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দেশে নকিয়ার ৪টি নতুন মডেল

2012-01-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

দেশে নকিয়ার ৪টি নতুন মডেল

এবারে নকিয়া বাংলাদেশে নিয়ে এল চারটি ভিন্ন ধরনের মোবাইল ফোন। বৈশিষ্ট্যগুণ আর দামের তুলনায় প্রতিটি সেটই মধ্যবিত্তের ক্রয়ক্ষমতার মধ্যে আছে। আশ সিরিজের উন্মোচিত মডেলগুলো হচ্ছে আশা৩০৩, আশা৩০০, আশা২০০ এবং আশা২০১।

বাংলাদেশে নকিয়ার কান্ট্রি ম্যানেজার আবু দাউদ খান বাংলানিউজকে বলেন, নকিয়া বাংলাদেশে সব সময়ই মধ্যআয়ের ক্রেতাদের জন্য চমকপ্রদ সব সেট নিয়ে হাজির হয়। এবারও ব্যক্তিক্রম কিছু উদ্ভাবনী মডেল নিয়ে নকিয়া দেশের বাজারে নিজের অবস্থার সুদৃঢ় করবে।

নকিয়ার কাছে সাধারণ মানুষের প্রত্যাশা অনেক বেশি। তাই নতুন কোনো মডেল আনতে নকিয়া যথেষ্ট গবেষণা করে। আর নকিয়া জনপ্রিয় হয়ে ওঠার এটাও অন্যতম কারণ। নকিয়া সব সময়ই বহুমাত্রিক মোবাইল অ্যাপ্লিকেশন নিয়ে হাজির হয়।

এ ছাড়াও সাধারণ মোবাইল ভোক্তাদের জন্য ইন্টারনেট ব্যবহারকে সহজলভ্য করতেও নকিয়া নিরলস কাজ করছে। এরই মধ্যে নকিয়া অনলাইন স্টোরের মাধ্যমে ভক্তদের জন্য হাজারো অ্যাপলিকেশন বিনামূল্যে ডাউনলোডের সুব্যবস্থা করছে।

‘আশা’ অর্থ প্রত্যাশা। আশার মধ্যদিয়ে নকিয়ার সব সময়ের ইতিবাচক দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি প্রকাশ পায়। এর মাধ্যমে নকিয়া লাখো গ্রাহকের সঙ্গে নতুনভাবে যোগাযোগ করার সঙ্গে তাদের প্রত্যাশাকেও স্পর্শ করতে সক্ষম হবে।

নকিয়া বাংলাদেশের কান্ট্রি ম্যানেজার আবু দাউদ খান বলেন, নকিয়া আশার এবারের লক্ষ্য ১০০ কোটি গ্রাহকের মাইলফলক। এ ছাড়াও আশার প্রতিটি গ্রাহকের ইন্টারনেট সেবা দেওয়ার লক্ষ্য নকিয়া কাজ করছে।

নকিয়ার ‘আশা’ সিরিজ স্মার্টফোন এবং ফিচার ফোনের মধ্যে সমন্বয় করেছে। একটি ব্র্যান্ডেড স্মার্টফোন কেনা অনেক সময়ই ব্যয়বহুল। কিন্তু এখন নকিয়া আশার মাধ্যমে একজন গ্রাহক খুব সহজেই স্মার্টার মোবাইল অভিজ্ঞতা অর্জন করতে পারবেন।

কারণ আশা নকিয়া স্টোরের সাহায্য গ্রাহককে বিনামূল্যে হাজারো অ্যাপলিকেশনে প্রবেশের সুযোগ করে দেবে। এ সুযোগ ডিভাইসকে আরও বেশি গ্রাহকবান্ধব করে তুলতে সহয়ক হবে।

নকিয়া বাংলাদেশের কমিউনিকেশন ম্যানেজার রাহাত আহমেদ বলেন, ওয়েদার নাও, স্টক অ্যাসিস্ট এবং স্কোরবোর্ডের মতো স্থানীয় ও কাস্টমাইজড অ্যাপ্লিকেশন ছাড়াও প্রতিমাসে ২৫ লাখ অ্যাপস ডাউনলোডের মাধ্যমে নকিয়া বাংলাদেশ বিশ্বের শীর্ষ ৩০টি প্রতিষ্ঠানের মধ্যে জায়গা করে নিয়েছে।

এ মুর্হূতে নকিয়া ‘আশা২০১’ মডেলের দাম ৯ হাজার ৮৫০, ‘আশা২০০’ মডেল ৭ হাজার ৩০০ এবং ‘আশা৩০০’ মডেলের দাম ৯ হাজার ৮৫০ টাকা। এরই মধ্যে নতুন এ মডেলগুলো বসুন্ধরা সিটির নকিয়া আউটলেটে পাওয়া যাচ্ছে।

আশা-৩০৩ :.

এটি নকিয়ার ‘টাচ অ্যান্ড টাইপ’ সিরিজের প্রথম মোবাইল ফোন। এর অবয়ব বেশ মসৃন। এতে আছে উচ্চমানের কোয়ার্টি কিবোর্ড এবং ২.৬ ইঞ্চি টাচস্ক্রিন।

সামাজিক যোগাযোগে অনবদ্য করেই নকিয়া ‘আশা৩০৩’ ডিজাইন করা হয়েছে। বিনোদন এবং অ্যাপলিকেশন হচ্ছে ‘আশা৩০৩’ মডেলের অবিচ্ছেদ্য মাধ্যম। এতে আছে জনপ্রিয় সোশ্যাল মোবাইল গেম অ্যাঙ্গরি বার্ডস লাইট এবং কামস প্রিইন্সটলড।

অ্যাপলিকেশনের মধ্যে আছে ফেসবুক চ্যাট, হোয়াটস আপ ম্যাসেজিং এবং নির্বাচিত বাজারে নকিয়া ম্যাপস সিরিজের ৪০টি অ্যাপস। এগুলো এ সেটে সহজেই ব্যবহার করা যায়। এ মুহূর্তে ‘আশা৩০৩’ মডেলের দাম ১৩ হাজার ৭০০ টাকা।

আশা-৩০০ :.
সুদৃশ্য অবয়কের ‘আশা ৩০০’ মডেলের একটি টাচ ডিভাইস। এটি একই সঙ্গে একটি কিপ্যাডেরও সুবিধা দিচ্ছে। সঙ্গে আছে শক্তিশালী ১ গিগাহার্টজ প্রসেসর, দ্রুত ইন্টারনেট এবং সোশ্যাল নেটওয়ার্কিং নিশ্চিতে আছে থ্রিজি।

নকিয়া ব্রাউজার ওয়েব পেজকে শতকরা ৯০ ভাগ পর্যন্ত সংকুচিত করে দ্রুত, সহজ এবং আঞ্চলিকত ইন্টারনেটমাধ্যমে প্রবেশযোগ্য করে তোলে।

এ মডেলে আরও আছে হোমস্ক্রিন থেকে দ্রুত মেসেজিং, ইমেইল এবং তাৎক্ষণিক বার্তা সুবিধা। আছে নকিয়া স্টোর থেকে অ্যাপলিকেশন, মিউজিক এবং গেমস ডাউনলোড সুবিধা। প্রতিটি নকিয়া আশা মডেলে জনপ্রিয় অ্যাঙ্গরি বার্ড গেম প্রিলোডেড হিসেবে পাওয়া যাবে।

‘আশা৩০০’ মডেলের বিশেষ বৈশিষ্ট্যের মধ্যে আছে ৫ মেগাপিক্সেল ক্যামেরা, মিউজিক প্লেয়ার, এফএম রেডিও, ব্লুটুথ এবং ৩২ গিগবাবাইট পর্যন্ত মেমোরি বাড়ানোর কার্ড সুবিধা। এ মুহূর্তে দাম ৯ হাজার ৮৫০ টাকা।

আশা-২০০ :.
আশা২০০ মডেল হচ্ছে নকিয়ার সর্বশেষ ডুয়্যাল সিমযুক্ত ফোন। বিশেষ সুবিধা ফোন বন্ধ না করেই দ্বিতীয় সিম ব্যবহারের সুবিধা।

তরুণ ও আধুনিক গ্রাহকের চাহিদা পূরণে এ মডেলে আছে কোয়ার্টি কিবোর্ড। নকিয়া আশা২০০ মডেলের বহুবিদ সুবিধার মধ্যে আছে সোশ্যাল নেটওয়ার্কিং, ইমেইল, আইএম, রেনরেন, অরকুট এবং ফ্লিকার।

কারিগরি বৈশিষ্ট্যেয় আছে ৩২ গিগাবাইট মেমোরি কার্ড। এতে হাজারো গান ধারণ করা সম্ভব। ৫২ ঘণ্টা প্লেব্যাক টাইম। এ মুহূর্তে দাম ৭ হাজার ৩০০ টাকা।

আশা-২০১ :.
সিঙ্গেল সিমের নকিয়া আশা২০১ মডেল তরুণ প্রজন্মের গ্রাহকদের জন্য বিশেষভাবে তৈরি। সামাজিক নেটওয়ার্ক ভক্ত, মূল্য সচেতন এবং সঙ্গীতে অনুরাগীদের কথা ভেবেই এ সেট তৈরি। এ মডেলে আছে সুস্পষ্ট সঙ্গীত আবহ, উচ্চমানের লাউডস্পিকার, এফএম রেডিও এবং রিংটোন টিউনিং।

কারিগরি বৈশিষ্ট্যেয় নকিয়ার নিজস্ব ব্রাউজারের দ্রুত ইন্টারনেট, সহজবোধ্য ইন্টারফেস, ৩২ গিগাবাইট সমর্থিত মেমোরি কার্ড, ৫২ ঘণ্টা মিউজিক প্লেব্যাক টাইম ব্যাটারি, পুশ ইমেইল এবং হোয়াটসআপ মেসেজিং অ্যাপলিকেশন সুবিধা। এ মুহূর্তে দাম ৯ হাজার ৮৫০ টাকা।

Second Submarine Cable Coming by 2014 In Bangladesh

2012-01-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

Second Submarine Cable Coming by 2014 In Bangladesh

Bangladesh will be connected to its second submarine cable in 2014.

The state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited is preparing to complete all related work within Dec 2014, the company's director Manwar Hossain told bdnews24.com on Sunday.

The telecom ministry recently issued instructions to BSCCL on how it should collect the funds for this project.

The company is in charge of the only submarine cable connecting Bangladesh to the world, a cable consortium of 16 countries, the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-4 or SEA-ME-WE 4.

In 2014, Bangladesh will be connected to SEA-ME-WE 5.

Manwar Hossain said telecommunications and internet connectivity gets hampered if the SEA-ME-WE 4 suffers any damage.

"Once SEA-ME-WE 5 is connected, there will be no such trouble," he said.

On Oct 14 in Singapore last year, BSCCL had held a meeting with possible partners to lay the SEA-ME-WE 5, officials said.

They said primarily six companies had signed MoUs to participate in the consortium. The new cable would use the latest 100G technology.

They said there was a possibility that the cable would extend to Myanmar as well, whereby Bangladesh would have a smaller share of maintenance cost.

The telecom ministry has laid down three conditions for raising funds for the project, Manwar said.

"The government will not fund the project nor provide any bank guarantees, no loans can be taken from internal sources," he said.

"The project will cost us about Tk 4.5 billion. BSCCL can provide Tk 2.5 billion from its own fund, and the rest can be raised from the share market," he added.

Besides, funds can also be acquired from public-private partnership and low-interest loans from Islamic Development Bank or International Monetary Fund.

Retain Number While Switching To a Different Mobile Phone Operator Comning 2012

2012-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

Retain Number While Switching To a Different Mobile Phone Operator Comning 2012
The parliamentary standing committee on the telecom ministry has recommended the industry watchdog to introduce mobile number portability (MNP) service by 2012.

MNP is a service that allows cell phone users to retain their number while switching to a different mobile operator.

The committee made the recommendations at a meeting on Sunday, with its chief Hasanul Haque Inu in the chair.

After the meeting, Inu told reporters that MNP had been introduced in many countries a decade back. "A four-member committee led by a director has been formed to prepare a guideline on number portability which is about to be finished," he added.

Bangladesh's six mobile phone operators currently have around 80 million subscribers.

The meeting was attended, among others, by whip A S M Firoj, Abdul Odud, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Nazrul Islam Babu and Muazzem Hossain Ratan.

symbiantalk now http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/

2011-02-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

symbiantalk now http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/

airtel launching 3g in bangladesh in 29th february 2011

2011-02-05T01:32:00.000-08:00

good news to all bangladesh tech eddict
airtel launching 3g in bangladesh in 29th fabruary 2011. just waitting for that days.

Bangladesh Plans 3G Auction by August 2010

2010-06-03T03:57:00.001-07:00

Bangladesh's Post and Telecommunications Minister has confirmed that the country will offer 3G licenses by the end of August, although the exact method allocating the licenses is still being worked out by the regulator.
"Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is formulating required guidelines which will set the process for awarding 3G licenses," Minister Razi Uddin Ahmed Raju told the Chinese Xinhua news agency. Although the details are still being worked out, an official confirmed that there would be at least four licenses made available.
The country has been promising to award 3G licenses since 2008, although political issues with the transition of the government was held responsible for most of the delay.
"It is estimated that there are over 6 million mobile internet users and already today 15 percent of the mobile handsets used in Bangladesh market are 3G enabled," Arun Bansal, managing director of the Ericsson Bangladesh said last May.
The country currently has six operators - and according to figures from theMobile World, ended Q1 of this year with just over 55 million mobile subscribers - which is still a population penetration level of around 35%. Also worth noting is that while the country has six operators, only four of them are of any significant scale, Grameenphone (23.9m), Banglalink (14.2m) and Aktel (11.8m) and finally, Warid Telecom (2.9m). The two remaining long term incumbents, Citycell and Teletalk add up to 2.9 million customers between them.

GrameenPhone Brings Mini Pack Internet Package P7 (15MB)

2010-06-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

A great news for Bangladeshi Mobile Internet user,GrameenPhone Brings New Internet Mini pack p7.User can Enjoy upto 15MB browsing+download just 29TK valid for 15 Days

This package is great for internet user who used internet in Mobile phone for Chat,WAP and ,Facebook Browsing purpose .
Lets Check Details

To Active This p7 Type p7 And send 5000 Number or dial *111#
This 15MB valid0 until 15 Days
To check Remaining data Dial *566*10# or *566*1# or Type info and send 5000 Number
After 15MB finished or 15 Days later you automatically convert to p1 package and charge ..02 Paisa =per KB so remember That .
You can Subscribe again this package after 15 days not before 15 days

BTCL Broadband Internet Package and Modem Price(Reduce)

2010-06-03T03:52:00.000-07:00

Recently BTCL ADSL Broadband internet Service Reduce Internet Package Traffic and Modem Price.Now you can get High speed internet at Cheap rate .

BTCL Adsl Broad Band Package Price

PostPaid

PrePaid

You Can Get BTCL ADSL Broadband Modem at 2500 Tk

BTCL Broadband Coverage Area

BTCL broadband not reach all area in Bangladesh. some of major big cities coverage BTCL internet .
Present Coverage area is Dhaka City
Dhaka Cantonment , Chalkbazar , Gazipur , Gulshan , Khilgaon , Mirpur , Ramna,Narawanganj , Nilkhet, Sher-E-Bangla Nagar , Uttara. , Moghbazar , Saidabad , Savar
Chittagong City
Nandon Kanon , Agrabad.
Comilla City
Central Comilla
Khulna City
Central Khulna
Bogra City
Central Bogra

If you interested grab this Connection Visit BTCL Broadband website and get the details procedure to get a connection.

Airtel Bangladesh Launch 7th August With Name AIRBANGLA

2010-06-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Recently Airtel declared They Launch their service in Bangladesh on 7th August with Brand Name AIRBANGLA.
Bollywood king Sharuk Khan will come to this Inauguration party.already know this Bharati AIrtel buy warid bangladesh 70% share.

Get Citycell Zoom Modem Just 1900 Tk

2010-06-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

Today I Got an Interesting news about City cell Zoom Modem. Now you can Grab this modem only TK 1900. However, it's not an official declaration, but you can enjoy this offer from any Customer care. Zoom Ultra will be available in August across the country for this Citycell sell Zoom modem at the cheap rate.

CItycell Reduce Zoom Ultra Modem Price

2010-06-03T03:38:00.001-07:00

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ওয়াইম্যাক্স এনাটমি: পারলে থিসিস করেন, ইচ্ছা করলে ননটেকীরাও পড়বার পারেন!

2009-07-28T02:33:00.001-07:00

ওয়াইম্যাক্স নিয়া নানা লেখা পড়লাম, নানা আলোচনা শুনলাম মাগার কেউ আমার মনের আশা মিটাইতে চায় নাই। সবাই খালি উপর দিয়া গিয়া বুঝায় দিছে তেনারা তলেরটা জানে না। আমিও জানি না, জানা আমার কাজ না। তয় অখন জানবার চাই। তিনটা বই ডাউনলোড করলাম অনলাইন থিকা। একটা পুরাই ভূয়া হইলেও দুইটা বই জবর দোস্ত। শেষ করতে পারি নাই, তবে যা পইড়া বুঝলাম সেইটা সব টেকী-ননটেকীদের সাথে শেয়ার করলাম।

ওয়াইম্যাক্স কি?

কি জানি? এইটা ভাবতে ভাবতে এ্যাব্রিভিয়েশন পাইলাম: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. মনের আশা মিটা গেছে বাকীটুকুন জানার। তবে আইইই(IEE) নামের একগ্রুপ এদেরকে অবশ্য ৮০২.১৬ নামেই চেনে। আমার কাছে এইডাই সহজ লাগলো।
অখন আপনেরা বলতে পারেন কেন এই ওয়াই ম্যাক্স? হক কথা, কেন এইটা? আসলে পাবলিক এখন টেলিফুনের তারে বা বাতাসে অথবা আইএসপি আলাদের হাসিতে ভুলতে চায় না। তারা চায় আরো স্পীড।
অখন বলতে পারেন ওয়াই ফাই খারাপ ছিলো কি? আগে যারা গুলশানের পিজ্জা হাটের সাথে কফি হাটে অথবা নর্থ সাউথের নয়া ক্যাম্পাসে ওয়াই ফাই এর দুর্দমনীয় স্পীড দেইখা বলতেই পারে এর চেয়ে আর কি চাই। চাওনের আছে, ওয়াই ফাই এর সিম্বল ডিউরেশন আর গার্ড ইন্টারভাল অনেক কম ওয়াই ম্যাক্সের থিকা। এইজন্য বেশী দূরত্বে অথবা ইন্টারফেরিয়েন্স হইলে খবর হইয়া যায়। এখন কইবার পারেন গার্ড ইন্টারভাল আর সিম্বল ডিউরেশন কারে কয়?
সিম্বল রেটকে ১ দিয়া ভাগ দিলেই সিম্বল ডিউরেশন পাওন যায়। সিম্বল রেটের আরেক নাম হইলো বদ রেট (মেলা আগে এইটা পড়নের সময় একখান জুক বানাইছিলাম সেইটা শুইনা পুলাপান হাসলেও রুম মেটের ওজু ভাঙছিলো) যার মানে হইলো প্রতি সেকেন্ডে নির্দিস্ট হারের সিম্বল বা পালসের পরিমাণ।এইখানে বদরেটের সিম্বল বা পালস পাঠাইতে যত যময় লাগে সেইটারেই সিম্বল ডিউরেশন টাইম বলে।
গার্ড ইন্টার্ভাল হইলো সেই পার্থক্যটাই তথ্য গুলান হাওয়ায় পালস আকারে পাঠানের সময় একটা যাতে আরেকটার লগে টাংকি না মারে অর্থাৎ ফিল্ডিং না মারে সেই দূরত্বরেই তবে।

ও্যায়াইম্যাক্স ওয়ারলেস নেটওয়ার্ক
নেটওয়ার্ক মানে জাল- এই মারফতী কথা যে বুঝছে সে অর্ধেক বুইঝা ফেলাইছে এই টেলিকমের। অখন কন কেডা কেডা বুঝছে!
আগেই বলছি ওয়াইম্যাক্সের রেন্জ্ঞ ওয়াই ফাইএর চেয়ে অনেক বেশী, স্পীডও বেশী। তার আগে কিছু ফ্রিকোয়েন্সি নিয়া বাতচিত করি।

ফ্রিকোয়েন্সি ব্যান্ড: ২ থিকা ১১ গিগাহার্জ আর ১০ থিকা ৬৬ গিগাহার্জ (লাইসেন্স আর আনলাইসেন্সড)
চ্যানেল ব্যান্ডউইডথ: ১.৭৫ , ৩.৫, ৫, ৭, ৮.৭৫ (ওয়াই ব্রো), ১০ এবং ১৫ মেগাহার্জ
ওএফডিএম সাবক্যরিয়ার: ১২৮, ২৫৬, ১০২৪ অথবা ২০৪৮
মাল্টিপ্লেক্সিং ব্যাপার: টিডিএম/টিডিএমএ এবং ওএফডিএমএ
মডুলেশন স্কীম: কিউপিএসকে, ১৬ কিউএএমন অথবা ৬৪ কিউএএম (এডাপ্টিভ)
ডুপ্লেক্সিং স্কিম: টিডিডি এবং এফডিডি।
রেন্জ্ঞ: বিটিএসের ৩০ মাইল (৫০ কিমি) ব্যাসার্ধে
স্পীড: ৭০ মেগাবিট পার সেকেন্ড
লাইন অফ সাইট দরকার নাই ইউজার আর বেস স্টেশনের সাথে।

সার্টফিকেশন প্রোফাইল আছে ৭ খান যার মধ্যে ৪বি এর ৩.৩-৩.৪ গিগাহার্জ, ৭ মেগাহার্জ, টিডিডি এর ব্যাপারটায় কিছু রেগুলেটরীর ক্লিয়ারেন্সের ব্যাপার স্যাপার আছে বলে আটকে ছিলো বেশ কিছু দিন। বর্তমানের খবর জানি না।বাকীগুলানে অবশ্য রেগুলেটরী কিছু বলে না।

ওয়াইম্যাক্স সিস্টেম দুইটা ভাগে বিভক্ত
সেলফোন টাওয়ারের মতো ওয়াইম্যাক্সেরও টাওয়ার আছে-একখান সিঙ্গেল টাওয়ার ৩০০০ স্কোয়ার মাইল অথবা ৮০০০ স্কোয়ার কিলোমিটার কভারেজ দিবার পারে। বিশাল ব্যাপার না?

রিসিভার বলতে একটা ছোট বক্স অথবা একটা পিসিএমসিআইএ কার্ড অথবা পুচকা একটা জিপির মোডেমের মতো হইবার পারে অথবা ওয়াই ফাইয়ের মতো বিল্ট ইন থাকবার পারে। তয় সুখবর হইলো ইন্টেল ঘুষনা দিছে তার মাদারবোর্ডে এই চীপখানাও মাগনা দিয়া দিবো!

একটা ওয়াইম্যাক্স টাওয়ার সরাসরি একটা হাই ব্যান্ডউইডথের ইন্টারনেট কানেকশন যুক্ত তারে যুক্ত হইবার পারে এবং এইটাই ছড়াইয়া দিবার পারে দূর বহুদুর। আবার এই টাওয়ার খান মাইক্রোওয়েভ লিংক অথবা টি ৩ অথবা অপটিক্যাল লাইনের কানেকশনের মাধ্যমে (লাইন অফ সাইটে থাকতে হবে মাইক্রোওয়েভের ক্ষেত্রে) অন্যটাওয়ারের সাথে যুক্ত হইবার পারে। এই ব্যাকহোউলে থাকা টাওয়ারের মাধ্যমে প্রথম টাওয়ারগুলো মেলা দূর দূরান্তে এবং প্রত্যন্ত অন্ঞ্চলে কানেকশন দিবার পারে।
ওয়াইম্যাক্সে মিমো টেকনোলজী: মিমো মানে হইলো মাল্টিপোল ইনপুট মাল্টিপোল আউটপুট।এইডার মানে হইলো বেস স্টেশনে একাধিকা এ্যান্টেনা আর যে অন্য কম্পিউটার বা মোবাইল সেট বা বেস স্টেশন রিসিভ করবো সেও একাধিক এ্যান্টেনা ব্যাবহার করবো।এতে কইরা রিসিভার সিগন্যালটা আরো রোবাস্ট হইবো আর একটা ব্যাক আপও হইলো।এছাড়া যেহেতু এ্যান্টেনা গুলান স্পেসিয়াল মাল্টিপ্লেক্সিং করে সেহেতু এর ডাটা রেট বহুগুণে বাইড়া যায়। এর ফলে এ্যরে গেইন, ডাইভারসিটি গেইন আর স্পেশিয়াল মাল্টিপ্লেক্সিং গেইনের সাথে ইন্টারফেয়ারেন্সের কারনে নয়েস অনেক খানি কমে আসে।

এ্যান্টেনা এরে টেকনিক: ট্রান্সমিটার আর রিসিভারে মাল্টিপল এ্যান্টেনা ব্যাবহার স্পেস টাইম সিগন্যাল প্রসেসিং এর মাধ্যমে ডাইভারসিটি গেইন আর ডাটার ট্রান্স ফার রেট বেড়ে যায়।অন্যভাবে এ্যাডাপ্টিভ এ্যন্টেনা এরে টেকনিক দিয়ে এ্যান্টেনার ট্রান্সমিশনে ডিরেকশনাল গেইন বাড়ানোও সম্ভব। এর ফলে ঐ সেলের রেন্জ, ইন্টাফেয়ারেন্স, নয়েজ ইত্যাদি নিয়ন্ত্রণ করা যায়।
এই টেকনিকটা গ্রামে গন্জ্ঞ বা প্রত্যন্ত অন্ঞ্চলে ব্যাবহার করা হয়।

তবে কিছু ব্যাপার আছে যেমন:

১) দীর্ঘ আয়ুর ব্যাটারীজীবন,অধিকতর রেন্জ্ঞ এবং উচ্চতর থ্রোপুটের জন্য উচ্চতর এ্যান্টেন গেইনের দরকার।
২) উন্নততর রিলায়েবিলিটি, আরো বেশী রোবাস্ট অপারেশনাল সার্ভিসের জন্য চতুর্দিকের ডাইভারসিটি গেইন দরকার।
৩) ইন্টাফেয়ারেন্স কমানো
৪) ট্রান্সমিশনের অন্যান্য সিস্টেমে ইন্টাফেয়ারেন্স লেভেল কমানো
৫) স্পেশিয়াল মাল্টিপ্লেক্সিং সম্বলিত মিমোর ব্যাবহার নিশ্চিত করে উচ্চতর লিংক ক্যাপাসিটির।
এগুলোই প্রধান এই মিমো টেকনোলজীর কোয়ালিটি ধরে রাখার জন্য।

ওয়াইম্যাক্স দুই ভাবে কানেকশন দিবার পারে। ননলাইন অফ সাইট সাধারনত কাস্টমারের দিকে থাকে যেখানে নিম্ন তরঙ্গের রেন্জ্ঞ ব্যাবহার করা হয়- ২ থেকে ১১ গিগাহার্জ।নিম্ন তরঙ্গ দৈর্ঘ্যের ট্রান্সমিশন কিন্তু বাহ্যিক বাধাকে ভালোই অতিক্রম করতে পারে। সেইজন্যই এটা কাস্টমারের দিকে ব্যাবহার করা হয়। এছাড়া কিছু স্পেক্ট্রাম এফিসিয়েন্সি আর বিইআরের ব্যাপার আছে।
এখন বলতে পারেন ওয়াই ফাই ও তো সেম জিনিস ব্যাবহার করে, তাইলে এর রেন্জ্ঞের এমন হরিলুট অবস্হা কেন?
কারন ওয়াইম্যাক্সের ট্রান্সমিটারের স্ট্যাশনের লাইন অফ সাইট এ্যান্টেনাগুলান খুবই শক্তিশালী যেটা তার রেন্জ্ঞের মধ্যে অবস্হিত ওয়াইম্যাক্স এনাবলড কম্পিউটার বা রাউটারে বেশ ভালো ভাবেই তথ্য প্রদান করতে পারে।
ওয়াইম্যাক্স কভারেজ আর স্পিড
এটা ওয়াইফাই এর মতই ডাটা পাঠায় তবে সিকিউরিটি একটু বেশী টাইট। সিসএনএ যারা করছেন তারা হয়তো জানবেন ওয়াইফাই এর সিকিউরিটি খুব একটা সুবিধার না। কিন্তু ওয়াইম্যাক্সে প্রতিটা ডাটাই খুব ভালোভাবে এনক্রিপট করে পাঠায় বলে ঐ চ্যানেলে স্নিফ করে ডাটা বের করে নেয়া বেশ দুরূহ। তবে ওয়ারলেসে সব সময়ই ডাটা চুরির ভয় থাকে।
তবে ওয়াইম্যাক্স আবার ফিজিক্যাল লেয়ার আর ম্যাক লেয়ারে ডিফাইন করে আর সেজন্য এখানে মাল্টিপল ফিজিক্যাল লেয়ার সাপোর্ট করে।

যেহেতু ওয়াইম্যাক্সের চ্যানেল ক্যাপাসিটি মানে প্রত্যেক বিটিএসের জন্য থোক বরাদ্দ ৭০ মেগাবিট পার সেকেন্ড সেহেতু মোডেমের মাধ্যমে উহা ভাগ হয়ে গেলেও এটা শিওর করে বলে দেয়া যায় যে সবাই অন্তত মোডেমের কানেকশন স্পিড ন্যুনতম ভাবে পেতে সক্ষম।

ওয়াই ম্যাক্স আর্কিটেকচার

ওয়াইম্যাক্সের আর্কিটেকচার খুবই ফ্লেক্সিবল যেখানে ইচ্ছা সেখানেই হান্দাই দিবার পারবেন মানে ২জি/৩জি বা আইএসপির ফাইবার অপটিক ব্যাকবোন সবখানেই যদিও ২জি তে দিলে ইন্ট্রানেটের জন্য ভালো ইন্টারনেটের জন্য বাটখারা সার্ভিস হইয়া যাইবো (তবে এই বাটখারা সার্ভিসরেও বাইপাস করনের অপশন আছে সেইডা আলাদা ব্যাপার যেইটা নিয়া এইখানে আলোচনা করুম না)।তবে এই ফ্লেক্সিবিলিটি কিছু কমপ্লেক্সিটির জন্ম দিছে।

একটু ফটু দেখাই তয় ঝাপসা।

এই ঝাপসা ফটুক অনুযায়ী নেটওয়ার্ক ম্যানেজম্যান্ট সিস্টেম, কিছু নোড আর ডাটাবেস নিয়া এইডা তৈয়ার করা হইছে।
যখন ওয়াইম্যাক্স সার্ভিসের জন্য সাবস্ক্রাইব করবার চাইবেন, তখন সার্ভিস প্রোভাইডার আপনের কাস্টমার ফ্লো ইনফো চাইবো যেইখানে আপলোড/ডাউনলোড ইনফোর সাথে অন্যান্য কিউওএস সার্ভিসের তথ্যাদি থাকবো।কাস্টমারকে এইটাও জানাইতে হইবো সে কি ধরনের এ্যাপ্লিকেশন চালাইবার চায়।সার্ভিস প্রোভাইডার তখন সার্ভিস ফ্লো ডাটাবেসে সেইসব তথ্যাদি ইনপুট দিয়া তার সার্ভিসের জন্য বরাদ্দের রিক্যুইজিশন দেয়।আইইই এই কিউওএস ম্যাক লেয়ারে স্পেসিফাই করে রাখছে এবং ওয়াইম্যাক্স ফোরামও সেইডা টেকনোলজীতেই ইনক্লুড কইরা দিছে। আপনের ঝামেলা কমাই দিছে সোজা কথায়।

এরসাথে যখন সব ঠিকঠাক হইয়া যাইবো তখন আপনের পিসির ম্যাক এ্যাড্রেসের এ্যাগেন্সটে একটা আইপি এ্যাসাইন করা হয় যেটা আইপি মাল্টিমিডিয়া সিস্টেম মানে আইএমএস দ্বারা করা হয়। আপনি একটা স্পেশাল এনক্রিপশন কোড পাইবেন যেইটা দিয়া আপনি বেস স্টেশন কানেকশন রিকোয়েস্ট পাঠাইবেন। তখন বেস স্টেশন আপনার পিসির দিকে বীম আকারে ইন্টারনেট ডাটা পাঠাইবো অপ্রত্যাশিত স্পীডে।

বাড়ীতে ওয়াইম্যাক্স টেকনোলজি

ধরেন আপনের বাড়ী থিকা ১০ মাইল দূরে একখান ওয়াইম্যাক্স আইএসপি বসছে। আপনি কানেকশন নিবার চান।আপনি পয়লা ওয়াইম্যাক্স এনাবলড কম্পিউটার কেনেন (ইন্টেলের নয়া সেন্ট্রিনো মডেলের চিপসেট গুলায় ওয়াই ম্যাক্স থাকে এছাড়া ক্লিয়ারডওয়ারের সাথে চুক্তি হইছে ২০০৮ সালে যে তারা বেস স্টেশনে ওয়াইম্যাক্সে এনাবলড মডুলেশন স্কীম চিপসেট সাপ্লাই দিবো)।
যদি বাসায় আপনার নেটওয়ার্ক থাকে তাইলে বীম আইবো আপনের ওয়াইম্যাক্স রাউটারে।এমনকি আপনে ইচ্ছা করলে বাসায় বা অফিসে ওয়াইফাই এপি (লিনকসিস, ডিলিংক (পিওই)ইত্যাদি) হটস্পট বসাইয়া ছড়াইয়া দিবার পারেন।

ওয়াইম্যাক্সের কিউওএস মানে কোয়ালিটি অব সার্ভিস এমন ভাবে ডিজাইন করা যে এটা ভিওআইপির জন্য পারফেক্ট।

উপসংহার
আসলে ওয়াইম্যাক্স টেকনোলজীটা অনেকটা সেল লেভেলে। এই টেকনোলজী সম্বলিত বিটিএস গুলো ইন্টারকানেকশন থেকে সেন্ট্রালি একটা নোডে কানেক্ট থাকবার পারে। এরকম অনেক গুলান নোড একটা এমএসসি বা সেন্ট্রাল এমএসসি বা নোডে কানেক্ট হয়ে ইন্টানেট গেট ওয়েতে কানেকশন হতে পারে। তাই এই টেকনোলজী যে কেউ বসাতে পারে তবে প্রধান ব্যাপার হলো তার সেরকম একটা ইনফ্রাস্ট্রাকচার থাকতে হবে। বিটিএস টু বিটিএস এবং বিএসএস টু এমএসসি অবশ্য এসটিএম ৪ বা ৮ এর মতো ক্যাপাসিটি থাকলে একটা বিশাল জন গোষ্ঠী ভালো স্পীড পেতে পারে তবে সেইক্ষেত্রে প্রচুর ব্যান্ড উইডথ প্রয়োজন যেখানে বাংলাদেশে ব্যান্ডউইডথের মাসিক ন্যুনতম চার্জ ২ এমবিপিএস ডেডিকেটেড ইন্টারনেট কানেকশনের জন্য ৪৪০০০ টাকা আর ট্রান্সমিশনের রেট আরো ভয়াবহ যেটা বিটিআরসি অনুমোদিত।

তাই এই বিষয় খেয়াল রেখে হাতে সময় নিয়ে যদি ইনফ্রাস্ট্রকাচার বানানো যায় তাহলে ওয়াই ম্যাক্সকে শুধুমাত্র এলটিই টেক্কা দিতে পারবে। আর আমাদের দেশে যদি ইন্টানেট ব্যাব হার বাড়ানো যায় আনাচে কানাচে তাহলে জিডিপির অন্তত ২ শতাংশ হেসে খেলে এই খাত থেকে আসবে!

**সূত্র মোবাইল ওয়াইম্যাক্স: কোয়াং চ্যাং চ্যাং (তাইওয়ান ন্যাশনাল ইউনি) আর জে. রবার্তো বি. ডি মার্কা (পন্টিফিক্যাল ক্যাথোলিক ইউনি, ব্রাজিল)

HTC Touch HD Comes O2 Germany Only For 290 Euro

2008-11-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

O2 Germany announced that the HTC Touch HD multimedia powerhouse will arrive on the carrier's shop windows rather soon. The handset will be sold exclusively by O2 in Germany for four weeks starting from mid-November.

Having seen a similar thing happen in UK, the short-term exclusivity deal in Germany hardly comes as a surprise to us. What somewhat surprises though is the fact that the phones will be sold without a SIM-lock.

HTC Touch HD

The O2 states that it will charge 290 euro for the HTC Touch HD combined with one of their subscription plans. However there is no information if the deal is valid with any plan or only with the ones on a heftier monthly tax. We remind you that the HD retails at about 80 GBP in UK with a 40 GBP/month plan on an 18-month contract.

According to O2 the strongest selling points of the HTC Touch HD are the large 3.8" WVGA touchscreen and the TouchFLO 3D UI. In addition the phone comes with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and an enormous set of connectivity options but unless you lived in a cave for the past few months you already knew that.

Still, you can check out our quick and dirty preview of the HTC uber QWERTY-less device.

New Samsung ML2240 Printer by Smart

2008-11-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

Samsung ML2240 Printer

Smart Technologies BD Ltd introduces New Samsung ML2240 Laser Printer in the local ICT market.
Features:
*Can print out 3000-3500 pages
* Print Speed 22 ppm
* USB 2.0 Interface Printing Device
* Print Resolution 1200 dpi and 8 MB Printing RAM
* Can print out papers from 3X5 inch to 8.5X14 inch
* Can print over post card, envelope, label too
* Supports wide range of OS : Windows Vista, XP, ’98, Me, 2000, 2003 Server, Linux and MacOS (10.3-10.5)

Price:
Pinter: BDT 8,500.00 only
Toner: BDT 3,000.00 only

For more, contact:
Smart Technologies BD Ltd.
Phone: 01730-317766, 8112613
Email: munnaf@smartbd.net

108Mbps 802.11a/b/g Outdoor AP by Richman

2008-11-06T11:00:00.001-08:00

108Mbps 802.11a/b/g Outdoor AP

Richman Informatics has introduced 108Mbps 802.11a/b/g Outdoor AP in the local ICT Market.
Feature Summery:
108Mbps 802.11a/b/g Outdoor AP
N-Type connector
Atheros 108Mbps 802 11a/b/g Chipset
802.3af PoE Power
AP, Router, Client, Repeater, WISP modes
QoS, Multiple SSID, VLAN

Detailed Features:
108Mbps Atheros 11a CPE
The WHA-5500CPE-NT is one of the Outdoor AP devices that is designed to run at the 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequency spectrum. Therefore, you can setup up your outdoor wireless network quickly. It can be use to build point-to-point connections between buildings or used as wireless clients for WISP subscribers. With its Atheros 108Mbps Super A / Turbo A*/ Super G / Turbo G capability, it is also suitable for WISP backbone applications.
5 Kilometers Distance or More
With high performance Atheros 11a/b/g radio, the CPE can reach the distance of 5 kilometer or more in good weather condition. The included 802.3af Power over Ethernet adapter is capable of up to 100 meter in distance between the AP unit to the power outlet. This makes installation very versatile and simple.
Multiple Operation Model
The WHA-5500CPE-NT is equipped with multiple wireless operation modes. The Bridge Mode function is for building wireless connection between 2 buildings. The AP mode is for hotspot service or WISP service to subscribers. The CPE can be used on the subscriber sight to receive WISP Internet service in client/WISP mode. The CPE has every wireless mode function for your equipments.
VLAN & QoS
WHA-5500CPE-NT provides Multi-SSID to create different wireless network using one AP. The TAG VLAN feature allow service provider to control service content of each SSID network all the way back to core router. The QoS feature allows to prioritized the different package according the 802.11e WMM protocol and triple play (Voice, Video and Data).

For more, contact:
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R I C H M A N I N F O R M A T I C S
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HEAD OFFICE:20/2, North Dhanmondi, West Panthopath, Dhaka-1205
Tel: +8802-9140339, 8144084, 9143683
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SHOW ROOM:SR-239, BCS Computer City, IDB Bhaban, Agargaon, Dhaka
Tel: +8802-9110898

CVL introduces MSI Wind PC in Bangladesh

2008-11-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

MSI Wind PC, a perfect combination of Energy, Reduce Noise Best Solution for your 24-hour Computing Needs
MSI Wind PC is based on new generation platform which is designed for a mix of performance, low power usage, size and affordability which is suitable for mobile applications or for users who leave their computers on 24-hours per day. The mini compact Wind PC only measures 6.5-centimeter, which is 3X smaller than the traditional ATX chassis. This highly-functional system is very space-saving; you can practically put it anywhere, on the table or bookshelf. The attractive red paint and streamline design makes the MSI Wind PC sleek and modern which complements any room in your home. Com Valley Ltd. Recently marketing wind pc to the local IT market in Bangladesh.

3X smaller thickness. The space magician
The size of Wind PC is only 300 X 260 X 65 mm with a conversion volume capacity of about 4.7 liters. Compared to standard ATX* chassis, MSI Wind PC saves about 83% spaces. In addition, the mini compact Wind PC only measures 6.5-centimeter, which is 3X smaller than traditional ATX chassis. The stylish design and clean lines create a unifying theme that blends easily with the most stylish home decor. Wind PC offers superior functions and performance and promises you the most hassle-free addition to your home!

*Note: The size of standard ATX is 12 X 9.6 ": L425mm X W178mm X H410mm

Save energy, save money
To avoid wasting earth resources and reduce environment waste, MSI Wind PC is powered by MSI ultra-low-power platform. The TDP (Thermal Design Power) is only 4W is 16X smaller than the general desktop processors and 9X smaller than laptop processors. With MSI excellent electronic circuit design, the full speed operation of Wind PC is only 35W. Compared to the 250W power consumption of general desktop computer, Wind PC can save up to 86% on electricity even when users use the computer for over a 24-hour period. It is very suitable for file server, remote monitoring or playing online game. MSI Wind PC is the best solution for your 24-hour computing needs. In addition, Wind PC has been certificated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the ENERGY STAR* Version 4.0 to enable 65% more reduction when in standby mode.

Quieter than electric fans at home
MSI Wind PC is based on MSI next generation platform which use high efficiency and stability of the passive cooling system design. From the fan noise and damage concerns, the operation volume is less than 30dB which is quieter than electric fans used at home. It's even quieter than the fan of the graphics card of desktop. Get a good night's sleep even when your computer is on and say goodbye to annoying fan noise while you're working or playing.

Built-in WLAN and omni-directional antenna
Besides the built-in high-speed Gb LAN and 802.11b/g wireless network, the Wind PC also comes with an omni-directional antenna. The omni-directional antenna helps users to have Internet connection anywhere at home. You don't need extra cable lines or destroy the interior of your house just to have an Internet connection. Preserve the beauty of your house and just simply enjoy the convenience and flexibility of MSI Wind PC.

Theatre-class audio-visual experience
Wind PC supports 7.1-channel audio output and DVD Combo, which allows users to enjoy unparalleled digital audio visual experience. It also comes with a built-in TV card that allows users to connect the cable line at home and experience a powerful TV quality. Moreover, it provides several full-screen functions, sub-screen switch, record function and Internet connection. Users can also toggle between the television and computer and have a good time with MSI Wind PC.

Full-featured multimedia center
The Wind PC comes with a front panel multi-format card reader which reads virtually any popular card format. Simply connect your camera to the computer and all your pictures are there ready to be looked at. In addition, the Wind PC has a built-in 160GB 7200 SATA hard drive that can store more than 30 DVD movies. Its storage capacity simply meets consumer's demand for high availability storage solution.

For more information, contact
Computer Valley Ltd
Phone: 9661034,8130780

Latest I-mobile Price In Bangladesh

2008-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Softbank Introduces Sharp Aquos Fulltouch Slider With Quasi-XGA Resolution

2008-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought the Touch HD really packed the pixels in, Softbank and Sharp have announced the Aquos Fulltouch 931SH slider, which sports a wild 1024 x 480 3.8-inch touchscreen. That's almost the same res as most netbooks, for comparison -- we're not sure what all that pixel density is good for at this size, but we know we want it. Apart from the screen it's also a pretty solid 3G Softbank featurephone: browser, Bluetooth with A2DP, 5.2 megapixel camera with image stabilizer, accelerometer, 1seg TV tuner, and a media player with microSD expansion. Sure, sure -- but look at that screen, people. That's the stuff dreams are made of. Anyone up for a trip to Japan?

Survey On Internet Users In Dhaka

2008-10-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

A survey is going to be conducted on the internet users in Dhaka by bytesforall.com.
The number internet user in Dhaka is getting higher day by day. South Asian research firm Bytes for All Initiative is going to conduct a survey on the social status analysis as long as the types of internet use of the Internet users in Dhaka. Now the first level survey for this research is going to be conducted. Any internet user from Dhaka are requested to take part in that survey.

The users are requested to visit the following link to take part:
http://www.bytesforallinitiative.net/internetusagedhaka/index.php?sid=72945&lang=en

Two WiMAX licensees Fail To Pay, BTRC Given More Time

2008-10-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

Two of the three WiMAX licensees have failed to pay the required fees in time, forcing the regulators to extend the deadline by a month.
BTRC Sunday cited the global financial crisis as the reason when it announced the extension of the deadline from Oct 16 to Nov 15.
Brac BDMail Network and M/s BanglaLion Communications will now get this extra time to pay up half the Tk 215 crore fee.
"Considering the global crisis, and taking into account the petitions from the winning bidders, the 10-working day time for depositing half the license fee has been extended to Nov 15," BTRC chairman Manzurul Alam told bdnews24.com.
Losing bidders, however, began complaining.
"If we knew such an opportunity would come, many of us would have offered more money for license," said Syed Masud Kabir, managing director of Mango Teleservices.
The guideline, he said, spoke of 10 working days and no scope for an extension. But, he admitted, the commission reserved the right to amend the guideline.
The BTRC chairman disagreed.
"This is not right. The entire license fee will have to be deposited in 90 days.
"If they fail, other companies in line will get the licenses.
"The global crisis struck immediately after the bidding (on Sept 24)," he said.
The BTRC chief said India too suspended the 3-G licensing process because of the crisis.
The other winning company, Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd, was handed the license Sunday by the BTRC chairman following its payment of the required fee in time, a BTRC statement said.

Microlab Speaker X23 Now In Bangladesh Market

2008-10-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Computer Source Ltd has introduced Microlab’s new X23 Speakers in the local ICT market.
Features:
• Louder and clear sound quality
• Attractive look
• 5:1 sound system
• One large woofer and 5 satellite speakers
• Built-in amplifier
• Remote Control facility
• Woofer 29 watt and Sat Power output 14 watt each
• Connectable with DVD players

Price:
BDT 8,500.00 only

Warranty:
One year limited warranty under buy48 Policy

For more, contact:
Computer Source Ltd.
Phone: 9141747, 01730058095

Latest LG Mobile Price In Bangladeshi TK

2008-10-25T00:40:00.001-07:00

Integra International Ltd. Brought Latest LG Mobile

Price Is Given In BD TK

Raju

2008-10-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

Telenor Defends Stake In Grameen Phone

2008-10-08T23:58:00.001-07:00

Telenor has reiterated its stand on controlling Grameenphone (GP) as a majority shareholder, saying the majority stake should remain in its hands because of its higher financial contribution to the largest cellphone operator in Bangladesh.
"It's not a problematic issue. We had discussions with Dr Muhammad Yunus in Oslo last month. And what I found in the discussions is that we are in a long-term relation for developing the country," said Telenor Chairman Harald Norvik in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star on Monday.

Norvik made the comments on the first day of a three-member high-profile Telenor team's visit to Dhaka.

Jon Fredrik Baksaas, chief executive officer of the company, explained why Telenor should not reduce its shares in Grameenphone.

The battle between Yunus' Grameen Telecom and Telenor intensified surrounding a clause in the deal between them. "It is Telenor's intention to reduce its shareholding to below 35 percent within a period of six years of incorporation (1997) of the company," the clause says.

But even after more than 10 years, Telenor is yet to reduce its control in Grameenphone. Recently Dr Yunus threatened to sue Telenor.

Asked about Nobel laureate Yunus' view on taking majority share of Grameenphone, Baksaas said there might be different perspectives on how to view that deal and Telenor intention. "But you have to look back on the company's history."

Baksaas said, "We see this very clear in the sense that Grameenphone was refinanced in the period 2003 to 2004. In that period when this refinancing was made we contributed, from Telenor perspective, very much to getting the company through that period and with the additional financing in hand with a projection that Telenor should remain the major shareholder by holding more than 51 percent share."

He said it was a combination of equity investment and loans to the company. "I think the financing side has been incredibly important ... (and) dividend payout from the company has been minimal," he added.

But what was the necessity to make an intention to reduce Telenor's shares? Why does Telenor now refuse to execute its intention?

Baksaas explained, "Grameenphone was our very first investment in Asia and the paragraph of intention, which describes the possibility that Telenor has the choice to reduce its holding down to 35 percent, was something that the board of Telenor at that time needed because of risk profile of the project at that time."

"But when we get new knowledge about the Bangladeshi market six years later and we participate in refinancing and creating additional financing for Grameenphone then of course we subscribe to the pact that Telenor should remain 51 percent shareholder in Grameenphone on project basis as well as refinancing. That is the story telling around intention paragraph as part of the shareholder agreement," he said.

The cumulative investment in Grameenphone up to July 2008 was $1.7 billion and the total dividend paid to shareholders by the end of 2007 was $142 million.

Until 2003, there were four shareholders in Grameenphone. Telenor owned 51 percent, Grameen Telecom 35 percent, Marubeni Corporation 9.5 percent and Gonofone owned 4.5 percent.

When Marubeni Corporation wanted to sell its shares in 2004, as per the incorporation deal, its shares were proportionately transferred to the other three stakeholders. Later Gonofone also wanted to sell its stake and Telenor bought it. Telenor claimed that Gonofone transferred its 6.5 percent shares to Telenor in line with Grameenphone's Board approval.

But Grameen Telecom alleged that Gonofone secretly sold shares to Telenor. When asked about the issue, Baksaas said, "I don't subscribe to this view."

He said, "Grameen Telecom did not take part in buying of Gonofone's shares although it had opportunity."

However, Telenor high-ups believe the shareholder dispute is less significant than the company's future prospect.

"The prospect of the company is very important in particular when we together do the IPO (initial public offering)," Baksaas said.

Grameenphone had a plan to raise $300 million -- half through a private placement and half through a subsequent domestic IPO. But in the latest development, its high officials indicated to cut its planned $300 million IPO to $125 million.

"From Telenor, we feel very positive about bringing Grameenphone to the local stock market," Baksaas said, but declined to tell about the exact date of listing. "The timing has been a bit hit by the international credit crisis and this is also under evaluation. So our intention is to carry out the IPO issue when the market allows it."

Commenting on illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) issue, Telenor Chairman Norvik said, "The fine in connection to VoIP cases with Grameenphone is of course regrettable in our organisation. Our attitude is always going to be according to local laws within local framework."

In the six-operator market, Grameenphone still holds the leading position in Bangladesh with 20.84 million customers. The operator is now opting for third generation (3G) technology.

"We are looking forward to the 3G market knowing that 3G offers more services and build sort of new experience as that the market demands," Baksaas said.

3G technology is better for using internet than 2G or WiMax, he said, adding that the operators should also bring affordable technology.

About the recent bidding for WiMax licence in Bangladesh, he said the auction should not be so aggressive as it involves huge investment and affordability.

The auctions that happened in Europe between 1999 and 2000 basically slowed telecom investment, Baksaas referred.

He said telecom policies and tax structure should not be changed frequently as these hinder growth.

Warid offers 20% bonus on recharge

2008-10-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom today announced 20 per cent bonus talk-time for every recharge with scratch cards. Zem prepaid subscribers can enjoy the bonus talk-time offer by recharging their accounts from today till October 31.
Under the latest offer, all Zem prepaid customers, who will recharge their accounts with any denomination will get 20 per cent bonus on the recharged amount.
The subscribers could use the bonus talk-time for making calls to other operators. They will be able to know the talk-time amount by using code no. *778*1#
Warid Telecom authorities hoped the new offer will encourage their valued subscribers to recharge their accounts for enjoying the bonus talk-time.
Warid Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group, launched its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007 as the sixth the mobile phone operator. Within one year, the company became fourth largest operator by acquiring nearly 3.5 million subscribers through spreading its network to all the 64 districts.

-Press Release

New ASUS Motherboard with NVDIA Chipset

2008-09-29T10:44:00.001-07:00

ASUS New P5N-D Motherboard

Global Brand Pvt Ltd introduces ASUS New P5N-D Motherboard with NVDIA 750 I Chipset.
Key Features:
• LGA775 socket motherboard supports Core2Quad, Core2Extreme, Core2Duo and Pentium4 Processor.
• 1333 MHz Front Side BUS
• Supports 800 MHz Dual Channel RAM
• PCI Express 2.0 X16 Slot
• 4X SATA Port
• Built-in Gigabyte LAN Controller
• 8 Channel built-in audio controller
• 2 Firewire Ports and 8 USB Ports
• Powered by ASUS EPU-6 Engine Technology
• Power Saving Green Technology to provide less power consumption for each and every CPU components.

Price:
BDT 11,500.00 only

For warranty and further information, call:
Global Brand Pvt Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 8123281

BlackBerry Storm 9500 Sexy Look

2008-09-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

The highly anticipated BlackBerry Storm 9500 today made its first official appearance, popping up on German Vodafone web site. Images and specs of the first touchscreen RIM-manufactured device have been floating around the net for what seems like ages but it hasn’t yet been officially announced. If all the rumored features are confirmed when the device actually sees daylight then the Apple iPhone 3G might be up for quite a challenge.

The specifications of the BlackBerry Storm 9500 that are already known include a 3.3” touchscreen with a resolution of 360 x 480 pixels. The tri-band 3G with HSDPA and the quad-band GSM support make it capable of global roaming. The Storm 9500 is running on a 624 MHz CPU and has 192 MB of RAM and utilizes a new version of the BlackBerry OS, optimized for touchscreen input.

Some of the other extras include a built-in GPS (with A-GPS functionality), microSD card slot with support for up to 8GB cards and a 3.5mm standard audio jack. The lengthy specs sheet comes in the reasonable 112.5 x 62.2 x 13.9 mm package which makes it sound as quite an offer. The Blackberry Bold should also have Wi-Fi connectivity, but as of now it's not 100%.

Here are some additional photos and screenshots of the new full touch UI, that we snatched off Storm Reviews.co.uk.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 - a virtual landscape QWERTY keyboard is also available

As this stage there is no information about the pricing or the expected availability of the BlackBerry 9500 Storm. Still, the fact that it has already appeared on Vodafone’s website makes us suspect that its release date is getting close.

Samsung M8800 Pixon New 8MP Camara Phone By Samsung

2008-09-27T14:43:00.001-07:00

The second 8 megapixel full touchscreen device on the market - Samsung M8800 Pixon finally saw its official announcement. After several reviews of the handset appeared yesterday, today Samsung finally held an event to publicly unveil it. We still don't have the full official specs list however, we have a pretty good idea what the Samsung Pixon is all about.

Samsung M8800 Pixon is the second 8 megapixel handset to be released by Samsung after the Samsung i8510 INNOV8. The Samsung INNOV8 is already available on some markets and the Samsung Pixon will follow soon with a release date set in early October.

To promote the M8800 Pixon, Samsung have started a website to showcase what a professional street photographer can do with a capable cameraphone. The web site will be fully operational as of October 2nd. Check it out at www.thephotographicadventuresofnickturpin.com.

Sporting quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA the Samsung Pixon is fully capable of global roaming. It stands at 107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8mm and weighs mere 109 grams. Featuring a 3.2-inch display with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels the Samsung M8800 Pixon comes as a direct rival of LG KC910 Renoir.

Some of the other highlights of the Samsung M8800 Pixon include a GPS receiver, built-in accelerometer, FM radio with RDS and microSD memory card slot. In addition to taking exiting 8 megapixel photos its camera is capable of recording WVGA(740 x 480 pixels) videos at 30fps, which is the best that we know of among mobile phones. The Pixon will even have DivX playback and SRS (surround sound system) Virtual 5.1 Ch.

The thing that's obviously missing on the Samsung M8800 Pixon specs sheet is the Wi-Fi connectivity.

Expected to start shipping in mid-October, Samsung M8800 Pixon will retail at 550 euro (880 US dollars) a piece.

GBPL launches ASUS P5Q Series Energy Savings Motherboard

2008-09-27T13:40:00.001-07:00

New ASUS P5Q Series Motherboard

Global Brand Pvt Ltd has introduced ASUS P5Q Series Energy Saving Motherboard with EPU-6 Engine Technology in the Bangladeshi ICT market recently.
To cater to users who require a high performance motherboard solution that also encompasses effective power savings and a friendly operating environment, ASUS, worldwide leader in the motherboard industry, has announced the release of the ASUS P5Q series. This energy-conserving series of motherboards provide great performance; and is based on the upcoming Intel® P45 chipset – which supports the latest Intel® CPU and memory technology, and was displayed at CeBIT 2008 earlier this year. The P5Q Series also furthers the eco-friendly cause with the exclusive ASUS EPU, which provides 80.23% CPU power savings and 96% enhanced power efficiency – allowing users to help save the Earth every time they switch on their PCs!

The product has a price-tag of BDT 14,000.00 only.

For further information, contact:
Global Brand Pvt. Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 8123281.

SCEINCE MUSEUM, DHAKA, SETS UP DISPLAY BOX FOR ANOUSHEH ANSARI

2008-09-27T13:39:00.001-07:00

SCEINCE MUSEUM, DHAKA, SETS UP DISPLAY BOX FOR ANOUSHEH ANSARI

National Museum of Science & Technology, Dhaka, has set up in its Physical Science Gallery a Display Box for Anousheh Ansari, the First Female Private Space Explorer who traveled to International Space Station on 18-29 September, 2006.
It was inaugurated by Mr. Nasir Uddin, the Director of the Museum, on Thursday, 25 September.The Display Box contains at its rear one large and three small pictures of Anousheh Ansari. Inside the Box, there is a Casket over which Patches and Lapel Pins of her Space Mission including one of her autographed pictures have been neatly preserved. She presented these items to Mr. F. R. Sarker, the General Secretary of Bangladesh Astronomical Society during a Meeting held on 14 May, 2008 in her office at Plano, a suburb of Dallas, USA.The Display Box has been set up coinciding the 2nd Anniversary of the Spaceflight of Anousheh Ansari aimed at creating Space Awareness among the Girls students of Bangladesh and inspiring them to study Space Science.

CSL launches New Microlab Finecone series speaker

2008-09-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

Microlab Finecone Series, FC 861

Computer Source Limited has introduced one of the leading PC Sound System accessories manufacturer Microlab’s latest member of Finecone Series, FC 861 in the local ICT market.
Key Features:
• Combination of Elegance and style
• Perfect and and superb sound quality
• Combination of one large woofer and 5 satellite speaker.
• Remote Control facility.
• Total 100 watt, woofer output 30 watt and 14 watt for 5 satellites each.
• Woofer frequency 30-140 Hz, satellite frequency response 140 Hz to 20 KHz.

Price:
BDT 6,800.00 only.

Warranty:
One year limited warranty under buy48 policy.

For more, contact:
Computer Source Limited
Phone: 9141747, 01730058095

ComValley introduces New MSI Motherboard

2008-09-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

New MSI Motherboard

Com Valley Ltd has introduced New HDMI supported MSI Motherboard with NVDIA MCP73 Series Chipset in the local ICT market.
Features:
• Model P6NGM
• HDMI Interface will unleash a completely new experience.
• Ready for PC2008
• Powered by NVDIA MCP73 Series Chipset
• LGA-775 socket which supports Intel Core2Quad, Core2Duo and all other current processors.
• 1333/1066/800/533 MHz Front Side BUS
• It supports DDR2 RAM with 800/667/533 MHz Memory Architecture.
• Integrated Geforce 7 Graphics
• HDMI/DVI and D-Sub Interface
• 7.1 Channel Hi-Def Audio
• Integrated Gigabit LAN and many more ultra modern features.

For further information, contact:
Com Valley Ltd
Phone: 9661034,8130780

Three companies got License for WiMax in Bangladesh

2008-09-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Bangla Lion Communications, BRAC BDMail Network and Aguri Wireless have got Lisence for WiMax Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) License in Bangladesh.
The licensed companies will be allowed to provide internet at 2.3 and 2.5 Giga Hertz Spectrum. This is to mention that WiMax is the technology to provide wireless and faster internet service. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has announced to apply for WiMax License on August 30th when 12 companies have applied, from whom 9 have participated in the auction for the contract.
From them the mentioned three have own the chance to provide that service in Bangladesh.
According to the agreement the three companies have to set up 90 base stations in regarding zones. They have to cover the whole country with internet service within next three years. Not more than 60% foreign investment will not be allowed. Bangladeshi citizens who are currently immigrant in other countries can invest up to 70% of the total investment of the project. BTRC hopes the number of internet user will jump to ten million after the successful implement of this latest communication service in Bangladesh.

GP boss steps down: Departure won't hurt IPO plan, company officials say

2008-09-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

Grameenphone CEO Anders Jensen

Anders Jensen, chief executive officer of Grameenphone, resigned from the company on Monday.
Grameenphone in a press statement to The Daily Star said, “Anders Jensen has recently decided to shorten his tenure as the CEO of Grameenphone primarily due to family reasons.”
Meanwhile, the company officials have made an assurance that Jensen's departure will not hurt the IPO issue.
Grameenphone has finalised its plan to raise $300 million (Tk 2,058 crore) -- $ 150 million from the stock market and the rest through private placement or pre-IPO.
The company's IPO proposal is now under consideration of Securities and Exchange Commission.
In October 2007, Jensen replaced Erik Aas when the company had enjoyed tremendous growth. But later the Jensen days in Garmeen were marred by different unlawful incidents such as VoIP business conducted by his previous management.
The Grameenphone board appointed the Swedish national to head the largest mobile phone operator for three years until October 2010. But Jensen decided to leave his position by December 2008.
At an internal meeting with his colleagues Monday, Jensen disclosed that he would step down. The company officials however denied elaborating why Jensen's ended his chapter here.
Company insiders said Jensen's replacement by locals is likely for the first time.
Meanwhile, on the speculation over his replacement, the company officials said the decision is yet to be made. They, however, admitted that some locals are in race.
The locals might get priority this time as the deal between Grameen Telecom and Telenor said "Grameenphone will have to recruit majority mangers from Bangladesh in order to have a majority managers from Bangladesh after six years of company's incorporation."
However Jensen's decision came at a time when the shareholders of the company Grameen Telecom and Norway's Telenor are battling each other over owning majority stake of the company.
Besides family reasons, Jensen's cost cutting strategy, shareholder's conflict and illegal VoIP scam have become challenges for him from the beginning to run the $3.2 billion Grameenphone.
On October 9, just 8 days after his stepping into the company as its CEO, Jensen had to face the first blow from the telecom regulator's Tk168.4crore fine for Grameen's illegal international call termination practiced by his predecessor.

The telecom regulator filed a case against 10 former and in-service high officials including two former CEOs of the company, accusing their involvement in illegal VoIP at a local police station on January 16.
The January 16 case is a follow-up of an eight-day RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) raid starting from December 6, 2007 on the GP head office at Gulshan. The raid found huge equipment of illegal VoIP.
Meantime, in June 2008, Grameenphone fell in another trouble for its job cut strategy. Around 500 contractual employees lost their jobs..
Grameenphone became Telenor's most profitable venture by the end of June 2006. Throughout the year 2006, it made an operating profit of 1.836 billion kroner on sales of 4.314 billion kroner.
But the recent half yearly financial report to June 2008 showed that its operating profit dropped 57 percent.
Grameenphone is a joint venture owned 62 per cent by Telenor and 38 per cent by Grameen Telecom Corporation.

Intel DG35EC Motherboard by CSL

2008-09-23T08:09:00.001-07:00

Intel DG35EC Classic Series Motherboard

Computer Source Ltd brings Intel Classic Series Motherboards newest product DG35EC in the local ICT Market.
Features:
• Highly efficient for both professional and personal use.
• Built in Micro ATX form factor enables wide rage process support.
• Supports Intel Core2Duo, Core2Quad, Intel Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core and Celeron processors.
• Supports up to 8 GB dual channel DDR2 SD RAM
• Intel’s High-Def Audio and Video Feature
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Connection with USB connector.
• Supports Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System.
• Intel G35 Express Chipset.

Warranty:
Computer Source offers 3 years limited warranty with this product.

For further information, please contact:
Computer Source Ltd.
Phone: 9119425, 01713-365200

HP's latest Intel Centrino 2 Laptop by Rishit

2008-09-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

HP's new laptop with Centrino 2 Technology

Rishit Computers Ltd introduces New HP Laptop powered by Intel’s Centrino 2 Technology in the local ICT market.
Special Features:
• Centrino 2 is highly power saving, runs by 25 watt electricity.
• Laptop is powered by Intel P 7350 Core2Duo Processor with 2.0 GHz speed and 3 MB L2 Cache
• Intel Motherboard with Intel’s 5100 WiFi LAN support.
• Intel High-Def Bright View Technology
• 250 GB HDD storage capacity.
• Hi powerful Graphics with NVDIA Geforce 9600M GT supporting all the latest games.
• LightScribe DVD writer to write on Dual Layer DVDs.
• Card Reader, Blue tooth, Finger Print Recognition System and 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera.
• 15.4 inch TFT LCD with crystal clear video output.
• Black stylish outlook.

Price:
BDT 1,27,000.00 only.

For further information, contact:
Rishit Computers Ltd.
223/5, BCS Computer City,
Agargaon, Dhaka.
Phone: 812-9323, 01191-000127

Hedy Dual SIM Phone by CSL

2008-09-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Computer Source Ltd brings New Hedy Fashion Mobile M360 with Dual SIM and Dual Standby feature.
Key Features:
• Make your two SIM cards ready to call at a time
• 1.3 Megapixel Camera with unlimited video support
• MP3 and MP4 Player
• FM4 Radio for ultimate entertainment
• Bluetooth for data connectivity and GPRS for faster Internet.
• 512 MB Memory Card free on purchase

Warranty:
One year limited warranty.

Price:
BDT 5500 only.

For more, contact:
Computer Source Ltd.
Phone: 9141747, 01714164741

Warid offers Zem prepaid connection at Tk 99

2008-09-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Zem Prepaid only @ BDT 99

Warid Telecom is offering Zem prepaid connection at Tk. 99 with Tk 50 welcome talk-time.
All new Zem subscribers would also enjoy a 20 per cent special bonus talk-time for recharging their account first time after purchase of the connection. The bonus talk-time can be used for making calls to other operators.
Moreover, the subscribers will be allowed to add five numbers of any local mobile operator as ‘FnF’ to enjoy reduced call rate to talk with friends and family members.
New Zem prepaid connections are available at all business centres, franchisees, corporate sales points and designated sales points of Warid Telecom.
The management of Warid Telecom said that they are offering the most attractive price for prepaid connection in order to keep it affordable for general customers.
Warid Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group, launched its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007 as the sixth the mobile phone operator. Within one year, the company became fourth largest operator by acquiring nearly 3.5 million subscribers through spreading its network to all the 64 districts.

BTCL Earning Drops 35pc

2008-09-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

BTCL earning drops 35pc

Bangladesh Telecommunications Limited

The officials of newly constituted BTCL, the state owned landline operator, said its earnings dropped by 35 percent to Tk35crore in the second month of operation.
BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunications Limited), formerly BTTB, made its debut as a separate entity in July 2008.
The BTCL's earnings stood at Tk25crore on July 20, down from Tk54 crore in June. Between July 21 and August 20, BTCL's earnings settled at Tk35crore, showing a 35 percent decrease in earnings as compared to Tk54 crore in June.
The company officials said mainly lower tariff causes the earnings to go down.
"Initially, the earning looks very dismal. But in the long run, BTCL's earnings will rise according to its plan," said Ashraful Alim, managing director of BTCL, yesterday as he discussed with journalists on the issue in Dhaka.
Alim said since launching BTCL added around 13,000 new customers to its network to add up to 8.48lakh customers in total.
The company in July introduced the lowest tariff in the market, which ultimately defeated private landline operators in terms of minimum price offer. The BTCL offers Tk0.10 per minute in off peak and Tk0.15 per minute in peak hours, whereas minimum tariff offered by private landline operators is Tk0.25.
"We are planning to rearrange our network structure to attract more customers," Alim said, adding that around 200 exchanges that are incurring Tk70, 000 in losses per month have been detected.
As per the BTCL plan, these exchanges could be relocated to the high-density areas, he said.
Among 12 landline operators, BTCL holds the leading position in the market in terms of their customer base, followed by RankTel's 1.48 lakh and Dhaka Phone's 0.54lakh customers.
During its last few years, the BTTB had been losing its customers' confidence due to poor services and hidden charges demanded by the board's officials for new phone connection.
Last year, a significant number of customers of BTTB surrendered their connections due to poor services.
" It is a challenge to retain the existing customers first," said Alim, adding that BTCL will develop its services in a way so as to get new customers rather than losing them.

ASUS P5Q Series Energy Savings Motherboard by GBPL

2008-09-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

ASUS P5Q Series Energy Savings Motherboard by GBPL

ASUS P5Q Series Motherboard

Global Brand Pvt Ltd has introduced ASUS P5Q Series Energy Saving Motherboard with EPU-6 Engine Technology in the Bangladeshi ICT market recently.
To cater to users who require a high performance motherboard solution that also encompasses effective power savings and a friendly operating environment, ASUS, worldwide leader in the motherboard industry, has announced the release of the ASUS P5Q series. This energy-conserving series of motherboards provide great performance; and is based on the upcoming Intel® P45 chipset – which supports the latest Intel® CPU and memory technology, and was displayed at CeBIT 2008 earlier this year. The P5Q Series also furthers the eco-friendly cause with the exclusive ASUS EPU, which provides 80.23% CPU power savings and 96% enhanced power efficiency – allowing users to help save the Earth every time they switch on their PCs!

The product has a price-tag of BDT 14,000.00 only.

For further information, contact:
Global Brand Pvt. Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 8123281.

GP Nokia EID Campaign

2008-09-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

GP Nokia EID Campaign

GP's Eid Special Offer

This Eid, Grameenphone brings back the popular Nokia 1200 handset, bundled with GP prepaid connections, for its prepaid subscribers at an amazingly affordable price.
With the GP-Nokia Eid campaign launch on September 15, 2008, anyone can stay connected with the largest prepaid subscriber base of the country, at as low as BDT 2,350.
The bundle offer consists of a Nokia 1200 handset at BDT 2,350 and a smile M2M/smile with BTCL connectivity/djuice/Business Solutions prepaid connection.
The package price, in case of the smile M2M and/or djuice connection, is BDT 2840 (inclusive of the connection price of BDT 490). In case of smile with BTCL connectivity and/or Business Solutions prepaid connection, the package price will be BDT 2940 (inclusive of the connection price of BDT 590).
If any new subscriber uses the handset along with the GP prepaid connection continuously for 30 days and recharges any amount within the initial 30 days of purchase, he/she will get a bonus talktime of BDT 50. In addition, new subscribers will receive three Welcome Tunes for free and the Welcome Tune subscription fee will be waived during the campaign period.
The bonus talktime will be valid for 30 days and will not be applicable for 25 paisa (Night time and F&F) offer and djuice to djuice calls @ 75 paisa/minute. To avail the above mentioned benefits, subscribers need to call the 4724 port (free of charge) immediately after purchase.
Existing GP subscribers can purchase only the handset (Nokia 1200) for BDT 2,350 only by showing their existing GP SIM. Note that existing subscribers will not be entitled to any of the additional benefits.
This offer is valid until October 15, 2008.

Source: Grameenphone.com
Compiled by: Md. Shah Jalal Shimul

T-Mobile's Android Handset Priced at $199, Released on September 23

2008-09-18T04:57:00.001-07:00

Although there's still nothing official from Google, T-Mobile or HTC, the very first mobile device to run on big G's Android platform will apparently be presented on September 23. Its price, in case you're wondering, will be one to compete with that of AT&T's iPhone 3G 8GB: $199 with a contract agreement for two years.

According to the Wall Street Journal, not only that the Android handset will be sold for this price, but it will also come with Google's logo on it, as previously rumored. Still, there's no clear info yet about the official name the device will have. It might be "HTC Dream," "HTC G1," "T-Mobile Dream," "T-Mobile G1" and so on.

As for the features of the handset, from all the leaked details that appeared so far, these should include: a 3.2 inch TFT display with 480 x 320 pixels (not exactly like the Touch HD), a full QWERTY keyboard, a Google Street View software that relies on an built-in compass, a Google App Store called Android Market, GPS, Wi-Fi, quad-band GSM and HSDPA connectivity, advanced Web capabilities (easy YouTube access included), email, a 3 Megapixel camera, 1GB of internal memory and an 1150 mAh battery.

The device should weigh 5.6 ounces (159 grams) and, when closed, it should measure 4.6 x 2.16 x 6.3 inches (117 x 55 x 16 millimeters). So, as you can see, it will not be the slimmest and lightest smartphone around. It won't be the most beautiful either, as recent live images with it have unveiled a modest look. But it's the brains that matter, not the beauty (or at least so they say), and if the Dream / G1 indeed comes with all the above mentioned features, we can easily state that it has big brains.

Now there's only one problem left: will T-Mobile really come up with the Android phone on September 23?

Aktel Transfer Balance in a NEW and EASY way!!!

2008-09-17T04:30:00.001-07:00

Transfer Balance in a NEW and EASY way!!!

AKTEL introduces a new Balance Transfer service! Both Prepaid and
Postpaid customers are able to transfer balance to any AKTEL prepaid
account whenever required.

This service will also give AKTEL customers a great opportunity
to continue communication even if they have less than Tk.1 balance!
For the first time in Bangladesh, AKTEL Prepaid customers can
request for balance to any AKTEL number.

To transfer balance:

Now you don’t have to register for using the balance transfer service.
To transfer, just type the amount (For example, 20) in a text message body and send SMS to 1212018XXXXXXXX (where 018XXXXXXXX is the balance recipient’s number).

You will be auto registered for the service after the first transaction.

You will also get a PIN code after successful transfer. Please use the PIN for future transactions. To disable the PIN, SMS off < Your PIN> to 1210.

AKTEL brings SIMPLICITY & SPECIALITY through its New Prepaid Offer: 68 paisa/min. to any mobile for all new prepaid customers

2008-09-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

AKTEL brings SIMPLICITY & SPECIALITY through its New Prepaid Offer:

68 paisa/min. to any mobile for all new prepaid customers

24 hours flat rate

60 sec pulse

All newly activated customers (except Uddokta & Easyload) will enjoy SIMPLE
tariff plan of 68p/min 24 hours to any mobile
Pulse: 60 sec from 1st min
New connection price: BDT. 599 (BDT50 talk-time on activation)

SIMPLE tariff plan (Tk/min. without VAT)

A customer can change his tariff from NORMAL (existing prepaid tariff plan)
to SIMPLE (68p/min flat rate) or from SIMPLE to NORMAL only
by sending an SMS.

Tariff plan change process through sms:

Type S and send SMS to 8644
SMS charge for 8644 @ BDT 2.00/SMS (excl. VAT)
Tariff plan be changed within 72 hours from the time of sending the request
Notification SMS will be sent upon successful change of tariff plan
After sending one request, another request will be entertained after
successful completion of the previous request

Banglalink 100% bonus on recharge for inactive customers

2008-09-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

This Ramadan banglalink is giving 100% bonus on recharge for inactive customers. This attractive offer is for banglalink desh, desh rang, ladies,first! and banglalink enterprise call & control (SME and personal) customers who have not used their connection after 5th August 2008.

To enjoy this offer, the eligible customers will just need to recharge their account with any amount. Within 48 hours they will receive an equal amount in bonus talktime. A customer can get a maximum of tk. 100 as bonus on 1st recharge.

Moreover on total subsequent recharges during the promotion period, customers will again receive 100% bonus talktime which will be disbursed at the end of the promotion period in two equal monthly installments. Maximum tk 200 bonus talktime will be given here.

The bonus talktime can be used for calling banglalink numbers excluding FnF numbers during 12am-5pm, and the validity will be 30 days from the day bonus is disbursed. Customers can check their bonus amount and validity by dialing *124*3#. This offer is valid till further notice.

Banglalink Bonus on Usage: the more you talk the more bonus you get

2008-09-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

This Ramadan and Eid season, banglalink has launched yet another exciting new Ramadan offer - Bonus on Usage. Under this offer existing and new banglalink users will get 25% bonus on total amount they use from16 September till 4 October 2008, provided total usage is tk.150 or more. All banglalink desh, desh rang and banglalink enterprise call & control (Personal, Corporate, SME) customers are eligible to enjoy the offer. Customers from other packages can also avail the offer if they migrate to eligible packages.

Each customer can get a maximum of Tk.100 bonus talk time i.e. even customers having Tk.400 or more usage will enjoy Tk.100 bonus talk time. Minimum usage of Tk.150 includes any type of paid outgoing call or SMS (excluding VAS, GPRS, ISD calls, free airtime, bundle fee etc.). Bonus talk time will be disbursed from 10 October 2008 and will have validity of 10 days from bonus receiving date. Customers can enjoy the bonus talk time to call any banglalink number (non FnF) from 9 am to 5 pm

TeleTalk Eyes Tk 32cr Profit Next Year

2008-09-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

State-run mobile operator TeleTalk

State-run mobile operator TeleTalk has set a target to earn Tk 32 crore in net profit in the current fiscal year, adding 18 lakh new customers to its network.
The TeleTalk board set the target at a time when the overall mobile market witnessed a downward trend in earnings.
Industry insiders expressed doubt over TeleTalk's net profit target and termed it ambitious.
But Iqbal Mahmud, chairman of TeleTalk, said yesterday: "This is not whimsical. The profit target has been set based on good calculations."
If TeleTalk's chairman has made correct calculations, the mobile operator will be the third to touch the break-even point in the six-operator mobile market followed by market leader Grameenphone and Aktel.
At present, all operators, except Grameenphone, are incurring losses in the market. A price war and increasing operating costs are mainly to blame for the losses.
Grameenphone's operating profit dropped 57 percent in the first half of the year, compared to the same period a year ago.
The market's second largest player Banglalink has recently spelled out risks to an early plan to reach the break-even point by year-end and blamed the government for not executing its tax reduction plan on SIM cards.
Aktel ran into massive losses at the end of 2007. The company's net profit showed a negative trend in its financial report, although it was profitable until June 2007.
"Profit after tax (PAT) declined due to a hike in finance costs and depreciation in line with aggressive network expansion," said the company's financial report.
TeleTalk had depreciation of Tk 119 crore last fiscal year. "We had massive depreciation last year, but we are hopeful of earning profit this year," said Mahmud.
TeleTalk is the country's smallest operator by subscribers with around 2.31 percent market share. It started operations in 2005 amid high hope, but failed to compete with the five other operators due to lack of quality services and poor marketing strategy.
Until July 2008, the company has been able to add only 0.93 million customers in two and a half years since its entry to the market.
In a recent development, the company's board approved a Tk 573 crore network expansion project.
Under the project, first-phase work went to European Nokia-Siemens Networks and Chinese Huawei to expand its network for Tk 273 crore.
The TeleTalk board chairman said the company would add 18 lakh new customers in the current fiscal year as part of the first phase work.
The company plans to add another 30 lakh customers to its network by awarding second-phase network expansion work, he said.
Along with executing its network expansion programme, TeleTalk will adopt 3G (3rd generation) technology.
3G is a technology that includes capabilities and features such as enhanced multimedia (voice, data, video, and remote control), usability on all popular modes (cellular telephone, email, paging, fax, videoconferencing and Web browsing) and broad bandwidth and high speed.
The telecom regulator has announced that it will issue three 3G licences early next year.
Grameenphone is the market leader in the mobile telecommunication sector with around 20.83 million subscribers. Orascom Telecom Bangladesh, which operates Banglalink, is the second with around 10 million subscribers as of July 2007.
Telecom Malaysia International Bangladesh, which operates AKTEL, and Warid Telecom International are the third and fourth market players with around 7.98 million and around 3.48 million subscribers respectively. The country's oldest and lone CDMA operator Citycell's customers reached 1.67 million in July 2008.

ASUS P5KPL-AM Motherboard By GBPL

2008-09-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

ASUS P5KPL-AM motherboard

A valuable Intel G31 uATX solution with FSB overclocking 1600MHz by ASUS.
Global Brand Pvt. Ltd. (GBPL), one of the leading IT solution providers in Bangladesh, recently unveiled the P5KPL-AM model of ASUS motherboard in the local computer market.
P5KPL-AM with Intel G31 chipset inside supports Intel Quad-core CPU and features 1600(OC)/1333/1066/800MHz FSB, PCI Express x 16, Serial ATA interface, high performance integrated graphics engine, dual-channel DDR2 1066(O.C.)/800/667 memory, and 8 Channel HD Audio CODEC. Users can experience faster graphics performance and higher video quality today. P5KPL-AM is the most affordable all-in-one solution platform for Intel® Core™2 Processor with Intel G31 chipset inside.

Price: BDT 4,700.00 only.

For further information, contact
Global Brand Pvt Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 8123281.

ASUS Introduces World's First EAH3650 Model With 1GB Graphics Memory In Bangladesh

2008-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

ASUS EAH3650 Graphics Solution 1GB Memory Now In Banglaesh

Catering to discerning users who want enhanced home theatre experiences, ASUS, leading provider of top-quality graphical solutions, has today released the world's first EAH3650 graphics card in the local market.
The new ASUS EAH3650 SILENT/HTDI/1G comes with 1GB memory. This powerful graphics card features the latest generation of ATI GPUs; and with an unparalleled large onboard memory size, is designed to provide feature-rich DirectX 10.1 gaming and the best multimedia playback at ultra-high resolutions and maximum quality settings. Additionally, it natively supports HDMI and is equipped with a noiseless cooling solution allowing home theater lovers to enjoy enhanced and convenient home multimedia to the fullest.
The ASUS EAH3650 SILENT/HTDI/1G also comes with the exclusive ASUS GamerOSD that unleashes the true power of ASUS’ VGA cards. This feature is able to deliver GPU overclocking from onscreen displays during gameplay – allowing users real-time performance upgrades when they require it. Additionally, it also provides users with the option to record live gaming action or live broadcasting over the Internet with ease.
The product has a price-tag of BDT 11,500 only.

For more information, contact:
Global Brand Pvt. Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 9133776.

New Avermedia TV Card by CSL

2008-09-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Avermedia TV Card Genie I

Computer Source Ltd brings new Avermedia TV Card Genie I in the local ICT Market.
Key Features:
• Built-in Speaker with stereo sound capability
• Channel Preview Function allows you to choose your favorite one to select from 16 channels
• 3d motion Adaptive D Interlock and Progressive Scan feature.
• Its 3:2 pull down feature gives you the benefit to fit your TV screen in any sized monitor.
• Hi-Res Crystal Clear video output in Widescreen Monitors.

Special Offer:
Get a USB Optical Mouse Free with this TV Card.

Price:
This TV Card comes under Buy48 Policy with the price Tag of BDT 4300.00 only.

For further information:
Computer Source Ltd
Phone: 9119425, 01713044703

Nokia To Demonstrate Latest Elements Of Ovi

2008-09-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Nokia to demonstrate latest elements of Ovi

In an online event later today Nokia will demonstrate the new personal information management (PIM) sync functionality of Ovi.com, as well as the recently launched Nokia Ovi Suite for PC and the Files on Ovi remote-access service.
These different elements of Ovi help you manage your personal information and media in various ways through a simple and unified interface." Today we are showing people how you can easily backup, sync and share your content using Ovi services on your PC, the web and your mobile device", said Jussi Nevanlinna, Vice President of Product and Portfolio Management in Nokia's Services & Software business. "Our stepwise approach to rolling out and integrating these and other elements of Ovi lets us learn and adjust according to the feedback we receive from people, so that we can constantly improve the user's experience of our services. We recognize that in the services business bringing something new to market is not the end of its development - it's only the beginning." The latest version of Ovi.com, which is now available as a public beta, offers free functionality for syncing your calendar, contacts, notes and tasks between a Nokia mobile device and www.ovi.com. With this functionality Ovi.com users can now create an online backup of their important information that they can access and edit anytime when connected to the internet. Nokia believes this improves a customer's mobile experience by safeguarding their personal information in case their device is lost or stolen. With the Nokia Ovi Suite for PC application you can easily copy files and information from your Nokia mobile device to your computer; back up the contents of your Nokia device; and drag-and-drop photos and videos to Share on Ovi, the media sharing service Nokia launched earlier this year. Files on Ovi allows you to remotely access the files on your internet-connected personal computers from any browser-enabled mobile phone or computer. You can also store files online in your Anytime Files personal storage area so that they are always accessible to you. The service is based on the software and expertise Nokia obtained through the acquisition of Avvenu in December 2007.To participate in the online event go to: http://events.nokia.com The event will open at 15:00 CET on Tuesday, September 9. There will be a live question and answer session with Ovi product managers from approximately 15:10 to 16:00. A similar question and answer session will be held from 07:10 CET on Wednesday, September 10.

HTC Touch HD Live Photo

2008-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, just out of the blue the never before seen HTC Touch HD device appeared online in spy photos, which reveal quite a lot. Destined to be the ultimate iPhone rival, the new Windows Mobile powerhouse packs some serious specs.

Based on Windows Mobile 6.1, the new HTC Touch HD measures 115 x 62.8 x 12mm (which is just about the iPhone 3G with 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm). Yes, slim it is and it has a large display (that seems to be 3.5 inches) with the overwhelming resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It also seems to be running TouchFLO 3D.

HTC Touch HD (plus some virtual size comparison)

The HTC Touch HD (we don't know whether that would be its retail name) is powered by a 528Mhz CPU courtesy of the Qualcomm 7201A platform. There are 512MB flash memory and 256MB of RAM.

Of course, goodies like GPS, Wi-Fi and HSPDA go without saying, but the HTC Touch HD also has a 5 megapixel camera (without a flash though).

HTC Touch HD

The Touch HD is due this Christmas, so we could be in for some official announcement really soon.

GP Shareholders Promise To Put IPO Beyond Dispute

2008-09-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Grameenphone shareholders have committed to keeping the share-offloading issue beyond internal disputes, indicating that the process of largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) will get through.

In a joint statement, Telenor and Grameen Telecom yesterday dismissed the uncertainty over the $300 million share offloading.

Norway's Telenor owns 62 percent shares, while Grameen Telecom holds the remaining stake in Grameenphone, launched in 1996. Telenor controls the management of the country's largest cellphone company.

Both the parties had ended up in conflicts on a range of issues, which created some buzz of uncertainty over the IPO, scheduled to come through this month.

However, the capital market regulator expressed doubt over the Grameen IPO last week saying the stock market debut of Grameenphone is unlikely this year, according to a media report.

"The information GP sent to the commission is not enough. We asked for more details," Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Faruq Ahmad Siddiqi told the media last week.

Earlier in August, Grameenphone submitted its proposal to raise $300 million (around Tk 2,058 crore), of which $150 million from the stock market through IPO (initial public offering) and the rest through private placement or pre-IPO to the capital market regulator.

"We remain committed to our joint collaboration and our priority remains the continued success of Grameenphone as the benchmark corporate in Bangladesh,” said Dipal C Barua, deputy managing director of Grameen Bank and a board member of Grameenphone, and Per-Erik Hylland, senior vice president of Telenor and also a board member of GP, in the joint statement yesterday.

They also said: “Our commitment also extends to our stated objective of ensuring the seamless execution of the Grameenphone IPO by 2008 and in meaningfully contributing to the development of Bangladesh capital market and its positive profiling across the globe."

According to Grameenphone's IPO roadmap, the $3.2 billion company was scheduled to list this month.

Grameen Telecom, the minority shareholder of Grameenphone, recently expressed its dismay over some "unlawful activities" practiced by Telenor in Bangladesh.

Dr Muhammad Yunus, chairman of non-profit Grameem Telecom, had even warned legal actions against Telenor to force it to honour the deal.

Grameen Telecom also said it was not ready to pay any fine for 'illegal' activities committed by the Norwegian firm.

About Telenor's alleged involvement in illegal internet telephony services, Yunus in a statement on Friday demanded that Telenor authorises ensure transparency in the matters, making public the investigation reports.

"We can't allow the name of Grameen to be tarnished directly or indirectly by inappropriate operations," Yunus said in the statement distributed through PR Newswire.

Apacer Karakari Offer by CSL

2008-09-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Computer Source Ltd brings Apacer’s with exclusive Karakari Offer in the local market.
Apacer RAM, Memory Cards or Pen Drives can bring you a Brand New Laptop!! Anybody can take this chance to win a brand new Fujitsu laptop, just purchasing a Apacer Pen Drive, Memory Card or a RAM from market. To take the chance just buy an Apacer product and register its serial number in the following website:
www.buy48fanclub.com
Lucky winners will be selected through raffle draw from the enrolled purchasers. This offer will be valid for the purchasers who will purchase the product on or before October 15th, 2008.

For more, please contact:
Computer Source Ltd.
Phone: 01727314928, 01730303321

GrameenPhone New Xplore Attractions

2008-09-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

From September 7, 2008, Grameenphone brings its postpaid subscribers a whole new range of attractive features so that they never miss a single precious moment of their lives.

Zero Line rent is one of the key attractions of this new basket of offers. xplore postpaid subscribers will enjoy 100% waiver on monthly Line Rent if their airtime usage exceeds only BDT 450 per month.

If not, there is still good news. From now on, the new monthly Line Rent has been reduced to BDT 50 from BDT 100.

The World Wide Web now is at your fingertips 24/7, with the Unlimited EDGE package at BDT 850 per month offer.

Additionally, xplore postpaid subscribers will enjoy 1 second pulse on all calls, except for calls to F&F numbers. Pulse to make F&F calls will be 60 seconds (from 1st min onwards).

The number of F&F numbers has also been increased. Now xplore postpaid subscribers can call four F&F numbers at 25 paisa per minute.

These new features, along with the existing convenient payment methods, exclusive Thank You benefits and more, are expected to add greater value for subscribers and help them stay better connected with their loved ones.

BenQ DG Camera by Com Valley Ltd

2008-09-06T11:17:00.001-07:00

Com Valley Ltd brings BenQ Digital Cameras in the local ICT market.
BenQ’s one and only authorized distributor Com Valley Ltd has introduced 5 new models of BenQ Digital Camera in the local ICT Market.
The new models are DSC C750-7Megapixels resolution, DSC C850-8 Megapixels resolution, DSC E800- with 8.1 Megapixels resolution, DSC T850- with 8 Megapixels resolution and finally DSC X835- with 8 Megapixel resolution.

To know more details, please contact:
Com Valley Ltd
Phone: 9661034, 8130780

ASUS P5Q Series with Maximum Energy Savings by Global Brand Pvt Ltd

2008-09-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

ASUS P5Q Series Desktop Board

Global Brand Pvt Ltd brings ASUS P5Q Series Desktop board in the local ICT market.
To cater to users who require a high performance motherboard solution that also encompasses effective power savings and a friendly operating environment, ASUS, worldwide leader in the motherboard industry, has announced the release of the ASUS P5Q series. This energy-conserving series of motherboards provide great performance; and is based on the upcoming Intel® P45 chipset – which supports the latest Intel® CPU and memory technology, and was displayed at CeBIT 2008 earlier this year. The P5Q Series also furthers the eco-friendly cause with the exclusive ASUS EPU, which provides 80.23% CPU power savings and 96% enhanced power efficiency – allowing users to help save the Earth every time they switch on their PCs!

For more contact:
Global Brand Pvt. Ltd
Phone: 01713257910, 8123281.

Yunus may sue Telenor

2008-09-06T11:12:00.001-07:00

Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus may sue Telenor

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus might take legal actions against Telenor to force the Norwegian telecom operator to honour a deal concerning their joint subsidiary in Bangladesh.
Telenor owns 62 percent shares while Yunus' Grameen Telecom holds the remaining stakes in GrameenPhone, launched in 1996.
Pointing out Telenor's alleged involvement in illegal internet telephony services and allegations of violating environmental law and employment of underage workers by its subcontractors, the 'banker of the poor' demanded that Telenor authorises complete transparency in the matters, making public the investigation reports and shareholders' agreement.
"We cannot allow the name of Grameen to be tarnished directly or indirectly by inappropriate operations," Yunus said in a statement distributed through PR Newswire yesterday.
Telenor, meantime, said yesterday that it hopes for an amicable solution to the row with Muhammad Yunus over Grameenphone which it aims to list on the Dhaka bourse, according to wire services.
The Nobel laureate also hoped that legal actions might not be needed after all 'because the owners of Telenor will require the company to honour the intention it had expressed in 1996 for transferring ownership and control of GrameenPhone to the poor of Bangladesh', adding that the transfer should take place at the earliest before the reputation of Grameen is damaged further.
"I am very optimistic about the eventual outcome of this controversy because it is really in the hands of the people of Norway, whom I have come to know and trust. Norwegians set a very high standard for business ethics, and they are the majority owners of Telenor," Yunus said in the statement released in response to media interviews.
Referring to the 1996 deal, Yunus said Telenor and Grameen Telecom agreed that the joint company should become a locally operated company within six years with Bangladeshi management and majority Bangladeshi ownership.
"This has not happened. Telenor is unwilling to let go control of the company," complained Yunus adding, "We now are being told that the words of the written agreement in a legal sense are non-committing statements. We relied on the words of the agreement."
Saying that Grameen Telecom believed in the agreed intentions of the parties, business ethics, and generally accepted company government rules of conduct, believing that the Norwegian public listed company would do as agreed, Yunus wrote, "Telenor now tells me that it was a mistake to rely on their words."
Yunus' statement about a possible lawsuit surprised and disappointed the Telenor authorities, said the company's Head of Communications Paal Kvalheim.
"We have had a good dialogue lately and we had hoped to continue this," he told Reuters.
Telenor reiterated that it still aims to list Grameenphone on the bourse, according to wire services.
"The IPO could be this year or next ... At the moment, things are a bit unpredictable," Telenor spokesman Dag Melgaard said. He however declined to say how much share Telenor will hold after the IPO.
Pointing out that Telenor has been in charge of the management of GrameenPhone from the beginning, Prof Yunus said the agenda of Telenor is to maximise returns for the benefit of its owners, which is in conflict with the social and non-profit agenda of Grameen Telecom.
Yunus went on, "Telenor knew this when we became partners. Telenor knew we expect strict business ethics to apply to any organisation or entity we participate in and that we as a non-profit organisation rely on the statements of our partners."
He pointed out that there are differences between Grameen and Telenor on matters of business ethics and corporate governance.
Referring to the release of pictures by Norwegian state-owned television NRK on September 4 of children aged under 14 building parts for Grameenphone cellphone base-stations in Gazi Engineering in Dhaka, Yunus said, "Grameen and I cannot be identified with this."
"Bangladeshi authorities on two different occasions found that the telephone company was not in compliance with Bangladeshi laws. In total, the company was fined US$60 million," he said adding that the violation of Bangladeshi laws poses a risk to the company of losing its license as a telephone operator.
He personally has been condemned by the Bangladeshi media for this violation of laws and have been accused of making illegal money, the Nobel laureate said.
"The people do not understand that Telenor runs the company and that Grameen Telecom hardly has any effective say in the company operation," he added.
Referring to a police report, he said Malaysia based company DiGi Telecom Ltd, 61 percent of which is owned by Telenor, was accused of money laundering through an account in Singapore.
"The police report includes severe information regarding Telenor's involvement in the activities, and states: It can be perceived to the committee members that the majority shareholders of GrameenPhone Ltd are involved in encouraging the illegal VoIP business in the international field," Yunus said in his statement.
The goodwill the name of Grameen provides to the telephone company is being undermined now by these alleged illegal activities, he said.
"The recent activities in Bangladesh leave me with little alternative other than to investigate the possibility of taking legal action to protect the interests of the millions of poor people in Bangladesh who stand behind Grameen and who will be the ultimate beneficiaries if the phone company comes under Bangladeshi ownership and management to become a company with social objectives," Yunus asserted
The recent row between Yunus and Telenor became a news item for many international news agencies and newspapers over the last two days.

Warid offers special tariff on Ramadan

2008-09-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom today announced an unbelievably low tariff rate of 25 paisa/minute for its subscribers from 12:00 midnight to 8:00 am on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
The subscribers of Warid Telecom will be charged only 25 paisa/minute for making calls to any Warid number from 12:00am to 8:00am. The offer will remain valid for all zem, zahi and corporate customers (excluding Shomriddhi) until further notice is made.
Under the special tariff rate, Warid subscribers can also call other operators’ number at only 99 paisa per minute.
Warid Telecom believes that new offer would help its valued customers to talk at an attractive rate during the Ramadan.
Warid Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group, launched its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007 as the sixth the mobile phone operator. Within one year, the company became fourth largest operator by acquiring over 3.5 million subscribers through spreading its network to all the 64 districts.

banglalink offers 1 free sms for each call made within 15 Ramadan

2008-09-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

This Ramadan banglalink brings a new offer. Up to 15 Ramadan banglalink desh, desh rang, banglalink enterprise (postpaid and call & control) customers will receive 1 free sms for each paid call they make to any operator during the promotion period. Free SMS will be added in the pre-paid customer's account within 5 to 7 days of ending the promotion. Banglalink enterprise postpaid customers will get the Free SMS at the beginning of their respective bill cycles. For prepaid customers validity of free sms is 15 days. For banglalink enterprise postpaid the validity of free SMS will be their immediate respective bill cycle (1 month validity).A customer can get maximum 150 free SMS which they can send to any banglalink number

This offer will run from 2nd September to 16th September.

Customers from other packages can avail the offer if they migrate to eligible packages.

Aktel 68 paisa/min Promotion

2008-09-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

It’s time to revive our silent customers in a manner that no one has done before...

Customers who did not use their AKTEL prepaid connection from 1st July ’08, will enjoy –

68 paisa/min. to any mobile, 24 hours for entire September’08

No condition attached, no limitation of certain minutes! It’s about total
freedom for the customers to come back and enjoy the best deal in
the market.

Conditions and others:

Special tariff will be valid till 24 hrs of Sept 30, 2008
From October 01, 2008, all eligible customers will start using AKTEL prepaid regular tariff plan
For BTCL Charges, BTCL Time band and pulse applicable.
For International Charges, International Time band and pulse applicable

Process to check your eligibility for the campaign through SMS:

Type A < space > desired AKTEL number and send SMS to 8050

SMS Charge for 8050: BDT 2.00/SMS (excl. VAT)

Warid offers 20 per cent bonus talk-time on first recharge

2008-09-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom is offering 20 per cent special bonus talk-time for its Zem prepaid customers who will recharge their account first time after purchase of the connection.
The Zem subscribers can top-up their accounts via E’ZEE Load and scratch card to enjoy the bonus talk-time. The maximum bonus talk-time that the subscriber can get is Tk 60.
The subscribers could use the bonus talk-time for making calls to other operators only.
Warid Telecom believes the new promotional offer will encourage valued subscribers to recharge their accounts for enjoying the bonus talk-time.
Warid Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group, launched its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007 as the sixth the mobile phone operator. Within one year, the company became fourth largest operator by acquiring nearly 3.5 million subscribers through spreading its network to all the 64 districts.

Samsung D980, New Dual-Sim Touchscreen Handset

2008-09-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Staying true to its leading position in the mobile handset industry, Samsung has recently unveiled a new high-end touchscreen phone, named Samsung D980. This seems to be a slightly changed version of the F480 TouchWiz, which is already on sale across Europe and Asia, and comes shortly after the unveiling of i8510, the Symbian smartphone that packs an 8 Megapixel camera.

The major difference between the D980 and F480 is that the first handset comes with dual-SIM technology, allowing you to use two SIM cards at the same time. Also, the D980 only features tri-band GSM connectivity (900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) with GPRS and EDGE, unlike the F480 which has 3G connectivity too. These aspects aside, the two phones are quite similar, when it comes to both their design and their capabilities.

Among the features included in the D980, we have: a 2.6 inch TFT touchscreen display with 260K colors and 240 x 320 pixels, a 5 Megapixel camera with flash, auto focus and video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, Music and Video players, FM radio, Web and email capabilities, Instant Messaging, USB, expandable memory and so on.

All in all, Samsung D980 is a quite nice handset. Its support for two SIM cards can make it really attractive for business users, while the high-end photo camera can surely lure mobile users who are interested in multimedia-oriented phones.

The new Samsung handset will be first available in China, via China Mobile, the largest mobile carrier in the world (more than 392 million users), under the name of Samsung D988. In Europe, the phone will be on sale as Samsung D980 DuoS, but there are no details about when and where exactly. The retail price of D980 /D988 is another unknown detail - it will be a high one anyway.

Zem Bundle Offer with Samsung C 160

2008-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Warid is bringing another attractive handset bundle offer for the prospective subscribers where they can get a prepaid zem connection with Samsung C160 for BDT 999 by purchasing BDT 4,000 worth of airtime.

Bundle
price
Bundle details

Handset
Airtime
Connection
Airtime validity

BDT 4,999
Samsung C160
BDT 4,000
Zem Start up
365 days

Note:
Airtime can be used for any type of voice and non-voice usage
Subscribers must not use this SIM and handset separately
If any SIM is used separately from the allocated handset, the whole airtime amount will be removed from the account
Voice call can be made on both on-net and off-net destination including BTCL local, NWD, IDD & EISD
This airtime will be placed in Main Account (MA) and can be checked by *778#
Unused airtime will still be available after the validity period with any amount of recharge or reload
Campaign’s handset is only available with the bundle offer

Nokia N85 and N79 Now Official

2008-08-25T12:06:00.001-07:00

The two new Nseries members – Nokia N79 and Nokia N85 made their debut a day earlier than expected. Photos of the two devices and some more of their specifications appeared online today. They will both run the Symbian OS with S60 UI and will come with the Feature Pack 2 preinstalled.

Nokia N85 will have dedicated game keys and support for N-gage platform for a great gaming experience. The handset will pack an exiting 2.6” 16M AMOLED display, which will be the largest of its kind among GSM phones. In addition the N85 will feature a 5 megapixel camera, WLAN and 3G with HSDPA support. A microSD card slot will allow expanding the built-in memory. The built-in GPS will allow geo-tagging of the photos taken with the camera.

Nokia N85

The Nokia N79 is supposed to be a fashion-oriented handset with replaceable back covers. It will also come with a 5 megapixel camera, which will be complemented by a dual LED flash and a protective cover. Among the other features are Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G as well as a microSD card slot. A 4GB card is expected to come in the retail package.

Nokia N79

Both the Nokia N79 and Nokia N85 will be available as early as next month but their retail price is yet unknown. Stay tuned for the official announcement at 10:00 CET tomorrow.

Banglalink Crosses 10 Million Subscribers Mark

2008-08-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Banglalink, the second largest mobile operator in the country, on Wednesday announced that it reached the one crore subscribers mark. 'The milestone has been reached in only three and a half years of operation, which provides testimony to the company's rapid expansion that has made it the fastest growing mobile operator in the country,' said a press release of the company.

Rashid Khan, president and CEO of Banglalink, said, 'Orascom Telecom came to Bangladesh with the objective of becoming a major force in the market and that is exactly what has been achieved in such a short period of time.'

The release said that the company had so far invested more than $800 million in its network infrastructure and was continuing to invest further to ensure the highest quality service to customers 'Banglalink has the largest network of over 700 customer service points spread allover the country along with a passionate and vigilant team to provide quality and prompt service,' it said.

Warid Offers Bonus Talktime And SMS On Recharge

2008-08-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom is offering special bonus talk-time for its Zem prepaid users from today for recharging their accounts with scratch cards.
Under the offer, Zem prepaid subscribers can avail the bonus talk-time worth Tk 10 to Tk 175 by recharging their accounts with scratch cards of any denominations from Tk 50 to Tk 500.
Apart from that, the subscribers could also avail 10 to 175 free SMS on the basis of their recharges.
The latest offer will remain valid till August 31while the bonus talktime and free SMS will remain valid up to 30 days after the recharge.
The subscribers could use the bonus talk-time for making calls to other operators while the SMS can only be sent to Warid users.
Warid management believes the new bonus offer will encourage valued subscribers to recharge their accounts for enjoying the bonus talktime and SMS.
Since its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007, Warid Telecom, which invested US$500 million to establish the state-of-art Next Generation Network (NGN), has acquired over 3.0 million subscribers through spreading its network to 64 districts. Warid has aggressive plans to further invest and roll out extensive coverage across Bangladesh.

Three WiMax Licences End Of September In Bangladesh

2008-08-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said it will award three WiMax licences by the end of next month in a bid to revive the country's internet broadband market.

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, which can provide broadband wireless access across 30 miles for fixed phone, and 3 - 10 miles for mobile stations.

The telecom regulator already asked for proposal from the interested companies to take part in the coming auction.

The commission said it will allocate 30MHz (megahertz) spectrum to each WiMax operators to provide high-speed broadband services.

"We are now working for conducting WiMax auction, due in September," said a high official of BTRC.

Citing an example, he said India is planning to hold 3G auctions within a very short time. Asked when 3G, another high-speed broadband access, will be introduced in Bangladesh, he said procedure for 3G licences already started and it might come to the market by the end of this year.

Like WiMax, the BTRC also plans to award three 3G licences for the 45million telephone users market.

According to BTRC plan, maximum 60 of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) or foreign partnership or investment from NRBs (Non-Resident Bangladeshis) with local entrepreneur licencees (excluding licenced cellular mobile operators from the commission) is eligible for WiMax bid.

Talking to The Daily Star, M A Salam, president of Internet Service Provider Association Bangladesh (ISPAB), said, "Bangladesh is also an emerging market for WiMAX (World Wide Interpretability for Microwave Access) technology".

He said WiMAX is a dynamic solution to establishing long-haul data communication link to distant areas and by this technology people can get e-heath, e-education and e-business related services sitting in the remote areas.

Meanwhile, the 3G licences are likely to be awarded to the three existing mobile phone operators out of the six.

The top three mobile operators--Grameen, Banglalink and AKTEL-- already said they may go for 3G as it costs less to introduce.

BTRC officials said they want a competitive bid for both WiMax and 3G. They said already some renowned multinational companies visited BTRC and showed their interest to take part in the WiMax bid.

According to industry people, only 10 lakh people of the country with a population of 15 crore now have internet connections.

3G Trails Launched In Bangladesh

2008-08-14T11:42:00.001-07:00

3G pilot by Ericsson

Ericsson has launched a pilot project in Bangladesh to exhibit how use of high speed internet services trough 3G/HSPA technology can improve productivity and quality of life.
The launch of the project titled 'Alokito Bangladesh' was held Sunday at the city's Westin Hotel. 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology, superseding 2G, and preceding 4G. It enables network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services like video calls, television and on-demand video along with hi-speed broadband internet and data transmission, all in a mobile environment. Special assistant to chief adviser for post and telecommunication MA Malek attended Sunday's programme as chief guest, while retired major general Manzurul Alam, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, was special guest. The special assistant said 3G technology would help cut poverty as it would facilitate the proliferation of e-commerce through high- speed mobile internet. "The initiative would help the government to formulate the guidelines for licensing 3G technology," he added. BTRC chief Manzurul Alam said he believed 3G would bridge the gap between the 'have and have not' of the country. "BTRC is striving relentlessly to introduce affordable new technology services that benefit the Bangladeshi people." He said BTRC welcomed all initiatives that work towards revealing opportunities to build a modern and affordable ICT portfolio for Bangladeshi consumers.Managing director of Ericsson Bangladesh, Arun Bansal, said the project would showcase how an efficient and affordable 3G/HSPA broadband services could help serve as a blueprint for widespread introduction of internet connectivity. Ericsson is conducting the 3G trial by using the networks of Warid Telecom, Grameen Phone and Aktel. Jahangir Nagar University School and Apollo Hospital are Ericsson's partners for E- learning and E-medicine. Ericsson, a leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators, runs 167 networks in more than 100 countries.

GP agrees to pay Tk250cr fine for illegal VoIP business

2008-08-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Grameenphone, the country's largest mobile phone operator, agreed to pay Tk250crore (around $36.5million) to the telecom watchdog yesterday for its involvement in illegal call termination through VoIP.

Grameenphone, which is mainly run by World's one of the leading telecom operator Telenor, already paid Tk50crore ($7.3million) to the telecom regulator and by October it will pay the rest of the amount, according to a deal signed with the Bangladesh Telecom-munications Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

This is not the first time Grameenphone will pay fine for the illegal business. The company earlier paid Tk168 crore for VoIP (voice over internet protocol) use. VoIP is a technology that allows someone to make voice calls using a broadband internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.

"We deeply regret that such unlawful practice was carried out and not disclosed earlier by Grameenphone," said Anders Jensen, chief executive officer of the Grameenphone in a written statement to the press.

“We have cooperated with BTRC in the investigations and the Grameenphone board also conducted an investigation by an external auditor to look into all aspects of our operations to ensure that we fully comply with all laws and regulations," he said.

Norway's Telenor and Bangladesh's Grameen Telecom hold 62 percent and 38 percent stakes in the Grameenphone respectively. Grameenphone, with over 20.86 million subscribers, has submitted a proposal to the capital market watchdog recently to offload its shares worth $300million in the capital market by September this year.

On January 16 this year, the BTRC filed a case against 10 former and in service high officials including two former CEOs of Grameenphone, accusing their involvement in illegal VoIP.

According to the FIR, the accused former Grameenphone officials are Erik Aas and Ola Ree, chief executive officers, Thor Randhaug, technical director, Yogesh Sanjeev Malik, chief technical officer, and Mehboob Chowdhury, director, sales and marketing.

Khalid Hasan, director (regulatory and corporate affairs), Md Shafiqul Islam, chief technical officer, Kafil HS Muyeed, director (new business), Md Arif Al Islam, director finance, and Espen Wiig Warendroph, head of revenue assurance, were also accused.

Grameenphone, AccessTel, a local internet service provider, and Malaysia-based international call carrier DiGi Telecommunications are also on the accused list.

In the FIR, the telecoms regulatory body said these three companies and individuals were involved in providing international call termination facility or VoIP.

Talking to the Daily Star, Major General Manjurul Alam (rtd), chairman of BTRC said the commission imposed the fine based on valid documents and equipment seized from Grameenphone office.

Nokia N85 Live Picture

2008-08-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Nokia N85, a new Nseries smartphone that has not been officially announced yet by Nokia, has been approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and it should, sometime in the future, be released in the US.

The N85 comes with support for quad-band GSM frequencies (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) as well as tri-band HSDPA frequencies (850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz), hence there should be no problem for any of the North American GSM carriers to launch it.

Of course, before the handset's commercial launch, Nokia first has to officially present it, but there are no details on the date this will happen.

Nokia N85 was first spotted on the Web at the beginning of June, together with another new Nseries smartphone - the N79 - and the Nokia Tube, the first touchscreen phone to come from the Finnish company.

Enlarge picture
Aside from the network frequencies, the features of N85 are not fully known. However, it's said that they include the following: a 5 Megapixel camera with dual flash and lens cover, secondary camera for video calls, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi. Moreover, the new smartphone will almost surely run on a Symbian S60 3rd Edition platform, packing lots of multimedia-oriented functions.

When it comes to design, the N85 is not quite an attractive device, although it kind of resembles the upcoming and officially presented N96, as it sports a similar dual-sliding form factor. The N85 might actually be the more affordable version of N96, targeting users who want an advanced smartphone but can't afford to pay too much for it (the N96 will retail for around 550 Euros or 850 USD, which is far from being a price that everyone can pay for a mobile device).

Anyway, until Nokia comes out with full details regarding its new N85 handset, we can't know anything for sure.

Wi-Fi Hotspot in Dhaka

2008-08-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Nokia opens Wi-Fi zones in Dhaka
The Wi-Fi zones are located in -
1. Kozmo Lounge at Dhanmondi
2. PM Lounge on Kamal Ataturk Road at Banani
3. NSIS at Shoppers World, Gulshan
4. Deja vu Café on Gulshan Avenue.

UK Firm Keen To Introduce WiMax in Bangladesh

2008-08-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Augere, a UK-based broadband infrastructure developer, has expressed interests to introduce WiMax technology in Bangladesh.

Sanjiv Ahuja, chief executive officer of the company, yesterday met the telecoms regulator chief and expressed his desire to work with Bangladesh in setting up satellites in orbit.

Augere is a new company headquartered in London and it focuses on broadband internet infrastructure development.

According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) officials, Ahuja, who is also chairman of UK- based Orange Telecom, showed keen interest to be involved in Bangladesh's telecoms sector."

Ahuja's new company, Augere, will undertake processes to acquire license for WiMax, said BTRC officials.

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, which can provide broadband wireless access across 30 miles for fixed phone, and 3 - 10 miles for mobile stations.

According to BTRC plans, they will introduce WiMAX license 29 October and 3G by this year.

The Bangladesh government recently announced its plans to send satellites of its own into earth's orbit to develop the sky communication infrastructure.

AKTEL Share Offloading By End Of 2008

2008-08-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

AKTEL, the country's third largest mobile operator, has said it is now working on listing it on the capital market by the year-end, bringing another good news for the continued bearish market.

The company officials said the commitment made earlier to the Securities and Exchange Commission about the offloading of some portion of its shares would certainly be followed.

"We had a roadmap to go for public by the end of the year. We are working on it," Nora Junita Dato Seri Mohd Hussaini, chief financial officer (CFO) of AKTEL, told The Daily Star on Monday.

If the plan goes ahead, AKTEL will be the second telecom company to be listed on bourses within a very short gap after listing of the leading mobile operator, Grameenphone (GP), by September this year. The Telenor's majority stakeholder GP already submitted its IPO prospectus last week to the capital market regulator to raise $300million.

However, telecom market insiders question how can a company that is in the middle of transferring its 30 percent ownership will goes for IPO?

AKTEL's 70 percent is owned by Telekom Malaysia and the rest 30 percent will be bought by NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese telecom giant. The Japanese giant said it made a deal with TM in June to have 30 percent shares in AKTEL for $350million by December this year. AKTEL had 7.85million customer as of June 2008.

In the six mobile operators' market Grameenphone is the leader with having 20.31million subscribers, followed by Egypt based Orascom's Banglalink's 9.46million customers.

"Basically we are exploring different options. Of course, we made the commitment and we will do so when we are ready. We have started the groundwork on the IPO and we are hopping to do it on time," the AKTEL'S CFO said.

However, Nora did not agree to disclose how much money her company is planning to raise from the capital market. “It's very early to say something about this”, she said.

In an interview with the Daily Star in January this year, Yusof Annuar Yaacob, chief execuitve officer, Telekom Malaysia International, estimated that AKTEL is worth more than $1billon, but the company needs some extra time before it readies to list on the stock market.

"We may issue up to 10 percent of the company shares towards the public and AKTEL gets the cash," he hinted at that time.

Capital market experts welcomed the AKTEL's move after Grameen.

Mahmood Osman Imam, professor of Finance Department at the Dhaka University, said, “After Grameen, AKTEL's listing will help the market to enhance its absorption capacity. "

“And when such big players come into the market, manipulation by individuals reduces, as trade volume will be increased significantly," he added.

Aktel Friendship Day Offer

2008-08-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

Friends make our lives more meaningful, more colorful & more valuable. A true friend makes our world a better place to live in. Friendship Day is celebrated in honor of those friends who make our lives so special.It is the day of celebration and a day to let your friends know how much they are needed and loved.For that, you should spend some extra time with your friends.

So, celebrate Friendship month with your FnF because AKTEL prepaid gives you...

15% bonus on only Tk.50 & Tk.100 recharge

25% bonus on only Tk.300 & Tk.600 recharge

Enjoy this bonus with 5 FnF (any operator)

Applicable for refills between Aug 01 ’08 – Aug 15 ’08

Bonus will be valid for 15 days from recharge

Recharge as many times and enjoy the bonus

Participants of the refill campaign will also enjoy –

1 month free subscription of GoonGoon

(Offer valid only for new GoonGoon subscribers)

There are more VAS offers available on this special occasion –

Song Dedication by dialing 8345

Friendship text greetings just by sending SMS as “G” to 8345

Friendship content downloads from AKTEL Spice (WAP)

3 IP telephony licenses for local firms by Oct

2008-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

The country's telecom regulator yesterday (Sunday) said it decided to issue IP (internet protocol) telephony licences to three local internet service providers by October.
In a meeting with Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), the telecom watchdog also said it already formulated a draft policy to introduce the internet-based telephony that uses the internet protocol's packet-switched connections to exchange voice.
However, the members of ISPAB urged the regulator to introduce IP telephony licences to all ISP licensees within a month.
The decision of the Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is basically a follow-up of ISPAB's last month reaction. ISPAB had blamed the regulator for delaying the licence issuance process.
"We will introduce IP telephony by October this year," said a BTRC official who attended the meeting and claimed that issuance of IP telephony licences has remained in the BTRC's roadmap of introducing new communication technology in the coming months.
Meanwhile, as per the International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) Policy 2007, the telecom regulator has to issue IP telephony licences to the country's internet service providers.
IP telephony is a general term for the technologies that use the internet protocol's packet-switched connections to exchange voice, fax and other forms of information that have traditionally been carried over the dedicated circuit-switched connections of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Using the internet, the voice calls travel as packets of data on shared lines, avoiding the tolls of the PSTN.
"The introduction of IP telephony will provide cost effective voice facilities along with other unique features that are comparatively expensive to provide by mobile or landline operators," said M A Salam, president of ISPAB.
Compared to other countries, Bangladesh is a late entrant to the world of IP telephony. Worldwide traditional phone technologies are being replaced with IP-based operations.
Salam said in the subcontinent, except Pakistan all other nations are enjoying IP telephony facilities. "The main advantage of IP phone is that it offers low-cost phone service," he said.
The ISPAB president explained that in traditional phone systems, when a number is dialed, a dedicated circuit is established between the two sides. This circuit remains occupied throughout the conversation. It is wastage of resources because nobody else can share the link. As a result, long distance calls are more expensive. But IP telephony eliminates this problem as it uses shared links to route packets to the destination.
Through the IP telephony services, anybody can make international calls. But ISPs need to be connected with international gateways for transferring calls. "We can enjoy IP phone service from any place, where internet access is available", the ISPAB chief said.
According to BTRC, so far a total of 200 ISP licences have been issued, whereas only 70 operators are providing services. Around a million people of the country have internet access.

AKTEL Postpaid Signature New Promotion

2008-07-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to AKTEL Postpaid! - Signature

As one of the most demanding persons of society, you need a full fledged communication solution. You not only need excellent network coverage and instant connectivity but many other features to complement your lifestyle needs. In short, you need AKTEL Postpaid. Just some of the features that you will be enjoying from your AKTEL Postpaid (Signature or Signature JOY) include:

Extended FnF service with the option of 1 BTCL number!
Postpaid to Prepaid balance transfer – only AKTEL offers this unique service.
No line rent for airtime usage above TK 500!* and unlimited GPRS users!
Free AKTEL PA (Missed Call Alert Service) until further notice.
Free Internet browsing:
Free browsing (12AM-6AM) till October 31 for all customers
International Roaming – the widest range of roaming partners as well as SMS roaming ensures greater freedom.
Unlimited GPRS subscription –internet, email, and much more.
Accidental death insurance for 1 lac Taka at absolutely no cost. (For conditions, call 123)
Exceptional Customer Care service

* VAT, BTCL charges, line rent and other subscription fees are not included in airtime

In the coming months, AKTEL will be adding new features that address your needs and will constantly strive to ensure that AKTEL Postpaid remains the best cellular connection choice in the market for you. In our efforts to serve you better we depend on your feedback and comments regarding AKTEL services. Please contact us by emailing at 123@aktel.com or calling 123 (from any AKTEL number) or 01819400400 (from any phone)

Where to find AKTEL Post-Paid and Bill Payment

A. Where to find AKTEL Post-Paid

Visit your nearest Customer Care Center to pick up your AKTEL Postpaid connection. Click here for a full list of Customer Care Centers

B. Bill Info

As Post-Paid general class customer, you can check their Postpaid bill information by any of the following way:
SMS to 8PST (8778)

C. Bill Payment Paying Bills Couldn’t Be Easier! AKTEL Postpaid offers a wide variety of bill payment mechanisms to ensure you always stay connected.
EasyLoad
Customer Care Centers
Banks

Scratch cards – keep widely available scratch cards close by to pay your postpaid bill anytime, anywhere! You can even pay the bill of another AKTEL postpaid subscriber!

Note: For greater credit limit you can add a security deposit (100% refundable), or make an advance payment as well.

Tariff Tables:

Signature Package
Local (Standard NWD)
International (Standard IDD)

Package Price (Govt. duty & VAT inclusive)
TK. 1,000
TK. 1,200

Security Deposit
TK. 0
TK. 0

Credit Limit
TK. 1,000
TK. 1,000

Line Rent
TK. 100*
TK.100*

*Waived if monthly usage exceeds TK 500 (excluding monthly subscription fee e.g. Goon Goon subscription fee, AKTEL PA etc) or if customer subscribes unlimited GPRS

AKTEL SIGNATURE and SIGNATURE JOY Tariff plan

All tariff are excluding VAT
24 HOURS

Particulars

Outgoing (Tk./min)
To Joy Partner Number (if partner SIM activated)
0.25*

Any Calls
1*

To BTCL
1*+BTCL

FnF (To AKTEL number)
0.68*

FnF (To other operator number)
0.68*

FnF (BTCL)
0.68*+BTCL

Incoming (Tk./min)
From Mobile
FREE

From BTCL
FREE

Pulse (in Sec.)
To any AKTEL
30

To other Operator
30

SMS (Tk.)
To any AKTEL
1

To other Operator
1

Note(*):

-
For each FnF call, TK 0.68/call setup charge will apply.

-
For partner call, TK 0.25/call setup charge will apply.

-
For any other On-net /Off-net /BTCL call, TK 1/call setup charge will apply.

- Customers will be able to block or unblock a particular facility such as BTCL outgoing or IDD connectivity by sending a message to a short code*. To avail the service right now, please visit any AKTEL Customer Care Centers.

- Customers will be able to migrate from Domestic to International for a cost of TK 200 (VAT included)

- Reduced flat tariff; no roaming and inter-zonal charge

-
Conditions apply

Banglalink Have Biggest Customer Care

2008-07-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

Customer Care Introduction

banglalink care line offers a dedicated 24 / 7 service to answer all your queries. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. Any queries you may have about:
subscribing for a new connection
any form of account information
coverage details
product information
value added services
billing information
Care Center - Open on Fridays

Ever felt disappointed that you couldn't visit customer care on Friday? Well, now you can!!

Problems and questions don't present themselves depending on the day of the week. They can appear any time! Keeping this in mind, we will be open from 3pm to 9pm on Fridays. Just hop in at your own convenience and we'll answer all your queries regarding our products, promotions and services.

At banglalink, your convenience is our first priority!

Please call the following numbers:

banglalink Customer Care is devoted to make certain that all your queries are answered without delay, serving for your convenience.

banglalink sales & care centres:

Location Contact Number Working Hour
Dhaka CCC (LG- Gulshan)
Rangs Arcade
Ground Floor, South Side 153/A,
Gulshan North Avenue
Gulshan Circle - 2 Fax: 02-9862607 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday -Thursday

9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday

3 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday
Dhaka CCC (Motijheel)
Humayun Court
Ground Floor
21 Motijheel C/A
Dhaka - 1000 Fax: 02-9563638
Chittagong CCC
Forum Central, Ground Floor 787/863,
M.M. Ali Road,
Golpahar Circle,
Chittagong-4000. Fax: 031- 638864
Sylhet CCC
Liakot Bhaban (2nd floor)
Jallar Par
Zindabazar
Sylhet -3100 Fax: 0821-812090 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday -Thursday

Friday Closed
Rajshahi CCC
House # 19A,Cantonment Road
Uttara Clinic More,
Uposhahar,
Rajshahi Fax: 0721-861322
Khulna CCC 69, K.D.A. Avenue
Khulna
Bogra CCC
Plot # 8118, Holding # 173
Ward # 07, Jaleswaritola,
Kalibari More,
Bogra-5800 Fax: 051-51545
Zia International Airport CCC
Arrival Lounge
Zia International Airport,
Kurmitola Dhaka 24 hours / 7 days a week

banglalink care lines

Contact Number Working Hour
121, 212 - All Prepaid Customers
122 - All Postpaid and Call & Control
120 - For SMS call back
(From Banglalink mobile only)
2727 for yellow page service
175 for E-Voucher retailer service
9126 for BP/BSP Support

Telephone:
+(88)02 9888370-1,
+(88)02 9862325-6

Mobile:
For all Operator ,T& T and PSTN except BL Call & Control.
01911-310900
01912-999000 (SME Hotline)
01911-304122

Fax: 8820594

E-mail: info@banglalinkgsm.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

banglalink point: List of banglalink points

Nokia Introduces N78 Price 27,500tk In Bangladesh

2008-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Nokia introduces N78

Nokia has introduced Nokia N78, new member of the Nseries family. It's especially designed for sharing music and images. Nokia N78 was actually introduced at Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. The product is available in Bangladesh from June this year.

Keeping music a core feature of the device, it also has expandable memory of up to 8GB, internal speakers and support for 3.5mm headphones. The N78 also has Internet Radio. Users can instantly access to thousands of internet radio stations. It has 24 hours of music playback time.

The Nokia N78 has wide range technologies, including integrated A-GPS with free Nokia Maps (digital maps of cities), WLAN and high-speed HSPDA 3G connectivity, 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and support for microSD memory card, currently available at up to 8GB.

Its interesting feature is the FM transmitter that allows music to be played on any FM radio, in car or home.

Jonas Geust, supervisor of the Nokia's Nseries devices said, “The Nokia N78 truly lives up to the Nseries promise of delivering unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences with the very latest technologies and services.

The sleek design Nokia N78 costs Tk 27,500. Nokia lovers will certainly enjoy using the new member of Nseries

Warid signs corporate agreement with LG Butterfly

2008-07-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Warid Telecom, the fourth largest mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, signed an agreement with LG Butterfly Marketing Limited to provide complete telecommunication services under its corporate package.
Chairman and Managing Director of Butterfly Marketing Limited Mr M A Mannan and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Warid Telecom Mr. Amyn Merchant signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations at the Corporate Head Office of Warid Telecom in the city.
General Managers of Warid Telecom Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, Ashraful H. Chowdhury and Mahboob Hossain and Director (Sales and Marketing) of Butterfly Mustafizur Rahman Shazid and DGM (admin) M M Ferdous were, among others, present during the signing ceremony.
Under the agreement, LG Butterfly Marketing Limited will enjoy customised tariff and value added services of the Warid Telecom which would keep the marketing company one step ahead of others in receiving telecommunication services and also reduce its telecommunication costs significantly.
Mr. Amyn Merchant thanked the LG Butterfly for choosing Warid telecom’s services to meet its telecommunication needs. “We hope users in LG Butterfly would enjoy our high-quality services in a competitive price,’ he said.
Since its commercial operation in Bangladesh in May 10, 2007, Warid Telecom, which invested about Tk 3500 crore to establish the state-of-art Next Generation Network (NGN), has acquired over 3.0 million subscribers through spreading its network to 64 districts. It also planned to invest over Tk 1700 crore within a year to improve its network and quality of services.

Nokia 5800 Tube Leaked Wth XpressMusic Branding

2008-07-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Nokia 5800 Tube live photos

It seems that Nokia 5800 Tube is really close to an official announcement, as more quality images and detailed information has leaked online. An important discovery is the Nokia 5800 will not spawn a new series of its own called XpressMedia, but will use the already existing XpressMusic.

According to the leaked information, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has a 3.2-inch 16M touchscreen TFT display with 640x360 pixels resolution (16:9 display ratio) and some vibrating touch feedback. The device will run on the latest S60 5th edition with accelerometer for auto screen rotation.

As a mid-range phone, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will feature only a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, but it will have a Carl Zeiss lens, dual LED flash and geo-tagging support, thanks to the built-in GPS with A-GPS function.

Nokia 5800 Tube live photos

Despite its mid-range status, the Nokia 5800 is an expert in communications, sporting quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support plus UMTS/HSDPA on top of it. The other connectivity options include Wi-Fi b/g, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and USB 2.0. Finally, this department is completed by a 3.5mm AV jack and TV output.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will also have 140 MB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot (up to 8GB supported). Another obvious fact from the images is the new Nokia BL-5J battery with a capacity of 1320 mAh that will power the Nokia 5800.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic measures 115 x 52 x 14.5mm and weighs 104 g. It's rumored to be officially announced within the next month.

Telephone Shilpa Sangstha revival plan in trouble

2008-07-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Telephone Shilpa Sangstha revival plan in trouble
Only one firm wants to be partner; state-run telephone equipment maker to go for re-tender

The government's plan to breathe a new life into the Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Limited (TSS) has jolted, as a single company has so far showed interest to become a strategic partner of the lone state-run telephone equipment manufacturer.

The company management said they are a bit surprised over the poor response, both from local and foreign buyers, because many a companies expressed their interest after the publication of an advertisement 'Expression of Interest' in early May.

According to the TSS sources, UK based Orange Telecom, a Russian based company and some local giant groups showed their interest and verbally made commitment to submit their bid. "Surprisingly, nobody has stepped into the final race," said a TSS high official.

To get official response from these companies, the TSS also extended the deadline for submitting of proposals from June 15 to July 20.

The official sees this single proposal to become the strategic partner of a company that valued its asset at over Tk200crore as 'unfortunate.'

The TSS Board has chosen to have a partnership, which, it thinks, might revive the obsolete technology-based company that incurred an accumulated loss of Tk 35crore since 1998.

The company basically supplies land phone sets and analog system equipment to the land phone operator Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), formerly Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB).

On the poor response, TSS Managing Director Shamsul Kibria said, "We will go for re-advertisement."

"TSS is our national asset. We have no right to handover this to a foreign company without going for a competitive bid," he added.

Telephone Shilpa Sangstha was established in 1967 as Telephone Industries Corporation under a joint venture agreement between the then the government of Pakistan and Siemens AG, West Germany, now Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH Co & KG, Germany.

After the independence, Telephone Industries Corporation was made a limited company with its present name Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Ltd.

At present, the government holds 92 percent shares in the company, while Nokia Siemens Network owns the rest 8 percent.

Before going for a new strategic partner the Nokia Siemens will handover its stake to the government.

TSS officials said the government introduced digital telephony in late 1980s but it did not enhance the company's capacity to make digital equipment.

Kibria said, "We will call a board meeting this week to decide on any re-advertisement".

Warid Zem Bundle Offer with Nokia 1208

2008-07-24T12:27:00.001-07:00

Zem Bundle Offer with Nokia 1208

Warid is offering handset bundle offer for prepaid subscribers, where they can get a FREE Nokia 1208 by purchasing a prepaid zem connection with BDT 3,500 worth of airtime.

Bundle
price
Bundle details

Handset
Airtime
Connection
Airtime validity

BDT 3,599
Nokia 1208 FREE
BDT 3,500
Zem Start up
270 days

Note:
Airtime can be used for any type of voice and non-voice usage
Voice call can be made on both on-net and off-net destination including BTTB local, NWD, IDD & EISD
This airtime will be placed in Main Account and can be checked by *778#
Unused airtime will still be available after the validity period with any amount of recharge or reload
Free handset is only available with the bundle offer.
Subscribers must not use this SIM and handset separately
If any SIM is used separately from the allocated handset, the whole airtime amount will be removed from the account

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 - Full Specification

2008-07-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 2100 / 900
Announced 2008, July
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, August
Size Dimensions 106.5 x 53.9 x 17.2 mm
Weight
Display Type TFT, 16M colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Optical Mouse
Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields
Call records Practically unlimited
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB
- 8/16 GB internal memory
- 128 MB RAM
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD No
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features OS Symbian OS v9.3, Series 60 rel. 3.2
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Games FIFA 2008, Asphalt + downloadable
Colors Black
Camera 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, image stabiliser, video(VGA@30fps, QVGA@120fps), flash; secondary videocall camera
- Built-in GPS receiver
- A-GPS function
- Camera images geo-tagging
- Smart reader, auto-panorama shot, smile shot, blink shot
- DivX/H.263/H.264/WMV/MP4 player
- Video editing
- MP3/eAAC+/WMA/AMR/RealAudio player
- 3.5 mm audio output jack
- Java MIDP 2.0
- FM radio with RDS
- Organizer
- Built-in handsfree
- Voice memo/dial
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Stand-by Up to 310 h
Talk time Up to 8 h 30 min

8 Megapixel Samsung i8510 Primera Coming

2008-07-24T12:21:00.001-07:00

Samsung officially announced the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 today - a multimedia monster, which packs top-of-the-range cameraphone capabilities along with Symbian S60 smartphone functionality. And probably the best thing about it is that it will be available in Europe in a few weeks (read August 2008).

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 (previously rumored as Samsung Primera) has a name that seems really hard to pronounce, but in fact it's the word INNOVATE with some untraditional spelling. We've already reported of a live preview of the device, you can check it out here, but here's the official scoop.

Probably the biggest asset of the i8510 INNOV8 is its 8 megapixel auto focus camera, which has some advanced features such as face recognition, smile and blink recognition, auto panorama mode and geotagging. Unfortunately, there is no xenon flash, but only a dual power LED setup. The camera will be able to record video in VGA resolution at 30fps along with slow-mo QVGA video, which will be captured at 120fps.

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 is a smartphone based on Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd edition Feature Pack 2 and features quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA 7.2Mbps (900/2100 MHz) support. It also has a large 2.8-inch 16M color QVGA display - it serves the Nokia N95 8GB excellently, so we don't think it would have benefitted by a higher resolution. Screen auto rotation is also available thanks to the built-in accelerometer.

The amount of RAM is 128 MB and there will be a dedicated 3D graphics accelerator. Unfortunately there is no information regarding the CPU used in this multimedia monster.

The Samsung i8510 also packs with some massive storage memory - a 8GB and a 16GB version will be available - much like the Samsung Omnia (you didn't hear us say Apple iPhone, did you?). That storage is further expandable via a microSD card slot.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8

GPS receiver with A-GPS support and Wi-Fi with DLNA certification are also on board. DLNA is basically a wireless media sharing protocol that runs on top of Wi-Fi. Sony Ericsson C905 and Nokia N96 have it too by the way.

For music playback, the i8510 packs stereo speakers, 3D surround sound effect and DNSe 2.0, which is Samsung's DSP technology. There's no word however of the rumored 5.1 surround support. A standard 3.5mm audio jack will be present on board.

Users will also enjoy playback of DivX videos, which is a nice add-on. USB 2.0, stereo Bluetooth, FM radio with RDS complete the feature list.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 lifestyle shots

Samsung i8510 is powered by a 1200 mAh battery and measures 106.5 x 53.9 x 16.9mm, which is close to Samsung's previous Symbian-powered flagship - the G810, meaning it's a bulky fella.

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 will be first available in Europe next month and its rumored price is 780 euro.

Here is a bunch of live photos, curtesy of MobileBurn.

57% drop in GP's operating profit in six months

2008-07-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

The country's largest mobile phone operator Grameenphone's (GP) operating profit dropped by 57 percent in the first half of the year 2008 compared to the same period of the last year, mainly due to a significant amount of money it had been fined by the telecom regulator.

Grameenphone added 2.5million customers during the April -June period in 2008, but a 36 percent downfall of monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) also helped the company's operating profit to reach 329million Norwegian Krone (NOK) from NOK758milion a year earlier.

In the second quarter ended on June 30, 2008, Grameenphone's operating profit stood at NOK40million, which was NOK335million by the end of June 2007.

The half yearly performance in terms of revenue earnings also saw a negative trend. The company's revenue dropped by 2 percent in June 2008 to NOK 2247million compared to NOK2307million in June last year. (NOK 1= BDT 13.20).

With having 20.31 million customers by the end of June 2008, the company is still the No 1 among the 6 mobile operators in the market.

According to its Q2 financial report (April -June ) posted by Telenor, Grameen's majority stakeholders, Grameen's market share also came down to 47 percent by the end of June 2008 from around 50 percent a year earlier.

In the three months to June 30, Grameen's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) margins had decreased by 43 percent to NOK 304million from NOK540million a year earlier.

"EBITDA margin decreased primarily due to one-time effects related to accrual of approximately NOK 150 (Tk200crore) million for a potential compensation for Grameenphone's involvement in international call termination through VoIP before February 2007 and a contribution of approximately NOK 18 million to Lawful Interception Compliance initiated by BTRC, compulsorily to be ?nanced by all operators," the Telenor report said.

Norway's Telenor owns 62 percent of the company, which launched operation in 1997, with the balance 38 percent being held by local Grameen Telecom.

The company officials said it put NOK150million (Tk200crore) as compensation, likely to be paid to the telecom regulator, which ultimately showed the poor operating profit.

Grameenphone may pay Tk250crore to Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for the company's involvement in illegal international call termination through VoIP. The BTRC earlier imposed Tk168crore fine to the company for the same reason.

GP to raise $300m from IPO, pre-IPO

2008-07-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Print Friendly Version
Published On: 2008-07-24
Front Page
GP to raise $300m from IPO, pre-IPO
Md Hasan

Grameenphone, the country's largest mobile phone operator, has finalised its plan to raise $300 million (Tk 2,058 crore) -- $150 million from the stock market and the rest through private placement or pre-IPO.

Grameenphone yesterday said a formal application for the IPO with expected gross proceeds of up to $150 million is expected to be filed with the SEC and other authorities by the end of this month.

The company also said it intends to conduct a pre-public offer of its shares with expected gross proceeds of up to $150 million prior to the IPO.

Sony Ericsson W902, W595 and W302 Official

2008-07-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Walkman-seriеs third birthday, Sony Ericsson revealed three new Walkman phones today, along with a new set of music accessories. The Sony Ericsson W902, W595 and W302 weren't really the best kept secret, as their live photos leaked a week ago but still we enjoy finally meeting them officially. Along with these new Walkmans Sony Ericsson introduced three sets of headphones, three new wireless stereo speakers and a phone case.
Sony Ericsson W902

Sony Ericsson W902 is the most feature-packed among the new devices, coming with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a LED flash and hardware music keys. It has a 262K color 2.2" QVGA TFT display and 25MB of built-in memory. Quite as expected, Sony Ericsson W902 will also feature an 8GB M2 memory card in its retail package to extend the available storage.

Sony Ericsson W902

The 3G and HSDPA-enabled W902 measures 110 x 49 x 11.7mm and weighs 99.8 grams. The FM radio with RDS and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) come to compliment the music capabilities of the quad-band W902.

The Sony Ericsson W902 will also offer auto screen rotation thanks to the built-in accelerometer and image geotagging. Since it doesn't have a GPS receiver, the geotagging feature will rely on cell towers to approximate your location.

The Sony Ericsson W902 will be available in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green versions from Q4 of 2008.
Sony Ericsson W595

Sony Ericsson W595 comes next in line sporting quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA. The slider also boasts a 3 megapixel camera that unfortunately has no autofocus. The display will be a 2.2" one of QVGA resolution, capable of showing up to 262K colors.

Sony Ericsson W595

The usual suspects - Bluetooth (with A2DP), USB (through Sony Ericsson's proprietary port) and FM radio with RDS are all on board Sony Ericsson W595. A 2GB M2 memory card will come in the retail package to extend the 40MB of built-in memory.

The color versions of the Sony Ericsson W595 are Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black. The handset will be released in Q4 of 2008.
Sony Ericsson W302

The Sony Ericsson W302 is the final phone of the announcement. Coming in the bar form factor the W302 will be the most affordable among the new Walkmans and will sport the most modest feature pack. Itsports a 176 x 220 pixel 262K color TFT display and a 2 megapixel snapper.

Sony Ericsson W302

There is also no 3G on the W302 but luckily the sweet quad-band GSM with EDGE support is left intact. FM radio with RDS, USB and stereo Bluetooth are some of the other features included. The built-in memory will be 20MB and there will be a M2 slot for expanding it.

Sony Ericsson W302 will be as compact as 100 x 46 x 10.5 mm and will weigh merely 78g. It will be available in n Midnight Black and Sparkling White and will hit the shelves in Q4 2008.
Accessories

Along with the phones a couple of nice accessories were also unveiled today. MBS-400 and MPS-100 are portable wireless stereo speakers which look rather nice. The MBS-200 sports the same design as the MBS-400 but is only a single speaker.

The newly announced MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100 wireless speakers
The final bit of Sony Ericsson craftsmanship revealed today is the IPC-40 phone case.

The HBH-IS800, HPM-66 and HPM-88 handsfree sets introduced today

The three pairs of headphones announced include the wireless HBH-IS800, the noise-cancelling HPM-88 and the designed for a more active lifestyle HPM-66.

Sony Ericsson W302 - Full Specification

2008-07-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson W302 - Full Specification
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Announced 2008, July
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, Q4
Size
Dimensions 100 x 46 x 10.5 mm
Weight 78 g
Display Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 176 x 220 pixels, 2.0 inches
- Wallpapers, screensavers

Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook Yes
Call records 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 512 MB card included
- 20 MB shared memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G No
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes
Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email

Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Midnight Black, Sparkling White
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video (QCIF 15fps)
- Java MIDP 2.0

- Walkman player
- FM radio with RDS
- TrackID music recognition
- Organiser
- Built-in handsfree
- Voice memo
- T9
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by Up to 300 h
Talk time Up to 7 h

Sony Ericsson W595 - Full Specification

2008-07-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson W595 - Full Specification

- W595 UMTS/HSDPA/850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- W595c 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for China Mainland
- W595a 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for AmericaGeneral 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 2100 - W595 only
Announced 2008, July
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, Q4
Size Dimensions 100 x 47 x 14 mm
Weight 104 g
Display Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
- Wallpapers, screensavers
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
- Stereo speakers
Memory Phonebook 1000 x 20 fields, Photo call
Call records 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 2 GB card included
- 40 MB shared memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (NetFront )
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Jungle Grey, Lava Black, Cosmopolitan White, Active Blue
Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video (QVGA 15fps); secondary videocall camera
- Java MIDP 2.0
- Walkman player
- FM radio with RDS
- TrackID music recognition
- Shake control
- SensMe
- T9
- Image viewer
- Picture editor
- Organiser
- Built-in handsfree
- Voice memo
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by Up to 385 h
Talk time Up to 9 h.

Sony Ericsson W902 - Full Specification

2008-07-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson W902 - Full Specification

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 2100
Announced 2008, July
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, Q4
Size Dimensions 110 x 49 x 11.7 mm
Weight 99.8 g
Display Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook 1000 x 20 fields, Photo call
Call records 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 8 GB card included
- 25 MB shared memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Push Email
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (NetFront)
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Volcanic Black, Wine Red, Earth Green
Camera 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, flash, video (QVGA 30fps), secondary videocall camera
- Java MIDP 2.0
- Walkman player
- FM radio with RDS
- Camera images geo-tagging (cell ID)
- TrackID music recognition
- Shake control
- SensMe
- T9
- Image viewer
- Picture editor
- Organiser
- Built-in handsfree
- Voice memo
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by Up to 380 h
Talk time Up to 9 h

27.7 Million LG Phones Sold In the Second Quarter Of 2008

2008-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

LG Electronics announced today its financial results for the second quarter of 2008, unveiling an excellent period for its mobile division.

In Q2 2008, LG has shipped a total of 27.7 million handsets worldwide, surpassing Sony Ericsson (which only sold 24.4 handsets and registered considerable profit drops). The 27.7 million phones sold represent a record for LG and brought an income of $3.695 billion to the company.

North America bought 33% of all LG's handsets in the second quarter of 2008, while there were also good sales in the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

LG's great results are massively helped by its touchscreen phones. The South Korean company has sold more than 7 million touch-enabled handsets since the first such device hit the market (LG Prada, released last year). The touchscreen handsets sold by LG have an average selling price of $530 (about 334 Euros), hence they have a big contribution to the company's overall profits.

The most popular touchscreen phone from LG is nevertheless the Viewty, which was sold until now in more than 2 million units. Other high-selling LG phones are Venus (more than 1.6 million units), Voyager (more than 1.3 million units) and the "old" Prada.

Talking about the touchscreen industry, Dr. Skott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, stated: "We were a true pioneer in touchscreen phones, applying for a total of 49 patents while developing the Prada Phone by LG. From the beginning, we have worked to create phones that are extremely easy to use despite their myriad features. This is why our touchscreen phones have been so well received around the world. As the market for touchscreen phones continues to grow we will also continue our research in this area to create even more innovative products."

LG says that, according to Strategy Analytics, in 2010 only, there will be about 125 million touchscreen phones sold worldwide. That's why the South Korean company will continue to develop this segment of its mobile products, making it highly competitive for the other major touchscreen players (like Apple with its iPhone 3G).

iPhone 2.0 Unlocked, iPhone 3G Hopefully Will Follow Soon

2008-07-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend saw the introduction of an unlock solution for the latest iPhone firmware. The first-gen iPhone users will now be able to enjoy 2.0 firmware with any SIM card. The iPhone 3G is not there yet, but there's some progress and we hope it would get unlocked some time soon too.

The popular iPhone Dev Team has come up with the latest version of their all-in-one Pwnage tool for setting your iPhones free via customized firmwares - much like the Windows Mobile community does it. However with the Pwnage Tool you can cook your own firmwares customized to your liking.

For those of you that are new to Pwning here's a brief and simplified explanation. You take an original iPhone firmware file (freely downloadable), you run it through the Pwnage tool customizing stuff on the way (such as pre-installed applications, setups, even custom graphics) and finally you apply it to the iPhone the regular iTunes way. It's that simple.

The new Pwnage 2.0 tool now allows you to (h)activate, jailbreak and unlock the first-gen iPhone running the latest 2.0 software. It's a major upgrade to the iPhone functionality and actually makes the original iPhone software identical to the iPhone 3G.

The Pwnage tool 2.0 also works with iPhone 3G but unlocking is not possible yet. The only available options are (h)activation and jailbreak so you won't be taking advantage of the 3G or any other phone function unless you are using the legit SIM card provided with the iPhone 3G.

The Pwnage tool is immensely popular and it's being downloaded feverishly all weekend. Thanks to your feedback an upgraded version of the tool has spawned - it's ver. 2.0.1.

Unfortunately, for now the Pwnage tool 2.0 is available only to Mac, so to take advantage of it Windows users will need a workaround which requires even more hackery. In case you are interested, you can check the Windows solution here.

The official Dev Team blog is to be found here. A step-by-step guide for jailbreaking the iPhone 3G can be found here.

We should remind you that there are three countries that you can get the iPhone 3G fully unlocked - it's Italy, Belgium and Hong Kong. In Italy the iPhone 3G 8GB would set you back 399 euro (around 630 US dollars) but you will get the device with a pre-paid SIM and fully operational with other carriers.

In Belgium the same thing will cost you 599 euro (950 US dollars) for the 8GB version.

In Hong Kong the only way to buy the iPhone 3G is with a local ID and local credit card. Ingenious sellers there however have already started an iPhone 3G reselling service, but it's costly and the price for a single unlocked unit usually goes over 1000 US dollars.

Additionally, several carriers in other first-wave countries offer official unlocking of their iPhone 3G handsets, but it's usually costly - about 100 euro per device (160 US dollars). For a full list of the iPhone availability and SIM lock status per country, we suggest you visit this list.

Mobile Operator Internet Speed In Bangladesh

2008-07-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

i've been using grameenphone unlimited edge service for last 1 year using
two sets motorola v3i(gprs class 1o)and nokia 5700(edge class 32).location
eskaton garden,near holy family hospital.the highest downloading speed i ever
got with motorola is 5.2 KBps and with nokia 14 KBps using opera browser as the
download manager.as now i use the nokia set most of the time,the average speed i
get this days is between 3-5KBps.i've used flashget too and the speed does not
differ much.it takes almost exact same time to download a thing by opera or
flashget
this speed seems too low as i pay a thousand excluding vat to
grameenphone every month and some people from different locations get even a lot
better speed.is there anything that can be done to increase the downloading
speed NOT changing my location?

Well, I should include few more general test reports here. You will get your answer from test3. Thanks for your question :-)

Test1:
Area: Rampura
Device: Sony Ericsson GC89
Connection: GP EDGE unlimited

I am now using Grameen phone unlimited internet. I use Sony Ericsson GC89 EDGE modem. And i live in Rampura. I get average 15-17 KBPS (kilobyte). It varies with time. Because in the day time I get 13-15 KBPS (kilobyte).

Test2:
Area: Rampura
Device: Nokia 3110 classic Made in Hungary
Connection: GP EDGE unlimited

We've used Nokia 3110 classic Made in Hungary at my home to test the internet speed. And it was as good as I usually get using GC89 (average ~17KBPS)

Test3:
Area: Boxibazar, Old Dhaka
Device: Nokia 3110 classic Made in Hungary
Connection: GP EDGE unlimited and Warid unlimited

I went to Boxibazaar (Behind Dhaka university and BUET area) and used Same Nokia 3110 classic made in Hungary. There both the download and upload speed using GP was terrible and shocking!!! I didn't believe my friend who told me that he didn't get more than 4 KBPS anytime.And the line was not stable. My friend contacted GP and they told him that they have huge number of GP internet user in that area. So, they can do nothing to increase the speed. It seems the total bandwidth for a tower or area is fixed. So, where internet users are more there you will get less speed.

This number of users are data service users, not the voice user. You know data service means GPRS or EDGE which no connection with the voice service (calling). So, we should calculate users based on who are using data service.

Warid:
And there Warid internet was same as ~5.5 KBPS and stable. It seems Warid internet is stable everywhere. Of course constant ~5.5 KBPS is not bad (at least for those among us who has very bad experience with dial up or ISP provided internet)

Test4:
Area: Uttara
Device: Nokia 3110 classic Made by Nokia
Connection: GP EDGE unlimited

My another friend is using unlimited internet by 3110 classic (Made by Nokia) in Uttara. He gets more than 15 KBPS. So, now it seems "Made by Nokia" and "Made in Finland" doesn't differ in quality. Only it differes in our brain :-)

Test5:
Area: Banani
Device: Nokia 3110 classic Made by Nokia
Connection: GP EDGE unlimited

We have used Nokia 3110 classic (Made by Nokia) in Banani area. There we also got more than ~15KBPS on average.

Now, I have told you before, my tests are from general users point of view. I didn't test in any professional lab using highly efficient equipments. And the data transfer over wireless depends on many many variables that I didn't have considered during my tests. If anyone did then please share your reports with us.

Have a nice day.

Another Full Test By My Friend

Burn in test 001: Mobile internet
We three friends (teen_goenda) were frustrated with so called Deshi broadband services. We thought to use unlimited internet provided by Mobile operators in our country. So, we were determined to compare the internet browsing speed and download speed and choose the perfect connection fo us. We have used Grameen phone and Warid Telecom unlimited connection to test and compare their internet speed.

Grameen vs. Warid:
At the very beginning we must say Warid never tried to convince us that they had EDGE in all over Dhaka city. Rather when we contacted Warid help desk, they told us that they had only testing version of EDGE in Gulshan and Bonani. One the other hand Grameen phone help desk told us that they had EDGE tower all over the Dhaka city.

GPRS vs. EDGE:
Now theoretically GPRS class 10 has download speed of 36-48 kbps (kilo bit per second) or 4-6 KBPS (kilo byte per second).

On the other hand EDGE class 10 has download speed of 236-247 kbps or (29.5 KBPS- 30.9 KBPS)

Tools:
We have used the following tools for this test-
Nokia 6230i (original Made in Finland) - EDGE class 10 supported

Sony ericsson GC89 EDGE modem -EDGE class 10 supported (price ~6,500 tk)

Warid post paid sim with unlimited internet connection. (1000/= monthly)

Grameen post paid sim with unlimited internet connection (1000/= monthly)

Downloader: Flashget 1.71 . We tried to download a 240MB file with resume support.

Browser: Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) to measure the browsing speed.

Location:Rampura.

Measurement unit:
For simplicity we have used kbps or kilobit per second as standard unit of measurement. We know that 8 kilo bit = 1 Kilo byte.

Test reports from others:
We took it our friends tests and opinions under consideration who had experience using mobile internet of all the mobile companies.

Friend1:
Mobile phone: Nokia N73 "Made by Nokia"

Operator: Grameen phone unlimited internet connection.
Location: Bonani

Data rate: Maximum 88 kbps , minimum 24kbps and average 56-60 kbps.

Friend2:

Mobile phone: Chinese GPRS USB modem bought from IDB by 6,000 tk one and half years ago.
Operator: Grameen phone Unlimited conneciton.
Location: Mohammodpur
Data rate: Maximum 24kbps , minimum 500bit per second and average 12 kbps.

Friend3:

Mobile phone: Chinese USB EDGE modem. Bought from IDB by 11,000 tk one years ago.
Operator: Grameen phone EDGE connection.
Location: Bashabo
Data rate: Maximum 227 kbps, minimum 120 kbps and average 160 kbps.

Report & calculation:
Form the experiment we observe that-
Grameen phone download speed is faster than Warid telecom .

Grameen phone Browsing is same or sometimes a bit poorer than Warid telecom.

Nokia original Made in Finland provides the best performance among all the mobile phones.

"Made by Nokia" (India and China made and sold by Nokia center) phones shows poorer internet performance in the same test.

Nokia (Made in Finland) also shows better performance in download (download speed almost double) than dedicated PCMCIA DGE modem Sony Ericsson GC89.

Conclusion:
Nokia (Made in Finland) is the best for internet:
If you want to buy a cell phone for internet and want to browse smoothly and download Gigabytes of data, then try your best to get a Nokia "made in Finland" EDGE class 10 or higher supported phone. We know from our market survey that "Made in Finland sets" are very rare in the market. If you fail to get a Finland set then go for the Hungary set. We can tell you for sure that Hungary sets shows better performance than "Made by Nokia" India or China made sets.

Dedicated modem only for your laptop:
Better not to go for Sony Ericsson GC89 or other Chinese modems if you seek highest download speed. However you may not like to carry a phone connected to a laptop for internet. Also if you are on move then The phones power will go down very quickly. So, in that case you can use GC89 or Sony ericsson PC300 (if available in the market). Let me remind you, GC89 has no voice. So, you can't call or receive call using that modem. But you can send and receive sms though.

Avoid Chinese modems:
Chinese modems have very unstable and poorer performance of all. Only exceptional one Chinese USB modem that one of our friends bought from IDB shows the top performance equivalent to the original finland Nokia mobiles. But we can't tell you for sure exactly which one that modem is. Because we didn't get that modem in the market few months later. However we never recommend those fancy modems. Also you can buy an EDGE class 10 Hungary made Nokia in the same price of those Chinese EDGE modems.

DANGER:NEVER EVER BUY A GPRS MODEM OF ANY BRAND OR NON BRAND. BECAUSE GPRS MODEMS ARE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING HIGHEST 48 KILOBIT PER SECOND. PRCATICALLY WE GOT 24-32 KBPS.

Finally, we say in this way- if you are download freak and/or need 10GB or more data per month and use internet in a fixed place (at home or office etc) then always better to buy a Nokia Made in Finland or Hungary sets with EDGE class 10 support. If you have a laptop and want to use internet on move then go for the PCMCIA sony ericsson GC89 EDGE modem. Avoid buying "Made by Nokia" sets for hardcore internet use. No to any GPRS modem or Chinese EDGE modem.

Disclaimer:
Our research was not influenced by anyone or any company. We did these tests for choosing the best setup to use internet. We thought the test result may help others, so we publish this result in the net. Our test was very limited, because we had only used 4/5 types of mobiles phones and only two mobile phone companies. But people use lots of different mobile phones from different companies. Also there are 5 mobile operators in our country. More over the internet speed varies time to time and place to place. We alone can not test all those setups since we are not any commercial survey company.

So we hope and encourage you all to test your internet speed in different places in different times and using different mobile phones. Publish your own test results in here in this blog comment. Your feedback and sharing experiences will help others to choose the right stuff for themselves.

TeleTalk Tk 573cr Expansion Project Starts

2008-07-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

State-run mobile operator TeleTalk finally gave the go-ahead for its much-talked-about Tk 573 crore network expansion project as the company last week awarded two of its existing vendors the first phase of the scheme.

According to the decision of the company's board meeting, the Tk273crore first phase work went to European Nokia-Seimens Network and Chinese Huawei.

The board in principle also decided to go for open tender process for awarding the second phase of the project, which is aimed to reach 1.8 million new customers by 2009.

"After a long verifying process of checking whether the claimed price for the work is rational or not, we have approved the project at our last board meeting," said Iqbal Mahmud, chairman of the TeleTalk board yesterday.

Plans to strengthen TeleTalk were first discussed more than two years ago with the operator finally approving the Tk573 crore network expansion project in February this year.

Soon after this, the company's board changed and several members of the new board expressed concerns over the budget allocated for the expansion project.

In February, the company's board decided that the company's existing vendors -- Huawei and Nokia-Seimens should do the initial network expansion works of Tk273 crore. The rest of the work was to be awarded through an open bidding process.

However, the board's decision to let company's existing vendors do the work soon ran into controversy as telecom industry experts began to question the allegedly high cost estimates by the TeleTalk board. Some rival vendors also alleged that the mobile operator bypassed the Purchase and Procurement Regulation (PPR) by awarding the mega project to these vendors.

A scrutiny committee has already examined the network expansion project.

The TeleTalk board chairman said, "We have maintained all legal procedures as far as the network expansion project goes. Whatever we do we do for TeleTalk's development and also for welfare of the nation."

He said TeleTalk is not bound to follow PPR, adding that the company does not use government fund and has its own purchase policy, under which it maintains all purchase as per the company law.

TeleTalk is the country's smallest operator in terms of subscribers with around 2.31 per cent market share. It started operations in 2005 with high hopes, but failed to compete with the five other multinational operators due to lack of quality services and poor marketing strategy.

Till June 2008, the company has been able to add only 1.07million customers in two years since its entry into the market.

The five-year long TeleTalk's mega project styled Strategic Expansion Plan was initially discuss in 2006. The Nokia-Seimens and Huawei will go for core network expansion works of the project.

According to the company's final approval Nokia-Seimens and Huawei will engage to expand its earlier network sites. Under this initial phase, Nokia-Seimens and Huawei will undertake work worth Tk184crore and Tk90crore, respectively.

Opera Ships Mobile Beta

2008-07-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Opera has released the first public version of Opera Mobile 9.5 beta, its web browser for Windows Mobile, Symbian and Linux-based smartphones.

The new release gives the browser a facelift, with Opera Mobile 9.5 beta defaulting to 'page overview' mode, in which users see the entire web page. Like Opera Mini, Opera Mobile 9.5 allows users to pan and zoom to focus on specific page content.

"Our fans have been eager for the release of Opera Mobile 9.5 since it first appeared at the Mobile World Congress this year," said Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner. "We are now answering the call of the people and delivering what we proudly proclaim to be our best Opera Mobile browser to date. It is a totally new user experience."

Opera Mobile was first launched in 2000, and Opera claims it has been downloaded over 100 million installations since 2004.

Opera's Web site offers further details on Opera Mobile 9.5's features and the option to download the new browser.

Offline access soon for Gmail, Google Calendar

2008-07-19T16:10:00.001-07:00

Google doesn't deny that it's working on bringing offline access to two major Web applications, Gmail and Calendar, but a sign emerged Thursday that the feature--which would be a major expansion of the applications' utility and competitive threat--is due soon.

"Gears on Gmail and Calendar in approximately 6 weeks. Just had a preview at Google offices. Not sure if it is Google Enterprise only," said Andrew Fogg, chief marketing and strategy officer for Web 2.0 consultancy Kusiri, in a Twitter post Thursday.

Gears, formerly called Google Gears, is an open-source extension for Firefox and Internet Explorer now and Safari and Opera later that, among other things, lets Web browsers store and use data even while offline. That can make Web applications vastly more useful and a more viable replacement for PC-based software such as Microsoft Outlook. With Gears, Google today offers offline editing for its word processing service and offline viewing of its spreadsheet and presentation service.

A view from 2007 that indicated Google work on offline access to Google Calendar.
(Credit: Shared under Creative Commons by Noticias-TIC)

Google Apps competes with Microsoft's Outlook-Exchange combination as well as with many other online and offline applications, including Yahoo's online e-mail application, Zimbra, which already offers offline access to e-mail.

Gmail has won plaudits from some users--I like it myself--but today they can't use it directly unless they're connected to a network, and I spend a lot of time working where there's no access. Of course, with Google's free use of IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol), software such as Mozilla's Thunderbird also can be used to handle e-mail while offline, so it's not as if Gmail users are helpless without a network connection.

Customers who pay $50 per year per user for Google Apps Premier Edition get more storage space, better technical support, and other features. Personally, I'd be surprised if Google restricted offline access only to those customers, in particular because offline access imposes a burden on the local PC, not Google's data centers, and makes the service and Google's cloud computing argument stronger. But it could be an opportunity to sell more subscriptions.

Just yesterday I asked Google about offline access for Gmail and Calendar and they gave me their usual noncommittal reply that more or less indicates it's in the works.

Two tricky things about Gears is deciding what data to cache locally on a computer and how to synchronize data when a network connection is restored, especially with group-edited content such as documents or calendars. There are hints how Google might go about getting around one challenge, though; according to the Google Operating System blog, some users saw a "Use Google Calendar Offline" note last year that said Gears would let a user view and edit the next three months of a calendar.

Fogg also twittered another potentially useful extension of the Google Apps service is under way, support for technology called SyncML that would make it easier to synchronize Gmail contacts with the address books of mobile devices. Newer versions of SyncML also support "push e-mail," which means a mobile device automatically gets new e-mail without having to be commanded to check.

"SyncML for Google contacts next month. Soocial (sic) watchout. My guess: its related to the sync that they worked on with Apple for 3G iPhone," Fogg said in the Twitter post.

Update 11:02 a.m. PDT: Google offered an official but vague comment on the Gears work in Calendar and Gmail: "We're working on Gears-enabling a number of our products, but we don't have a specific timeline to announce."

Microsoft Tops $60 Billion in Annual Revenue

2008-07-19T15:44:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Thursday announced it has topped US$60 billion in yearly revenue for the first time in its history and posted a 25% year-over-year gain in net income for its fiscal year 2008.

The company also provided financial details of its offer to buy Yahoo's search business including a lump payment of $1 billion, a stock investment and on-going revenue sharing. (Read Editor Julie Bort's take on the revenue report.)

The fiscal 2008 revenue gain was an 18% increase over fiscal 2007, but it was with net income where the software giant showed a big increase from $14 billion in 2007 to $17.6 billion in 2008.

Microsoft also reported fiscal fourth quarter revenue of $15.84 billion, which was an 18% increase over the fourth quarter of 2007.

Microsoft's fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30.

Chris Liddel, Microsoft's CFO, also took time to make a statement on Microsoft's proposal to acquire Yahoo's search business. He said he would not take questions, but he did lay out some of the particulars of the offer, including paying Yahoo $1 billion for its search business, and making an equity investment in Yahoo by purchasing 3.9 billion shares of Yahoo stock at $19.50 per share.

He said the proposal also included a 10-year revenue guarantee totaling $19.5 billion to $26.5 billion. Liddel said the guarantees were not conditional on search queries but tied to Yahoo's home page performance. He said the deal did not include changes to Yahoo's governance.

"We continue to believe our proposal is a compelling one," he said.

The company attributed 2008 financial gains to increased demand for Office, server software, Xbox games and consoles, and even Vista, which has been drubbed by the media and found rough sailing on the corporate adoption front.

Microsoft said it has now sold 180 million Vista licenses. It did not report how many of those licenses may have been "downgraded" to XP by corporate users.

Fiscal 2008 was highlighted by shipment of Windows Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, two of the infrastructure foundation pieces for its services strategy. SQL Server 2008, the third leg of the strategy, is expected to ship by the end of September (the first quarter of fiscal 2009).

The earnings report showed that the Client, Server and Tools and the Microsoft Business divisions were the only segments that did not show operating income losses for the quarter. For the year, those three divisions and the Entertainment and Devices division were the only ones to post positive operating income results, an indication that Microsoft continues to struggle in its newest businesses while relying on its historical cash cows and a Server and Tools business that has posted 24 straight quarters of double-digit growth.

"It was an outstanding year for the company," Liddel said during an earnings call with financial analysts and media. But he said he was not happy the results were not reflected in the company's stock price.

"Clearly we are disappointed that our strong financial results are not reflected in our share price because of general market turbulence combined with Microsoft specific issues including the uncertainty over the outcome of the Yahoo discussions," he said. Microsoft shares closed at $27.52 at the end of the day Thursday.

The report, however, was not all rosy. Microsoft continued to suffer in its Online Services Business, which is battling Google and others in online advertising and search. The division saw its operating income losses grow 100% for the fiscal year and 132% for the fourth quarter.

On the balance sheet for Microsoft, Client division revenue was $16.8 billion, up 13% over $14.9 billion in fiscal 2007. For the quarter, revenue growth was 15%, from $3.8 billion in fiscal fourth quarter 2007 to $4.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008. Microsoft attributed the increase to a 22% growth in revenue from commercial and retail licensing of Windows primarily from Enterprise Agreements.

The Server and Tools business revenue was $13 billion for fiscal 2008, an increase over $11.1 billion in fiscal 2007. For the quarter, revenue was up to $3.7 billion compared to $3 billion in the same quarter in 2007. The company said growth was primarily driven by volume licensing of Windows Server and SQL Server.

Microsoft Business revenue was $18.9 billion for fiscal 2008, a 15% increase over the $16.4 billion in fiscal 2007. For the quarter, revenue was $5.2 billion, a 14% increase over $4.6 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter 2007.

The $60 billion revenue figure for 2008 is but a stepping stone as Microsoft told financial analysts that the company is projecting revenue to hit between $67 and $68 billion in fiscal 2009.

Moves into areas such as online advertising, search, online services -- such as Online Exchange and Online SharePoint -- and virtualization are big initiatives for Microsoft in the coming year.

Sharp trumpets 108-inch LCD TV

2008-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sharp's just gone and announced the biggest LCD TV that the world has ever seen. Yes, this even beats out that 103-inch plasma we spotted about a year ago. Why anyone even cares about this horse race, we're not really sure -- but you can bet that one of these will probably end up on a future episode of "Pimp My Ride." Nevertheless, we'll post more pictures as soon as we get 'em.

Update: Ok, we got the official word from Sharp, and this 108-incher is a real monster. It's 93.9 inches high, 52.9 inches wide and 107.8 inches on the diagonal, and shines with 2.07 million pixels (1,920 x 1,080). So to recap, this thing is 7.8 feet high. We feel very, very small now. (Yes, we realize that that dimension doesn't make much sense, but we're going off Sharp's official press release.)

Luxury Sony Ericsson Concept – An Eiffel Tower in Miniature

2008-07-19T15:27:00.001-07:00

We've recently spotted a Sony Ericsson concept that can surely be categorized as one of the most extravagant potential mobile phones ever designed. This new virtual handset is named Sony Ericsson French Luxury, or Sony Ericsson FL, and is made to celebrate the July 14 French National Day, also known as Bastille Day.

Since the best known symbol of France is the Eiffel Tower, you might think that the new Sony Ericsson would come with a design that resembles the famous 324 meter structure situated in the heart of Paris. Well, you'd be right, because the FL does indeed look like the Eiffel Tower.

Imagined by MobiFrance, the "Sony Ericsson Eiffel Tower" should measure 115 millimeters in height and 45 millimeters in width. Due to the unusual form factor, the thickness of the handset varies, from only 7 millimeters at the top to 19 millimeters at the bottom.

The luxury phone should bring a wide 4 inch OLED touchscreen display, a 7.2 Megapixel camera, dual speakers and a full set of other high-end features.

Enlarge picture
Unfortunately, despite the fact that I've seen lots of websites talking about a future availability of FL, Sony Ericsson currently has nothing to do with the Eiffel luxury handset. The FL is only a concept, made independently of the Swedish-Japanese company. Of course, MobiFrance would want SE to actually create the handset, but there are little chances for this to happen.

Still, in case the luxurious Sony Ericsson FL is transformed into a real device, there will surely be lots of users to buy it – even if, with such a look and features, the handset can only have a highly expensive retail price.

We should wait for the next July 14, the one in 2009 – maybe Sony Ericsson will actually surprise everyone with the Eiffel phone.