Virgin launches GSM Service
Virgin Mobile finally forayed into the GSM sector with the launch of its GSM services in with Southern circles to start with (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Kerala), in association with Tata Teleservices. Virgin already has presence in the CDMA platform and now plans to target the youth with it’s new GSM platform by introducing features such as one-touch integrated social networking experience, a tool for creating micro sites, a mobile virtual assistant to help connect with friends better and free music.
They have an attractive pricing of 20 paise a minute for STD and local calls to any Virgin mobile number, 40p/min for local calls to other networks and 50p/min for STD calls, apart from SMS packs and promises call bills even with the prepaid services. Actors Genelia D’Souza and Ranbir Kapoor have been signed up as its brand ambassadors in India.
Vanity Numbers to get expensive
Mobile Telecom Service providers generally charge their subscribers for allocating preferred numbers or “vanity numbers” to the subscribers (If you have seen a number like 9999999999 or 9191919191, no doubt these are vanity numbers 
). Some service providers even auction such Vanity numbers for higher revenue.(BSNL Maharashtra’s WebBased Vanity Availability Checker tool & Auction Procdure of Vanity numbers [pdf])
Currently, the service providers are not required to pay the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) for the numbering resources allocated to them. The TRAI has floated a suggestion for a fee for numbers in order to create efficiency in usage. TRAI also has plans of revamping the numbering plan as the existing national numbering plan will not be able to sustain the ever growing mobile subscriber base in India.
3G auction starts Feb 25
We have told you earlier that TRAI plans to have only three 3G slots for private-sector telecom players. The government has finally decided to go ahead with the auction of all the three slots of the 3G spectrum for all 22 telecom circles on February 25 and is expected to get over by March 3-5.
The government has a fixed target of Rs 30,000 crore from the 3G auction and is aimed at the current financial year to bridge the fiscal deficit. All the successful bidders have to make a payment upfront within 15 days of winning the 3G license for the circles and TRAI plans to allot the Spectrum in the first week of August. And as we have told you earlier, you can expect 3G services from the private-sector players within a week of the allotment.
