Weekly news
- 2. The final date for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) across India has finally been fixed even as it was launched in Haryana yesterday. Now mobile users in Kolkata will be able to switch service providers while retaining their numbers from January 20, 2011 when MNP will be implemented across India, The Telegraph reports. Telecom minister Kapil Sibal told reporters while launching MNP in Haryana, "Mobile number portability will be rolled out across India on January 20, 2011." A senior executive for a top operator added, "There could be some introductory tariff plans for customers changing service providers. High-speed value-added services such as video calls can also be used to lure new customers. Operators could also waive porting charges as an incentive." MNP is applicable within the circle, and you cannot use it if you want to shift to another city outside the circle. For porting, a subscriber has to send an SMS - PORT Mobile Number - from the number he wishes to be ported, to 1900. The subscriber will be sent a unique porting code through SMS by his current service provider and this has to be quoted in the application form. Porting process is supposed to be completed within seven working days. Even as DoT has recommended a porting fee of Rs. 19, some operators such as Idea Cellular may consider waiving off the porting charges.
- 3. The initial public offering (IPO) of Manganese Ore India (MOIL), the sixth state-owned divestment candidate this calendar, was subscribed 76% on the first day of bidding despite bearish market conditions. The 3.36- crore share issue has been priced in the Rs 340-375 band, and will help the company raise between Rs 1,142 and Rs 1,260 crore depending on the final price. According to data on the National Stock Exchange website, the institutional portion of the book was fully subscribed, with most bids coming in at the upper end of the price band. The portion of the book reserved for retail investors was subscribed a little over one-third. Brokers said most retail applications come on the last day of bidding , as investors don’t want to lock up their money till the last moment. Retail investors and employees of MOIL will get a 5% discount to the issue price. For institutional investors, November 30 is the last day for bidding, and for the remaining categories, December 1. Edelweiss Capital, IDBI Capital Market Services and JP Morgan India Private are the book-running lead managers to the issue.
- 4. Though Research In Motion (RIM) is yet to solve the issue over its messaging service, the BlackBerry maker has launched its latest smartphone BlackBerry Bold 9780 in the Indian market. According to media reports, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is now available in India, and is priced at Rs. 30,000. However, some other reports and tweets said that the new smartphone is available for Rs. 26,900. An updated version of 9700 released last year, Blackberry Bold 9780 has an improved hardware, say reports. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone supports 3G HSDPA networks around the world and is equipped with a next-generation, high- performance (624 MHz) processor and 256 MB on-board Flash memory, while 9780, which runs on BlackBerry OS 6.0, has 512 MB RAM and a higher resolution camera. Compared to the 3 megapixel camera of 9700, the new version boasts of 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash and image stabilization. Recently Tata Indicom, the CDMA arm of Tata Teleservices Limited and Research in Motion had announced the launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 for the CDMA users in India. 9650 is the first combined CDMA- GSM 3G-ready Smartphone in the BlackBerry Bold series.
- 5. The list of things an iPad can do just grew a little longer thanks to a new app from TiVo. The company recently developed a new app entitled TiVo Premiere that allows iPad users to turn their device into a remote and program guide. The new app from TiVo will allow customers to view full screen guides on their iPad, schedule recordings on the go and even control playback, all with minimal effort. In short, the new app allows customers to turn their iPad into their one stop shop for controlling their TiVo device. Other features such as searches, browsing, and sharing shows can be done without interrupting what is currently being viewed on TiVo. The new TiVo Premiere app will arrive in the Apple App Store in the next few weeks and will be a free-of-charge app. Customers will have to have either a TiVo Premiere or TiVo Premiere XL box along with a current TiVo account