Virgin Mobile India - My report

Status confirmed: Virgin going to ring GSM arena! 

  well it's old news, i just take extra time to make it my own report and analysis ..

Virgin Mobile, well known all over world for their MVNO policy for providing mobile/telephony services and attractive and innovative offers to end users, launched its services in India on March 2, 2008, a year back. But they added just around 10% customers  w.r.t. Tata's new customers. 

is ViMo failed in India??

After talking to a no. of people I find some comments, follow them and you will understand why Virgin Mobile did not get enough response from youth, though it targets youth sector of customers. 

"I already have 2 SIMs."  
"I have a 10K GSM handset!" 
"If it's GSM I could try it"  
"I don’t want to take 2 handsets with me - it’s awkward!"  
“Oh! In my area Tata network sucks! Why I take Virgin!!"  
'I don’t find a virgin mobile shop in my area'  
'Well if I bought a virgin from Kolkata, how can I recharge in suburban'  
'I have an unlocked CDMA set, but they are not selling only the SIM’ 
'Can I use VM with my Nokia N70?' 
‘I need a service provider offering free talktime in own network’
‘Virgin ads are awesome and kewl !’
'only mobile store selling it, and only with handset ! '
"i visited VM usa/canada sites.and here handsets are just bogus!! "

before analyzing these comments, let's go straight to Virgin Mobile's joint venture with SingTel in Singapure. there ViMo totally kicked out due to Saturated market. Well its India, and market is not saturated still. 

ViMo targets youth. and they started with some entry level CDMA handsets which makes them most unattractive, at the same time when VM ads rock young minds and their 10p incoming credit (which is now 5p/1min) offer just make them super launched. all my friends knew about it! 

Virgin made its campaigning in colleges (i saw them on presidency college also) , but powered with CDMA tech from Tata. they can't make a new customer for just a mere Rs 50 like R-com GSM launch offer. VM requires atleast Rs 1800(price of handset) to make a new customer. To make it worst, TMS (the mobile store) chain was selling VM sim cards along with handsets. FYI Virgin is partner in TMS venture with Essar. that's a bad move. 

but VM has scope! 'coz till MVNO is not accepted in India, if it's soon allowed after election Virgin will be more powerful. so at this moment entering in GSM arena in time could be useful for them. launching calling cards for night/weekend/full day unlimited plans would be useful. even they can offer sms @ 10p/5p as per users' choice , say u can have local SMS 100 and its multiples @ Rs. 10,20, 30 ..etc . and i like they launch handsets which they offer in USA, Canada, Australia . Well they just launched some good models of Samsung. but most of all they need proper marketing - all they did to target metros specially, but they forget youths of suburbans ..

& i got news that Japan's NTT Docomo telecom will be partner in Tata's GSM service ,so we can hope this new operator will be a powerhouse and so will be Virgin Mobile India.

that's done .... wishing all the best !! 

Anandabazar's website NOT using unicode !! Damn it's sad

আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা [AnandaBazar Patrika] - largest subscribed 1st Class Bengali Daily  ( ভারতে সর্বাধিক প্রচারিত প্রথম শ্রেণীর বাংলা দৈনিক) has its own online presence under www.anandabazar.com
I genrally do not use Internet Explorer except viewing the sites which needs ActiveX support. I always prefer Opera Browser for its awesome customerizing options and good speed !  Though activeX can be opted on Opera via Neptune plug in, I use IE for such sites. Sometimes i also use Firefox with IE-View addon for these sites. At present only activex-supported site in my list is Anandabazar's site. 
Problem with IE 8  :-(

Desi Torrents get Importance !!

This is a post of 2009, got a notice from Blogger in February 2023, as it does not follow community standards. Therefore I am editing this one a little. Let me clear that the post is just an index of yester day's glorious torrent sites. Standing at 2023, OTT took over torrent downloads! 

If u r a who-knows-a-lot-about-torrent guy , u must know about http://filesharefreak.com/ (update: in 2023 it is completely down, domain is for sale). A better site is https://torrentfreak.com :)

I am a reader of it for 2 or more months and like it very much. Though it's overseas blog site, it got my attention when an post on Desi Trackers appeared here. [Read it ]

Anyway they recently published a updated tracker list - 2009 and best part is they made a new section called Desi !! That's amazing ....

The list for Desi/Bollywood Trackers

[modified by me]

http://www.banglatorrents.com 

http://www.bwtorrents.com 

http://dctorrent.com 

http://desibbrg.com 

http://desidhamal.com/ 

http://www.desideshat.com 

http://desitorrents.com 

http://djluv.in 

http://www.dmntorrents.com 

http://exdesi.com 

http://forum.desi9.com (RapidShare & DDL links) 

http://www.ictorrent.com 

http://imtorrents.com 

http://www.mastitorrents.com 

http://themediasite.net 

http://bindassdesi.com 

http://www.idesishare.com/

Expired/ Not working

http://www.tamilmixer.com (returning Aug. ‘09) 
http://www.idesir.com 

http://www.torrentbangla.com/ 

http://bdtorrents.com/ 

http://indianmp3.org 

http://www.torrentsgalaxy.com/

Adult

http://desi6.com (Adult) http://majaa.org (Adult)

Tolly Experts

http://majaa.net http://www.tollytorrents.com http://www.tollywoodtorrents.com http://tamilthunder.com http://www.tamiltorrents.net http://telugutorrents.net

My Experience with Torrents

i am using BSNL home 500c plan from april-may 2008, and as this plan offers night unlimited downlding in between 2-8 AM, i started movie downloading . but there was a conflict in between utorrent & comodo Firewall  . [now its alright ! ] Comodo was installed coz i was not sure about programs accessing internet n 2 cut down bandwidth usage 2 avoid extra bill ! that time (E)-lephant was rocking for Rapidshare downloding (even for free users). but as soon as i get rid of comodo n went wth online armor , i fell in love wth torrents ! wth windows basic scheduler & batch files (add nircmd.exe to it)- connecting net @ 2.02 AM , i started blowing the piracy up ! with Nod32 AV and opera browser, i am not under any firewall at present!

soon rapidshare started to suck everybody ..... nd still it is doing so!

i find aXXo (http://www.mininova.org/user/aXXo) , FXM (http://www.mininova.org/user/FxM) , FXG (http://www.mininova.org/user/FXG) , PUKKA (http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=pukka) , Sceret_Myth (http://www.mininova.org/user/secret_myth) ,  - best uploaders in case of latest hollywood movies. and for old films SeriusShare (http://www.mininova.org/user/SiriusShare) just rocks !

klaxxon (http://www.mininova.org/user/KLAXXON) files are not go0d - start n end credits are often deleted frm the movie ! and size is quite peculiar - sometimes 1005 MB, or 1200MB !!that's disgusting ....

some uplders also good - NewArtRiot , NikonXP , Bugz , StealthMaestro , Flawl3ss , WeeKnight , Dragon Ripper

for Music albums and videos i find Skirgsk  is best.

soon i found bollywood films on public torrents are quite slow n rare ! so i made my entry into a private desi tracker - BWTORRENTS when it offered free registration on the ocassion of india's indipedence day ! i managed to get a/c in exdesi, desibbrg, desidhamal, idesir etc .

as time goes i find SAM-08 , DDR-Bot (http://www.mininova.org/user/DDRBOT , ) , Cgoaurav007 ( http://www.mininova.org/user/cgaurav007 ) upld bollywood films on mininova, so public tracker starts wrking for me ! only BWToRRNT n exdesi serves me now !

i find PUKKA is better pirate than aXXo n now at present aXXo is again in rest (his last post on mininova was on 11th March.2009 ; Punisher-War Zone[2008] ). pukka uploads dvd rips before others n wth better quality.

but as time goes i feel the need of every movie free - as a bengalee i searched for torrents of bangla movies .... best site i found , and still its best is BANGLATORRENTS . well registration is not free here , but wait man , i got into it  when registration was open , as i did in every case!  soon i find bengal-aXXo , well i am hiding his username , but all BanglaTorrent users waiting for his rips ! in most cases he does not do just rip , often he has to do work with  restoration and something on editing so as per skill he is better than any other ripper !

for TV torrents - Visit MV-GRouP's site - registration free and its legal to download ! 

Read my post on how to speed up torrents with minimal approach

[]Edit[]  i posted some links - blogger didnt approve it !! sorry ! :( These URL links r  removed. For this, we recommend the Linkification Add-on for Firefox - it will convert these text URLs into clickable links.

MY 10th Post !!

well this is a celebration time 'coz i am posting my 10th post on blogspot ! 

.... but there is nothing special for this issue   ..... 

I am totally sucked these days in kolkata  - 1. extremely heat  2. no frequent nor'wester  3. excessive mosquito  4. my college schedule  5. my community medicine project ! ..... 

well i need some chilled beer these days ! ohh Jisu when it will be true ....... 

just thinking ! ......  

oh ! i have a plan ! hey dont say i am a bad planner ! my plans r great but they never happen in real ! newy ........ 

I planned to post sumthng on medical studies ! Wow ! but b4 goin to that part , i need some good homework ! is not it ? well let;s see ! 

till then Chill out @ mani square - Khao, Khelo , sob kuch karo @ Rs 21/- 

Antaheen Torrent - not available now ! Yet another lyrics

.... After analysing 'who r watching my blog' , i find out a no. of people come to my site for searching torrent of Antaheen DVD rip. Sorry to say still no DVD is released and piracy here @ kolkata is not as good as for hollywood movies! and so NO  DVD-rip/any print of Antaheen on internet still ! 

only thing i can provide you now the Torrent Link of Antaheen songs for BANGLATORRENTS  !! But this is not a free site ! so you need to register here ! 

Another place for this songs : LoveUKolkata Blog !! you don't need to register here. 

Ahh ...... well i am posting another lyrics now !! 

সকাল আসে না - sung by Shreyal Ghoshal 

সকাল আসে না , আয়না হাসে না, জানলা খোলা মেঘ, সে ভালবাসে না
না কিছু ভাবি না রোদ এলো কিনা, স্নানের জলে গান, আমি না তুমি না
দিনের পাখিরা ছুঁয়েছে ডানা, রাতের পরীরা ভুল ঠিকানায়...

সকাল আসে না , আয়না হাসে না, একলা খোলা বই, সে ভালবাসে না
জাগে না জাগে না তার চোখ 
জাগে না জাগে না তার চোখ 
ডেকে দেওয়া টুকু আমার হোক, অচেনা অবেলায়
জাগে না জাগে না তার চোখ 
জাগে না জাগে না তার চোখ 
ডেকে দেওয়া টুকু আমার হোক, অচেনা অবেলায়

দিনের পাখিরা ছুঁয়েছে ডানা, রাতের পরীরা ভুল ঠিকানায়...
গোধূলি ভাঙ্গা গা, আমি না তুমি না 
সকাল আসে না , আয়না হাসে না, একলা খোলা বই, সে ভালবাসে না

** copy it and when saving it in notepad, select 'unicode' for Encoding.

MTS India is going to be Kolkata's 1st Phase-II Operator !

MTS India, A Sistema Shyam Company is going to launch its CDMA services in West Bengal, and probably Kolkata in April-June, 2009 !

[ I am telling 'probably Kolkata' beacuse Kolkata and WB telecom circles are different and in MTS website Kolkata is not mentioned. I think to launch services in a metro like Kolkata they don't have proper infrastructure still! ]

-::: FACTS :::-

• Shyam Telelink Limited (STL)  is a Joint Venture between India’s Shyam Group and Russian telecom giant Sistema SSA. Later Shyam Telelink Limited, the latest entrant in the Indian telecom space changed its name to Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTS). Sistema (LSE: SSA) is the majority share holder in this joint venture.

• On 30th September 2008 Shyam Telelink Limited (STL) launched their CDMA mobile services in the Rajasthan circle under the brand name ‘Rainbow’.

• Rainbow is based on world-class CDMA 1x Based Wireless Network Technology for Voice & Data Services on Mobile & Fixed Wireless Access Equipments supported by longest Reliable (Optical) Transport Network and the latest Switching System leading to Next Generation IMS Family with the most advanced and flexible Intelligent Network (IN).

• STL has licences and spectrum to provide mobile telephony services on the CDMA 
  platform across the country in 22 circles. Beginning with Jaipur, STL will role out pan- India operations shortly.
  
  
• Sistema is the largest public diversified corporation in Russia and the CIS, which manages fast growing companies operating in the consumer services sector and has over 100 million customers. SSTS have a strategic tie-up with Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MTS: NYSE: MBT) of Russia that will bring the globally acclaimed brand – MTS – to India. MTS is the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS. Under the terms of the agreement, SSTS will have the right to use the MTS brand in all its marketing communication and advertising in India. 

• Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTS) has tied up with established players like ZTE, Huawei & Bleu to provide superior handset range & quality to its customers. The company offers pan India roaming facility to all it’s customers.

MTS India launched their CDMA services in Tamilnadu on 26th March,2009 with exclusive offers ! lifetime connection @ Rs 49 only with Rs 10 talktime, and tariff is Local 35p/min to own network and local calls to other network (includes Landlines too) @ 70p/min; STD  @ Rs. 1.40/min and all India SMS @ 50p !!

If these make you tempted , hold on ..... they are offering 10,00,000 free mins to own network (150min/day )if you recharge with Rs. 499 Voucher ! and if u calculate u will find with this pack u can call MTS2 MTS free upto their licence end -24.01.2028 !! 

Apart from this u can call MTS2 MTS free of cost for 30 days with Rs. 99 Msaver !

So this is the plan for Tamilnadu circle, offered by MTS India. 

HOW WILL BE THEIR NUMBERS ??

Kolkata circle 9143x-12345, WB circle : 9153x-12345

They will start services on 30..03.2009 in Kerala ! so Keep your fingers crossed for MTS coming to West Bengal !!

** A Update: MTS India launched in Kerala with the almost same plans of Tamilnadu, so we can expect this attractive & irresistable plans in WB too !!