GSM mobile operators added a record 6.1 million customers in March, taking total GSM users to 121.4 million.

• Bharti Airtel = 1.7 million new, 37.1 million total
• BSNL = 2.0 million new, 27.4 million total
• Hutchison Essar = 1.1 million new, 26.4 million total

COAI (GSM body) has released the data for March. Since AUSPI (CDMA body) releases its data after COAI, we will have to wait for a few days before the complete stats for March.

Click here for detailed stats on GSM operators for Jan-Mar 2007.

Source: Financial Express

The March 31 deadline for subscriber re-verification process is past.

DoT had strictly instructed operators to complete the re-verification by March 31. Failure of operators to verify would mean disconnection of the mobile numbers or the operator will face a penalty of Rs 1,000 for each unverified subscriber.

DoT took up the subscriber verification issue after it found out that most of the operators are offering mobile connections without proper documentation and verification. According to the license terms laid by the government, each operator must strictly carry out documentation and physical verification of the subscriber before offering a connection.

TV Ramachandran, director general, COAI, said that the verified status is encouraging but denied revealing the numbers.

However, sources in the industry informed that on the last day of the verification many subscriber accounts could freeze and the numbers could be more than 10 million. Most of the operators are mum on the re-verification status.

Re-verification helps in J&K:

Rattled by the discovery that militants had obtained cellphone SIM cards by faking identities of securitymen, telecom companies have temporarily barred services of over 10,000 subscribers in Kashmir and launched a massive re-verification exercise.

Reliance Communications has completed re-verification of 85 per cent of its entire wireless subscriber base. Its ARPU is expected to increase by 12 per cent as a result of the re-verification exercise, making it one of the top three players in India in terms of ARPU.

In accordance with DoT’s requirements, subscribers that could not be verified at the end of the stipulated period, despite efforts made by the company, have been deactivated. However, the company would continue its re-verification initiatives, and customers submitting the requisite complete documents would be re-activated within 48 hours, it said.

Sources: CIOL, Kashmir Live, ET

Indicative sales numbers from a credible source are difficult to come by, especially on handset sales. But we got twice lucky.

India sales numbers in calendar 2006:

• Number of Windows Mobile smartphones = 50,000
• Number of Blackberry devices = 29,000

This Deccan Hearld article gives the impression that Microsoft wants to take Blackberry head-on and is positioning itself as the leader in that segment.

The article says that “Windows Mobile is the number one player in the smartphone category in India, according to IDC”. Leader or not depends on how you define the smartphone category. Nokia is the undisputed leader in India. I’m sure it is the leader in the smartphone category as well. Just to put things in perspective: Nokia sells 4 lakh phones in a day. The “smartphone” definition taken maybe those phones which are PDA-like in their form-factor with a touch-screen. These kind of phones are not for mass-consumption as they usually require a stylus or two-hand operation. Touch-screen/Stylus operated phone with PDA-like large form-factor and QWERTY keypads are popular only in the enterprise segment.

Microsoft has an advantage over Blackberry due to a large installed base of its Exchange server in enterprises, which can be mobile enabled for Push Mail with just a software update. Which is not the case with Blackberry, were a company has to purchase additional Blackberry server also.

“Since Microsoft provides the exchange server for the push email facility on Windows Mobile, the hansets manufacturers are not required to incur cost on this. This lowers the overall cost of ownership for the handsets” he added.

Sumeet Gugnani, India Business Head, Windows Mobile and Mobility Division in Business Standard:

“Two years ago, the price of a touch screen PDA phone was about Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000. This came down to Rs 30,000 last year. Now, the entry-level touch screen phones are available at Rs 19,500. We are constantly in talks with our device partners and encourage them to tap the opportunities in India, by making the devices more affordable,”

Windows Mobile-enabled phones are available in India through Microsoft’s device partners such as iMATE, HP, O2 and DOPOD. Of the 25 Windows Mobile models available in India now, 17 are having touch screen feature.

Microsoft is a leader with 17.2 per cent market share versus Blackberry which has a 11.6 per cent market share for CY 2006. Microsoft is targeting a four fold jump to 2,00,000 units in calendar 2007 and plans to introduce at least 40-50 Windows Mobile models in India.

Windows Mobile and Mobility business group started its operation in India in January 2006.

Globally, about 10 million units of Windows-based mobile phones are being sold every year.

ET reports that India’s fifth largest GSM service provider Aircel Cellular has lost its top management brass. Aircel CEO Jagdish Kini and its CFO Ganapathy Subramaniam have tendered their resignations while the company’s legal council head Rajinder Singh is also set to leave.

The article speculates that the exits are related to Hutch-Essar’s former deputy managing director Sandeep Das taking over Maxis’s CEO in Malaysia.

Malaysian telecom major Maxis had acquired a 76% controlling stake in December 2005 for $1.1 billion in partnership with the Reddy family.

• Maxis has invested Rs 2,700 crore in Aircel during the last fiscal
• It has announced an invest over Rs 2,000 crore in the company in 2007-08
• Targets reaching 8 million subscribers during this period
• Aircel currently offers services in 9 telecom circles
• Has acquired licenses in 14 new circles in the country
• It is expected to have a pan-India presence by 2009
• Was awarded national and international long distance licenses recently

Mobile Monday’s Mumbai chapter is going international!

The April event of Mobile Monday’s Mumbai chapter will happen on the 2nd Monday of the month, that is April 9th. It is sponsored by Singapore based BuzzCity which operates a global direct-to-consumer mobile community and content portal myGamma.

Topic:
Interactive marketing opportunities on mobile internet

Agenda:
* Dr. Lai Kok Fung, CEO, BuzzCity
* Mr. Swaminathan, EVP, Contract Advertising
* Panel Discussion
* Networking Dinner

When:
Monday, 9th April, 2007
6.00 pm - 9.00 pm

Where:
The Plateau Hall,
Peninsula Club,
Peninsula Corporate Park,
Lower Parel West.

Sponsors:

This time there is capacity to seat 80 participants at the venue. So this will be the biggest MoMoMumbai event, in terms on number of participants, so far.

Click here for more details and to register.