Online shopping through mobiles rising in India: Google

According to a report by Google India it received double the number of online shopping queries from mobile phones in 2012.

Online shopping through mobile phones is growing by leaps and bounds, a new report of Google India has confirmed. According to the report, in India, 30 per cent online shopping queries last year came from mobile phones.
Interestingly, electronics with 34 per cent share emerged as the most popular product category, followed by apparel and accessories at 30 per cent last year which Google predicts will be the most popular category in 2013.
Money back guarantee, along with ability to pay on delivery (74 per cent regular consumers to choose to pay through this medium), fast delivery, discounts and access to branded products were the prime reasons behind the growth of online shopping, the report pointed out.

However, many also avoided online shopping due to the inability to touch or try the goods before purchase, fear of faulty products, fear of posting personal and financial details online and the inability to bargain.
Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director of Google India, said, "With approximately 8 million Indians shopping online in 2012, online shopping industry in India is growing rapidly and will continue to see exponential growth. By looking at the trends in 2012, we expect 2013 to be a strong growth year for players focused on fast-growing categories like apparel and accessories and niche product categories like baby products, home furnishings, health and nutrition."
Consumers were most likely to shop for tickets online and it is the biggest category in terms of driving users to online shopping. Online ticket buyers were likely to spend a higher average amount of Rs 2,347 on their first purchase, in comparison to Rs 1,626 for others. Online ticket buyers were also seen to be more comfortable with the use of debit cards (24 per cent), credit cards (19 per cent) and cash on delivery (55 per cent). For regular internet users, cash on delivery was the preferred mode of payment (74 per cent), followed by debit cards (18 per cent) and credit cards (5 per cent).
It is well known that many Indians are coming face to face with the web for the first time through mobile internet. Now with bigger better phones and tablets coming at cheaper prices, mobile internet usage is set to grow and therefore online shopping will also grow alike. The only problem right now is the lack of reliable fast and cheaper data networks in the country.

Nokia launches customised browser for Airtel users

Nokia Xpress Browser for Airtel will offer one-click access to popular content including Bharti Airtel's premium mobile internet services and content.

Nokia India has launched a customized version of the Nokia Xpress Browser for Airtel consumers on compatible Nokia mobile phones.
The customized Nokia Xpress Browser for Airtel subscribers will provide one-click access to Airtel's premium content and easy discoverability of content on-the-go. The customized browser will be rolled out over the coming week and Nokia-Airtel consumers will be automatically upgraded to the new version.

Nokia and Airtel's joint move is aimed at increasing the uptake of mobile internet services amongst consumers by providing them access to faster, easier and more cost effective data solutions.
Nokia Xpress Browser is claimed to enable up to 85 per cent more efficient mobile browsing compared to conventional browsers, making it faster and cheaper for consumers to access the internet and use popular services like search, rich web apps and social networking.
The Nokia Xpress Browser optimizes web sites, enabling them to load faster on Nokia Series 40 devices, including Nokia Asha smartphones.

Aircel announces free roaming

Aircel customers will no longer need to pay for incoming charges while roaming.

Aircel has announced a new pack called 'One Nation, One Rate'. The plan offers one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circle and on roaming on Aircel network.

The 'One nation, one rate' plan offers 1 paisa per second for both STD and local calls in home circle as well as on roaming on Aircel network. Incoming calls while on roaming on Aircel network will be free.
SMS rate is Rs 1 per SMS for both STD and local. The Aircel plan has also same data rates for both home and roaming circles. In Delhi, the pack is priced at Rs 39, but its price will vary in other circles.
The move comes at a time when Government of India is planning to abolish roaming charges, but operators are not very keen to support this move. As per estimation, telecom operators earn around 10 per cent of their total revenue from roaming charges.

Airtel reduces benefits on special tariff vouchers

Airtel has denied any hike in tariff & said that it has reduced benefits on promotional tariffs & special tariff vouchers.

GSM service provider, Airtel has dismissed reports that it has increased its mobile tariffs. However, the telecom operator has acknowledged that it has reduced the benefits that it offers with special tariff vouchers.

"There is no change in the headline tariff. In most circles, we have reduced promotional benefits and free minutes on both acquisition and existing usage," Airtel said in a statement.
However, an Airtel spokesperson refused to comment on specific change in benefits saying that "the change will vary from circle to circle and from voucher to voucher and there is no average figure that we can quote".
Idea has also reportedly introduced a similar reduction in tariff vouchers and in some cases hiked base tariff of called to 1.5 paisa per second. And given the trend so far, Vodafone might also follow suit.
Recently Airtel, Idea cellular and Vodafone hiked their 2G data tariffs in a similar way by reducing the data quota in each special tariff vouchers (STV) and also increasing the price of the STVs. For instance, the telecos are now offering the 1 GB pack, which used to cost Rs 99, for Rs 125 across all their major circles. The 2 GB unlimited pack, offered by both Airtel and Idea, is now priced at Rs 199 against its earlier price of Rs 149. In April 2012, the three operators had also reduced the data cap on the Rs 99 pack from 2 GB to 1 GB in most circles.

Airtel launches solution for BYOD customers

 

Airtel has launched a new security solution that allows corporates to protect and secure any mobile phone to be used on their network.

Airtel has launched a new solution for corporates. Called as Airtel Dynamic Mobile Exchange (DME), the solution allows the workforce to access enterprise data from anywhere on a device of their choice, in a secure manner.

The new concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is getting popular and Airtel is trying to cash in on this new concept which basically allows corporate employees to choose their own device and yet use it for work also by utilising the corporate network.
Airtel DME allows employees to segregate official and personal data on the same device by containerising the information such as emails, data applications, documents etc.
The solution empowers IT administrators to remotely manage and control the device basis individual company policy. In case of loss of the mobile device, the corporate container can be remotely locked and data can be wiped off, thereby protecting sensitive corporate information.

Airtel offers 500 MB data free for 6 months with Karbonn smartphones

The offer is for Karbonn's A9+, A15, A21 and A30 smartphones.

Airtel has announced that it will offer 500 MB of 2G and 3G data for free each month for six months to people buying Karbonn Mobile's smartphones like A9+, A15, A21 and A30.
This Airtel data offer will be auto activated for all buyers of the select Karbonn smartphones models.

While Airtel has similar tie-ups with other leading smartphone brands, it mostly offers the data benefit for three months only and in that sense this offer is very attractive.
Shashin Devsare, executive director, Karbonn Mobiles said, "We at Karbonn Mobiles believe in returning the trust that our consumers have reposed in us, through gestures which endeavour to bring a smile onto the faces of our consumers. By associating with Airtel, we seek to bring faster and greater internet and data outreach to our consumers".

Mobile tariffs not high: TRAI

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has maintained the status quo leaving operators free to decide on tariffs .

Mobile tariffs in India are not going to get cheaper anytime sooner, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said that the tariffs that the telecom companies are offering are not objectionable and hence there is no need to change anything in that anytime soon.
Rajeev Agarwal, secretary, TRAI said, "The mobile tariffs are competitive. We could not find that tariffs have been in any objectionable territory."

This surely comes in as a big respite for all the telecom service providers as they would not have to reconsider their tariffs anytime sooner as TRAI has okayed the current tariff regime leaving operators free to decide on their tariffs.
Telecom operators recently had increased their tariffs because of the losses they were facing. All in all the tariffs were increased by 20-30 per cent across all verticals by all major telecom service providers functioning across the country.
For instance, most operators have raised their postpaid and prepaid base tariffs for outbound calls to 1.2 paisa per second over the past few months from 1 paisa per second.