TRAI gives jolt to iPhone fans in India!

By Jayakishore Bayadi

Though iPhone mania is on its peak, across the globe, Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given another jolt to iPhone fans in India. As TRAI has increased base price of 3G auctions for participating companies, industry experts feel that this would make 3G services in the country costlier, which will affect prospectus of iPhone 3G in India.

Here is how. To experience the “real iPhone 3G features” to the maximum, it needs 3G networks, which is currently not available in India. But as of now, AirTel and Vodafone who will be launching iPhone 3G here will offer iPhone 3G services through their existing 2G networks. So, when India will see the 3G networks materialized sometime in the future, service providers for the iPhone will switch to the 3G networks. According to an industry source, at that time 3G tariffs will be much higher than anticipated, which will be inevitable for service providers as TRAI has made them to cough up more money for 3G spectrum.

Last Friday the TRAI proposed to raise the base price for operators participating in the auction of 3G spectrum. The base price for 3G services has been revised up wards from Rs.1400 crore to Rs. 2200 crore for a Pan-India license. “Which will certainly affect 3G tariffs in the future,” said an Analyst while talking to SiliconIndia.

Because of its higher voice capacity, 3G services will facilitate the delivery of far more cost-effective voice; the Internet and data transport services with much lesser cost than 2G. However, this will happen only if operators do not have to pay exorbitant prices for 3Gspectrum. But now the operators who need 3G spectrum need to pay higher base price, which could lead to high costs and tariffs, which in turn completely negate the tremendous capacity advantage that 3G has to offer.

The key to the success of 3G will lie in its price, that is, if it has to become a mass service. It can be recalled that 3G did not take off in the west because of the exorbitant prices attached to its spectrum, which made the service unaffordable and restricted to a niche market.

The Indian consumer is highly price sensitive, as has been amply demonstrated in the case of 2G services, where exponential growth took place as competition increased and tariffs dropped. The same principles will hold good for 3G as well. Affordability of 3G services will be a critical factor in the success of 3G in India.
Airtel and Vodafone announced a tie-up with Apple recently to bring the iPhone 3G to India. The companies already started pre-registering customers for the iPhone 3G, and ever since, offices and blogs have been abuzz with discussions on how Apple’s new iPhone 3G will be bundled with two year contract with the service provider, like in the U.S., will fare in the India’s mass mobile market.

Courtecy:siliconindia

Iam glad that this news published by siliconIndia has been carried by top tech wesites like EETimesIndia and AltaVista News

Corporates promote blogs as office tools

SOCIAL NETWORKING sites like Orkut, Facebook and blogs are part of your personal life, right? Wrong. Lately, India Inc has begun to believe that such "social media" are vital office communication tools.

The benefits? The emergence of a whole new democratic work culture. Take online marketing firm Webchutney.

Mustafa Syed, a marketing analyst and project manager, follows 40-odd colleagues on Twitter, a microblogging service accessible from cellphones and PCs, among other social networking tools to stay in touch with colleagues across three locations - some of whom he has never met. "Work flows smoother with such informal tools.

Everyone in the company is on G-chat as a rule, so there is no initial awkwardness communicating with people you have never met," Syed says. Employees often chat online with the CEO as well, taking up problems and discussing ideas.

And when Webchutney CEO Sidharth Rao recently went to Bangalore to make a customer pitch, he was microblogging about the presentation live to employees in Mumbai and Delhi. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is trying to leverage online social networking for collaborations and knowledge creation within its 110,000 employee-strong organisation.

"Social networking is hugely popular with a very significant employee base," says K. Ananth Krishnan, vice president and Chief Technology Officer.

Part of the "highly connected and open culture" at TCS is 'My Site' - a website for employees, embedded with social networking tools. Then there's Idea Storm - a site on which everybody is invited to comment on a theme.

"We got 20,000 ideas out of a dialogue in 5 days," says Krishnan. At Cognizant, newsletters and other internal communication systems have already migrated to the blogging platform.
Employee blogging is central to Sun Microsystems' marketing communications strategy. Top boss Jonathan Schwartz believes that blogs have "authenticated the Sun brand as much or more than a billion dollar ad campaign could have done.
(Courtesy:Yahoo!)

BEWARE: IPhones are toxic!

Do you use iphone? Then it’s time to wake up. An Environmental activist group in California, Greenpeace has revealed a scientific analysis, which says iPhones contain dangerous levels of chemicals such as bromine, chlorine and “phthalates,” chemical compounds used to increase the flexibility of plastic in its body parts.

After this revelation, now, Environmentalist lawyers are threatening to sue Apple Company, which manufactures iphones, within 60 days, if the iconic US Company fails to make iPhones greener or at least warn buyers of toxins in the devices.

Also, the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, California, sent a notice to Apple after environmental activist group Greenpeace released a scientific analysis of how Earth-friendly iPhones are.

In a You Tube video posted at the Greenpeace website, scientist David Santillo claims that iPhones contain dangerous levels of bromine, chlorine and “phthalates,” chemical compounds used to increase the flexibility of plastic.

“Electronics companies have traditionally relied on the cool clean image of their devices in order to sell them,” Santillo says in the video, which begins with Apple chief executive Steve Jobs ebulliently announcing the iPhone launch.

The level of phthalate esters, a chemical which can cause birth defects, in plastic coating of iPhone earphone’s wires is greater than the permissive level that allowed in toys or childcare items sold in Europe, according to Greenpeace.

“If a pregnant woman uses iphone regularly, then chances of she is getting exposed to this chemicals are high. That is a big piece of our concern.” center chief executive Michael Green said.

Now, the notice sent to Apple and the California state attorney general by Center for Environmental Health gives the nonprofit environmental law group a moral and legal support to sue Apple in 60 days.

It is said that lawsuit could compel Apple to put warnings on iPhone packaging but doesn't require the renowned maker of iPods and Macintosh computers to recall devices or alter the composition of models yet to be sold.

“There are chemicals in some of the parts that come with the iPhone that are well known in California to cause birth defects. We want those chemicals out.” Green said

The center's experience in “hundreds of different cases” is that companies prefer to get rid of offending chemicals rather than taint images of brands with health warnings, according to Green.

“It makes No sense in warning people when they can just use different chemicals to make it free from toxic chemicals.’’ Green said.

Edited by B jayakishore

How many E-mail ids do you have?

By B.Jayakishore

The Government is planning to bring a new clause in Draft Information Technology (IT) Act of 2006, which will make the furnishing of fictitious information on the Internet a 'Punishable offence'. The Government is said to have taken up this measure to save the IT Act, from its 'Toothless Tiger' reputation.

Presently, providing false information on the Internet to get new or alternate email ids on the same Web site is common practice. But, Even though most email service providers refuse to provide two ids to one and the same person, somehow many have managed to get the multiple ids on the same Web site.

Well, if the Government gives Green Signal to the proposed new 'Section 66A', in draft Information Technology (IT) Act 2006, it will make such perpetrators liable for punishment of up to Two years of imprisonment.

Not only that, all clauses applicable under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for similar such offences will automatically become applicable to the offenders.

However, Information regarding fake email identities will be established with the help of Internet service providers and IP addresses. But, It will remain up to investigating agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) to Prove weather a person is using false or misleading information on the Internet.

Currently, the Department of Information Technology is in the process of reviewing the draft Information Technology (IT) Act 2006, and has sought feedback on proposed changes from all its stakeholders.