Spice Mobiles unveiled C-5300 handset

Spice Mobiles has unveiled a new mobile phone called the C-5300 in the open market CDMA segment.

The most appealing aspect of the mobile phone is its digital camera which captures clear and crisp images. It has a Customizable Home screen and a Big Screen of 4.5 cm. Users can be well entertained through the exciting MP3 player and can also record any song playing on the radio. They can store lot of content as the phone offers an expandable memory with a long battery life of 1000mAh.

It allows users to operate the phone in their desired language and users can add or change the menus on home through the Customizable Home Screens option. The phone is well protected and secured as users can track their phone anywhere anytime using the mobile tracker feature. They can avoid unwanted calls by using the call blacklist that stops calls from unwanted numbers. It comprises of a one touch torch and a Phonebook that saves up to 1000 contacts.

The Spice C-5300 is acquirable for a price of Rs. 3549 and will include a Free USB card reader.

Samsung unveils rugged marine phone in India

Samsung has released its outdoor phone dubbed Samsung Marine (B2100) in India. This submersible phone bundles up stylish design with robust durability. It is capable of withstanding bumps, bangs, scrapes and resists dust and water, thanks to its shock urethane material case.

It meets the IP57 certification which ensures that it is dust-proof and can stay under one meter of water for about half an hour. It also meets the Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) of the US Defence department. This means that it can adapt to humidity, sand, rain, fog, and extremely hot and cold temperatures.

“Samsung Marine is the perfect companion for consumers who enjoy active outdoor activities.” states Sunil Dutt , Country Head , Samsung Mobile Division.

This phone provides ample of multimedia features like built-in camera, FM radio, camcorder and music player. It also comes with an expandable memory of up to 8GB.

“Product innovation is an integral part of our overall marketing strategy and products like our recently introduced ‘Solar Guru’ and ‘Samsung Marine’ exemplify the same .Based on our innovative product launches and range enhancement across different segments , we are expecting to double our sales volumes this year.” states Mr Dutt.

Samsung Marine also incorporates outdoor friendly features like noise cancellation, loud external speakers and flash light. Users can enjoy the multimedia features while performing outdoor activities. It comes in red and green colors.

This Samsung Marine (B2100) is available in India for Rs 7030.

TRAI issues draft guidelines for mobile number portability

It seems TRAI wants to leave no stone unturned for smooth implementation of Mobile Number Portability in India. It has therefore issued a draft legislation to clear the uncertainty surrounding the introduction of mobile number portability.

The draft guidelines describes the rights, obligations and duties of both the telecom operators in consideration for the changing of telecom operators by subscribers.

The draft guidelines lays down major rules such as:

1. A mobile subscriber shall be eligible to make a request for “porting” (changing) his mobile number upon expiry of a period of ninety days from the date of activation of his present mobile connection.
2. The recipient operator, within five days of receiving a written request, has to carry out subscriber verification according to the guidelines for acquiring a new user.
3. Upon verification, the request is to be forwarded to the donor operator (to whose network such mobile subscriber number currently belongs) for seeking its clearance.

This draft guideline mainly implies that a user would be able to switch telecom operator in a week (upto five days). The question regarding the charging of MNP still remains unanswered by TRAI. TRAI has asked for comments from stakeholders on the proposed draft guidelines by July 14.

MNP allows a user to change their telecom operator without changing the mobile phone number. TRAI had earlier indicated that it expects MNP to be implemented by 20 September 2009 in all metros and some states,the MNP charges are rumored in the range of Rs. 250-400. DoT has already selected two companies – Syniverse Technologies and MNP Interconnect – to implement and manage MNP.

What remains to be seen is how many people will actually avail of this facility to shift operators. In a competitive telecom market like India’s it’s unlikely that people would change unless they are extremely dissatisfied with the service. Also, since almost all the players provide similar services and prices, the Rs. 250-400 transfer cost might prove to be a deterrent.

This however could serve as an opportunity for new entrants in the industry. New telecom operators might decide to bear the cost of transfer on themselves in order to lure users to change. Of course, the implementation of MNP would only improve competition between service providers, the benefit of which will come to the user. It could also urge providers to initiate “loyalty programs” which could offer benefits to users who agree to a long-term contract with the provider.

The MNP reform has been hanging for a long time and with its implementation in sight, better guidelines would only help the cause. WATBlog earlier reported the benefits which could be accrued by Telecom VAS players through the introduction of MNP. Now the attention would be mainly on the pricing of MNP and fingers would still be crossed so that it finally sees the light of the day.