Over the past six months, the telecom space has witnessed a flurry of co-branding exercises. Telecom operators have been tying up with value-added service (VAS) providers to offer a host of innovative applications while handset vendors have been signing partnerships with IT consulting companies to add value to their products. The underlying idea behind such alliances is to increase business opportunities, benefit from each other?s expertise as well as to combat the high levels of customer churn and falling ARPUs.
A notable example is Bharti Airtel?s tie-up with Huawei and Qualcomm to launch the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE device. The hand-held is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and can support high speed data on LTE networks and voice calls on the underlying 3G network. The handset will be available in India by December 2012. The Ascend P1 LTE runs on the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, and features an AMOLED display and an 8 megapixel camera. This tie-up is particularly significant as it sets the stage for the availability of 4G voice- and data-compatible devices in the country. Also, with this arrangement, Bharti Airtel has strengthened its long-standing co-branding partnership with both vendors.
Similarly, Reliance Communications (RCOM) has partnered with WhatsApp to introduce the WhatsApp prepaid plan for GSM subscribers. Under the plan, GSM subscribers can avail of unlimited access to WhatsApp and Facebook for Rs 16. The plan is valid for 30 days. The My College Plan for students provides the aforementioned benefits and prices all calls and SMSs within the student?s specified group at Re 0.50. Students can also broadcast campus-related information through SMS to the entire closed user group by sending the message to 51112. This service is priced at Rs 3 per SMS.
tele.net takes a look at some of the recent alliances?
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel has signed a global arrangement pact with Opera Software to offer a customised and co-branded version of the Opera Mini internet browser for its subscribers. To avail of the service, subscribers can either download Opera Mini from m.opera.com or visit the Airtel application store.
The telecom major has also tied up with Gaana.com for enhancing its Hello Tunes service. This will enable subscribers to select a Hello Tune from Gaana.com?s music library. This service is available at a monthly rental of Rs 36 in Madhya Pradesh, Rs 35 in Karnataka and Rs 30 across the remaining circles. Each Hello Tune is priced at Rs 15 and is valid for 90 days.
Tata Teleservices Limited
TATA DOCOMO and Dell have partnered to introduce a bundled broadband offer for users. As part of the partnership, customers purchasing Dell laptops can avail of a Tata Photon Plus post-paid connection as well. The offer is being extended to 150 cities and over 1,000 retail locations across the country.
TATA DOCOMO has also joined hands with Research In Motion (RIM) to provide data and voice post-paid plans to subscribers using the BlackBerry 9320 handset. The operator has introduced the Rs 599 monthly rental plan, which provides 600 free talktime minutes and text messages. It has also launched a BlackBerry internet services plan with a 10 GB download limit.
Moreover, the operator has introduced a Twitter application for GSM prepaid users, which enables them to activate any value-added application or service through Twitter upon recharging. To activate the value-added applications or services, subscribers are required to access TATA DOCOMO?s Twitter page and key in #act#
RCOM
RCOM, in partnership with BIGflix, is offering its 3G users full-length movies at Rs 30 per movie. Subscribers can log on to http://vod.rcom.co.in through their mobiles and access an extensive movie catalogue powered by BIGflix. Subscribers will not be charged for data usage.
BSNL
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has joined hands with Pantel Technologies to launch the BSNL Penta T-Pad IS701C tablet. Priced at Rs 4,999, the tablet has an LCD display screen and supports Wi-Fi connectivity. It comes preloaded with applications like Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds and Skype.
The operator has also tied up with Shyam Networks to launch the WINKNET MF 50 14.4 Mbps 3G pocket router. The device is an HSPA-based USB modem. It supports GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and HSPA connectivity and is priced at Rs 5,800.
BSNL has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI) in an effort to launch mobile banking services on the unstructured supplementary service data platform. BSNL users with an SBI account can use this facility, which supports transactions such as money transfer, mobile-to-mobile fund transfer and balance enquiry. Customers will be charged Rs 15 per month and can avail of unlimited transactions. To avail of the service, users are required to sign up for mobile banking with SBI.
SSTL
Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL) has collaborated with VAS provider DigiVive to launch the MTS Video Bites application. The platform will offer video-on-demand services to SSTL?s smartphone users. MTS Video Bites will be available to MTS subscribers as an embedded application on the operator?s Android handsets. Subscribers can also download this application by sending an SMS to 52526. They can download video clips for Rs 3, Rs 5 and Rs 7 with a validity of 24 hours.
Vendors
Karbonn Mobiles and Innominds have partnered to launch the Karbonn AGNEE 3G tablet. The device packs in a 7 inch screen and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It runs on the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and houses a 1.3 megapixel camera with fixed focus for video calling, a built-in FM radio with recording facility, 512 MB RAM, and 4 GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB via a microSD card. The handset also supports 3G, HSPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The price of the device has not yet been revealed.
HTC, in collaboration with Microsoft, has introduced the Windows series of devices with the launch of the Windows 8X and 8S. Both devices run on the Windows Phone 8 operating system. The 8S features a Qualcomm S4 1 GHz dual-core processor, 4 GB of memory, 512 MB RAM, and a 5 megapixel camera. Other features include support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as for various audio and video formats. The 8X device houses an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2.1 megapixel front camera, a Qualcomm S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 16 GB of total storage and 1 GB of RAM. The devices will be available commercially in November.
Spice, in association with NQ Mobile, has introduced a range of Secure Android smartphones. The handsets ? the Stellar, the Horizon and the Craze ? have been launched under the Spice Stellar brand. The Stellar operates on the Android 2.3 platform and is powered by a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. It features a 4 inch capacitive touchscreen, the NetQin antivirus facility, a 5 megapixel camera and a VGA camera, and supports Wi-Fi tethering and dual SIM cards. The device is priced at Rs 9,999. The Horizon houses a 5 inch touchscreen and runs on the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. It packs in a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a dedicated 300 MHz GPU and various security features that guard against viruses, data loss and theft. The Craze has a 3.5 inch touchscreen, 800 MHz processor and runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform, upgradable to Android 4.0. The Horizon and the Craze are available for Rs 11,999 and Rs 6,499 respectively.
Meanwhile, Intel Corporation has joined hands with Lava International Limited to launch the XOLO X 900 smartphone in India. The device is priced at around Rs 22,000 and is powered by the Intel Atom processor Z 2460 with Intel Hyper Threading technology. It has a 400 MHz graphics clock, a 1,080 pixel high definition video encoding facility, and supports HSPA+ and 3G connectivity. Other features include an 8 megapixel camera, and a high resolution LCD touchscreen. The device runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, and provides five hours of 3G browsing, 45 hours of audio and eight hours of talktime.
RIM has joined hands with Mediaworks to launch the India One music application on BlackBerry devices. As per the agreement, users can access music tracks across various genres on their BlackBerry handsets. This application is free of charge and can be downloaded from the BlackBerry store or from the company?s web-based store.
Samsung has collaborated with Opera Software to offer the Opera Mini mobile browser as a preloaded application on its handsets. Currently, the Star 3, Star 3 Duos, Champ Deluxe and Champ Deluxe Duos handsets come embedded with it.
Co-branding clearly is the way forward. Industry analysts expect the Indian telecom sector to continue to witness more such partnerships in the future.
