Telecom Tuesday: India News Digest

Telecom Tuesday is our weekly Digest that brings you snippets of Buzzing stories related from Indian telecommunication Industry No More New Telecom Service

Mobile Phones and Voters ID Card can be a great starting point for Unique ID project

I am sure by now you have already heard about one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by Indian Government – The Unique Identification Project headed by Mr. Nandan Nilekani.

Now there is an interesting point of view that I came across in one of the Forbes article, – of using Mobile Phone database along with Voter’s ID card to collate the existing legitimate citizen demographic data.

The database of voters is a credible starting point. Almost 586 million people have this card. But there is another database which is equally powerful: the mobile subscribers.

”You get 40 percent penetration straightaway and this data has been verified by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI),” says Guru Malladi, partner, Ernst & Young. Mobile connections of 427 million, however, do not mean subscribers. Some subscribers have more than one connection.

Research firm Gartner estimates that 10 percent of connections fall in this category. Based on recent Department of Telecommunications audits of leading mobile operator’s subscriber bona-fides, anywhere from 5 to 10 percent might turn out to be invalid. Assume 5 percent as the conservative estimate. Then there are connections being used by companies for their business operations. Add another 5 percent. The number that remains is 350 million. (source)

Its easier said than done, but it sure can be a starting point!

Tech Mahindra Voted as the the Top Telecom Software Service Provider in India

According to the Voice & Data 100 Annual Survey, Tech Mahindra has been named as the top telecom software service provider in India.

Now I dont think there is any surprise here, Tech Mahindra over the years has created a niche in providing telecom related software service, primarily due to their tie-up with British Telecom in early days.

Tech Mahindra, previously ranked sixth largest software exporter by IT industry body Nasscom, has moved up one place because of Satyam’s exit from the list following the multi-billion dollar fraud at the IT firm early this year.

If you have an Iphone and use Gmail, rejoice – Gpush is here

Many of the Iphone users have one common complaint with their phones, the lack of push mail facility. Many of Corporate Iphone users have actually switched to Blackberry due to this reason.

But now, a new Iphone app – GPush, aims to bring Gmail push mail to Iphone. This simple Iphone application provides push notifications for new emails in Gmail. It doesn’t open emails, or send emails, it just lets you know when new ones arrive, as soon as they arrive, and no matter what you’re doing.

And it cost a measly 99 cents, I am sure this app will be one of the most popular apps in coming time. (source)