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| Wednesday, December 16, 2009 |
| Understanding the IMEI Number Enforcement |
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 In a bold and commendable move in the interest of National Security, we back the Government of India for strictly enforcing the IMEI Number compulsion on handsets making it easier for law enforcement agencies to investigate in crime situation.
What is IMEI Number ?
It is a 15 Digit Unique Number Known as International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) number. It is internationally maintained by the GSM Association and updated every 15 days in network operators' Equipment Identity Registers.
It is for the Consumer Safety - Lets say if a phone is lost or stolen that whatever it is used for in the future does not come back to haunt the victim. Once reporting a phone lost or stolen, the network operator can ban the device from its network and others as well so that no more fraudulent activity can happen, however as a practical matter who ever is in possession of the device can still manage to get data out of it. [We will get more details on the Regulations and Ease with which one can report loss of stolen mobile and how to get it blocked]
Which IMEI Numbers are Blocked ?
Channel checks with Telcos indicate bulk of the handsets had iMEI numbers with all 0s or all 1s and they have been blocked. Some with random numbers continue to be existent but for sure they will be blocked shortly.
There were around 20 mn handsets without IMEI number that got blocked. But we did a street check and the Government has really taken measures to allot IMEI numbers through vendors after getting sufficient proof from the consumer. Dual SIM Phones need two IMEI numbers and they were being allotted just one initially because of lack of numbering blocks with vendors.
IMEI helps Mobile Money / m-Commerce:
IMEI numbers facilitate new opportunities and new business models such as micropayments and micro-transactions because the IMEI as a digital identifier or signature is so very lightweight. It can also be used for digital rights management of Audio / Video to curb piracy, just like pre-loaded songs on your Nokia N SEries handset don't work on any other set. |
Published on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 5:52 PM  |
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| Wednesday, December 09, 2009 |
| How the VAS Market Stacks Up ? |
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 Here is how the Mobile / Cellular Value Added Services Market Stacking up in India.
Delivery Platform is SMS:
- Entertainment - SMS, CallBackRingTone , Wallpapers, Quiz and Jokes
- Alerts and News - Cricket Alerts, News, Astrology, Banking Info and Travel alerts
- Commerce - Mobile banking, Ticketing, Travel bookings
- Social VAS - Advertising and Local search
- Enterprise- VAS - Push Advertising, Location based Service, Group Messaging and Enterprise IM
Delivery Platform - IVRs
- Entertainment- Religious Chant and Music on Demand
- Alerts - Astrology and Vastu
- Commerce - Mobile Banking and Ticketing
- Social VAS - Voice SMS
- Enterprise - IVR based call centers
Delivery Platform - WAP Portal
- Entertainment- Video Clips, Mobile Games, Radio and Themes
- Alerts - Movies, Stocks, News tickers
- Commerce - Banking and Ticketing
- Social VAS - Mail, Chatting, Greetings, Dating and Search
- Enterprise- Mobile e-mail
MVAS market is estimated around Rs 90 bn in 2009 which represents an 8-9% of total revenues for telecom operators. Going forward, higher revenue contribution from Non-SMS (64% currently) is expected. In the medium term SMS related entertainment services and Internet services are expected to drive VAS industry. |
| Published on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 at 12:36 PM |
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| Friday, December 04, 2009 |
| Uninor's tariffs - Competitive, not disruptive |
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Uninor today announced launch in 7 circles - TN, Kerala, Karnataka, AP, UP (East), UP (West) and Bihar with distribution comprising 1000 exclusive distributors and 210k retail points. With this, only Etisalat-Swan are yet to launch among the new entrants with strategic partners.
Uninor has announced plans for subs with longer duration calls (Talkmore) as well as frequent callers (Callmore). While headline local o/g rate is 29p/min, the effective rate is higher due to set-up cost/ rentals. For normal usage, the effective tariffs are at par with the prevalent benchmark for new entrants i.e. 50p/min. However, if used well by subs, it can lead upto 20-25% discount. Given that subs are likely to have a wider distribution of call durations as well as daily no. of calls, the effective discount is likely to be somewhere in between.
Though Uninor tariffs are neither disruptive nor simple (like Docomo's per sec or RCOM) and hence may not be a runaway success, its bound to have some impact on traffic distribution. |
| Published on Friday, December 04, 2009 at 9:54 AM |
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