Idea has been going quite aggressive in the marketing arena to take a grip over the market. It has been constantly launching new packs and has released new 3G Unlimited Prepaid data packs for Kolkata which will be valid for 30 days.

Idea 3G Kolkata Plan Details are -

• 3GB of 3G data at Rs 649 and the speed will be decreased to 80 kbps post 3GB.
• 4GB of 3G data at Rs 751 and the speed will go down to 80 kbps after reaching the limit.
• 5GB of 3G data at Rs 851 the speed will be decreased to 80 kbps post reaching the requisite limit.
• 6GB of 3G data at Rs 951 the speed will go down to 80 kbps after reaching the fair usage policy limit.

All these data packs are unlimited and come with a Fair Usage Policy. The charges without any packs are 4p/10 kb of usage. In other circle Idea is offering 1GB 3G Data at Rs.128.

Idea Cellular, has launched Idea Smart Wifi, a 3G Wifi dongle which offers fast and reliable internet connectivity for home users, small Office, Home Office and business professionals.

Idea 3G Smart Wifi will be available for best buy price of Rs. 2,199 in all Idea’s retail and service outlets across 11 Idea 3G markets – Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra & Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh East & West. Idea users can avail from a range of 3G data packs starting from Rs. 250 to Rs. 1,250.

Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said -

“We realize the need for reliable, high-speed, and convenient internet access for SOHO and business professionals in semi-urban pockets of the country. The Idea 3G Smart Wifi dongle will cater to this market need and empower users with high speed internet connectivity leading to productivity and growth. The new device further strengthens our 3G devices portfolio which will help us gain 3G market share in the country.”

Features of Idea Smart Wifi are -

• The device offers fast and reliable services with 21.6 Mbps download and 5.76Mbps upload speed along with activated Wi-Fi through PC or compatible USB Adapter.
• Idea 3G Net Smart can be connected with the USB interface of the computer or the power adapter in the car or any other compatible charger external power source.
• Idea 3G Net Smart connects up to 10 devices simultaneously offering seamless 3G connectivity across all devices. The users can create personal wifi zone and enable internet sharing among disparate device.
• Idea 3G Net Smart enable Plug and Play features once plugged in through convenient web GUI interface , provides strong message management, including outboxes, inbox, draft box also supports sorting by time etc.
• HSUPA data service of up to 5.76 Mbps and HSDPA data service of up to 7.2 Mbps
• Support up to 32GB SD card with Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista OS

The telecom operator has increased its rental on post-paid plans by Rs. 50, which will give a boost to its revenue per user. This change is effective from June.

Amit Dimri – Head of Service Delivery Operations said -

“Effective from the June bill cycle, the monthly rental will have a nominal increase of Rs 50 per month.”

Idea Cellular Chief Marketing Officer Sashi Shanker said that the company keeps changing its tariff / call rates and rentals. But he could not say whether the hike in the rentals is only for the Mumbai circle or across the circles.

In the March quarter, Idea had reported a 91 per cent rise in net income to Rs 590 crore on healthy growth in call and data volume. Its average revenue per user (Arpu), which had been declining for a long period, went up to Rs 170 in FY 2014 as against Rs 157 last fiscal, an increase of 8.3 percent.

Telecom operators Idea Cellular,Airtel and Vodafone on Thursday launched 3G services in Punjab, expanding their footprint to 21 out of 22 service areas covering 28 states in the country. While 3G spectrum in Punjab is owned by Idea Cellular, Airtel and Vodafone can use it under 3G intra circle roaming agreement.

Idea Chief Operating Officer Sudhir Pradhan said -

“Idea is the only pan-India GSM operator to offer 3G services in Punjab. Idea’s 3G services will offer enhanced user experience to subscribers, allowing them to stream audio and video files at high speed…watch movies, mobile TV and play HD Games.”

The services would be rolled out starting with Chandigarh and extending to the agricultural belts of Nawanshahr, Jagraon, Malerkotla and Nabha and the industrial hub of Ludhiana. The Aditya Birla Group company will increase its 3G network to 170 towns across the state with 1,800 3G cell sites by the end of the year.

Idea Cellular owns 3G spectrum in 11 circles, Airtel in 13 circles and Vodafone in nine circles. The three telcos had signed an intra-circle roaming agreement according to which they could provide 3G services in areas where they don’t own spectrum. The agreement was earlier questioned by the authorities but recently got a judicial clearance.

Idea’s 3G network in Punjab will offer an experience ‘Like Never Before’.

Idea Cellular, the country’s third largest telecom operator, will use its own network for offering 3G services in the lucrative Delhi circle from early next year.

The Aditya Birla group firm plans to use spectrum in 900 Mhz band, that it won in February auction, for offering 3G services, but the airwaves have not been allocated yet.

Idea Cellular CEO for Delhi and Haryana service areas, Sanjeev Govil, said -

“We will launch 3G service in Delhi on our own network beginning of next year, precisely in January-March period,”

Idea Cellular Chief Marketing officer Sashi Shankar said -

“There will be no difference for consumers when we will launch 3G on our network but from company point we will have more control on our network and services,”

The company today launched a website that will give access to content related to IPL cricket team Delhi Daredevils. “We want to stay connected with our subscribers at different levels. ‘Idea Delhi Daredevils Fan Page’ is one way of engaging with them in interactive manner. At the moment we have videos, wallpapers, photos and ringtone which can be expanded to lot more themes and plans as we move ahead,” Shankar said.

Idea Cellular has announced 5.5-inch 3G smartphone, the Idea ULTRA II. Incidentally, the company also launched a product for the lower end of the spectrum, a 1GHz dual-core entry-level 3G smartphone called Idea !d 1000. Idea claimed the company now has a portfolio of 15 3G smartphones between 3.5 and 5.5-inch screen sizes.

The Idea ULTRA II has a 5.5-inch screen an 8 MP rear camera with HDR and 2 MP front camera with LED flash. The dual-SIM smartphone has a 1.3 GHz quad core processor and runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2. The phone is powered by a 2500 mAh battery. The phone will sell for Rs 12,500 in Idea’s major 3G markets.

The entry-level Idea !d 1000 has a -inch 3.5iscreen and is aimed at first time smartphone buyers. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual core processor and runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2 OS. The dual-SIM phone has a 2MP camera and an internal memory of 4GB, expandable to 32 GB. It is priced at Rs 5,400.

The Department of Telecom said mobile tariffs are unlikely to rise in the near future as a result of the recently concluded spectrum auction because competition will restrain operators from hiking rates.

“As a policy maker, I think the tariffs should hold. I am not the operator, nor I am the regulator, but I am saying that there are two elements here and these elements will actually act together to restrain any increase in tariffs,” Telecom Secretary MF Farooqui said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

He said on the one hand, competition will restrain operators from increasing tariffs and on the other, new technology would allow them to lower costs and offer a wider range of services.

“One element is competition. So, competition will hold back any operator from doing anything which is going to reduce his market share. So, I think that is going to be one big restraining factor and the second thing is the technology which exists in the market that allows many other services to gradually be loaded on,” he said.

Eight telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, the biggest three in the country, bid a combined Rs. 61,162 crores in the spectrum auction held earlier this month. The government offered airwaves in the 1800MHz and 900MHz bands.

The Department of Telecom will place the matter of full mobile number portability before the Telecom Commission, an inter-ministerial panel, at its meeting proposed for 3 March 2014, which may be around the time the model code of conduct will be implemented ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

A decision on full mobile number portability, which will allow customers to switch telecom operators in any part of the country without changing their numbers, is likely to finalized by the next Union government.

“The Telecom Commission is proposed to meet on March 3 but it is not yet finalised. The full MNP proposal may be placed before the commission. DoT working group has raised certain concern on Trai’s recommendations, for which the matter may be sent back to the regulator,” sources said.

At present, mobile number portability is allowed within a telecom service area, which normally corresponds to a state or metro city. Full portability will allow customers to retain their numbers while shifting to a network in any part of the country.

The commission also has to take a call on setting up mobile towers in Naxal-affected areas, a proposal approved by the Cabinet a few days after 27 people, including senior Congress party leaders, were killed by ultra forces in Chhattisgarh last year.

 They knew regarding license expiration timeline, and so they must prepare cash for it. however no matter spectrum in 1800MHz band they noninheritable in February 2014, that may be used principally for 4G/LTE roll out. they give the impression of being into the long run and most significantly it’s not voice, it’s data. and therefore the tariff hike usually goes to vanilla services – voice, text and 2G knowledge. therefore their read regarding tariff hike isn’t an ideal call.

There is one more reason that may forestall all operators to leap into next spherical of tariff hike. the explanation is approaching launch of Reliance Jio’s 4G knowledge and currently voice still as excess of services. It’s virtually certain that Jio can follow it’s trend to disrupt the market with radical low-cost wireless mobile broadband. that the state of affairs within the market are some things which might not be controlled by incumbent players – Airtel, Vodafone and plan Cellular.

The newer operators like plan in some circles, Aircel, Tata Docomo, Reliance Mobile, Uninor, Videocon and MTS ought to check up on strategic amendment to be competitive within the market. except for true unlimited onnet line packs, they have to trust low value (10p to 5p to 1p per minute) line plans among their own networks in several time of the day.

Leading mobile service suppliers created it clear on Sunday that mobile tariffs square measure set to extend and freebies and discounts doubtless to be additional brought down.

The contemporary spectrum purchases at Gregorian calendar month 2014 auction were being cited in concert of the factors for the doubtless rise in tariffs.

Marten Pieters, the chief executive officer of the country’s second largest service supplier Vodafone, same the mobile telecommunication trade has reached a degree wherever annual tariff will increase square measure required to sustain itself.

Pieters additionally same the recent spectrum auction combined with others expected within the next number of years can worsen the health of the mobile telecommunication trade at a time once it’s nonetheless to endure the “excesses” of the 2010 auction.

“We have had declining tariffs for eighteen years; this can not be sustained forever. we tend to believe the purpose has return wherever we’ll got to increase our tariffs per annum, reckoning on price levels,” Pieters, United Nations agency is Vodafone Asian country decision maker and Chief officer, told PTI.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and plan Cellular, the 3 biggest mobile service suppliers within the country, and Reliance Jio were among eight corporations that bid a combined Rs. 61,162 crores for spectrum within the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands offered by the govt throughout a 10-day auction that concluded on Gregorian calendar month thirteen.

The trade has not nonetheless recovered from the excesses of the 2010 auction and this auction, combined with others expected within the next number of years, can worsen the industry’s health additional,” Pieters additional.

The country’s mobile subscriber base is presently eighty eight.1 crores, in line with Trai.

The value of the spectrum at this month’s sale was Rs forty seven,933.40 crores at the reserve value. corporations pays a part of the quantity direct and therefore the rest in instalments.

Pieters same payments for spectrum within the just-concluded auction are going to be funded by debt and to acquire the loans, either tariffs have to be compelled to go up or service levels and investments got to be deflate.

“If you lie the planet, spectrum in Asian country is expensive: we tend to pay lots per MHz in associate auction and so five p.c of revenue within the variety of spectrum usage charges. this may invariably have consequences,” Pieters same.

Telecom operators are cutting short on freebies and discounted minutes to keep up profitableness. Analysts say this trend could continue as they need to acquire the contemporary spectrum purchases.

“We have continuously maintained over the previous couple of quarters that there’s space for reduction of discounted minutes and a gradual movement from voice realisation,” Bharti Airtel (India) Joint decision maker and Chief officer Gopal Vittal same once the Dec quarter results.

He told investors the distinction between headline and completed tariffs was regarding thirty to forty p.c, providing substantial headroom to chop back on discounted minutes.

While it’s too early to investigate tariff hikes, there actually would be upward pressure on knowledge tariffs and discounted minutes would be reduced, same Rajan S Mathews, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of Asian country (COAI), the GSM trade body.

“There may additionally be 1-3 paise hike in voice minutes in over 9 months,” he added.