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With Bharti Airtel tying up with the Formula 1 Group to host the premier motorsport event in India and Vodafone Essar?s association with the McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team since 2007, partnerships and alliances are increasingly becoming popular in the telecom sector today.
According to industry experts, this trend has emerged for gaining market access. For example, the Airtel-Formula 1 partnership was a win-win move for both sides. While the high-profile racing event made its debut in India riding on the back of the country?s biggest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel got huge brand visibility at the event. The estimated $8.5 million sponsorship package covered naming rights (Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India), signage at the circuit and spectator entrances, podium branding, trophies, paddock club hospitality and merchandise. Moreover, the Airtel logo was flashed for at least 25 per cent of the live TV broadcast of the qualifying sessions and the race.
tele.net takes a look at some of the recent alliances…
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel and Spice Digital have joined hands with Big FM, wherein the radio channel will be available to subscribers in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai on their mobile handsets. Airtel subscribers would be able to access 92.7 BIG FM outside their cities. Spice Digital is the technology partner and Airtel, the operator. For subscribing to the service, users need to dial 59270 from their Airtel number.
The telecom major has also tied up with Twitter, thereby enabling its customers to receive text messages from people they choose to follow via SMS and send text messages to 53000 for tweeting or messaging someone directly on Twitter. They will also be able to access links provided in SMS tweets.
Vodafone Essar
Vodafone Essar and Opera Software have launched a co-branded version of the Opera Mini mobile browser, which is available for download across the operator?s network in India. It offers customers a better and faster browsing experience on most mobile phones capable of connecting to the internet. The co-branded browser features customised speed-dial shortcuts for easy access to Vodafone Essar?s products.
The operator has joined hands with Facebook to launch the Vodafone Blue handset. Priced at Rs 4,950, it offers users popular social networking functions such as status updates and photo sharing. The handset features a QWERTY keypad, an optical track pad and a QVGA screen. It also offers access to the internet and supports the Opera 5 browser. Its other features include a 2 megapixel camera with flash, Bluetooth technology and 16 GB of expandable memory.
Vodafone and Nokia have formed an alliance to launch the Nokia Life Tools service, targeted at providing consumers access to relevant content on agriculture, education, healthcare and entertainment. The service is offered in various packages, starting at Rs 30 per month. It is available on a range of entry-level Nokia handsets and in English as well as 11 regional languages ? Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Punjabi.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has joined hands with IIT Kanpur to launch the Digital Mandi application. The service will enable farmers to access information on mandi rates of about 3,000 agricultural produce markets on their mobile phones.
The company has also collaborated with Sai InfoSystem (India) Limited to launch voice and video over internet protocol (VVOIP) services. The application uses packet switching technology and enables communication over IP networks. Voice and video signals are converted into data packets and sent to the destination, where the data packets are converted back to voice and video respectively. The highlight of this service is that customers can make audio and video calls on any landline, mobile or IP phone anywhere in the world (except India) provided the requisite videophone equipment is available at both end-points. If it is available at a single end-point, only voice calls can be made. In India, a customer can make IP calls within BSNL?s network. The VVOIP service costs Re 0.40 per minute for audio calls and Rs 2 per minute for video calls within the country. The monthly usage charges are Rs 150.
BSNL and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) have signed an MoU with the objective of supporting various activities related to education and training in India. It aims to combine BSNL?s technology, network and services with IGNOU?s expertise in the education sector for managing a countrywide education network. BSNL and IGNOU will work with national missions, such as the National Knowledge Network, the National Mission in Education through ICT and the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. BSNL will provide the technology network while IGNOU will provide the content and technology-enhanced learning solutions.
Tata Teleservices Limited
The HTC Corporation has joined hands with TATA DOCOMO to launch the HTC ChaCha handset. The Android-based device features a dedicated Facebook key, a 2.6 inch touchscreen and a QWERTY keypad. Its other features include an 800 MHz internal processor, HTC Sense facility, a 5 megapixel camera and a VGA front camera, 512 MB each of RAM and ROM as well as support for Bluetooth technology, and multiple audio and video file formats. The device is priced at Rs 15,990 and comes bundled with a data plan for TATA DOCOMO?s 3G subscribers. As per the plan, prepaid users can avail of 3 GB of free data for 90 days and post-paid users can access 1 GB of free data each month for 90 days. 3G customers are also entitled to three hours of free mobile television that includes data access charges valid for 90 days. Also, the operator?s 2G prepaid customers can avail of 3 GB of free data and 300 minutes of free local calling within Tata Teleservices? network for 90 days. Post-paid customers can avail of 1 GB of free data and 100 free minutes for calls within the operator?s network for three months.
TATA DOCOMO has launched the CoMix on-the-go application in collaboration with Zero-Sum Wireless Solutions. The service enables users to read comic books on the mobile, along with special effects such as character vibration, sounds and zooming text bubbles that magnify the blurbs for better reading. The content covers about 2,000 titles, and the service is priced at Rs 20 per comic book and is valid for a year. Subscribers can avail of the service by downloading the CoMix on-the-go application.
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications (RCOM) has launched mobile banking services in association with the State Bank of India (SBI). The company?s GSM consumers can avail of a host of banking services through their handsets. RCOM subscribers with an SBI account need to register for the services with the bank. They can then dial *595# to access the main services menu. The service enables customers to view their account balance, get mini statements, carry out fund transfers, change their MPIN or recharge their mobile account. Users can also receive a confirmation regarding successful transactions by SMS.
RCOM has also collaborated with Facebook to launch a Facebook mobile application. This will enable its subscribers who are also Facebook users to stay connected on their mobile phones without having to upgrade to a smartphone. The application allows users to view photos from their handset, synchronise their local address book contacts with their Facebook friends and provides access to third-party services such as news, sports, games and the weather. RCOM is providing a special promotional offer whereby users can enjoy this service free for three months.
Idea Cellular
Idea Cellular has joined hands with handygo to launch the Behtar Zindagi service for customers in rural Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (West) and Andhra Pradesh. It provides information regarding health, education, finance, weather, mandi rates, livestock, agriculture and fisheries. To avail of the service, Idea users need to call the toll-free number 556780. The subscription packs are priced at Rs 30, Rs 15, Rs 7 and Rs 2 for 30, 15 days, 7 days and 1 day respectively.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited
The company has joined hands with Shemaroo Entertainment to launch 3G video VAS applications. The MTNL Movie Talkies service allows users to watch movies. It offers Mini Movies, which are edited 15-minute versions of movies, incorporating popular songs, dialogues, etc. The movies cover different genres and languages. To avail of the service, MTNL subscribers need to make a 3G video call, charged at the rate of Rs 2 per minute, to the short code 58800.
To conclude, given that the next wave of growth is expected to come from 3G services and rural customers, this trend of partnerships and alliances is expected to gain further momentum.
