Bharti Teletech becomes certified as a Polycom Authorised Service Partner

Bharti Teletech Limited, one of the India’s most leading manufacturers and distributors of telecom & allied products, announced today that it has been named an Authorized Service Partner (ASP) under the Polycom Partner Service Program. This program recognizes the commitment of Polycom's channel partner to provide best-in-class service and support by having met the technical training and service delivery criteria to provide partner installation and support – ensuring that all Polycom customers receive a reliable and consistent level of service wherever they are located.
The certification provides customers with the assurance that Bharti Teletech has the knowledge, training and expertise for the deployment and service of Polycom’s market-leading voice and video conferencing products. Bharti Teletech’s dedicated Polycom service team will ensure the first level of support for service issues within India, enhancing response time for customers. The services provided by Bharti Teletech will include maintenance, advanced services, training, software support (update & upgrade), telephone support, technical support and end-user customer support.
"We are proud to be recognized by Polycom as one of its Authorised Service Partner in this industry," said Mr Sunil Kr Goyal, CEO, Bharti Teletech. “This recognition as an Authorised Service Partner demonstrates the importance we place on providing consistent high quality service and support to customers. Now, customers of Polycom will benefit with instant product service within India” he added.
“Polycom has the broadest services coverage of any vendor in the unified collaboration market,” said Mr. Paul Newell, Director, Strategic & Technical Sales and Country Manager, India & SAARC, Polycom. “This certification recognizes Bharti Teletech's commitment to providing consistent high-quality support in the deployment and service of Polycom solutions – ensuring customers are able to derive maximum return on their investments.”
Polycom Partner Service Program (PPSP)
Under the Polycom Partner Service Program, Bharti Teletech has been authorized to sell Partner Premier Services and provide remote technical help desk support for all products under this scheme. These Partner Premier Services are available at the time of product sale, during the warranty period and after expiry of warranty period also. When a product is covered under Partner Premier Services, customers enjoy the following benefits:
Telephone technical supportRegular information on new software releases to upgrade customers’ productsSoftware upgrades/updates for currently registered Polycom products Advance replacement within India of any faulty product – saving costs and time associated with sending units outside India

Bharti Airtel launches "Special Five" offer

Bharti Airtel, Asia’s leading integrated telecom services provider today announced a new add on feature called ‘Special 5’ for its customers.
Announcing the new offer, Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Karnataka, said, “Our consumer usage analysis indicates that our customers make majority of their calls to a very few numbers which are the most special, near & dear in their lives. Also with increased urbanization and migration from distant parts of the country to the cities, long distance calling has been on the rise everywhere. In long distance calling also we find that customers have maximum usage to their close friends & family and hence to a maximum of five numbers. Special 5 is therefore a very unique initiative from Airtel to enable its customers to stay in touch with the special people in their lives at very special rates.”
A first of its kind, the “Special 5” feature gives the customer the flexibility to choose any five numbers of his / her choice across both local & STD. Hence a customer could have three of his local friends and two of his friends outside his state as his Special 5. The “Special 5” feature empowers Airtel customers to select five Airtel mobile numbers from their friends, family and colleagues and stay in touch with them at unbelievable low rates of 20 paise per minute on local calls and 50 paise per minute on STD calls. This feature is available as an add-on to the customer’s current tariff plans in prepaid. The customer needs to register the five numbers and enjoy the benefits over and above the current tariff benefits enjoyed. In post paid it will be available as exclusive “Special 5” plan.
Prepaid customers can enjoy this benefit by dialing in 12141 and registering their special 5 numbers online through the automated IVR. Post paid customers can send a message "FIVE" to 121 and register on Special 5 plan. ‘Special Five’ features Staying close to Special Five people at Special rates, Lowest STD rates across country and across operators, Opportunity for the customer to reduce his local spends by almost half, Airtel to Airtel local calls at 20p and STD calls at 50p, Total empowerment and flexibility for the customer to change their Special Five group. There would be a daily rental component for each number (Re. 1/- for STD & 50 paise for local Airtel to Airtel mobiles).

HTC LAUNCHES THE NEXT GENERATION COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN INDIA - HTC TOUCH DIAMOND2T

HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones, today unveiled its new flagship device, the HTC Touch Diamond2™. The device integrates innovation and simplicity with a unique style and an intuitive interface. HTC Touch Diamond2 perfectly balances function, form factor and cutting-edge technology to personalize communication and mobile Internet experience.

"The HTC Touch Diamond2 ushers in a mobile communication experience that simplifies how we communicate with people in our lives whether through voice, text or email,” said Ajay Sharma, Country Head, HTC India. “At HTC, our endeavour has always been to deliver the latest, cutting-edge sophistication in our portfolio of mobile phones that seeks to improve how people live, work and communicate, and the HTC Touch Diamond2 is the extension of the same conviction of ours."

“Since our inception in India, the past two years have proven to be exceptional for HTC in terms of customer acceptance and growth volumes. Apart from our commitment to pushing the boundaries in mobile phone innovation and design, customer service and delight have been the cornerstones of our success. The whole of South India is an extremely key market for HTC. We have very ambitious plans and would be re-doubling our efforts in terms of investment and number of contact points within the coming year to cater to this very important market.” he added.

SIMPLIFYING HOW PEOPLE ACCESS THEIR INFORMATION WITH PUSH INTERNET

Continuing its commitment to make the mobile Internet easier and more enjoyable, HTC is introducing Push Internet technology with the HTC Touch Diamond2. HTC Push Internet alleviates slow downloading and rendering of Web pages on a mobile phone. Users can preselect their favourite Websites to get immediate access to them when needed.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER BY SINGLE VIEW CONTACT INTEGRATION

With the HTC Touch Diamond2, HTC is introducing a new people-centric communication approach, providing a single contact view that displays the individual conversation history of contacts regardless of whether voice, text or email were used. This can be viewed from the contact card or the in-call screen during a phone conversation, ensuring the latest communication contact-by-contact is always at hand.

HTC TOUCHFLO 3D INTEGRATED WITH WINDOWS MOBILE

The HTC Touch Diamond2 incorporates HTC’s latest TouchFLO 3D interface. TouchFLO 3D has been more deeply integrated into a customized version of Windows Mobile 6.1 to deliver more consistency throughout Windows Mobile applications and menus. Focused on making navigation easier and more intuitive, TouchFLO 3D brings important information to the top-level user interface, including quick access to people, messaging, email, photos, music and weather. As part of this improved Windows Mobile integration the touch focus areas have been enlarged to be more finger-touch friendly.

The HTC Touch Diamond2 is the next step in the evolution of the successful HTC Touch Diamond. Crafted to fit perfectly into the hand, the Touch Diamond2 evolves the compact design and iconic style of the original HTC Touch Diamond. It incorporates a larger 3.2-inch high-resolution wide-screen VGA display for a greater viewing area in a design just 13.7mm thick. The phone also includes a new touch sensitive zoom bar for even faster zooming of Web pages, emails, text messages, photos or documents.

Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D experience combined with a people-centric communication approach and HTC’s new Push Internet technology, the Touch Diamond2 offers an advanced touch experience that is optimized for one-hand use.

With a five mega-pixel auto focus camera, expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the Touch Diamond2 brings the most sophisticated capabilities to a broad consumer audience looking for the professional benefits of a smartphone without sacrificing size, looks or functionality.

Pricing & Availability:

The new HTC Touch Diamond2 will be available at a Market Operating Price of Rs. 29,990/- at all leading HTC Authorized Resellers across the country.

Bharti Airtel crosses 100 million customers mark

Bharti Airtel, Asia’s leading Integrated Telecom services provider, today announced that it has crossed the 100 million customers mark. This milestone makes the company the 3rd largest single country mobile services operator and sixth largest in-country integrated telecom operator in the world.

“The Indian Telecom sector, seen as providing the most affordable services in the world, has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. We are proud to have led the telecom revolution that made a positive impact on the lives of people in every corner of the country as well as the Indian economy. This remarkable journey to 100 million customers is a testament to the vision and commitment of a company that benchmarks itself with the best in the world”, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman & Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises. “We dedicate this achievement to the nation. This milestone reiterates the emergence of India as one of the world’s top telecom markets and we are delighted to be at the forefront of its growth. On this occasion, we would like to thank all our customers, partners and the Government of India for their constant support.”

The company had crossed the 75 million customer mark in August 2008 and 50 million mark in October 2007, making it one of the fastest growing telcos in the world. The first 25 million was achieved in July 2006.

Bharti Airtel announced a series of network augmentation and customer service initiatives. On the network front, Airtel will roll out 100,000 BTS sites by this year end to set up wider and deeper network coverage across the country. This will improve network quality and resilience; build redundancies and business continuity, to ensure that Airtel customers continue to experience a world-class seamless network for voice and data services. The company is planning to transform its entire fixed line network to IP/Broadband over a phased manner. This transformation will enable Bharti Airtel’s transformation to Next Generation Networks, offering advanced services like High-speed internet, Triple Play, Media-rich VAS, MPLS, VPN for both Retail and Business customers.

On the customer service front, Airtel has started a set of initiatives to empower the customer and currently its Self Service Option over SMS already has over 100 million hits in a month. It is also leveraging cutting-edge technology to build a state of the art Service Management Centre which will dynamically monitor and manage services to ensure that customers are always kept informed proactively.

Around 60% of Airtel’s customer additions come from rural areas. For the rural customers, Airtel has already set up 14,000 Airtel Service Centres and going forward the company is looking at having over 100,000 such centres across the country by March, 2010.

Airtel offers vital health services on mobiles

Airtel, Karnataka’s No. 1 mobile network, has launched two health care services on mobiles, enabling quick access to vital information for customers on the go. In today’s fast paced world, communication is the predominant mode to stay updated with critical information, especially so when it comes to health care and wellbeing of one’s family. With these services, Airtel customers can conveniently keep track of their family’s essential health status on the move. All Airtel customers in Karnataka can subscribe to these services free of cost and ensure their family’s wellbeing.

Announcing these services, Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Karnataka, said, “Health care and wellbeing of one’s family is of prime importance today. This is Airtel’s endeavor to empower customers to ensure their families’ wellbeing on the go. Airtel is happy to introduce these health services on mobiles by making effective use of mobile technology and innovating beyond mere communication applications. Customers can access these services at their finger tips and benefit from them.”

Airtel ‘Virtual Blood Bank’ Service:

This helpline service will provide swift access to all Airtel customers who are in need of blood, the life saving element. Airtel customers who are in need of blood will have to dial the toll free number 51514 from their Airtel mobiles. This IVR based emergency helpline number will assist & guide the Airtel customer till the time his / her requirement of blood is addressed. Airtel’s aim is to bridge the gap between Blood Banks, donors & recipients of blood to the best extent possible.

Airtel Vaccidate Service:

Airtel has launched “VacciDate”, a Vaccination Alert System on mobiles for its customers. All Airtel customers in Karnataka can subscribe to the VacciDate service free of cost and ensure their children are fully vaccinated in time, thereby helping their children grow into strong and healthy citizens of tomorrow. The Airtel VacciDate service is essentially for parents to keep track of their child’s vaccination dates.

Another key feature of VacciDate is the special alert feature for POLIO Sundays organized by the Government of India.

The Airtel VacciDate service allows customers to set alerts for basic five vaccination dates and 2-4 alerts can be set for each vaccination date. These alerts would typically alert customers:

1) 5 days before the date of vaccination
2) 1 day before the date of vaccination
3) On the date of vaccination

Users can also query the system to check their kids’ next vaccination date. Another key feature of VacciDate is the special alert feature for POLIO Sundays organized by the Government.

Airtel customers need to SMS VACC (Date of Birth in DD MM YYYY Format) to 52225.

IDC Report: ZTE Recognized as Fastest Growing Telecom Equipment Provider in 2008

International research firm IDC in its released recently Insight Report revealed that ZTE Corporation (“ZTE” or the “Group”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), was the fastest growing telecom equipment and solutions provider in 2008 among the publicly traded major telecom vendors worldwide. IDC based its findings on 2008 earnings results.

IDC highlighted in its report that ZTE’s 2008 revenues reached US$6.5 billion (RMB 44.3 billion), up approximately US$1.4 billion from 2007’s US$5.1 billion (RMB 34.8 billion). Overall revenues rose by 27%, while its wireless business experienced exceptional growth of 20% compared to last year. These sterling earnings results, which according to IDC offers a contrast with rest of the industry, make ZTE stand out among other international telecom equipment companies, in spite of the challenging business climate amidst the global financial crisis.

IDC’s report further indicated that ZTE’s wireless business, including sales of infrastructure, handsets, software and services and other wireless related items, amounted to 38.5% of the company’s total revenues. This business segment grew from US$2.1 billion in 2007 to approximately US$2.5 billion in 2008. Over the past five years, ZTE’s wireless business more than doubled its revenues.

The rapid deployment of 3G networks in China is expected to establish an estimated 660,000 3G carrier frequency by mid-2009. In the 3G tender bids offered by China’s three largest telecom operators, ZTE has secured approximately 30% of the total local market, positioning itself the clear leader in China’s 3G industry.

“We take pride in receiving the distinction of being 2008’s fastest growing telecom vendor, as recognized by IDC,” stated Mr. Yin Yimin, President of ZTE Corporation. “This only shows that ZTE’s commitment to spearheading R&D initiatives, coupled with our determination to innovate and introduce high quality telecom equipment solutions, is paying off. With a strong global workforce ready to provide the best technical support to our customers, we believe ZTE will remain a key player in the highly competitive telecom market in the years ahead.”

Nuance Communications Launches its New Technical Certification Program

Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN), today announced the availability of a new technical certification program through Nuance Speech University. This program enables Nuance partners to deliver and support advanced enterprise solutions leveraging Nuance’s core products, and underscores Nuance’s ongoing commitment to partners. The first certification exam was recently held and Nuance is proud to announce that Avaya, Genesys, Intervoice/Convergys, Holly Connects and SwampFox now employ certified technicians.
“As enterprises look for ways to leverage existing assets and help with their bottom line, optimizing every dollar spent, Nuance Speech University will allow our partners to provide peace of mind to their customers,” said Thomas Shepherd, Nuance VP Global Partners and Channels. “Offering technical certification courses and exams will extend the benefits through the value chain from the enterprise to the employee implementing the Nuance speech solution. We feel this is a natural extension of our value proposition.”
"We recognize the importance of Nuance’s offerings and this certification process enables us to help our customers gain even more value from their speech-enabled applications,” said Michael Perry, Director, Avaya Contact Center Product Management. "Nuance’s new program is a great differentiator that recognizes Avaya’s expertise in this field, and our commitment to providing the best solutions for customers.
Certification of individuals through Nuance Speech University provides a strategic opportunity to increase skill sets for installing, configuring, testing, and troubleshooting Nuance enterprise products. The course curriculum for obtaining Certification includes:
• Install and Configure Enterprise Foundation Technologies: Includes installation, configuration and basic troubleshooting guidelines for Nuance Recognizer v9, Nuance Speech Server, RealSpeak text-to-speech and the license manager.• Technical Support for Enterprise Foundation Technologies: Offers extensive instruction on first level support for Nuance Recognizer v9, Nuance Speech Server, and RealSpeak TTS engine.
Nuance Speech University’s Technical Certification Program will increase customer confidence in a team’s ability to deliver the advanced solutions required to solve today’s business challenges. Nuance-certified technicians – Nuance Technical Associates – will have the foundation required to effectively install, configure and support Nuance products for enterprise deployments.
To learn more about Nuance University please visit: http://www.nuance.com/speech/training/

Linkage Inc- a globally acclaimed organisational and leadership development company forays into India

Linkage Inc, the world renowned Organizational Development and Leadership Development company today announced its foray into India with the launch of Linkage India. Linkage India will have full access to Linkage Inc’s highly effective, proven services in the areas of leadership development, organizational change, results oriented assessments and coaching, customized and public training, along with research-based human capital and talent management solutions. Announcing the launch of Linkage India, Mr. Phil Harkins, Founder and CEO, Linkage Inc, said, “India has emerged as a critical success factor in the plans of multinational organizations – a trend which promises to grow. The country is now seen as a source for high-quality talent and leadership for effectively managing large parts of global operations. With the ever increasing demand for increased individual and organizational productivity, the need for effective leadership has become imperative. Linkage India will enable Indian organizations to fully develop and utilize their talent and potential, thereby leading to sustainable excellence.”Linkage India is spearheaded by an experienced and talented team of highly motivated individuals with a proven track record in the corporate sector. The Indian entity will draw from Linkage Inc’s immaculate programmes, methodologies and solutions to offer organizations a strong correlation between leadership and sustainable business results. Linkage India will create a new benchmark and define a unique paradigm on creating leaders with global competence - interpreted and applied for Indian needs.Mr. Romi Malhotra, CEO, Linkage India, who was instrumental in bringing Linkage Inc to India, was delighted; speaking on the occasion, he said, “India’s transition into an economic powerhouse is well underway. Effective knowledge management and leadership are the key factors for India to be seen as a global leader. However, the fact is India is no longer immune or insulated to global business realities. Rapid growth in the operations of Indian companies over the last 5-10 years and the incessant change accentuated by the current global crisis have brought to the fore their inability to respond optimally to organizational challenges.
Through appropriate leadership development techniques, dedicated and superior quality training models, together with a multi-faceted approach, Linkage India aims to empower Indian organizations and individuals to realize their innate potential to the optimum extent, facilitating desired returns.”
Linkage will start operating with two offices in India – Bangalore, which will be the company’s India headquarters and New Delhi.
The key characteristics of Linkage’s transformational capabilities include:
 World renowned and highly evaluated programmes (by participants and experts)
 Ability to deliver customized solutions
 Extensive Library of “Off-the-shelf” programmes
 Ability to impact and provide market-driven topics and methodologies
 Ability to practically apply theory and provide measurable business results
 Extensive company owned Intellectual Property
 Delivery of eLinkage, the company’s e-learning distribution channel encompassing a broad range of its offerings
 Access to and relationships with premier thought leaders and business leaders
 Diverse client base offering best practice benchmarks
Linkage India will launch its first program on “Communication for Leaders” – a 2 day workshop designed to help middle level and senior executives develop a deeper understanding of their styles and techniques – to succeed in today’s workplace. Some of the other programmes / events from Linkage India are slated for the next 3 months and are around Change Management and Coaching Leaders.

Modi Mundipharma announces joint venture with Omega Pharma

At the press conference held in Brussels, Omega Pharma and Modi-Mundipharma signed the final documents, thus enabling the 50/50 joint venture, Modi Omega Pharma (India) Private Limited, to bring the first eight brands of Omega Pharma to the Indian market between October 2009 and April 2010. The brands concerned are : Addax (skin care), Calcia (calcium supplements), Cellasene (anti-cellulite, slimming), Charbon de Belloc (anti-flatulation), Paranix (anti-headlice), Restiva (prevention of hair loss), Salvecol (cholesterol reducer), Silence (anti-snoring).

Modi Omega Pharma (India) will make its debut in the $1.3 billion OTC pharma category with a limited starting capital of 2 million euro and a team of 75 sales representatives who will introduce the products to 6,000 physicians and 10,000 pharmacies and other retail outlets. The business plan stipulates that these numbers may grow 2.5 times in five years’ time. In the start-up year 2009, the sales contribution is expected to amount to 0.2 milion euro, but this amount may sharply increase in the future.

Manufacturing is largely outsourced to a pharmaceutical plant of Modi-Mundipharma (with WHO-GMP certificate) and the cosmetics plant of Modi-Revlon, both in India. Moreover, Modi-Mundipharma is currently completing the construction of a new pharmaceutical plant, especially for the Indian joint venture.

Mr. Umesh Modi, Chairman of the Umesh Modi Group and CEO of Modi Omega Pharma (India), states: “With this joint venture my dream comes true. Our group already has several successful joint ventures in other sectors, but was still looking for a suitable partner in the attractive OTC-sector in India. We have selected Omega Pharma not just for the eight brands which we will shortly launch in India, but even more because of the numerous innovative OTC products that we can expect from Omega Pharma in the future.”

Marc Coucke, CEO of Omega Pharma, adds: “This joint-venture is the perfect combination. Omega Pharma was looking for a partner with an in-depth knowledge of the Indian market and the required expertise in manufacturing of OTC products. Without Modi-Mundipharma we would not be able to make our brands available in India in the short term. We will honor the commitment expressed by Modi-Mundipharma with the construction of a new plant, by having other products of Omega Pharma manufactured in India, as well. More specifically, we refer to the manufacturing of soft gel capsules for existing products. We also want to underscore that Modi-Mundipharma can count on the innovation power of Omega Pharma as we are going to create 15 new corpoate functions in this area, which will be filled this year.”

The signing by Umesh Modi, Christopher Mitchell (Modi-Mundipharma), Marc Coucke and Sam Sabbe (Omega Pharma) took place in the presence of Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati, Ambassadeur of India in Belgium and Mr. Vincent Van Quickenborne, Minister for Economy and Administrative simplification in the Belgian federal government. The minister joined the vision that each company will have the best chances for the future in this open, global economy when it concentrates on its proper strengths, and when it looks for an equally strong partner for supportive activities.

ClinTec presents Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Middle East (PABME)

ClinTec International, one of the first multinational CROs to establish a presence in Bangalore, is a major sponsor of this year’s Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Middle East (PABME) currently underway at the Dubai Exhibition and Conference Centre. ClinTec International, which also has an office in Dubai’s Healthcare City, is Gold Sponsor of PABME, the Gulf’s premier event for the pharma and biotech industry. ClinTec International’s founder, President and CEO, Dr Rabinder Buttar, is also scheduled to speak at and chair a session during the PABME Clinical Trials Congress.
UAE Health Minister, Dr Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Quatami visited ClinTec’s stand during the PABME conference. ClinTec’s President & CEO, Dr Buttar exchanged ideas with His Excellency on the topic of furthering clinical research operations within the Middle East.
Dr Rabinder Buttar said: “We are proud and delighted to be Gold Sponsors of PABME. As the premier industry event in the region, PABME provides us with the opportunity to showcase the scientific and innovative expertise for which Scotland is so well known. It also provides us with the opportunity to forge links with other major industry players too.”
Despite the current economic downturn, the international pharmaceutical market has continued to demonstrate relatively strong growth. And while North America and the European Union (EU) and latterly India constitute the bulk of pharma sales and clinical research development, markets in the Levant, where ClinTec also has a presence, GCC countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar) are growing year on year and are estimated to be worth some US$10 (£6.6bn) currently.
“As with India, demand for affordable prescription medicines in the Gulf and the rest of the MENA region is set to grow dramatically,” said Dr Rabinder Buttar, who was recently included in the UK’s Real Business’ list of Britain’s 100 Most Entrepreneurial Women. “And like India the Gulf region also stands ready to attract major international pharma and biotech firms and become a clinical research hub too.”
Experience in India has shown, however, that as the industry expands attention will be increasingly drawn to regulatory and training issues. In order for locally sourced research and results to be taken seriously internationally there needs to be a harmonisation of clinical research standards, more equitable standards of training, as well as, crucially, the ability to train the numbers of staff required for the local industry to have a sustainable future. Without adequate numbers of staff, local institutions will never be able to play catch-up with the West.
This is something Dr Rabinder Buttar and ClinTec International are only too happy to help address. “As can be seen from the topic of my speech, training is high on the ClinTec agenda. ClinTec has already trained over 700 graduates in India and with the formation of our global Academy of Clinical Excellence (ACE) operating from several major hubs across the globe including Bangalore, numbers of students will significantly increase. Our courses also meet internationally recognised International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and good clinical practice (GCP) standards,” said Dr Buttar.
“While at ClinTec we are proud to be developing medicines that save lives around the world, we recognise the huge potential in bringing new and emerging markets up to Western standards. “We should also have ClinTec’s Academy of Clinical Excellence in Dubai ready to admit students by September this year.”

Airtel crosses 1 crore customer mark in Karnataka circle

Airtel, Karnataka’s No 1 mobile network, has traversed a unique milestone in the Indian telecom industry. Airtel has crossed the 1 crore customer milestone in Karnataka, the highest customer milestone by a single telecom circle in India, across service providers, thus ushering in a mobile revolution in Karnataka. Almost every home in Karnataka has an Airtel connection which is an enviable record.
This achievement is an ample testimony of Airtel’s ability to offer world class network and seamless connectivity, coupled with innovative, pertinent and affordable services. As the market leader, Airtel is clearly redefining mobile telephony standards. In the coming days, Airtel plans to extend its footprint across Karnataka, strengthening and reaching out to the remotest corner with new initiatives aimed at doubling penetration through relevant products and services.
Announcing the 1 crore customer milestone, Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Karnataka, said, “The first circle in India to achieve this milestone, Airtel Karnataka has made strong investment in developing the market through network depth, quality and superior distribution systems of over 80,000 outlets, and world class IT and service technologies. But the resonance that has come from the customers reflected in the trust in Airtel brand is humbling. Airtel will rededicate to provide Karnataka with world class products and services and continued initiatives to develop the market”.
Airtel, the undisputed market leader, has added a mind-boggling 35 lakh customers to its network in 2008-09. With this, Airtel’s customer market share in the State has gone up from 40.3 % last year to 43.6 % presently, thereby increasing wireless penetration in the state from 30% to 40%.
Blackberry Personal: Enhances personal productivityBlackberry personal mail is a strip down version of the current Blackberry Internet Service, to be available at Rs 299 per month, where in the customer will be able to send and receive unlimited mails, configure upto 10 Pop/Imap enabled accounts and use internet messenger - yahoo, google & windows live messenger. The service will work only on BlackBerry devices (also to work on non-Airtel BlackBerry devices).

Rural Mobile Revolution - The next stepAirtel covers more than 87.69 % of the overall population in Karnataka. This includes 71.89 % coverage of rural population. Airtel currently covers about 98% of gram Panchayats. Presently, it covers 79.06 % of the Total Highways, 89.93% of National Highways, 81.82 % of State Highways and 89.35% of Railroad connectivity. This coverage will touch 93% in the coming year.
To keep pace with the growing network, Airtel is also strengthening its distribution network. The presence of over 80,000 transacting outlets in the state bears testimony to this fact. ASC, Airtel Service Centre, is a multi brand telecom outlet (MBO) in a village.
Located in the main market, with high footfall for recharge and accessories, customers have easy access to the place, which helps in providing information about the entire bouquet of Airtel products & services, handling customer queries & complaints. There are 1100 transacting ASCs in Karnataka, and by the end of the year another 900 outlets shall be added.
Rural SUK.Priced at just Rs. 50, this is a rural pack tailor made for the rural mass. The unique feature of this pack is that every 3rd, 6th and 9th month, the rural customer will be able to enjoy 25 rupees of talk time free.
Mr. Yatish Mehrotra, COO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Karnataka, said, “We are very much encouraged by the overwhelming support accorded by our customers. For us, the benchmark of real leadership is customer delight and we would like to thank all our customers for placing their faith in us. We have devised our products to suit everyone, across strata, according to individual needs.
The unique Airtel Kannada portal, with all Kannada prompts has been well received by customers in Karnataka. Customers can download ring tones, devotional songs, dedicate a song to loved ones, download and listen to special superstar content easily and enjoy easy access to applications like astrology, news and other services.

Sunil Mittal Joins the Carnegie Endowment’s Board of Trustees

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace announced today that Sunil Mittal, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Bharti Group, has joined its Board of Trustees. Welcoming the announcement, the President of the Endowment, Jessica T. Mathews, said: “We are honored to welcome Sunil Mittal to the Carnegie Endowment’s Board of Trustees. As we transform the Endowment into the first multinational – and ultimately global – think tank to find solutions to increasingly global problems, I can think of few better people than Sunil to help us achieve that goal. As one of India’s leading and most innovative entrepreneurs with global, Asian and American partners, Sunil is a perfect example of the next generation of leaders who understand the importance of forging partnerships to address future needs.”

Sunil Mittal is from the town of Ludhiana in Punjab. He started his first business in 1976 at the age of 18 and was one of the first Indian entrepreneurs to identify the potential in the mobile telecom business. In just ten years he, along with a highly professinal team of managers, including his two siblings, built the Bharti Group - one of India’s leading business groups, including the country’s largest mobile phone company. He is the founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Bharti.

Mr Mittal said: “I am delighted to join the distinguished ranks of the Carnegie’s Board of Trustees at such an exciting time in the Endowment’s century-long history. The recent redefinition of its role and mission – to become the first global think tank – is a vital one which I support fully. The many problems confronting the world can only be addressed properly through strong international partnership and collaboration.” The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace launched its “New Vision” on 6 February 2007, adding operations in Beijing, Beirut and Brussels to its existing longstanding offices in Moscow and Washington, to form effective, independent international partnerships through which to address global issues.

EVEREADY GETS BULLISH ON EXPANSION

In line with the evolving consumer needs of both urban and rural India, Eveready Industries India Ltd., one of India’s most reputed FMCG companies, has charted out an aggressive growth strategy by entering into new categories in the ‘Power Sources and Lighting’ space. This should cater to a significant growth in the coming years.
The company has launched a new range of ‘Ultimately Powerful’ batteries to cater to the growing usage of power hungry gadgets by the urban youth. The company is also launching a series of products in the space of Alternate Lighting solutions, developed through extensive R&D efforts and based on detailed understanding of the needs of the rural consumer. The products are aimed at providing enlightenment to energy deficient households in India, as only 44% of rural households have access to electricity. This economically viable product is slated to replace the usual kerosene lantern that the rural dwellers have been using for time immemorial, because it gives more light, is cost effective, safe and really long lasting.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Partha Biswas, SBU Head - Batteries & Flashlights Business said, “Eveready is very bullish about increasing its presence in both rural & urban India and as market leaders we aim to grow our business by investing in R&D to come up with new range of products that will be able to better fulfill the evolving needs of the consumer in the space of Power Sources and Lighting. Through our foray in Alternate Lighting solutions, our objective is to provide cost effective lighting to improve the quality of life of all energy deficient households in India”.
Product highlights:
· Eveready Ultima batteries: These are ‘ultimately’ powerful batteries based on Alkaline Technology. These batteries come in AA, AAA and 9-volt sizes.
o Mostly suited for the high-end power hungry gadgets like – digital cameras, MP3 player, high-end toys and numerous types of medical equipments. A set of 2 Eveready Ultima AA size batteries are capable of lasting for more than 100 clicks on a standard digital camera
o Affordably priced at Rs. 30/- for a set of two.
· Eveready Recharge: Eveready has also launched a range of 2500 & 2700 series rechargeable batteries based on Nickel Metal Hydride technology. These are also targeted towards high-end Power hungry devices like digital cameras, MP3 / MP4 players, high end toys, etc. They come along with an ‘Intelligent’ charger which can charge both NiMH and NiCd types AA / AAA rechargeable batteries and has individual LED indicators to indicate charge level.
· Homelite: A new alternate lighting product solution from Eveready, which is based on LED (Light emitting Diode) technology
o Aimed as a product for rural areas, the product is ideal because it gives more light, is cost effective, safe and really long lasting. It is also easy to handle.
o Priced at Rs.350/- it runs on 3 D sized batteries. It provides 3-4 times more light than a normal kerosene lantern. It has lower running expenses as well. On one set of D size batteries, Homelite can provide light for 80 hours. At 2.5 hours of use per day, this translates to light for a month on one set of 3 batteries, which cost Rs. 45 to a consumer.
Over the last year, the company has seen a significant growth in its different product categories. In flashlights market, where it holds close to 80% market share, it has been working to upgrade rural consumers from conventional incandescent flashlights, which are energy guzzlers, to LED technology based flashlights which are highly energy efficient and much lower in price. This has helped rural households to own multiple flashlights and has provided an opportunity to households below poverty line to start owning flashlights.
Eveready ventured into Lighting space last year with the launch of CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and plans to enter into GLS (general lighting solutions) bulbs category very shortly. Eveready plans to become significant players in Lighting in the coming years.

ZTE SDR Solution Nominated for GSMA's 14th Global Mobile Awards

ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions has been shortlisted for the Best Network Technology Advance Award at the 2009 Global Mobile Awards, the most prestigious mobile honours in the mobile communications field, for its cutting-edge SDR (Software Defined Radio) solution. ZTE is the only Chinese company nominated for this global award.
ZTE’s SDR technology enables mobile operators to extend the lifespan of network systems and integrate multiple applications. The result is a significant decrease in TCO (total cost of ownership), along with minimal network risk and complexity. The technology, which enables smooth scalability to future HSPA+ and LTE networks, runs radio functionality as software modules on an integrated, unified hardware platform, and allows operators to flexibly and easily roll-out new mobile services.
“Our SDR technology helps operators conveniently transform from ‘network providers’ to ‘service providers’, unlocking new markets and generating additional revenue,” said Mr. Zhang Jianguo, General Manager of ZTE’s UMTS products. “We’re committed to continuing to deliver versatile, end-to-end and innovative new infrastructure technologies that help our customers excel. This nomination is an important recognition of ZTE’s capability to compete at the forefront of global telecoms technology.”
“Our congratulations go to all the nominees in this year’s Global Mobile Awards,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA. “In an uncertain economic climate, mobile communications continue to drive social, economic and technological development, as the calibre of entries this year again illustrates. To be nominated from such a high quality field of more than 450 companies that entered is a tremendous achievement, and we await the announcement of the winners at this month’s Global Mobile Awards evening in Barcelona with great interest."
ZTE’s ZXSDR B8200 and ZXSDR R8860 are the company’s two major SDR products. They helped ZTE receive the InfoVision award for its SDR technology at the Broadband World Forum (BBWF) Europe 2008. This award further reinforced ZTE’s position as a market leader in network innovation.
In January 2009, ZTE SDR 8000 systems were deployed by China Unicom in all of China’s 18 provinces for its WCDMA networks. ZTE launched the world’s first commercial SDR base station at the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The base stations simultaneously support both GSM and UMTS services, as well as provide a smooth evolution path for LTE.
To date, over 35,000 ZTE SDR base stations have been deployed in large scale networks in countries and regions such as Hong Kong, India, Turkey and mainland China.

Bharti Teletech Enters into a Distribution Alliance with Logitech

Bharti Teletech, one of India’s leading manufacturers and distributors of telecom & allied products, today announced a strategic alliance with Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI), a USD 2.2 billion digital lifestyle peripherals major, to service business customers. Under the alliance, Bharti Teletech will sell and distribute an exclusive portfolio of Logitech products to enterprise customers in India. With this alliance, Logitech will be able to leverage Bharti Teletech’s extensive network of over 100 institutional distributors across 35 cities and towns to capitalise on the increasing demand for IT accessories in the Indian market.



The product range made available through this alliance will not be available at Logitech’s retail outlets and will be exclusive to Bharti Teletech customers. Logitech will be introducing a variety of products that includes mice, keyboards, webcams, speakers and headsets through Bharti Teletech. With Bharti Teletech reaching out to over 2514 Modern Retail Outlets across the country, Logitech India also plans to leverage this strength to promote its range of Home Entertainment Products that includes the Harmony Universal Remotes, Pure-Fi iPod Speakers and Squeeze Box Streaming Music Systems.



Announcing the alliance, Mr. Sunil Goyal, CEO, Bharti Teletech, said, “We are delighted to partner Logitech in their endeavor to further their reach into the enterprise segment in the country. With this partnership, our customers can now look forward to an exclusive range of technologically advanced accessories made available right at their doorsteps. Our understanding of the Indian market coupled with our extensive distribution reach is a perfect match for Logitech’s growth strategy in India. The mutually beneficial partnership will provide both the partners with opportunities to further strengthen their reach and position in the enterprise market.”



Logitech has traditionally focused on building its market share in the Indian retail market. It also has a strong foothold in the enterprise space because of its famed product quality and highly acclaimed product designs. Now with the retail market being serviced effectively, the Swiss technology firm has decided to partner with Bharti Teletech to reach out to enterprise customers.



“We have been consistently launching innovative peripherals for our consumers. We realized that there is a huge market that would benefit from our technological innovations in the business sectors. Hence we decided to introduce customized products for these elite customers. And Bharti Teletech with its wide spread in India will help us tap this market in the best possible manner.” says Mr. Subrotah Biswas, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Logitech. “This partnership would help Logitech to cater to corporate & institutional business and also Government business needs.”



Bharti Teletech is focusing on leveraging its extensive distribution network to increase the range of offerings for its customers. Today, the company has evolved into a major player in the distribution market with distribution alliances with global majors like Motorola, Polycom, Casio, Sanyo, Apple and Transcend. With a focus on becoming India’s finest distribution company by 2012, it is in talks with leading technology companies for distribution alliances. The Products of Logitech would be a natural synergy to the products being distributed by Bharti Teletech.

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS APPOINTS SUMIT GOSWAMI AS HEAD OF MOBILE MARKETING FOR INDIA

Nuance Communications, a leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today announced the appointment of a new head of marketing for India. Sumit Goswami shall join the Nuance Mobile Global marketing group (Europe, Japan, China/APAC, and India) and lead Regional Strategies and Program execution for Nuance Mobile embedded and connected products in India.

Sumit Goswami joins Nuance with over 12 years of Sales and Marketing experience. Prior to joining Nuance, Mr. Goswami was with Tanla Solutions, heading business development for India, APAC, Middle East and Africa and was responsible for mobile carrier relationships across the four territories. During his career, Mr. Goswami has held positions with Megasoft, Hutchison (now Vodafone) and Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications) in various marketing roles. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Indian National Institute of Technology at Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu).

“The appointment truly reflects the importance of India as a key market for Nuance embedded and connected mobile products and solutions,” said Mr. Ray K. Tsuchiyama, Head - Global Field Marketing Group, Nuance Mobile. “Sumit Goswami brings in-depth marketing experience and will lead regional strategies in India and further drive speech VAS applications and mobile vernacular text messaging, as well as our new mobile search applications.”

Airtel and mChek announce milestone of One Million users

Bharti Airtel, India’s leading integrated telecom services provider, today announced that more than One Million users have registered for the mChek on Airtel service, since its commercial launch in June 2008. Further, Airtel also introduced a new range of capabilities and offers for users of mChek on Airtel. “The mChek on Airtel solution empowers an Airtel mobile user to make transactions with just an SMS, be it Prepaid recharge, Postpaid bill payment, landline bill payment or other merchant transactions like flight ticket booking, movie ticketing, insurance premium payment and toll recharge, etc.” said, Sanjay Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Airtel. “We strongly believe that mCommerce will be one of the top 3 services offered over mobile in the future and going forward it has the power to facilitate a paradigm shift in the way consumers do commercial transactions and business.”
The new capabilities introduced for all mChek users on Airtel are:
mChekMall - a mobile mall on WAP and Java environments, bringing a range of flight ticketing, movie ticketing and other innovative services to the mobile phone; a nationwide availability of the mChek on Airtel application pre-installed on all new Airtel SIM cards, allowing users with all handsets including entry-level handsets to be able to benefit from the convenience of these services in a secure manner; Holiday season offers and discounts to customers from Airtel, mChek and other retailers.
mChek on Airtel was introduced in June 2008 to facilitate Mobile Bill Payment and Prepaid Recharge. Keeping with increasing demand from customers the mobile payment services through mChek have now been expanded to include insurance premium payments for ICICI Prudential, payments for the Delhi-Gurgaon toll plaza, payments at eCommerce websites such as Indiatimes shopping, Yatra.com, Futurebazaar.com, SIFYMall.com and HomeShop18.com, movie ticketing sites like BookMyShow.com, MakeMyTrip.com & Yatra.com for flight and travel ticketing and redBus.in for bus ticket booking.
Today mobile commerce, banking and payments are seen as key growth areas to improve customer service and reduce churn and also have a positive uptake on ARPU for mobile services providers. “Consumer adoption and repeat usage of the service has been extremely encouraging”, said Sanjay Swamy, CEO of mChek. “With the Reserve Bank of India’s mobile payments guidelines now in place, banks and merchants are fast adopting our open-platform to build a thriving eco-system, and a compelling suite of services for consumers.” The companies also announced that looking at the success and current growth trend in the mobile payments space more banks would be introduced onto the platform allowing for many more customers to actively start using the services by linking their bank accounts or credit/debit cards.