VARINDIA IT MAGAZINE

The Cabinet has fixed the starting price at Rs 3,705 crore per MHz for the auction of 3G spectrum which is slated to start on  March 4 . By this the government is aiming to earn a net profit of Rs 17,555 crore. However, operators are afraid that the high starting level could drive up voice and data tariffs. The winners of the auction will have to make an upfront payment of 33% of the final bid amount to the government within 10 days of the close of the bandwidth sale. Rest amount can be paid after a moratorium of two years in 10 equal installments. A 5 MHz block of 2100 MHz airwaves typically used for 3G services will be offered in all service areas except Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab. Thus, a total of 85 MHz in 17 service areas is being put to auction. The Centre expects to generate Rs.5,793 crore from the 3G sale alone this year.  However, the overall proceeds from auctions will rise substantially, as including the 2G (800 MHz, 900 MH

MMPL (a subsidiary of Tata Teleservices Ltd.) has announced the launch of a new Open Loop prepaid, VISA powered card in partnership with RBL Bank. By accessing a PaySmart card, user will be able to withdraw money from VISA licensed ATMs and also pay for goods and services at all merchants that accept VISA Debit/Credit cards nationally. Pradeep Sampath, Chief Operating Officer, MMP MOBI WALLET PAYMENT SYSTEMS LIMITED, said, “The PaySmart card is a milestone towards realizing Tata Teleservices vision of simple and secured transaction services. Keeping financial inclusion in mind, we have worked towards creating this product for all customers who can now have a choice of cashless dealings. Amongst the host of offerings around mobile money, this product addresses a clear gap of Cash Out which is currently not available with the Semi Closed Wallets, There is a clear need in the marketplace for such an offering at the right price and feature set.” This new service is a step towards o

While discovering anything amazing – whether it’s a new local coffee shop or a tool that improves the way we work – we like to share it with people we know so they can also drive its benefit. Many of the millions of Google Apps customers around the world learned about tools like Hangouts, Drive and Gmail for business from their customers, friends and networks. Google has launched Apps Referral Program in India. The program makes it easy to share Google Apps with a network and show them how they too can use these tools at work. A user can earn $7.50 for each new Google Apps user he refers. The Google Apps Referral Program is currently available for anyone based in India. For more details you can click here “ http://goo.gl/FZezQr ” - See more at: http://www.varindia.com/google-introduces-apps-referral-program-in-india/#sthash.ogVpFEoj.dpuf

Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of its managed Room Telepresence service for Enterprise segment. With zero CAPEX and at no additional cost, enterprises in the country especially the small and mid-sized organizations will now be able to upgrade to High-Definition Telepresence video exchange sessions from the existing standard definition video experience at an affordable cost of just Rs. 799/- per day per room.  Airtel has launched this service with CISCO. The VAAS (video-as-a-service) offering from Airtel will bundle all the essential components of Telepresence video calling including end point, network and VNOC . Manish Prakash, President – Airtel Business said, “At Airtel we are committed towards developing innovative & cost effective platforms for our customers and the Room Telepresence service is a step in this direction. This new solution has the potential to transform the segment as it empowers customers with a highly scalable integrated video solution at a simp

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and Indian urban development ministry plan to develop three major cities, Ajmer, Allahabad and Visakhapatnam as “Smart Cities”. USTDA and the three state governments of UP, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have signed MoUs to develop these cities as smart cities. The Urban development ministry said that the US delegation led by the secretary of commerce Penny Pritzker agreed to the suggestion of minister M Venkaiah Naidu for setting up the task forces. Each team will consist of three representatives each from central and respective state governments and the USTDA. Each city task force will discuss city specific features, project requirements and appropriate revenue models for enabling flow of investments etc., before suggesting action plans for developing them as smart cities. USTDA will contribute funds for necessary feasibility studies and pilots, study tours, workshops or trainings and other projects to be mutually determine