Airwide Solutions, the global leader in providing mobile infrastructure software for over 70 wireless operators worldwide, announced on Tuesday plans to setup a sales office and R&D centre in Gurgaon to service the Indian and Asia Pacific markets.
"Value-added services in the Indian mobile market will boom with the introduction of 3G roll outs in 2007-08. India is the second largest market in the world and we intend to leverage India’s R&D strength for product development," said Mr Amit Nagpal, general manager India operations, Airwide Solutions.
While the investment amount was not disclosed, the company’s new R&D centre (and its third) will staff between 100-150 people and is expected to commence operations in March this year. Additionally, the company will also look at setting up sales offices in four other locations in India in another two to three years time.
"We developed the world’s first SMS and sent the first message with Vodafone in 1992, which is till today the most successful non-voice service in wireless history and deployed the first application-to-person MMS in 2003, creating a new revenue stream for operators and an exciting new entertainment and information channel for consumers," said Mr Rajive Chandra, regional director, Asean.
SMS pioneer to set up Indian centre
January 18, 2006, 10:37 amInfocomm to soon deliver digital music
January 18, 2006, 10:35 am
Reliance Infocomm Ltd, an Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises group company, and India’s largest private information and communications services provider, will soon become the first service provider to offer digital delivery of Indian music to customers, if all goes according to plan this year.
"Plans are underway to digitise Indian songs that can be downloaded onto mobile phones or onto PC hard drives. But this service will be available only to subscribers with mobile phones equipped with a music or an MP3 player. The youth of today want music on the go and we will be the first in the industry to provide such a service," said a source from the company who is close to the development.
However, according to the source, for such a music service to maximise on its true potential in India, "Cellphone manufacturers would need to provide handsets with built-in music players available at a cost between Rs 2,500-3,000," since the cost of handsets was one of the most significant barriers to mobile communication affordability in India.
"Currently, foreign digital service providers are not serving the needs of the Indian market and they do not have a wide selection of songs. Imagine the potential in store when we finally digitise 10 lakh Indian songs or more, comprising everything from gazals to old Indian classical songs. In the future, the service could be extended to a point where new Hindi songs of movies or albums, would be released first on mobile phones," added the source.
The company will negotiate with music labels and artists to chalk up a cost effective pricing policy for each song download. "The service will be provided in a phased manner and we will come out with a beta site within a year," said the source.
"Plans are underway to digitise Indian songs that can be downloaded onto mobile phones or onto PC hard drives. But this service will be available only to subscribers with mobile phones equipped with a music or an MP3 player. The youth of today want music on the go and we will be the first in the industry to provide such a service," said a source from the company who is close to the development.
However, according to the source, for such a music service to maximise on its true potential in India, "Cellphone manufacturers would need to provide handsets with built-in music players available at a cost between Rs 2,500-3,000," since the cost of handsets was one of the most significant barriers to mobile communication affordability in India.
"Currently, foreign digital service providers are not serving the needs of the Indian market and they do not have a wide selection of songs. Imagine the potential in store when we finally digitise 10 lakh Indian songs or more, comprising everything from gazals to old Indian classical songs. In the future, the service could be extended to a point where new Hindi songs of movies or albums, would be released first on mobile phones," added the source.
The company will negotiate with music labels and artists to chalk up a cost effective pricing policy for each song download. "The service will be provided in a phased manner and we will come out with a beta site within a year," said the source.
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