vodafone

The wait is finally over. An Indian with Thirty One Thousand Rupees can walk into a Vodafone or Airtel store and walk out with the 8 GB version of Apple’s 3G Iphone.He’d have to pay 36,100 rupees for the 16 GB version. The hyped 3G IPhone was launched at midnight across stores in the country.

But, it’s surprising to learn that the exact same phone costs four times as less in the United States. The IPhone 3G retails in the US for around 8000 rupees for the 8GB version and 16,000 for the 16 GB version.

So why is this?

It is only a matter of time before the Initial Public Offering of the country’s largest communications service provider BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) hits the Indian markets. Plans for the release of the BSNL IPO have been there right from the beginning but was placed on the back burner because India’s staunch Left parties opposed the divestment of the government’s flagship communications provider.

Things have however changed since the Left are no longer in a position to oppose the government.

The third generation of mobile internet services known as 3G will hit India later this year. What is good to see is the sense shown by the Telecom ministry to hurry up with the setting up of the 3G infrastructure .The last time a major revolution in the information sphere arose with the advent of internet on mobile the government waited a long while to even consider the prospect of allowing the net on mobiles.

Things have changed a lot since then. For one India has become a major player on the world’s IT services sector. With the outsourcing industry expected to grow by at least 200 billion dollars in the next few years in India ;most of the work being done here cannot rely for long on broadband services while the rest of the World operates on 3G.

Sources: Times of India, Financial Express

The long-awaited and most-raved-about phone will make its India debut later this year, in tie-up with Vodafone. While Vodafone Essar officials declined comment, sources said the 8GB version of the phone could be priced at around Rs 28,000 while the 16GB version will be rolled out at a higher price tag. The 3G iPhone, which Apple is expected to launch by August, too is expected to hit the Indian market soon.

By Vipin Agnihotri

The spectrum war in India is getting murkier by the day. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the cold war of words, which started with DOT’s recent policy of allowing the telecom service providers to offer services using both CDMA & GSM technologies in the same circle, has transformed into a big conflagration.

By Vipin Agnihotri

This week The India Street brings you exclusive news from telecom giants Airtel and Vodafone Essar, Blue Dart and Ranbaxy.

By Vipin Agnihotri

In my opinion, the pursuit of power has irresistible appeal in the Indian telecom sector. For example, everyone is aware of how Kumaramangalam Birla and Ratan Tata made a mess of their ‘idea’ of partnership. Another stalemate is in the making between Ruias (holding 33 per cent in Hutchinson Essar) and Vodafone (with 52 per cent stake).