Tata Indicom has launched the first ever CDMA AM/FM enabled mobile phone. This new handset also comes with volume boosters (another new feature) for loud and clear sound. This radio phone is targeted towards the rural consumers to fulfill the need for music and is positioned to bridge the gap across markets.

The Tata Indicom Radio Phone has an AM/FM recorder and separate one touch keys for both the AM/FM functions. It also comes equipped with a 1.8-inch TFT screen for enhanced visibility and has Hindi SMS facility. It is also powered with a battery that provides a super long standby time to ensure that the users have an uninterrupted mobile music experience. The radio phone will be priced at Rs 2199 and will be available in different colour options.

Note: This phone is not listed on the Tata Indicom website. So details regarding the available colour options and pictures of the handset are not available as of now.

Spice mobile added another people friendly handset to its portfolio – the S-580. This handset is positioned as a music phone and it comes with an MP3 player, FM recording, playback and supports expandable memory up to 2 GB.

It has a chess design keypad and boasts a new feature called Dazzle Ring tone that enables users to use ten different ring tones to every new call that one gets. It also comes with features like one-touch torch light, mobile tracker, GPRS & WAP functions and schedule SMS facility. The handset will be available at a price of Rs. 2249.

The ongoing liquidity crunch may not have impacted the telecom sector, but seems to have definitely affected the mindset of all telecom operators. The Department of Telecom (DOT) which had earlier planned the 3G auction by December 31 has now postponed it by two weeks to January 15 after the operators and bankers sought extension.

The major reason which comes out from the whole situation can be that our telecom operators have decided to play safe during this crunch period. Telecom operators will be able to source adequate funds in January as the institutions would be having funds available for the entire year.

Moreover, the GSM and CDMA operators differentiation of 2G and 3G revenue was also being seen as a delaying factor. DoT has decided to clarify any confusion over 3G auction by preparing the detailed schedule.

The advertisement says ‘Offer valid till stock lasts’ but how much is the stock left when this scheme is pretty much valid since June? Anyways, overlooking the marketing ploys here, if you’re in search for a new number then MTNL is giving away a prepaid number for free to its existing MTNL Landline/Trump/Garuda/Dolphin users. Customers will get a Trump SIM card with a 30 day validity and Rs. 20 worth of talk time.

We’ve already seen the Vodafone Bonus Cards for Mumbai circle. Now let’s check out the same for Delhi/NCR. The main purpose of Bonus Cards is to reduce your calling or SMS charges for a fixed monthly amount. Here are the details:

• Bonus Card 29: Gets you all local and National SMS @ 29 p /SMS
• Bonus Card 31: Make all Local & STD calls @ Re 1 / min
• Bonus Card 35: Gets you 300 local SMS’s
• Bonus Card 149: Call 1000 Local Vodafone minutes for free.
• Bonus Card 50: Make all Local calls at a flat rate of @ 50p / min
• Bonus Card 110: Make Local calls @ 50p / min & STD calls @ Re 1 / min
• Bonus Card 124: Make Local Vodafone calls @ 10p / min & Local Mobile calls @ 50p / min.

All the above cards have a validity of a month. We would recommend people to consider their needs before they buy such cards. These cards are designed to suit different purposes. Depending upon your usage choose your best bet.

If you are considering buying a cheap Chinese phone, well it is advisable to reconsider your plan. Department of Telecom (DoT) is planning to block cell phones which do not bear the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. (Cheap Chinese phones do not have an IMEI number)

There are approximately 1.5 crore China-made and locally-assembled handsets in use that don’t have IMEI numbers. Even mobile phones that have all zeroes or no zero in their IMEI code will be barred. DoT decided to make this move after security agencies found that the mobile phones used by terrorists in the recent blasts did not have IMEI numbers.

Sales of Chinese handsets constitute about 13 per cent (or Rs 4,000 crore) of the Rs 30,000-crore annual mobile handset market in the country. IMEI numbers can be checked by dialing “*#06#” in any keypad.

We saw Tata Teleservices franchise Virgin Mobile revising its local and STD calling rates this week. Now its time for RCom to do so. RCom on Wednesday added a new recharge pack to their Jaadu basket. This pack is meant to lower outgoing call rates for prepaid subscribers who are looking for a lifetime commitment with Reliance Mobile. This plan is called the ‘Lifetime Jaadu Pack’ and offers:

• Local calls to any phone – 50p/min
• STD calls to any phone – Re 1/min
• Pack price – Rs 550

This pack is a boon for subscribers with lifetime validity as they can now just subscribe once to this pack and enjoy the lowered calling rates for lifetime as compared to buying packs and special tariff vouchers every month for making affordable outgoing calls.

‘Vodafone Tuesday’ is a scheme which allows a Vodafone subscriber to bag two movie tickets and meals at a price of one. Vodafone Mumbai subscribers are using this scheme since long and now it is even being made available to Delhi/NCR subscribers.

This scheme restricted to Tuesdays, will allow Vodafone users in Delhi/NCR to catch movies at all outlets of Satyam (Nehru Place, Patel Nagar and Janak Puri) and DT Cinemas (Gurgaon), and dine at restaurants like Bercos, Tantra, The Rock Café, Little Italy, and many more.

Taking the GSM competition head-on, Tata Teleservices brand franchise Virgin Mobile, reduced its STD and local call rates to 50p/min. The catch here is that this call rate can only be enjoyed after a user is done with his/her initial three minutes of local and STD calls which would cost Rs 1.50/min and Re 1/min respectively.

Virgin Mobile, which is a youth centric telecom service, has made an excellent move by slashing the STD charges. According to a recent industry research, STD calls comprises of around 25% of the total bill amount of an urban young subscriber. So this offer will definitely meet the behavioral needs of youth customers by providing a value proposition on long distance calling.

China based Telecom infrastructure gear manufacturer and wireless solution provider ZTE has officially got hold of a $400 million contract from Aircel for expanding the latter’s GSM coverage in India. There were rumors earlier this week that Aircel, which is 74% owned by Malaysian based Maxis is considering a tie up with African telecom giant MTN.

As for ZTE, they consider India as the biggest telecom market after China. Along with this joint venture, they are also planning to launch their own handset brand by this year-end and are targeting 20% of their global handset sales form India.