South Block

I recently read about the new 8mbps plan which was launched by airtel broadband a few days ago and I really didint like the way their package is.. The data transfer limits are a thing of the past so dont know what airtel is up to?

I am really up for those isps who will launch unlimited 2 mbps or 4 mbps packages in the near future one of them being mtnl who is planning to kill competetion with very competetive pricing in the near future.

Instead of using airtel’s 8mbps with a stupid limit which will get exhausted in a few hours I prefer to use this sify 256kbps connection which is unlimited and don’t have to worry about running into huge bills.

I have been waiting for wimax for the last one year but things have started shaping up now with the government hastily taking decision on the wimax spectrum allocation to private wimax operators.With wimax there will be no more demand for gprs or edge or any other wireless or wired internet service as wimax will do a screw all act.I am already loving the anxiety amongst all the isp’s in India as they are all rushing towards providing better services and cheaper prices to prepare themselves for the wimax attack.

Wimax phones will be so popular due to thier ability to be used for voip which will enable people to save so much on phone calls and also could be used for video calling over IP which seems to be a distant reality but a good effort from nokia is all it takes to make it a reality soon.Nokia has also announced thier first wimax phone which is now due to be launched in the begining of next year.

Vodafone has secured operational control of India’s fourth-largest mobile company, Hutchison Essar, clearing the way for the British firm’s expansion into the fast-growing market.The deal, announced on Thursday, gives the Essar group an option to sell its 33 percent stake in Hutchison Essar to Vodafone for $5 billion between the third and fourth years of the deal’s completion, expected in the next 10-15 days.

Alternatively, the Indian conglomerate with interests in steel, oil and shipping could sell shares worth between $1 billion and $5 billion in the company, to be renamed Vodafone Essar, to Vodafone at an independent valuation.

Vodafone agreed to acquire a majority stake for $11.1 billion last month from Hong Kong’s Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd following an auction in which it beat three rivals including Essar.

Essar had previously demanded joint management of the company and said it might seek to increase its stake, raising fears Vodafone’s plans in India would not run smoothly.

“It’s good the two companies have reached an amicable partnership agreement. The market can now move on to anticipate operational success rather than ownership debates,” said Dresdner Kleinwort analyst Robert Grindle.

Another potential irritant to Vodafone’s India plans appeared resolved as Hutchison announced it had provisionally agreed to pay $415 million to Essar in return for the Indian group’s cooperation in completing the deal.

“Under the settlement agreement, Essar will take all reasonable steps to ensure completion of the transaction and will refrain from initiating any action that may inhibit or delay the completion of the transaction,” Hutchison said.

Vodafone shares were 1.5 percent up at 136p by 1320 GMT.

Chief Executive Arun Sarin said he expected Vodafone Essar, which now ranks behind Bharti Airtel, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Reliance Communications, to become India’s top operator in three years.

“We have a strong springboard and we want to be number one by 2010. If (Vodafone Essar Chief Executive) Asim Ghosh can do it earlier, he can expect a good bonus,” Sarin told a news conference in New Delhi.

Sarin said he expected Vodafone Essar, which had 25.3 million users at the end of February, a 16 percent share, to raise that to 20-25 percent in the coming years.

Vodafone owns a 10 percent stake in Bharti, but will sell 5.6 percent back to Bharti in a parallel deal to the Hutchison Essar transaction. The group will continue to own a 4.4 percent stake in an unlisted Bharti holding company.