The total number of subscribers opting for mobile number portability (MNP) has risen to 59.31 million, with Karnataka receiving the maximum number of 7.2 million requests till the end of July, according to official data. MNP allows users to switch operators while retaining their mobile numbers.“By the end of July 2012, about 59.31 million subscribers have submitted their requests to different service providers for porting their mobile number,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said ...

Battery operated mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are still lagging behind laptops and desktops in sheer computing power, thanks to their negligible RAM (random access memory).An Israeli researcher, however, is tweaking their RAM to bring them on par with their bigger cousins, so that they can run various programmes just as smoothly and simultaneously, even with a tiny battery.Elad Mentovich, doctoral candidate at the Tel Aviv University, is relying on carbon molecule called C60, to build a sophist...

The Enforcement Directorate is probing telecom service provider Bharti Airtel for money laundering, Parliament was informed Tuesday.“Directorate of Enforcement is investigating cases under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 involving Bharti Airtel,” S.S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. (more…)Google+

With former communications minister A. Raja being the last to get bail Tuesday in the 2G spectrum allocation case, here are the details of the other 13 accused:* Siddharth Behura: Telecom secretary when the licences were granted in 2008Charges: Alleged to have shut the counters to physically block other companies when the application deadline time was declared. Charged with criminal breach of trust by a public servant, receiving bribes, forgery and cheatingArrested: Feb 2, 2011Granted Bail: May 9, 2012* R.K. ...

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Sunday retained its recommendations on high reserve price for spectrum auction despite staunch criticism by the industry.“The reserve price for spectrum has been estimated on the basis of the perceived value of spectrum to the user,” TRAI said in a late night statement. “The last price of spectrum discovered through auction was that of the 3G spectrum in the 2100MHz band in May 2010. After adjustment for price escalation for one year as well a...

Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar will Monday take charge as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). His appointment has been approved by the government. Khullar will replace J.S. Sarma for a three-year term, sources privy to the development told IANS.The appointment comes at a critical time when TRAI’s recommendations on the spectrum auction is being criticised by telecom firms and analysts alike. The regulator has recommended, among other proposals, a reserve price of Rs.3,622...

Permanent workers of telecom equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks India staged a sit-in strike Monday protesting against over 50 workers being barred from entering the factory and an enquiry being launched against them, a top official of the worker’s union said.“On April 4, the company barred entry to the factory to 52 workers without any reason. The management has also initiated an enquiry against the workers. We are protesting against these actions. Representations sent to Nokia Siemens Networ...

The ArtRage app for iPad has been upgraded to version 1.4 to support the Retina display of the new iPad. This update also resolves some of the issues that appeared in the previous build (version 1.3.2). For those of you who don’t know, ArtRage allows anyone to paint on their iPad by making use of different painting tools such as watercolors, inking pens and oils. This new updated version works for iOS 4 or later, is priced at $4.99 and can be downloaded form here. Hit the break below to find out what al...

Following Pranab Mukherjee’s disclosure of the Union Budget 2012 this morning, various CEOs of different carriers have voiced their opinion about the budget and its possible impact on the telecom sector. Airtel’s CEO Sanjay Kapoor thinks that the reduction on duties on mobile parts should make handsets much more affordable. Here goes his detailed comment – “The telecom sector is already burdened with multiple and high tax levies which account for 30% of the telecom services revenue. Th...

Vsevolod Rozanov’s (President and CEO of MTS) reaction to the Union budget – “While many systemic elements have been set right in the 2012-13 Union budget, however the telecom industry continues to face numerous challenges. Increase in service tax from 10% to 12% would increase cost of ownership of a mobile phone. This becomes all the more significant for CDMA based mobile services which to a large extent services the telecom needs of customers who are at the bottom of the pyramid.From a global ...

The new telecom policy, which is expected to do away with roaming charges for subscribers will be announced by June, the Economic Survey said Thursday.“The government is in the process of finalizing the new National Telecom Policy (NTP). Draft of the policy was circulated in 2011 for consultation with various stake holders. Views from these stake holders have been received and the same are under consideration,” the survey said.“NTP is likely to be in place by June 2012,” it added.The d...

A mobile phone exploded in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir leaving a class nine student severely injured reports PTI. According to the report, Shiv Dev Singh lost his left eye and three fingers of his left hand as the device exploded. The father of child has said that the device was put on charging before the explosion was heard. Mobile phone batteries are notorious for overheating problems especially during a charge cycle and perhaps the victim could have been using the device as it exploded. One sh...