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Tag: Airtel

  • ‘Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses’ hits mobile content in India

    ‘Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses’ hits mobile content in India

    MUMBAI: Mobile content based on Barbie’s latest movie, Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses has been launched across mobile networks in India including Hutch, Airtel, Idea, BSNL, MTNL, Reliance and Tata.

    Wallpapers, animations, themes, mono tones, poly tones, SMS tones, true tones, video clips and MMS Clips / M-cards will also be available and can be accessed by any GPRS enabled phone, informs an official release.

    Speaking on Barbie’s latest marketing initiative Mattel Toys India managing director Sanjay Luthra said, “The range of 12 Dancing Princesses: the dancing Barbie doll, the other doll characters, a musical castle, a stretch-limo Carriage etc. supported by lifestyle consumer products – takes every little girl deeper into the world of brand ‘Barbie’ and enhances her magical experience and interaction with her favourite Doll. Mobile content is one more avenue to reach out to parents’ who are trying to keep up with their tech-savvy Kids!”

    He added, “While Experiential Marketing has always been an important element of our Brand’s Strategy; 360 Degree programs such as these, merely help to build our consumer’s loyalty and inclination to “live in” Barbie’s world with Barbie and for parents who want to teach their children, traditional family values and togetherness that that we respect as part of our Indian beliefs, Barbie brings alive the same, through story and example.”

    Speaking on the mobile content offering the digital content production and distribution company, Rajshri Media (P) Limited managing director Rajjat A. Barjatya said, “We have been enthralled at the response to Barbie mobile content over the last one year and are delighted to release yet another property on the mobile phone. In fact very soon, we have plans to bring Barbie a lot more close to you, by launching the Barbie MobiWorld on our short code and a series of mobile games too. We are quite confident that the new initiatives we are taking, along with Mattel, will be well accepted.”

    In addition, this entertainment property is also supported by lifestyle consumer products such as: the animation movie content on VCD and DVD from Universal Pictures and distributed locally by SaReGaMa, and other licensed consumer products such as storybooks from Euro Kids and Sterling Publishers, role play toys and costumes, My Size jigsaw puzzles and tableware from Mahindra Intertrade , play cosmetics from Magicwell, bags from Genius Leathercraft, innerwear from A-Klass Fashions, nightwear from SD-Lounge and bed linen from Portico, adds the release.

  • Hungama mobile launches the ‘Don’ game, on a multiplayer gaming environment

    Hungama mobile launches the ‘Don’ game, on a multiplayer gaming environment

    MUMBAI: Hungama Mobile and Excel Entertainment, the producers of Don, have launched two mobile games on the movie and is said to be the first ever multiplayer online game for any bollywood movie on www.gaminghungama.com .

    The graphics of the game have been done at the same level as the quality of special effects in the movie to give it a contemporary look and the action sequences are just as slick as the movie itself.

    The game created by Hungama Mobile, was unveiled by Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai, along with the film’s producer Ritesh Sidhwani and the director Farhan Akhtar.

    Speaking at the launch, Shah Rukh said, “Not only is it a treat for the game lover’s but also a great way to merchandise.This is just an initial step for this kind of a market and i’m sure it will grow tremendously in the time to come”

    Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj Roy said, “Our creative and gaming team visited Kuala Lumpur for the making of the movie to understand the flow of the movie and decide on game play. They came back and worked on the concept and created a storyboard and later the virtual game.”

    The Mobile game is available in two versions – one is the race and chase game on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, with the back drop of the Petronas Towers and the other is the role-playing game. The race and chase, gives the player a chance to outfox the Don and capture him. In the other, the player has to help Shah Rukh find the secret disc, which he desperately seeks to prove that he is not the Don, but a victim of a serious case of mistaken identity.

    “The Hungama creative team watched the movie rushes including car crashes in Kuala Lumpur, sky diving and some of the fight sequences and have incorporated all those hair-raising stunts in the game,” said movie director Farhan Akhtar.

    The game is available on mobile and online as a multiplayer game. All operators in India including Hutch, Airtel, Reliance, Tata, Idea and others will provide the Don game. Besides, it will also be available across the Hungama mobile distribution network with over 50 carriers in 20 countries.

  • Airtel offers roaming on 3G handsets in Japan, Korea

    Airtel offers roaming on 3G handsets in Japan, Korea

    MUMBAI: Mobile service provider Airtel today announced ‘seamless roaming services’ on 3G networks across the world, including Japan and Korea. This latest initiative is set to benefit more than 25.65 million Airtel mobile customers while roaming to any of the 3G networks worldwide.

    This is particularly a boon for customers visiting Japan and Korea who so far had to change their handsets upon landing in these two countries in order to stay connected. Now with a 3G handset they can use International GSM roaming services.

    Korea and Japan have 3G networks based on WCDMA technology which allows GSM subscribers to connect to their networks on roaming.

    Airtel has been the first to seize this opportunity and has carried out extensive network testing in Korea and Japan to ensure seamless connectivity. As a result, Airtel customers traveling to these countries will be the first to benefit from this initiative. Any Airtel customer on 3G compatible handset will be able to experience seamless connectivity whether on voice or data, while on roaming on WCDMA network and this includes Korea and Japan. Presently Airtel offers roaming facilities on more than 365 mobile networks across 154 countries.

    Announcing the availability of international roaming services also on WCDMA networks, Sanjay Kapoor, joint president – Bharti Airtel Limited, said, “An increasing number of our customers travel overseas and our roaming facility on international networks therefore becomes very important. This latest initiative will undoubtedly add a lot of convenience especially to those Airtel customers who travel to Korea and Japan. We are happy that our innovative services & products provide our customers with supreme convenience and ease wherever in the world they travel.”

  • Airtel announces strategic tie-up with Microsoft

    Airtel announces strategic tie-up with Microsoft

    Airtel announces strategic tie-up with Microsoft – Becomes first Telco to offer Microsoft’s latest Windows Mobile 5.0 technology in India

    · Strategic partnership with Microsoft to reinforce & strengthen Airtel’s innovation charter
    · Airtel enhances its business solutions portfolio with Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 – a powerful platform that delivers a comprehensive mobile experience beyond just email
    · Familiar MS Windows user interface big advantage for users
    · A huge opportunity with a large enterprise segment running predominantly on the MS Exchange server
    · An estimated 4 million SMEs potential users

    New Delhi, August 21, 2006: Reinforcing its commitment to innovation, Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecom services provider, today announced a strategic tie up with Microsoft. This partnership is expected to deliver great value to all Airtel customers spanning mobile, landline and Broadband services.

    Today, Airtel and Microsoft launched Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 platform that provides an opportunity to all Airtel customers to access corporate email via direct push technology. Airtel becomes the first operator in India to offer this technology to its customers. The service will deliver
    powerful business applications and multimedia experience to all Enterprise and SME customers across India.

    Airtel’s tie up with Microsoft is part of its strategic innovation strategy that has been the cornerstone of the company’s objective to redefine the telecom experience of its 25 million plus customers. The tie-up also comes close on the heels of India’s first ever comprehensive ‘Service Delivery Platform’ that was recently announced by Airtel.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Manoj Kohli, President, Bharti Airtel Ltd., said “Our partnership with Microsoft reinforces and strengthens our commitment to innovation. This is a great beginning for two leaders in the industry to come together and forge a strategic partnership with a single
    minded focus of providing value to the end user. It has always been our aim to be a step ahead of customer expectation and this alliance will further help us achieve this objective and consolidate our leadership position.”

    The Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 platform offers a host of applications, with a never-before ease of use. All Airtel users will now have access to MS office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet Explorer), multi-mediafunctionality (camera, MP3, video recording) and Line of Business applications like Sales Force Automation on their mobile phones. With this latest innovative offering, Airtel has significantly enhanced its business solutions portfolio.

    Elaborating on Microsoft’s value proposition for customers, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman, Microsoft India, said, “The launch of Windows Mobile 5.0 is in line with our stated vision of creating People Ready Businesses. Microsoft believes that people are the most critical asset of any business and empowering them with the right software is an imperative to deliver greater business value. Windows Mobile 5.0 is the perfect solution for the global mobile workforce to work in an always on environment and better organize their work and personal lives.”

    “The alliance with Bharti Airtel reflects the synergy between two industry leaders, both focused at innovating to help individuals realize their true potential. With this association Bharti Airtel thus joins 115 existing mobile operators who currently offer the Windows Mobile solution worldwide,”
    he further added

    This platform is viable for broader adoption by enterprise customers as a large number of such organizations in India use MS Exchange as their core platform for mail applications within their enterprise. Windows Mobile 5.0 is seamlessly integrated with MS Exchange server 2003. In addition, it does not require additional middleware or servers and offers a cost effective e-mail push environment.

    This tie-up also gives Airtel the opportunity to tap into the estimated 4 million SME market share in India. With anytime access to MS Office, it offers a compelling proposition to users from these segments that are constantly on the move. Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 will be available to Airtel customers on the latest HP I-Paq and I-Mate handsets. Airtel enterprise customers will
    also get the benefit of preferential hand-set pricing. A dedicated after-sales support, owing to the back to back SLA with all its partners, ensures uninterrupted services exclusively for Airtel’s customers.

    About Bharti Airtel Ltd.

    Bharti Airtel Limited is one of India’s leading private sector providers of telecommunications services with an aggregate of 25.89 million customers as of end of July‘06, consisting of 24.34 million mobile customers. Bharti Airtel has been being ranked among the top 10 best performing companies in the world in the BusinessWeek IT 100 list. The company was the first private operator to provide mobile services in all the 23 circles in India. The company also provides telephone services and Internet access over DSL in 92 cities. The company complements its mobile, broadband & telephone services with national and international long distance services. The company also has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine
    cable (owned by an associate company) connecting Chennai and Singapore. The company is a part of the consortium, which jointly owns and has developed the next generation undersea cable system SEA-ME-WE-4. The company provides reliable end-to-end data and enterprise services to the corporate customers by leveraging its nationwide fiber optic backbone, last mile connectivity
    in fixed-line and mobile circles, VSATs, ISP and international bandwidth access through the gateways and landing station. For more information, visit http://www.bhartiairtel.in

    About Microsoft
    Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software-any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft has been in India since 1990 and employs over 4000 people across its offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

  • Reuters in tie up with Airtel to offer commodity price service

    Reuters in tie up with Airtel to offer commodity price service

    MUMBAI: Reuters and mobile operator Airtel are working jointly on a pilot project to provide commodity prices through text messaging service.

    Aimed at the farmer community, subscribers can receive quick updates on the commodity market.

    The pilot project is slated to kick off in August for the Maharashtra region, Reuters South Asia managing director Samir Shah said on the sidelines of a press conference.

    The messaging service will be provided in the Marathi language. The farmers will have access to real-time information on commodity prices. This will enable them to make informed choices about when and where to sell their produce.

    “The aim is to link farmers and traders and also provide them reports on commodity prices from all major markets. By using the mobile messaging service, the farmers can obtain the market updates. They can also be informed about the international prices in their own language,” Shah said.

    Reuters is targeting early next year to launch this service on a national scale by tieing up with various mobile operators.

    Earlier addressing the press conference, Shah said Yes Bank has chosen to make prices on Reuters Trading for Foreign Exchange (RTFX).

    The bank has also signed up for Reuters leading edge pricing engine technology, Reuters Electronic Trading for Automated Dealing (RETAD), to automate its FX transactions in a real time environment over the bank’s intranet.

    Recently, Reuters had signed in Union Bank of India, the first public sector bank in India to become a market maker on Reuters Trading for Foreign Exchange (RTFX) and Reuters Trading for Bullion.

  • Indiagames partners with Airtel to launch ‘Games on Demand’ service

    Indiagames partners with Airtel to launch ‘Games on Demand’ service

    MUMBAI: Indiagames has launched its new service ‘Games on Demand’ with Airtel Broadband and telephone services. The service was launched with cricketing maestro Sachin Tendulkar playing an online rally game.

    This service offers legal games at a bare minimum monthly subscription fee of just Rs. 199. Indiagames has partnered with a number of leading games publishers like Microsoft, Atari, Playfirst, Alawar, Merscomm, Cenega, Meridian, Techland, amongst others, to be able to bring a variety of premium single and multiplayer games, which include popular titles such as Age of Empires, Driv3R and Flight Simulator to this service, states an official release.

    Commenting on the launch of its Games on Demand service (G.o.D), Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal said, “With over 85 per cent of games in India being sold illegally, we believe that with our unparalleled price offering we will significantly expand the segment of legitimate sales and bring the experience of high quality online gaming to millions of gamers in India. Our online gaming service would give consumers a legitimate reason to opt for a broadband service, thus accelerating the growth of the broadband user base in India”

    “Today, customers are looking for rich content to enhance the overall broadband experience. As a leading service provider, we aim to offer the hottest on-demand content through as many channels as possible,” says Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services CMO Akshay Kumar. He added, “Online gaming is fast gaining popularity across the world and with the Games on Demand service on Airtel, we are gearing up to give our customers a cool and enhanced gaming experience with the power of a high-speed network.”

    The G.o.D. service offers advantages like high speed downloads without additionally charging for data transfer during download, multiplayer compatible games, automatic patching and security. To further enhance the value proposition Airtel and Indiagames will be offering the service with all its features on a free trial basis for the first fifteen days. To experience this service, consumers can log on to http://www.airtelbroadband.in/games.

  • Radio Mirchi to launch visual radio in Delhi

    Radio Mirchi to launch visual radio in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi will unveil a visual radio in Delhi by the end of this month, making it the third city in the world to adopt a technology that will open up a new revenue for the private FM radio operator.

    Radio Mirchi is partnering with Hutch and Airtel to offer this service. The broadcast will be available on Nokia mobile phones with Hewlett-Packard (HP) as the technology provider.

    “We have identified four key markets including Mumbai for launching visual radio. Though it is too early to exploit strong revenues from this medium, it will give us a presence in emerging platforms like mobile phones,” says Entertainment Network (India) Ltd managing director and CEO AP Parigi.

    Radio Mirchi will speed ahead of Virgin Radio which is planning to launch visual radio later this year. “We are doing test runs and will launch it this year,” says Virgin Radio UK director of digital media James Cridland.

    Helsinki in Finland and Singapore are the other two places where visual radio has kicked off commercially. The plan to launch in Delhi was announced today by Radio Mirchi deputy-CEO Prashant Pandey at the India Radio Forum 2006.

    Radio stations are turning to new revenue streams as they are facing competition from emerging technologies. Specific threats from MP3, which had an estimated 55 million devices in the market in 2005, and internet webcasting are eating into the earnings of traditional radio. So the way out is to adopt into new digital platforms like direct-to-home (DTH) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

    Virgin is moving its content to such platforms. “About 28 per cent of our audience is coming from new platforms. As for visual radio, it is important to have a presence in this segment. Nokia will have 100,000 handsets in UK for visual radio by the end of the year,” says Cridland.

  • Reliance in mobile content deal with Disney; to offer 3D animation

    Reliance in mobile content deal with Disney; to offer 3D animation

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has announced its tie-up with Disney to offer on Reliance Mobile World what would be India’s first 3D animation on mobile. The deal promises a host of other Disney mobile content offerings as well.

    Reliance customers will be able to access 16 Disney animated video shorts, including ten in 3D, exclusively made for mobile devices and featuring Disney characters They also can download other mobile content with favourite Disney characters in the form of wallpapers, ring-tones, games or comic strips from Disney Zone, created on Reliance Mobile World, states an official release.

    This is not the first deal that Disney has done with a telecom player in India. It is worth recalling that Disney had tied up with AirTel in April to develop mobisodes, games, ringtones, wallpapers and animation in the ‘Disney Mobile Theatre’ featuring popular cartoons. Airtel was then the third telecom operator Disney had tied up with, the other two being in Asia.

    Meanwhile, with soccer fever gripping the world, wallpapers and animations showing Disney characters in football gear will be an added attraction. Downloads will be priced at: Rs 5 for wallpapers, Rs 10 for video shorts downloads, Rs 5 for animations and Rs 10 for ring-tones on Disney Zone. Games will be charged at Rs 5 per session, adds the release.

    Walt Disney Internet Group EVP & MD Mark Handler says, “The strength of the Disney brand, combined with our rich content library, allows us to create a new and fun mobile experience for families in India. We are pleased to collaborate with Reliance to bring to consumers Disney mobile content, anytime, anywhere.”

    Reliance Communications Applications Solutions and Content Group president Mahesh Prasad adds, “Reliance Mobile has unparalleled reach with over 10 million data-enabled handsets and a countrywide high speed data network covering small and big towns alike. With Kidz World in Reliance Mobile World, Reliance pioneered edutainment on mobile in India. Disney Zone will raise the bar many notches to give a unique experience”.“Earlier this year, a game based on Power Rangers, a hit TV show on Toon Disney, was launched on Reliance network, which became one of the highest downloaded games nearing 700,000”. With the launch of a new season of Power Rangers SPD, a completely new game around the show is set to debut on Reliance this month,” added Mr. Prasad.

    The Walt Disney India MD Rajat Jain says, “Our success in these emerging platforms stems from the strengths of Disney’s major brands and franchises, which have been leveraged and brought in through innovative and strategically sound ways – positioning the company as the leading provider of entertainment and information for the wireless and broadband markets. We are happy to bring our best-in-class content to Reliance Mobile.”

    After Star India, it is Walt Disney Television International (India) that is exploring the mobile-enabled episode (mobisode) phenomenon.

  • ESPN, Airtel tie-up for Fifa WC on mobile phones

    ESPN, Airtel tie-up for Fifa WC on mobile phones

    Live goal alerts. Live match updates. Live fixtures. Download mobisodes of previews and predictions. Contests and much more. The soccer World Cup anywhere and anytime. Football fans in India just got a bonus.

    Airtel, a leading mobile services provider, today announced the launch of a host of services for the FIFA World Cup 2006 that will be exclusively available to the company’s subscribers.

    The latest breaking team news, fixture listings, half-time and full-time scores and penalties will be available on SMS/ WAP alerts. Also, an Airtel customer may choose to receive SMS alerts on their favorite teams’ progress such as goals or score updates or match fixtures.

    A dedicated news section on the World Cup 2006 will be available from 31 May to 9 July 2006.

    The official statement quoted Hemant Sachdev, director, marketing and communications, Bharti Airtel Limited, as saying, “The Football World Cup connects billions of people across the world in a very special way. We are delighted that Airtel customers will now have the exclusive advantage of following their favorite team’s progress and accessing rich and exciting World Cup 2006 content on the mobile.”

    Commenting on the tie-up with Airtel, ESPN Software India MD RC Venkateish, “As the leading sports network, we are focused on servicing the fan – that means making our sports content available anytime and any place through any pipe and any device. Through Mobile ESPN, we have merged what avid fans expect on our TV channels and on espnstar.com and created a third screen in sports.”

    Airtel has also lined up exciting contests for its users during the World Cup. Call 646 and say “Scream”. Choose your favourite country and also your favorite ‘mood’– loud or funny. After that JUST SCREAM ‘GOOAAAL”. The winner will win an all expense holiday to their favorite football playing country.

    How to access World Cup 2006 services on Airtel? Airtel customers can subscribe to these services by SMS & WAP. SMS WCG to 646 for alerts or visit Airtel Live from a GPRS enabled phone or dial 646

    Services available on Airtel

    [a] “ESPN Here We Go” – starting 8 June.

    Made-for-mobile ‘mobisodes’ by ESPN Star Sports presenters. Each mobisode consists of 2-minute and 30-second previews clip on every World Cup 2006 match, which features match analysis and predictions by ESPN STAR Sports football analysts and pundits, as well as previous day highlights and team news

    [b] SportsCenter: This section comprises 2-minute and 30-second video clips featuring daily bulletins and coverage of top sports stories from around the world.

    SportsCenter Football Update: Dedicated news section on the world of football, with 2-minute and 30 second video clips featuring the latest match updates, summaries and results.

    Special news report on World Cup 2006

    [c] ESPN Football Live: Live alerts and news service providing the latest breaking team news, match updates and match fixtures. Match updates, goal updates, half time / full time scores, yellow / red cards information, penalties etc.

    Match fixtures: List of upcoming matches

    [d] ESPN Insider – starting 29 May.

    Dedicated match preview service with expert analysis and opinions from ESPN Star Sports presenters and professional tipster. Pre-match analysis and predictions provided by ESPN Star Sports celebrity presenters such as Andrew Leci, John Dykes, Andy Penders, Paul Masefield or Steve McMahon.

    [e] Mobile ESPN content on SMS – starting 9 June.

    Live goals: live scores, half time and full time scores.

    [f] Other sports content service offerings available for download- Starting 29 May.

    Java games, wallpapers of popular football players.

    Bharti Airtel Limited is one of India’s leading private sector providers of telecommunications services with an aggregate of over 22.07 million customers as of end of April 2006, consisting of more than 20.68 million mobile customers.

  • Zee Sports to telecast National Football League final leg from Goa

    Zee Sports to telecast National Football League final leg from Goa

    MUMBAI: Zee Sports will telecast 10 live matches from Goa where the top clubs will fight for the title in the last leg of the ONGC Cup National Football League. In the first match of the last phase on 5 May, title contenders and Federation Cup winners Mahindra United will clash with Mohammedan Sporting.

    Zee Sports COO Gary Lovejoy said, “In the first year of our telecast of Indian football, the standard of league has reached a new peak in terms of quality of players, standard of play, passion and excitement. The excitement and competitiveness of the league can be gauged from the fact that there is a possibility of winner being decided in the last league game.”

    For the 10th edition of National Football League, Zee Sports has ONGC, National Insurance Company, Indian, Airtel, TATA Tiscon, Khadim’s, Coca Cola, DS Group and West Bengal IT Department among others as broadcast and on ground sponsors for the coverage of the ONGC Cup 10th National Football League.

    The schedule of ONGC Cup National Football League is as follows:

    5 May — Mohammedan vs Mahindra United
    7 May — Salgaocar Vs Dempo
    8 May — Sporting Club de Goa Vs Kingfisher East Bengal
    11 May — Sporting Club de Goa Vs Dempo
    13 May — Salgaocar Vs Air India
    17 May — Salgaocar Vs Sporting Club de Goa
    20 May — Salgaocar Vs Mohammedan Sporting
    (All the above matches kick off at 6:30 pm)
    21 May — Dempo Vs Mahindra United (4:30 pm)