Parliamentary Committee has recommended that the government allot the crucial 1,900 Mhz spectrum to CDMA operators.

“All efforts should be made to allot as much spectrum as the government can in 800/1,900 Mhz for the CDMA operators and the 900/1,800 Mhz for the GSM players for the expansion of telecom services", Standing Committee on IT (2005-06) said in its report on Spectrum Management.

It said that until the time 2.1 Ghz band (as suggested by TRAI) is coordinated and spectrum, equipment are available in this band, the nation should not be deprived of access to 3G and other emerging service.

“In view of the fact that 3G and emerging services can be provided in the 800 Mhz and 900/1,800 Mhz bands, the committee desires that the government should create simultaneous opportunities to both GSM and CDMA players for roll out of 3G services", it said.

The panel feels 3G services would be available only in the next three years.

12:40:37 PM    comment   

Spectrum is turning out to be the biggest bottleneck for Indian mobile operators as they grapple with network problems, poor voice quality and dropped calls.

GSM operators initially get 4.4 MHz of spectrum while CDMA operators get 2.5 MHz of spectrum. In case of GSM, operators with 10 lakh or more subscribers are eligible for a total of 10 MHz while CDMA operators get 5 MHz for 10 lakh subscribers. Since CDMA technology carries the voice in small packets, it can carry about five times more traffic and hence has a lower spectrum allocation.

However, as the number of mobile users is growing (average addition is close to 3m per month), spectrum is falling short of requirements and is not adequate to accommodate the increasing subscriber base.

For instance, cell sites (locations where base station equipment and their antennas are put up) should be at least 600-800 metres apart from each other to ensure there is no interference in calls.

[base ']ÄúBut due to inadequate spectrum, we have sites within 100 metres of each other, resulting in poor call quality,[base ']Äù said an official with a leading telcom company.

Bharti Tele-Ventures, has a cell site count of over 14,500 at the quarter ended September [base ']Äô05. Hutch has over 11,000 cell sites across the country. Idea Cellular has 640 cell sites in Delhi and has a total of 3,600.

Bharti had invested Rs 18,875 crore as on 30 September [base ']Äô05 on telecom infrastructure. For the year ending March [base ']Äô06 alone, the company is looking at spending $ 1.2-1.3bn. Idea has invested Rs 6,500 crore since its inception.

According to industry estimates, Reliance had put in Rs 14,000 crore till March [base ']Äô05 while Tata Teleservices had pumped in Rs 11,800 crore by the same period.

Source: Economic Times

12:40:21 PM    comment   

Watch out iTunes, cause the bird is gonna getcha. SongBird is the latest piece of open-source software from some Firefox developers aimed at freeing up the music market. Songbird will play iTunes songs as well as other file formats such as WMA and OGG. Leader of the pack Rob Lord is comparing iTunes to an Internet Explorer that "only browses Microsoft.com". Ouch. Many people have expressed anger over the DRM that iTunes uses because it will only allow iTMS songs to play in iTunes or an iPod. The big question will be whether SongBird will catch on like Firefox did and start taking market share away from iTunes. Fat chance currently, but keep an eye out for the open-source bird flying high in the sky.

Open Source for iTunes Arrives [The Inquirer]

12:39:21 PM    comment   

Remember when everyone wanted their watch to be the central hub for information? No? That’s too bad because Telson is showing off its TWC 1150 camera/watch/phone device. Yes, it’s a wristwatch that also houses a camera phone built-in. Just think of the possibilities! What time is it? Wham—look at your wrist. I need to make a call. Wham—look at your wrist. Oh, I need to take a picture. Wham—look at your wrist. It’s almost as functional as Batman’s utility belt!

Telson Camera-Phone-Watch [MobileWhack]

12:38:58 PM    comment   

Are you with these numbers? In any case, the music industry, which has been plagued by piracy till now, finds solace in mobile. [ContentSutra]
12:38:36 PM    comment   

The Cellular phone TV market is beginning to witness a slew of potential joint ventures between DTH platforms, cellular service providers and technology enablers. Interestingly, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI Chairman Pradip Baijal mentioned that there is nothing to stop telecom operators from broadcasting live over cellular phones.
The story quotes sources as saying, "Star TV is in the process of forming an alliance with NDF and Zee TV may form an alliance with a company called Conax. While Reliance Infocomm is set to form a tie-up with Dutch company Irdeto, Reliance Infocomm has even tested- technology from Qualcomm as well as Irdeto and they are happy with Irdeto's DVBS-2 technology.".

So what does it take to start a cellphone TV service right away? Industry sources say, "It would take about Rs 100 crore to start a preliminary service in Mumbai. This would include augmenting existing cellular TV infrastructure with broadcast video capabilities." [ContentSutra]
12:38:13 PM    comment