Aircel Introduces 3G Pocket Finder-Location Based VAS

Always wondering where your nearest and dearest is? Eager to locate a friend (in a way that doesn’t violate their privacy)? Yes! AIRCEL’s exciting new Value Added Service Dubbed as 3G Pocket Finder, your ‘liked’ or loved one is always just few clicks away!

The service is just similar to another MTNL’s Friend Finder Service, However Aircel added some more features and social networking (FaceBook / Twitter) integration.

The AIRCEL Pocket Finder service is only for 3G circles only or where Aircel launched its 3G service and cost Rs. 10 per month + SMS and 3G Data charges.

Aircel Pocket Finder can serve following way:

Find Me: It will let you know your current position & you can share your position with Facebook/Twitter.

Local Serach: This helps you to search for information on petrol pumps, ATMs, hospitals, restaurants etc. You can get driving directions to them, look for their location on the map, or simply get their contact information.

Friend Finder: The most useful tool in this service. Using this application you can get the current positions of your friends. You can directly call/SMS them according to your requirement.According to Aircel the location is accurate to between about 400 to 500 meters.

To subscribe this service one have to send a SMS by typing “FM” to 54654. After subscribing there is 4 ways to use this service:

(i)Via WAP: Goto 3g.pocketinternet.in and choose “Services” and after that “Pocket Finder”.

(ii). Via USSD: Simply dial the *567# and get the pocket finder menu. On the menu you can then opt for the service as per the format stated in the return string. All services are available on the return string.

(iii)Via SMS:

1.To find a friend, SMS in the format ‘FF 10 digit mobile number of friend’ to 54654.

2.The recipient mobile number will get a SMS from 54654 with the text “Your friend your 10 digit mobile number wants to add you as a friend. SMS “Yes” to accept and “No” to reject.”

3.If your friend accepts, you can then track their location.

4.For local search SMS in the format ‘FIND’ Name to 54654 where ‘Name’ is what you are looking for e.g. Bank, ATM etc.

Via Mobile Application: Simply SMS “Finder” to 54654 or 5800000 and you will receive an SMS with a link to download the application. On clicking the link the application downloads to the phone and you can access all of the services.

CHARGES: Rs. 10/Month and usage (SMS/DATA charges extra as applicable )

For unsubscribe SMS “Unsub” to 54654. For more details contact Aircel Customer Care: @121(toll-free)

Spectranet partners Aircel To provide high-speed Internet access to Aircel customers

Spectranet on Monday said it has partnered Aircel to offer high-speed Internet access to the latter's customers on Wi-Fi. The company also announced plans to invest Rs.500 crore over the next five years to expand its services across 50,000 hot-spots and reach over 50-lakh households across the country.

Spectranet, as preferred partner of Aircel, will deploy and manage core as well as access service infrastructure for Wi-Fi services enabling seamless authentication solution for both post-paid and pre-paid subscribers. This service will enable seamless Internet access for Aircel subscribers across Aircel GSM/3G network and Spectranet Wi-Fi network.

According to Spectranet Managing Director Udit Mehrotra, “We have deployed Wi-Fi network at over 1,000 hot-spots across six major cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad — and plan to add three more cities by this year-end. In the next five years, we will reach 40 cities…we are building India's largest Wi-Fi network across commercial and residential areas and see tremendous growth opportunity in this segment.”

Pointing out that it was the first-ever deployment of 2G and 3G mobile data offload to Wi-Fi within India, Mr. Mehrotra said: “Our Wi-Fi service can be accessed by Aircel subscribers on all kinds of Wi-Fi enabled devices, including mobile phones, laptops and tablets.

Our mobile data offload platform enables seamless traffic handover between GSM and Wi-Fi networks.

Mr. Mehrotra further said that Spectranet was building its own optical fibre network. “We have so far laid over 2,000 route km of optic cable and plan to expand it to 6,000 km. We are building our own fibre infrastructure because we believe the data requirement is only going to go up from this point. In India, not only are we looking at a rapid increase in penetration but we are also looking at a rapid increase in the usage per person or usage per household,” he added.

Aircel (Kolkata) 3G Service – Review and Speed Test

AIRCEL launched its 3G services on 24th Feb in Kolkata circle as we shared on Aircel3g Blog. The operator offers free trial of its 3G services – 250 MB data on 3G network and 50 minutes of video call. This free offerings will be valid till 1st March, 2011.

We officially tested the Aircel 3G / HSPA+ network and data speed in Kolkata telecom circle. Note that Aircel has licenses for offering 3G services in both Kolkata & West Bengal circle, till now Aircel officially rolled out 3G services in Kolkata metro area.

Aircel 3G Plans

Aircel 3G – Following are the observations :

It is interesting Aircel does not allow any users to use its 3G network by setting network mode as 3G/UMTS rather users have to activate Aircel 3G first on their mobile no. Activation of Aircel 3G is done when you opt for Aircel 3G Trial Offers. To use Aircel 2G Pocket  Internet you have to send STOP 3G to 121 to deactivate 3G, otherwise data charged will be deducted from your main balance. You can check your GPRS & video call balance anytime dialing *126*1# (for main balance dial *125#)

Though some subscribers reported activation of Aircel 3G takes too much time, I found it was a matter of 2 minutes. I suggest to activate Aircel 3G you should send the sms START 3G to 121 from a 3G mobile phone. Then use it on data card.

Our first hands on with Aircel 3G is done with Samsung Galaxy 3 which is a HSDPA 3.6Mbps supported android phone. I tested with Speedtest.net Android App:

When We tried Aircel 3G on my PC with ZTE MF190 data card (HSPA 7.2Mbps) network detected HSPA i.e. Aircel installed HSPA of 7.2Mbps BTS in my area. Signal strength is quite good – 5 bars of signal (RSSI of -83dBm). All speedtest is done in indoor environment, outdoor network is expected to be better.

Aircel is not providing blanket coverage, as I found some areas of my home place Barrackpore is not covered with Aircel 3G. May be because in sub-urban areas Aircel installed 1-2 3G nodes. In selected locations Aircel installs 21Mbps HSPA+ BTS but speed will be restricted at maximum 7.2Mbps as Aircel has no 3G data plans offering more than 7.2Mbps bandwidth right now.

Speedtest Results :

With Mumbai server :

With New York server :

Downloading a file via Internet Download Manager:

Aircel launches 3G services in Kerala

KOCHI: Aircel launched its 3G service in the Kerala market today, with hopes that 10 per cent of its customer base in the state will switch over to the new system.

"We are targeting 10 per cent of customer base all-India and Kerala to shift to 3G," Aircel National Head-Operations and Customer Support Vipul Saurabh told reporters here.
The 3G service will be available in 10 towns in the state from today. The aim was to convert existing customers to 3G, besides bringing in new subscribers, including students and youth, he said.

Aircel has over 5.5 crore customers across India, including 20 lakh subscribers in Kerala, he said.

Aircel to launch 3G services in all 13 circles

Aircel today said the company will launch 3G services before start of world cup cricket in all 13 telecom circles where company has won spectrum for the services.

“We expect 3G presence in all circles where we have bagged spectrum before world cup begins on 19th February,” Gurdeep Singh, chief operating officer, Aircel said today.

When asked about the tariff, Mr. Singh said it will be competitive.

Talking about broadband wireless access (BWA) services, Mr. Singh said the high speed internet services will be launched by end of this year.

“We want to roll out 3G services first and see the response before launching BWA services which will be available by end of this year. By March, we should be able to decide whether we are going for LTE or wimax for BWA,” Mr. Singh said.

He declined to comment on investment the company will put in for marketing of 3G and BWA services.

Aircel won 3G spectrum in 13 circles in auction for Rs. 6499.46 crore and BWA spectrum in eight circles for Rs. 3,438.01 crore.

Aircel 3G service coming within a month

Aircel Limited is all set to roll its 3G service in India within the next 30 days as per report of the company’s chief operating officer. The sources have also told that the company was waiting for the mobile number portability services to touch the market which was launched earlier today.As per report of the sources, the private telecom company which is 74% owned by Malaysia’s Maxis Communications Bhd., with the balance owned by India’s Apollo Hospitals group has operations in all of India’s 22 telecom service areas, but has licenses for 3G services in 13 areas.

Well, it looks like the 3G market across the country is likely to get crowded soon and thus will bring the 3G service to customer at a more nominal price at which it is present today.

Chairman of the company Gurdeep Singh said that once mobile number portability, where subscribers can switch operators without changing numbers, is launched across the country from Jan. 20; Aircel expects to attract high-paying users from rivals.

Regarding the newly implemented MNP, Mr Singh told that in Haryana since the implementation of MNP in November 2010 just below 1% users had switched their operators from Aircel and he expects similar response in all areas across the country.

Aircel 3G Experience Zones at Aircel stores

Aircel 3G will be launched in Chennai in a few weeks. You can explore 3G at any of the Aircel 3G Zones at Aircel stores in:

Chennai

Spencer Mall
Citi Centre Mall
Express Avenue Mall-Fun City
COCO – PH Road

Hyderabad

Inorbit Mall
Prasads Imax Mall
GVK One Mall
COCO – Paradise Road

Cochin

Oberon Mall
Bay Pride Mall
COCO – Vytella

Coimbatore

KG Theatre Complex
COCO – RS Puram


Bangalore

Garuda Mall
Forum Mall
Mantri Mall
COCO – Indranaga