ₹500 currency note for a maximum top-up of ₹500 until December 15, 2016. In tune with the demonetization phase, Tata DoCoMo has launched several offers accepting the defunct currency note. One the prepaid pack of ₹500, one can avail ₹600 worth talk time.

Overcome Demonetization!

Similarly, with ₹496 pack, the Tata DoCoMo subscriber gets ₹250 worth talk time and 5GB data valid for a period of 60 days. For intense mobile data users, Tata DoCoMo has come up with RC 495 where the user gets 10GB of data for 90 days. All these recharge benefits are available until 15 December 2016, to overcome demonetization.

Addressing the launch of these special packs, Mr. Jamshed Gilani, Vice-President, Consumer Business – Tata Teleservices, said, “We have launched these special packs for ₹500 to add to the convenience of our subscribers during the demonetization phase who can avail these using the old ₹500 currency notes.”

All the above recharges are launched in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana circle and will be made available across India in its 19 telecom circles. Incidentally, Tata DoCoMo holds a market share of 5.66% with a 3G presence in 9 circles only.

The state-owned telecom operator, BSNL has launched digital authentication process for activating new connections starting from Mysuru. Gone are the days of verifying hard copies, BSNL is favoring paperless verification process. Instead of processing multiple documents, the telco will now make use of biometric data and Aadhaar number.

Addressing the launch, Mr. KL Jairam, District General Manager, BSNL Mysuru Telecom District, said, “There will no longer need to produce photocopies of identity proofs and photographs. The customer’s Aadhaar number and the biometric impression will be taken, and if they match, all information will be collected from the Aadhar database. The whole process takes only a few seconds."

Apart from its core business, BSNL’s optical fiber network services are the center of attention that delivers high-speed broadband speeds up to 100Mbps. Fiber to the Home is a relatively new and fast-growing method of providing very high bandwidth to its customers. The main advantage of deploying FTTH over other traditional methods is it being a single package with the combination of internet, voice, and intercom facility.

Currently, BSNL Mysuru is serving 2,500 customers through optical fiber connections and is installing public Wi-Fi hotspots in and around Mysore Palace. Incidentally, the state-run telecom operator BSNL has commissioned this tech-friendly Wi-Fi service at Mysore Zoo in June.

Re: Govt Allows Prepaid Top-Ups Up to ₹500 in Old Notes till Dec 15

As per the latest information, retailers or resellers selling prepaid vouchers by accepting old currency notes will have to provide subscriber’s mobile numbers to the respective telecom service providers.

On 24th November, the Finance Ministry allowed prepaid users to do top-ups for a maximum of ₹500 each using defunct notes of ₹500 and ₹1000 till December 15, 2016. Though it was a late move, brought some respite to the common man as more than 95% of mobile phone users are prepaid users. With less cash in hand, the recharges and top-ups for prepaid mobile services have fallen up to 50%.

Hailing the move, Mr. J.S. Deepak, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, said, “We aim to bring ease to consumers and have already waived off USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) charges completely.

Stay Connected:

Meanwhile, Mr. Sunil Sood, MD & CEO, Vodafone India, said, “We thank the government for allowing prepaid top up recharges up to Rs 500 in old currency. This move will benefit millions of prepaid users as they will be able to continue to use their mobile phones to stay connected.”

Facilitate Cashless Economy:

The Government’s decision was lauded by all the telecom operators and Industry bodies as this would not only help subscribers to communicate but also facilitate cashless economy through digital transactions. In fact, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General, Mr. Ranjan Mathews had requested Telecom Department to accept the ₹500 and ₹1000 demonetised currency notes in the interest of consumers.

Vodafone India, the second largest mobile network operator, announced a new long validity data pack for its prepaid subscribers in Tamil Nadu circle. According to the telco, the new 3G data pack costs ₹1,501 and offers 15GB upfront data benefit. With this pack, the prepaid subscribers could enjoy 1GB of 3G data at a discounted price of ₹53.

Inaugurating the new data pack, Mr. S. Murali, Business Head – Tamil Nadu, Vodafone India, said, “We invite all mobile users in Tamil Nadu to stay confidently connected on Vodafone SuperNet powered with superior voice and internet experience.” These data packs offer superior internet experience with affordability.

By paying a one-time rental, Vodafone prepaid subscribers can enjoy 1GB data at a special recharge benefit of ₹53, 2GB data at ₹103 and 5GB data at ₹256 only. Along with this ₹1501 pack, the Vodafone India subscribers can also avail ₹748 pack that offers 3GB instant data and 1GB at ₹106 special recharge valid for 6 months. A ₹494 pack with the similar benefit of 2GB instant data and 1GB at ₹122 special recharge with 6 months validity period is also in the pipeline that prefers chota recharge.

What’s Your Take?

However, in reality, the subscribers in Tamil Nadu circle are not interested in these upfront payments. Instead of these packs, Vodafone India should come up with unlimited packs.

In a bid to encourage the cashless economy, Andhra Pradesh Government headed by Chief Minister Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu is planning to distribute free smartphones to economically backward people. In the wake of ongoing shortage of low denomination notes, Mr. Naidu came up with this proposal during a review meeting with RBI officials and bankers.

Asking the officials to prepare a blueprint to launch the programme immediately, AP Chief Minister said, “Everybody needs a mobile phone for digital transactions, so we want to implement this idea and distribute mobile phones. “

Twin Benefits:

By deploying this idea, Mr. Naidu wants to accomplish twin goals: one is to facilitate the BPL families to get acquainted with digital transactions and the other to overcome the scarcity of low denomination currency notes.

As per an estimate, there would a requirement of 60-70 lakh smartphones in the state. The AP Government is currently in talks with several handset manufacturers including Micromax Informatics, Xiaomi Corp, Karbonn Mobiles, Celkon Impex, Intex Technologies, and Lava International to invest in creating a large ecosystem in the state.

Bharti Airtel announced the launch of high-speed 4G data services through Wi-Fi for commuters on luxury buses in Hyderabad. The commuters will enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi up to 20 minutes per day. In a bid to make Hyderabad, a ‘Global smart city’, this pilot project has been launched in 115 luxury buses and will run for 6 months.

India’s leading mobile network operator Bharti Airtel has partnered with Government of Telangana to provide high-speed 4G data on Wi-Fi to a fleet of 115 buses operating in the city. Through this pilot project, the telco will offer mobile data speeds up to 10Mbps on the metro luxury buses run by Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).

Launching the complimentary Wi-Fi services, Mr. Venkatesh Vijayraghavan, CEO – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Bharti Airtel, “This is a real step forward in modernizing the lifestyle of our citizens, whether business, education or pleasure. This remarkable partnership with the Government of Telangana is the largest in the country and will double the joy for travelers as it connects more Hyderabadi citizens than ever before.”

How to Latch on to the Wi-Fi Hotspot in the Bus?

Hyderabadis with any valid mobile number can enjoy Airtel 4G network for a period of 6 months on these 115 luxury buses. There’s nothing technical in latching onto Bharti Airtel’s free Wi-Fi in Hyderabad. The process is very similar to just that of free Wi-Fi service at a railway station.

Just connect to Airtel 4G Free Wi-Fi signal. Enter your mobile number to get a 4-digit OTP. Once you enter OTP, you will get an instant access to Airtel 4G data services for 20 minutes. You can continue to avail the complimentary services by purchasing the 4G data pack starting ₹25 for 100MB through online payment methods.

Aircel, the Maxis Communications-owned Indian mobile network operator, has launched value for money data-voice combo packs in AP Telecom circle. With this, the high data and voice users spread over Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states will enjoy seamless data and voice packs at an affordable price.

Voice-Data Combo Packs:

As per the report, Aircel rolled out four voice and data combo packs with a validity of 28 days. Of them, RC799 offers unlimited local and STD calls with a bundled 2.5GB of 3G data. While RC599 offers unlimited local calls and 1.5GB of 3G data with the same 28 days validity period. Through RC555 and RC497 packs, the subscriber can avail full talk time of ₹555 with 5GB and 10GB of 3G data respectively.

Addressing the launch, Mr. Venkatesan, Circle Operations Head – AP and Telangana, Aircel, said “Keeping in mind increasing competition and to give the best, Aircel is offering 3G data free-of-cost to our esteemed customers. By launching great value for money products, Aircel continues to offer the lowest price for 1GB of 3G data.”

If one considers the RC555, it is bundled with ₹555 talk-time and 5GB of 3G data. Practically, 5GB of 3G mobile data is free to the subscriber with this voice-data combo pack. Similarly, RC497 offering 10GB of 3G data is an unparalleled offer in the present market. After the demonetisation move, Aircel has offered 30 Aircel to Aircel minutes for free applicable to subscribers paying their bills online for the first time.

After the Maxis takeover and merger with Reliance Communications, the merged entity is the third largest mobile network operator in India by subscribers and by revenue. To recap, Aircel is a PAN-India telecom network service provider successfully bid for 3G spectrum licenses in 13 states.