Vodafone nominees resign; To Sell stake in Bharti Airtel
Vodafone Plc which entered India after buying out Hutch in the Hutch Essar JV has withdrawn its board representation on Bharti Airtel Ltd. Vodafone has also decided to sell 5.61% stake in Bharti Airtel Ltd [PDF] in two tracnhes. Vodafone Plc had bought 10% stake in Bharti Airtel Ltd in two blocks – 5.61% from VC firm Warburg Pincus and 4.39% by way of convertible debentures in Oct-2005. Since then the value of its holding has appreciated by 150%. However, Vodafone is receiving mere $1.6 Billion for its 5.61% stake [at the current Market Price of Bharti Airtel, it is worth $2.2 Billion] in Bharti Airtel Ltd and will continue to hold the remaining 4.39%.
Vodafone had paid around $1.5 Billion for the entire 10% stake in Bharti Airtel Ltd. Vodafone will cash in on this remianing 4.31% stake sometime in the future or maybe at the time when they will buy out the Essar group from the Vodafone Essar JV in India.
Tags: Mobile India, Telecom India, Vodafone, Bharti
Adios Tata Teleservices – Darryl Green
Darryl Green, CEO of Tata Teleservices / Indicom [PAN India CDMA Wirless operator] has resigned after a two years stint @ Tata Tele. Darryl was the first foreign CEO in the Indian telecom industry. It is not clear why he has put in his papers. Under him, Tata’s launched India’s first portal to BUY Mobile Handset and Plans online at iChoose.in.
Facebook is the new WWW ?
If BillG thought of having a Microsoft Web in late 90s, it’s another Harvard drop out Mark Zuckerberg actually moving closer to BillG’s goal, Facebook - the new WWW. Facebook a social networking site which took off after Mark Zuckerberg hacked into Harvard’s house websites to harvest images of students. Facebook is among the top 10 sites in the world. Mark said,
We recently passed eBay in traffic and we’re working on passing Google too.
Mark also quoted,
Every once in a while a platform comes along that allows people to build a completely new application — sometimes even starts new industries.
Absolutely, I have to agree with him. He wants Facebook to be the social OS [I should not use this word OS, an obsolete and a misnomer in the context of the Web] Facebook is opening their platform for you to build services, applications, businesses, include your own Advertising network and make money on their platform. A Google News Search will show you so many applications are ready to be plugged into Facebook – Box.Net, FlipTrack, CollegeHumor, iLike, Jaxtr etc. This will make user stick to Facebook and spend more time on their Network. Facebook can be used to launch and test market new products online, just like Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”.
Facebook is asking Developers to preserve the uniformity of web pages. However some issues remain, will Facebook be a No Evil company, unlike Amazon which pulled the plug on Alexaholic ? Addressing spammers who think Viag*a and Po*n as the WWW 
Tags: Web 2.0, Facebook, WWW, Social Networking
3G India: Non Telcos Out ? Was Maran interested ?
Earlier this month, Tata Teleservices had opposed the entry of foreign players in 3G space. [I have supported Tata's views] Now, TRAI sources have said,
Last year, Trai in its recommendations has said that only existing service providers be allowed to bid. If the DoT wants to make changes to these recommendations, it has to come back to the regulator before doing so, as per the Trai Act. Our position remains unchanged.
Apart from DOT, run away Telecom CEO and currently a Politician, Mr Rajeev Chandrashekar who once upon a time owned BPL Telecom now wants to re-enter the wireless space through 3G. I sincerely hope requests from non-serious players such as him be trashed.
I am wondering if Dayanidhi/Kalanidhi Maran was planning to bid for 3G spectrum through some foreign company ? Kalanidhi Maran who owns Sun TV has made it clear that Content is not the King but Distribution channels are [Read Outlook Magazine - "Dynasty at War"]. With Marans rising fortunes on Dalal Street, did they have plans for Mobile TV in Tamil Nadu ?
Tags:3G India, Mobile India, Telecom India,
Airtel has 40 Million Wireless Subscribers
Bharti Airtel has reached the 40 Million mobile subscribers milestone. It is the first Indian company to reach this milestone leaving BSNL & RCom behind in the race. It took Airtel 11 years to get the first 20 Million subscribers while the next 20 Million came in just 13 months. Bharti Airtel is now the 10th largest wireless operator in the world [Considering operations of a Telco in only one country].
Last October, Sunil Mittal had said,
It took nearly 10 years for Bharti to lay 10,000 mobile towers and this year alone we will be laying the next 10,000 and within 3 years we will have around 50,000 towers.
So based on these figures, Mittal’s law of Wireless Subscribers will lead Bharti Airtel to have 100 Million customers in the next 3-4 years
Tags: Mobile India, Wireless, Telecom, Airtel
Reliance cuts roaming tariffs; WiMax Plans
Continuing the intensified battle for wireless supremacy in India, Reliance Communications has introduced lowest ever roaming rates on certain plans.
Mr Shukla, President Wireless Business said,
The roaming rates had already been reduced in Feb 2007 for our customers. Now, we have taken a step further by reducing roaming rates to as low as 40ps/minute on select plans. This should add real value to those customers, who have a need for traveling across the nation. A significant feature of this rate reduction has been on Incoming Calls while roaming, which have been reduced from current Re. 1.75/min to Re. 1/min – so that our customers will not have to think before accepting incoming calls while roaming.
So how soon will Airtel and Vodafone respond to Reliance offer ?
Reliance has also intensified its WiMax broadband roll out plans in Bangalore and Pune.
Tags: Mobile India, Mobile Roaming, WiMax India, Telecom India
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