BAR CODE
What's IMEI number?
Comprises 14 digits plus a check digit in the format AABBBBBB-CCCCCC-D. It gives a mobile its unique identity. Type *#06# to get it. If it has all zeroes or no zero, it is invalid

Your cell is barred if...
It shows no network signal or displays `Invalid SIM' or `SIM Registration Failed'. While dialling, cell shows `Call Failed' or doesn't connect. Your cell is on, but you can't be reached

If you bought a cheap Chinese mobile phone recently, the investment might turn out to be expensive. Calls from such phones may be barred since most don't carry the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, a unique 14-digit code used to identify valid devices. Even locally-assembled handsets that don't have IMEI numbers may be barred, according to a recent note by the department of telecom (DoT). There are about 1.6 crore Chinese-made and locally-assembled handsets in use that don't have IMEI numbers. Even mobile phones that have all zeroes or no zero in their IMEI code will also be barred.

The DoT move comes after security agencies found the mobile phones used by terrorists in the recent blasts did not have IMEI numbers. Sales of Chinese handsets constitute about 13.3% (or Rs 4,000 crore) of the Rs 30,000-crore annual mobile handset market in the country. About 16.8 lakh Chinese and locallyassembled handsets are sold every month.

However, the directive leaves a loophole as it does not take into account fake IMEI numbers with at least one zero. Local dealers of Chinese handsets are exploiting this by offering to change the IMEI number if your phone has a code with all zeroes or no zero. Mobile phone makers said they are working to plug the loophole as a change in IMEI is not legal in India, unlike the UK and Poland. Software to change IMEI numbers is freely available on websites like brothesoft.com. The government fears militants might use such software to switch the IMEI code of a mobile phone several times during a call, thus making the caller virtually untraceable.

About 1 crore users may be affected

This is, however, not quite an implementation of the carrier access code (CAC) project mooted several years ago. In the face of resistance by telcos to CAC and the department of telecom's (DoT) willingness to play along, Trai has come up with a variation.

This is how it will work. Suppose you are a Bharti subscriber. But you find that BSNL offers the cheapest long-distance tariffs. You can buy a pre-paid long-distance package from BSNL for so many seconds. You then punch in a set of numbers specified in the package to get onto the BSNL network and make your calls. You can talk for as long as your pre-paid package permits.

The regulator will also mandate that all telcos offer their customers the facility to purchase pre-paid long-distance packages or virtual calling cards on the internet. Globally, long-distance tariffs have fallen 20-53% after customers were allowed to choose their operator. Even players like Gail, RailTel and Power-Grid that have long-distance backbones can offer this facility, along with telcos that provide customer access.

Allowing ISPs to extend their internet telephony operations will effectively create an alternative domestic telephone network and has been criticised by mobile service providers as being unfair.

NET GAINS
(Key points of Trai's internet telephony recommendations)

•  Internet service providers will be allowed to provide unrestricted internet telephony within and outside the country and vice versa. They can now connect to landlines and mobile numbers within the country

•  ISPs will be allowed to have interconnection with national long-distance (NLD) operators through the internet for such services

• The annual gross revenue (AGR) of an NLD for calculating the licence fee to include revenue from carriage of internet telephony apart from normal revenue

•  Each service provider that intends to provide internet telephony service within India will install lawful interception equipment to comply with regulations set out by security agencies.

• Telecom Engineering Centre to conduct study on the basis of which appropriate number blocks will be earmarked for internet telephony under an eleven digit numbering plan

WHAT IS MOBILE TV?

• A television service delivered via mobile telecommunications networks.
  
• In 2005, South Korea became the first country to have mobile TV
  
• Service based on video streaming
  
• Users can expect a lag of about four minutes.
  
• Real-time broadcast will be available once 3G services are rolled out later this year.

• MTNL subscribers with GPRS (mobile Internet technology) enabled handsets
  
• 16.5 lakh MTNL subscribers in Delhi region.
  

CHARGES

• Rs 99 per month
  
• Rs 30 extra per channel for Fashion TV and devotional channels.
  
• Daily rental plan availableHTC

The move has been made to ensure that there is adequate growth in the landlines segment where the usage of telecom services remain low. The move will make the government lose about Rs 200 crore revenue per year.

An official statement said here that the decision is also intended to give a boost to e-governance through provision of more broadband services in villages, thus reducing the digital divide.

Incidentally, recent figures brought out by the government pointed to a decline in use of landlines, both in rural and urban India, and a major increase in the use of mobile phones.

According to the reports, the decision for waiver was taken by the Telecom Commission in its latest meeting.

Experience in the EU, US, Korea, Singapore, among others, demonstrates what regulators and policymakers can do to expand broadband access. A critical lesson is that broadband growth has been driven by services of immediate interest to the people at large, not just the geeks.

Trai has played a stellar role in expanding mobile access. However, when it came to opening Internet telephony, consumers have been let down repeatedly. Across the world, businesses -- from small street-corner stores to major multinationals -- offer Internet telephony so that users can make cheap long-distance calls. Not in India.

In 2005, perverse rules for Internet telephony announced by former minister for communications Dayanidhi Maran allowed only telecom operators (telcos) to provide the service. Ordinary Internet service providers (ISPs) could become Internet telephony service providers (ITSPs) but could offer only a restricted service after a hefty payment. With  huge mark-ups on long-distance calls -- despite the recent cuts in long-distance rates -- it was evident telcos would have little incentive to provide Internet telephony. Predictably, telcos rarely offer Internet telephony and ITSPs have made little headway.

Internet telephony has been available internationally for more than a decade. Given the market failure, the regulator has an obligation to facilitate the service without further delay. In the past, it supported entry of CDMA fixed service players into mobile telephony on exactly these grounds. Internet telephony merits similar treatment.

The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) claim that they can offer free local calls in case of own network (that is, within the network of a particular internet service provider) and 10 paise per minute for calls on other IP network. "ISD call rates can further come down to 50 paise per minute on same IP network, and in other IP network 75 paise. And if you want to call on a mobile or fixed line from an IP phone, STD call rates can be offered at 50 paise per minute," the ISPAI claims. The association has members such as Sify, Net4, HFCL, HCL Infinet, RailTel, Spectranet and Tulip IT Services.

Currently, STD call rates on mobile networks are about Re 1 per minute while local rates range from 80 paise to Rs 1. Operators such as Airtel and Vodafone charge Re 1.50 and Re 2.75 per minute for a STD call whereas a call from India to the US or UK costs cheaper at 95 paise per minute, or lower through the internet protocol (IP) telephony. The same call to the US or UK through a mobile cost Rs 6.40.

Interestingly, many telecom operators currently route their domestic calls through the IP network. Says ISPAI president Rajesh Charria, "As admitted by

many operators, they are routing the call through the IP networks and still charging exorbitant call rates." Global giants such as Google, AT&T, Cisco, Microsoft and Nortel are backing the ISPs in their demand for allowing unrestricted IP telephony.

It's interesting to note that IP telephony in most developed markets such as the US, Singapore is unregulated, resulting in drastic fall in call rates. For instance, a $2.5 (Rs 100) calling card offers a 30 minute call to India from US which comes to a per minute rate of Rs 3.33 for an ISD call from US to India. Whereas in India, the mobile operators offer the same call at double the price for a call to the US. Some others offer India calling at 4.2 cents per minute or Rs 1.60 per minute, almost one-sixth the ISD rate offered by operators in India.

The windfall in US has led to some Telecom Commission members having second thoughts about the reserve price set for 3G spectrum here. ET has learnt that serious differences appear to have cropped up in the Telecom Commission over computing reserve price for the upcoming auction and allotment of 3G mobile spectrum.

A section within the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the Telecom Commission feels that the Rs 1,035 crore (about $250 million) reserve price for 5 MHz of 3G spectrum for a pan-India operation is too low. This, despite the fact that the oT had even endorsed the Rs 1,035-crore reserve price in its draft 3G guidelines submitted to the Telecom Commission last month.

Therefore, even as Union communications minister A Raja is slated to give the `go-ahead' to kick off the 3G spectrum auction by late-April to early-May, the DoT may make changes in the draft 3G policy and sharply jack up the reserve price for 5 MHz of 3G spectrum, when the final guidelines are announced. However, the final decision is likely to be taken by the minister.

Sources told ET that the Telecom Commission was yet to take a final call on whether the base price would be revised. The Telecom Commission may also seek the communications minister's views on the issue, sources added.

"The just-concluded Auction 73 by the FCC in the US tends to suggest that a proposed reserve price of Rs 1,035 crore for 5 MHz of 3G spectrum is way too low. Even DoT, in its draft guidelines of the upcoming 3G spectrum auction, has conceded that the recommended reserve price is on the lower side and may be reviewed," said a senior government official.

The regulator said on Monday that for the first unsolicited communication, a service provider would have to pay a penalty of up to Rs 5,000, which could go up to Rs 20,000 for each subsequent communication. A telemarketer would have to pay a penalty of Rs 500 for the first unsolicited communication, and Rs 1,000 for every subsequent communication. The Times of India had reported on January 17 that Trai was planning such a strict regulation.

Disturb & Pay Up

• Subscriber must make complaint within 15 days of pesky call
  
• Penalty up to Rs 5,000 for first call. Can go up to Rs 20,000 for subsequent calls
  
• Rs 500 fine on telemarketers for first call, Rs 1,000 for further calls
  
• Service providers ask: Why is Trai punishing intermediaries?

 Airlines
Indian Airlines - 1800 180 1407
Jet Airways - 1800 22 5522
 Spice Jet - 1800 180 3333
 Air India -- 1800 22 7722
 Kingfisher - 1800 180 0101

 Banks
 ABN AMRO - 1800 11 2224
 Canara Bank - 1800 44 6000
 Citibank - 1800 44 2265
 Corporatin Bank - 1800 443 555
 Development Credit Bank - 1800 22 5769
 HDFC Bank - 1800 227 227
 ICICI Bank - 1800 333 499
 ICICI Bank NRI - 1800 22 4848
 IDBI Bank - 1800 11 6999
 Indian Bank - 1800 425 1400
 ING Vysya - 1800 44 9900
 Kotak Mahindra Bank - 1800 22 6022
 Lord Krishna Bank - 1800 11 2300
 Punjab National Bank - 1800 122 222
 State Bank of India - 1800 44 1955
 Syndicate Bank - 1800 44 6655

 Automobiles
 Mahindra Scorpio - 1800 22 6006
 Maruti - 1800 111 515
 Tata Motors - 1800 22 5552
 Windshield Experts - 1800 11 3636

 Computers/IT
 Adrenalin - 1800 444 445
 AMD - 1800 425 6664
 Apple Computers - 1800 444 683
 Canon - 1800 333 366
 Cisco Systems - 1800 221 777
 Compaq - HP - 1800 444 999
 Data One Broadband - 1800 424 1800
 Dell - 1800 444 026
 Epson - 1800 44 0011
 eSys - 3970 0011
 Genesis Tally Academy - 1800 444 888
 HCL - 1800 180 8080
 IBM - 1800 443 333
 Lexmark - 1800 22 4477
 Marshal's Point - 1800 33 4488
 Microsoft - 1800 111 100
 Microsoft Virus Update - 1901 333 334
 Seagate - 1800 180 1104
 Symantec - 1800 44 5533
 TVS Electronics - 1800 444 566
 WeP Peripherals - 1800 44 6446
 Wipro - 1800 333 312
 xerox - 1800 180 1225
 Zenith - 1800 222 004

 Indian Railway General Enquiry 131
 Indian Railway Central Enquiry 131
 Indian Railway Reservation 131
 Indian Railway Railway Reservation Enquiry 1345,1335,1330
 Indian Railway Centralized Railway Enquiry 1330/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

 Couriers/Packers & Movers Healthcare
 ABT Courier - 1800 44 8585
 Best on Health - 1800 11 8899
 AFL Wizz - 1800 22 9696
 Dr Batras - 1800 11 6767
 Agarwal Packers & Movers - 1800 11
 GlaxoSmithKline - 1800 22 8797 4321
 Johnson & Johnson - 1800 22 8111
 Associated Packers P Ltd - 1800 21
 Kaya Skin Clinic - 1800 22 5292
 4560 LifeCell - 1800 44 5323
 DHL - 1800 111 345
 Manmar Technologies - 1800 33 4420
 FedEx - 1800 22 6161 Pfizer - 1800 442 442
 Goel Packers & Movers - 1800 11 3456
 Roche Accu-Chek - 1800 11 45 46
 UPS - 1800 22 7171
 Rudraksha - 1800 21 4708
 Varilux Lenses - 1800 44 8383
 Home Appliances VLCC - 1800 33 1262
 Aiwa/Sony - 1800 11 1188
 Anchor Switches - 1800 22 7979
 Blue Star - 1800 22 2200
 Bose Audio - 1800 11 2673
 AMP Sanmar - 1800 44 2200
 Bru Coffee Vending Machines - 1800
 Aviva - 1800 33 2244 44 7171
 Bajaj Allianz - 1800 22 5858
 Daikin Air Conditioners - 1800 444
Chola MS General Insurance - 1800 44,  222 5544
 DishTV - 1800 12 3474
 HDFC Standard Life - 1800 227 227
 Faber Chimneys - 1800 21 4595
 LIC - 1800 33 4433
 Godrej - 1800 22 5511
 Max New York Life - 1800 33 5577
 Grundfos Pumps - 1800 33 4555
 Royal Sundaram - 1800 33 8899
 LG - 1901 180 9999
 SBI Life Insurance - 1800 22 9090
 Philips - 1800 22 4422
 Samsung - 1800 113 444

 Sanyo - 1800 11 0101
 GRT Grand - 1800 44 5500
 Voltas - 1800 33 4546
 InterContinental Hotels Group -1800
 WorldSpace Satellite Radio - 1800 44 111 000 5432
 Marriott - 1800 22 0044
 Sarovar Park Plaza - 1800 111 222
 Taj Holidays - 1800 111 825
 CAMS - 1800 44 2267
 Chola Mutual Fund - 1800 22 2300
 Teleshoppin Easy IPO's - 3030 5757
 Asian Sky Shop - 1800 22 1800
 Fidelity Investments - 1800 180 8000
 Jaipan Teleshoppe - 1800 11 5225
 Franklin Templeton Fund - 1800 425
 Tele Brands - 1800 11 8000 4255
 VMI Teleshopping - 1800 447 777
 J M Morgan Stanley - 1800 22 0004
 WWS Teleshopping - 1800 220 777
 Kotak Mutual Fund - 1800 222 626
 LIC Housing Finance - 1800 44 0005
 Others
 SBI Mutual Fund - 1800 22 3040
 Domino's Pizza - 1800 111 123
 Sharekhan - 1800 22 7500
 Tata Mutual Fund - 1800 22 0101

 Cell Phones
 BenQ - 1800 22 08 08
 Travel Bird CellPhones - 1800 11 7700
 Motorola MotoAssist - 1800 11 1211 4539
 Nokia - 3030 3838
 Sony Ericsson - 3901 1111

 Airlines
Indian Airlines - 1800 180 1407
Jet Airways - 1800 22 5522
 Spice Jet - 1800 180 3333
 Air India -- 1800 22 7722
 Kingfisher - 1800 180 0101

 Banks
 ABN AMRO - 1800 11 2224
 Canara Bank - 1800 44 6000
 Citibank - 1800 44 2265
 Corporatin Bank - 1800 443 555
 Development Credit Bank - 1800 22 5769
 HDFC Bank - 1800 227 227
 ICICI Bank - 1800 333 499
 ICICI Bank NRI - 1800 22 4848
 IDBI Bank - 1800 11 6999
 Indian Bank - 1800 425 1400
 ING Vysya - 1800 44 9900
 Kotak Mahindra Bank - 1800 22 6022
 Lord Krishna Bank - 1800 11 2300
 Punjab National Bank - 1800 122 222
 State Bank of India - 1800 44 1955
 Syndicate Bank - 1800 44 6655

 Automobiles
 Mahindra Scorpio - 1800 22 6006
 Maruti - 1800 111 515
 Tata Motors - 1800 22 5552
 Windshield Experts - 1800 11 3636

 Computers/IT
 Adrenalin - 1800 444 445
 AMD - 1800 425 6664
 Apple Computers - 1800 444 683
 Canon - 1800 333 366
 Cisco Systems - 1800 221 777
 Compaq - HP - 1800 444 999
 Data One Broadband - 1800 424 1800
 Dell - 1800 444 026
 Epson - 1800 44 0011
 eSys - 3970 0011
 Genesis Tally Academy - 1800 444 888
 HCL - 1800 180 8080
 IBM - 1800 443 333
 Lexmark - 1800 22 4477
 Marshal's Point - 1800 33 4488
 Microsoft - 1800 111 100
 Microsoft Virus Update - 1901 333 334
 Seagate - 1800 180 1104
 Symantec - 1800 44 5533
 TVS Electronics - 1800 444 566
 WeP Peripherals - 1800 44 6446
 Wipro - 1800 333 312
 xerox - 1800 180 1225
 Zenith - 1800 222 004

 Indian Railway General Enquiry 131
 Indian Railway Central Enquiry 131
 Indian Railway Reservation 131
 Indian Railway Railway Reservation Enquiry 1345,1335,1330
 Indian Railway Centralized Railway Enquiry 1330/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

 Couriers/Packers & Movers Healthcare
 ABT Courier - 1800 44 8585
 Best on Health - 1800 11 8899
 AFL Wizz - 1800 22 9696
 Dr Batras - 1800 11 6767
 Agarwal Packers & Movers - 1800 11
 GlaxoSmithKline - 1800 22 8797 4321
 Johnson & Johnson - 1800 22 8111
 Associated Packers P Ltd - 1800 21
 Kaya Skin Clinic - 1800 22 5292
 4560 LifeCell - 1800 44 5323
 DHL - 1800 111 345
 Manmar Technologies - 1800 33 4420
 FedEx - 1800 22 6161 Pfizer - 1800 442 442
 Goel Packers & Movers - 1800 11 3456
 Roche Accu-Chek - 1800 11 45 46
 UPS - 1800 22 7171
 Rudraksha - 1800 21 4708
 Varilux Lenses - 1800 44 8383
 Home Appliances VLCC - 1800 33 1262
 Aiwa/Sony - 1800 11 1188
 Anchor Switches - 1800 22 7979
 Blue Star - 1800 22 2200
 Bose Audio - 1800 11 2673
 AMP Sanmar - 1800 44 2200
 Bru Coffee Vending Machines - 1800
 Aviva - 1800 33 2244 44 7171
 Bajaj Allianz - 1800 22 5858
 Daikin Air Conditioners - 1800 444
Chola MS General Insurance - 1800 44,  222 5544
 DishTV - 1800 12 3474
 HDFC Standard Life - 1800 227 227
 Faber Chimneys - 1800 21 4595
 LIC - 1800 33 4433
 Godrej - 1800 22 5511
 Max New York Life - 1800 33 5577
 Grundfos Pumps - 1800 33 4555
 Royal Sundaram - 1800 33 8899
 LG - 1901 180 9999
 SBI Life Insurance - 1800 22 9090
 Philips - 1800 22 4422
 Samsung - 1800 113 444

 Sanyo - 1800 11 0101
 GRT Grand - 1800 44 5500
 Voltas - 1800 33 4546
 InterContinental Hotels Group -1800
 WorldSpace Satellite Radio - 1800 44 111 000 5432
 Marriott - 1800 22 0044
 Sarovar Park Plaza - 1800 111 222
 Taj Holidays - 1800 111 825
 CAMS - 1800 44 2267
 Chola Mutual Fund - 1800 22 2300
 Teleshoppin Easy IPO's - 3030 5757
 Asian Sky Shop - 1800 22 1800
 Fidelity Investments - 1800 180 8000
 Jaipan Teleshoppe - 1800 11 5225
 Franklin Templeton Fund - 1800 425
 Tele Brands - 1800 11 8000 4255
 VMI Teleshopping - 1800 447 777
 J M Morgan Stanley - 1800 22 0004
 WWS Teleshopping - 1800 220 777
 Kotak Mutual Fund - 1800 222 626
 LIC Housing Finance - 1800 44 0005
 Others
 SBI Mutual Fund - 1800 22 3040
 Domino's Pizza - 1800 111 123
 Sharekhan - 1800 22 7500
 Tata Mutual Fund - 1800 22 0101

 Cell Phones
 BenQ - 1800 22 08 08
 Travel Bird CellPhones - 1800 11 7700
 Motorola MotoAssist - 1800 11 1211 4539
 Nokia - 3030 3838
 Sony Ericsson - 3901 1111

Despite this, telecom regulator Trai feels its attempt to rein in telemarketers is ``more than satisfactory''. Trai chief N Misra has virtually told those continuing to receive pesky calls after registering with NDNC that they are on their own.

``This is the best Trai can do with so little power,'' Misra told TOI. ``A few elitist subscribers cannot govern an impression that the regulation of pesky calls is not satisfactory. Unhappy subscribers are free to approach either DoT or the police under the Indian Telegraph Act.''

Indeed, considering that India adds over eight million clients to its over 230 million mobile base every month, the number of subscribers on the NDNC does remain a tiny percentage. But Trai does admit that a large number of subscribers sign up every week with the NDNC saying they do not want to be disturbed by unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) on their mobile phones.

For set-top boxes, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will look into specifications for IPTV to help cable operators design IPTV networks, said a TRAI official.

This will give a boost to the two PSUs, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), which own close to 90 per cent of the country's total fixed telephone lines.

IPTV permits a telecom service provider to offer TV through telephone lines. A special modem is required at the customer's premises for transmitting TV signals. It uses Internet Protocol (IP) and is, thus, called IPTV. Aksh, Exicom and IOL are some of the leading IPTV service providers that have joined hands with BSNL and MTNL for IPTV services.

They are working on a franchise basis with the two PSUs.

Under this scheme, BSNL gets 10 per cent of revenue earned by the franchisee.

Now, with the government settling the regulatory issue, the two PSUs will be bullish on IPTV. Telecom operators with unified access service li cences and cellular mobile telephony service licences to provide triple-play services, as well as Internet service providers with a net worth of more than Rs 100 crore with permission from the licensor to provide IPTV, can provide the services.

Bharti Airtel started IPTV trials a year ago in 1,000 households in Gurgaon and is slated to launch its services in the first half of the next fiscal. RComm, too, plans to launch the service in 10 cities around the same time. State owned BSNL recently launched multi-play ser vices for broadband cus tomers in Pune. VSNL, too, is expected to launch IPTV ser vices soon.

India has one of the lowest average revenue per user (ARPU) in the world, both in mo bile and fixed line services. Fixed line service providers are looking at IPTV ser vices as a saviour for them. They believe that IPTV services will be able to increase their revenues.

However, the cable industry views IPTV services by telecom operators as an encroachment on their area of operations and a threat to their business model. The advantage of IPTV over cable TV is that it is a two-way medium and, therefore, more interactive in nature.

Since telecom service providers with UASL licences are permitted to provide tripleplay services, questions have repeatedly been raised on whether these operators need further regulatory clearances.

The call rates to the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong are already stand at Re one minute.

For countries to which the calling rates were at Rs 6, 8 and 12 have now been reduced to Rs 4, 6 and Rs 8 per minute respectively. The new rates will be effective from today, company's Executive Director A K Arora said in a statement.

For countries where call rates were Rs two and Rs three per minute, the rates have been reduced to Re 1 per minute.

MTNL provides international calling facility through VOIP to its broadband customers in association with Aksh Optifibre