Mobile Operators collaborating for nationwide 3G services

A good news for all mobile Subscribers for changing to their own 3G operator where they have no license in that circle...

Your operator didn't secure 3G spectrum in your circle? Dont be sad.. operators are collaborating with each other to ensure that they can mutually have a nationwide presence through network sharing and roaming agreements so as to provide 3G services across the nation.

While there is nothing new with roaming agreement between service providers, it is now being worked out in a way that operators can offer services even if they do not have spectrum in that circle.

Also, since spectrum sharing is not allowed in India, it will be interesting to see how operators manage alliances.

Active infrastructure sharing, on the other hand, is permitted and 3G equipment that operators have deployed also supports it.

Shudeep Majumdar, the spokesperson of Nokia Siemens Networks, said, "Our equipment is ready for network share with little upgrade. If utilised it will reduce capex spend of the operators drastically."

According to various media reports, Tata Docomo and Aircel are already discussing a tie-up arrangement. They are said to be testing network sharing in Punjab.

Public sector operator MTNL has already started the process of offering its spare spectrum to other telcos and will soon announce the successful bidders. Both Tata Docomo and Aircel have applied to be part of MTNL's scheme. The other public sector company BSNL has also announced its intentions to invite similar bids.

Experts feel that for operators to achieve economies of scale it is very important that they establish a national footprint. For users network sharing is the only way to get seamless 3G while roaming.

Operators collaborating for a joint nation wide 3G coverage.

Airtel and Aircel Launched 3G in Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad

India's biggest private telecom player Airtel and another market player Aircel was launched 3G and 3.5G in hyderabad and in Andhra Pradesh for Testing their radio frequency. The two operators will start their operations in the coming days in
Adilabad Anantapur Chittoor Cuddapah East Godavari Guntur Hyderabad
Karim Nagar Khammam Krishna Kurnool Mahabub Nagar Medak Nalgonda
Nellore Nizamabad Prakasam Ranga Reddy Rangareddy Srikakulam Visakhapatnam
Vizianagaram Warangal West Godavari.
The Tariff of Airtel 3G and Aircel 3G will be affordable according to the leaked news from the operators. The 3G offers Internet surffing at a speed of more than 3.1 mbps and all of them waiting for that.

Idea Cellular is the another main 3G player in the state of Andhra Pradesh.They are in the initial stage of 3G launch nation wide.

Airtel and BSNL most searched in internet for 3G

BSNL 3G- Most searched word online.With private operators gearing up to launch 3G services, online searches for 'wireless broadband' have doubled over the past three months; whereas and BSNL and Airtel 3G are the most searched service providers for 3G services searched by people browsing the net, according to Experian Hitwise.

Navin Chandani, managing director, Experian Marketing, said,Over 5,300 different variations of the word 3G (example 3G services, 3G handsets, 3G mobiles etc) are being searched by Indians on the internet, which translates to the fact that 3G is on the minds of a lot of people.

He further stated, "BSNL is the most sought after 3G service provider, followed by Airtel, MTNL and Tata Docomo."

Experian Hitwise is a keyword research tool for analysing the long tail of search data. It provides insights on how people have successfully searched for products and services online across all major search engines. The data that Experian Hitwise studies does not include mobile internet searches.

The company tracks 25 million internet users globally. However, in India it is dependent on panel data for reporting internet activity. Although Chandani refused to divulge the exact panel size he assures, "statistically and analytically the panel size and composition is a fair representation of the entire Indian consumer population on the internet."

A recent report by the company revealed that Nokia is the most searched mobile handset manufacturer in India, followed by Samsung. Eight of the ten most searched mobile phone models in India are manufactured by Nokia, with the company's 5233 model claiming the top spot. Samsung, with its Corby and Champ, was the only other manufacturer to have made it to the list.

Interestingly, Micromax took over Apple iPhone to become the third most searched mobile handset manufacturer in India.

Chandani opines, "There may be several factors working in the favour of Micromax. However, I believe that the offline marketing and branding campaigns undertaken by Micromax appear to be working in its favour. Its positioning as an economic and feature rich mobile brand is helping it overtake the iPhone, which is yet an expensive proposition for a majority of the population."

He believes that it may be difficult for iPhone to recover considering that the Indian mobile market is price sensitive.

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