#Idea hikes prepaid data tariffs by 18% in #Delhi

Idea Cellular prepaid customers in Delhi and NCR will now have to cough out more for using data as the company has increased rates by over 18% with effect from June 3.

The company has made changes in most of the recharges and vouchers for 2G and 3G services.

According to industry sources, the company also plans to increase the data tariffs in five-six more circles in the coming days.

When asked to comment on the matter, the company did not reply.

According to information taken from customer care of Idea Cellular, the company has increased 3G data tariffs by over 18% and 2G tariffs by 11%.

A customer care executive said the 1 GB pack of 3G with a validity of 28 days will now come for Rs 295 compared with Rs 249 earlier, while a 1GB, 2G data pack for will now come for Rs 195 with 28 days validity as against Rs 175 earlier.

The company has also reduced validity of various packs. For instance, customers will now get a validity of 7 days with a recharge of Rs 247 for 1GB, while earlier it used to cost Rs 249 with 28 days validity.

Idea is the first telecom operator, which has increased data tariffs after the March spectrum auctions.

Idea was successful in securing spectrum in all the nine telecom circles (which account for 69% of its revenues) that came up for renewal. The company had paid over Rs 7,000 crore of the overall outgo of more than Rs 30,000 crore.

In a bid to improve profitability, telecos have been cutting back on discounts and freebies. Last year also, firms including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea had increased data as well as call tariffs.

After the March spectrum auction, industry associations had said there would be hike in tariffs as operators have to pay about Rs 1,09,874 crore to the government.


Ref- TOI

#Idea launches dual-sim Android handset for Rs 8,999

 Telecom operator Idea Cellularlaunched a new Android-powered dual-sim smartphone Aurus 4 priced at Rs 8,999.

The latest addition in Idea's Aurus series of 3G smartphones, the Aurus 4 features 4.5-inch display, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor running on Android Jelly Bean, 1800 mah battery and 5MP primary camera with video calling facility, Idea Cellular said in a statement.

"The young and savvy youth of India has a huge appetite for content on mobile, but is deterred due to highly priced smartphones in India. Idea is bridging this gap by offering 3G smartphones packed with high-end features at relatively low price," Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar said.

Recently, Idea had launched its five-inch smartphone 'Ultra'. The company has previously sold over six lakh devices from a dozen models in the 3.5-inch, four-inch and 4.5-inch categories in the Indian market.

Idea Cellular will retail the new handset through its own retail and service outlets across major 3G markets -- Gujarat, Maharashtra & Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Kerala, UP West & East, Haryana, J&K and HP.

Idea Cellular has more than 128 million subscribers in the country.

#Idea Cellular cuts 2G data tariff by up to 90%

NEW DELHI: In a bid to promote mobile broadband penetration, Idea Cellular slashed 2Gdata tariffs by up to 90% across the country and3G tariffs by as much as 33% for six months starting November 15. 

The reduced tariffs will be available to existing and new prepaid and postpaid users, the company said in a statement. 

At the new rates, 3G data tariffs are now on par with 2G across all 10 Idea 3G circles. Users can access 2G and 3G data at 2 paise per 10 KB. 

"Over 33 million existing and new data users on the Idea networks can now enjoy reduced data tariffs on their 2G and 3G prepaid and postpaid handsets and dongles. The offer will be effective from November 15, 2013, and be available for six months," it said. 

Vodafone India had slashed data tariffs by up to 80% across the country. Bharti Airtel in June had reduced rates by up to 90% in Punjab and Haryana. 

"Idea has reduced 2G data tariff by up to 90% across all 22 circles, enabling users to avail 2G data at 2 paise per 10 KB. Idea's 3G users will now be able to save up to 30% on their monthly data charges as the same tariff will also be available across all 10 Idea 3G circles," the company said. 

Idea has 3G spectrum in Maharashtra and Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Kerala, UP West and East, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

The current tariffs for 2G are 2 paise per KB while for 3G, the rates are 3 paise per 10 KB. 

"The reduction in data tariff is aimed at catalysing data adoption amongst the masses and empowering them with the power of mobile internet at an affordable cost," Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said. 

The revised tariffs will not only drive more data usage from existing Idea users but will also attract new users to Idea's growing subscriber portfolio, the company said.

Idea launches dual-SIM 3G smartphone Zeal

India's third-largest mobile operator Idea Cellular has expanded its 3G smartphone portfolio in the country with the addition of Zeal. The dual-sim smartphone Zeal is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and comes with 256 MB of RAM on board withAndroid 2.3.6 platform. 

The sixth 3G Smartphone from Idea, Zeal, is priced Rs 5,390. 

Idea Zeal comes with a 3.5-inch touch screen, having a resolution of 320X480 pixels, and a 3MP auto-focus rear camera with Digital zoom. The phone offers 512MB ROM. It also has a micro-SD Card slot compatible for cards up to 32GB. 
The new smartphone supports WiFi, A-GPS and Bluetooth for connectivity. It comes loaded with built-in social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Google and Youtube, besides Idea TV. 

Idea's new dual-SIM Zeal comes bundled with data usage offers for 3G users. For a pack of Rs 261, Zeal users can get 1 GB of free data every month for first three months. 

Rajat Mukarji, chief corporate affairs officer, Idea Cellular said, "For the past year, Idea has been focused on proliferating 3G in India by developing the entire ecosystem comprising of network coverage, customer service, applications and devices. We understand that the device plays an important role in enhancing service experience for the user, and has been a key component of Idea's 3G growth strategy. Idea Zeal has been affordably priced to suit the pockets of consumers in semi-urban and rural markets and is aimed at upgrading existing 2G users to 3G." 

Specs: Display: 3.5-inch touchscreen with 320X480 pixel resolution 

Processor: 1GHz processor 

RAM: 256MB of RAM 

Camera: 3 MP rear camera 

Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, and Bluetooth 

Operating System: Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)