Interviews:

14- Winning Hearts Through Quality of Services

24- Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh
Ambassador of Jordan to Pakistan
44- I am not Hacker but a Security Researcher,
Joanna Rutkowska

Cover Story:
Telecom:
10- PTCL Donates for a Noble Cause
12- Operators Reject QoS Survey Results
13- Telenor’s “Naya Qadam” to Empower Handicaps
14-
16-
Winning Hearts Through Quality of Services
Mobilink Reshaping the Nature
46
17- KHL Earning Excellent Success
18- PTA - Moving with Excellence
20- Challenges for Operators and Developers
26- PTCL Extends Broadband Services to all customers
32- Telenor Shines at GSM Mobile Asia Congress
38- How Telecom Turned India's Economy
69- Motorola Debuts Luxury Edition RAZR2 in ME 14
75- Samsung Launched Metal 5

Cover Story: 10
46- “Pakistan Package” Historic Relief for Customers PTCL Donates for a Noble Cause
Winning Hearts Through
IT:
Quality of Services
22- Pakistan’s IT Industry Thriving yet needs
Improvements 28
30- Software Technology Park, A Milestone
in IT Growth 12
36- Video Conferencing Needs Due Care
37- Urdu Translation Software Launched
70- New Facebook Ad Program Draws Complaints
71- Blogs as Money Machines Operators Reject QoS Survey Results
72- STB Grabbing the world of Media Servers
74- Search Engines Making their way to Business
24
Intelligence
76- YouTube Puts ID on Clips
77- Amazon Debuts Digital Book Reader 13
Events:
80- Telenor Contributes to “World Performing
Arts Festival 2007”
82- Warid Committed to Produce Champions
Telenor’s “Naya Qadam” to Empower Handicaps
Informative:
Brotherly Ties on the Rise
52- Coming Mobiles
54- Current Mobiles
60- Mobile Reviews 16
66- Hot Laptops
Briefs:
40- Short Stories
88- National
95- International
6
 No More Count of Words
Tremendous growth, millions of subscribers, thousands of cities
covered, high penetration, billions of foreign direct investment, lowest
call rates, highly paid employees, remarkable statistical charts, voices
of 3G, non-stop advertising campaigns, high claims and what not?
But… Now the drama is going to be unfolded as network and work
force is being tested by not only the subscribers but also the regula-
tor.
We have been amply shouting of this artificial growth that has been
result of remarkable make-up carried out by the cellular companies
and the government as well. Two chiefs of cellular companies were
blown out, only in one month, as the consequences of this tragedy are
reaching the sea level. Right after these dissect, the terrifying survey
results have further tightened the situation for telecom companies.
Due to market pressures and competition, the war for cutting the
price has led towards a price collapse. Pakistan Package by PTCL,
World Call's free 24 hours NWD (Nation Wide Dialing), late night free
calling packages from cellular companies are causing the ARPU
(Average Revenue Per User) go further down.
Market has started expressing its judgment of at least 30 percent
inactive SIMs. In such a situation, expanding network and in return
increasing operating cost could be the worst for the investors.
PTA has failed to maintain a fairly balance competition amongst the
companies, in fact it is the regulator that has let the situation reach
this worsen level. The hunger for revenues is encouraging companies
to charge subscribers for even switching between their packages.
Over-charging, call disconnection, and various other techniques are
being used to fill the bags.
Current scenario predicts that there is no long term policy defined
to tackle the future. One company has already backed off from field,
other heading towards the limits of user dissatisfaction. Regulatory
authority must have to pull its legs now, or the time will never roll back
again….! It's a plea.

Zubair Ahmed Kasuri Editor-in-Chief Published by Good News PR Network

M. Raza Malik Editor Printed by Akkaz Printers, Lahore
Aamir Attaa Resident Editor Lahore Office: Telephone:+92-42-7221006 - 7222275
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Usman Yaqoob Marketing Executive (Lhr.)
M. Farooq Malik Marketing Executive (Lhr.) Karachi Office: Phone: +92-21-2275215, Fax: +92-21-2275216

M. Naeem Mughal Designer

E-mail: flare.mag@gmail.com

Khawar Shahzad Finance Manager Price: 250/-

Azhar Javed Production Manager Registration No: PCPB/105 (Vol. 4 Issue: 3)
Kamran Incharge Research Wing

8

No Right to Celebrate Broadband
I am a resident of Kahna nau Exchange Ferozpur Road, Lahore, and
trying to reach the Broadband Department of PTCL for the last six
months. On contacting, the staff just replies that the work is in progress in son, customers argue that they have deposited the cheque before the
our area.
Can any one from the company tell me that what type of work is
underway which has not been completed all this time and how the com-
pany can celebrate its broadband services?
Company's first aim should be customer satisfaction but the company tomer who dropped the cheque after the due date and is now trying to
fails to achieve that, as not only me, but thousands of people are not sat- shun the late payment charges. So, I think there should be some proof
isfied from its service. I want to ask the higher authorities of the company of receiving from the bank side. I want to suggest here that banks
to tell me that is your aim just earning by cheating the nation or their sat- should install digital drop boxes at designated branches.
isfaction by your service?
I know they can't answer me because they are not in a position to
answer their disability in their work.
ANIS AHMAD,
Lahore
Instant Help
I was traveling with my family from Chakwal on the motorway when
our car stopped on the way. With great difficulty we were able to reach
the last service area. The first thing that we came to know was that there
was no CNG on the service station.
After barely covering a kilometre or more, our car broke down and we
stopped at a deserted place. It was 10pm and there was complete dark-
ness around us. I quickly called the Motorway police from emergency call
boxes installed for help.
My repeated efforts proved futile as a recorded voice message asked
to wait for the operator but I could not find anyone on the other side to
respond to the voice message.
In a desperate attempt I called one of my friends to get an emergency
number of the Motorway police. I called again at the number and within
five minutes the Motorway mobile workshop and patrolling car reached
the scene and helped us out of the trouble. I thank the Motorway police
for their quick action.
MUHAMMAD AAMIR
Rawalpindi
Unregistred SIMs
I was heading towards Lahore, when on a stop to take my lunch, I had
bought a Paktel (now CMPak) SIM. I was trapped by the hawker, as he
was offering free SIMs that had balance too. And all I had to pay was the
half of the balance it already had.
Furthermore, I was told that my balance will double, as soon as I will
re-load/re-charge my first card. All this looked quite fascinating to me, and
at one bought a SIM. Not only this, I also bought a Rs. 1000 Card and
loaded it into my SIM. Amazingly I earned double balance and a free
SIM. All this was great until I lost my SIM few days back.
Unfortunately, I had not got my SIM registered, and in return I was
unable to collect a duplicate SIM. Despite of efforts I had to compromise
with contact details that I had with that SIM and also lost plenty of credit
in the SIM.
My request to CMPak is either to stop selling those SIMs at stalls, or
introduce a mechanism, through which I may get my lost SIM without reg-
istration..
Mohammad Akmal
Rawalpindi
Send us your letters at flare.mag@gmail.com or at our postal addresses. Flare reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and space.
Digital Drop Box
I have been associated with consumer banking for the last five years
and have observed that no doubt it has helped the people a lot and
raised their living standards. Banks are improving their services day by
day, but at the same time we can't deny the complaints and difficulties
faced by the customers. Customers and banks are more concerned and
facing problems regarding the repayments of loans. Sometimes issues
occur due to the customer's negligence and some times due to the
bank's.
Usually banks encourage receiving the repayments through cheque
via drop boxes. But while dropping the cheque in a drop box, customers
as well as banks don't have any proof of deposit of cheque.
After that if someone receives late payment charges due to any rea-
due date and the bank has delayed while presenting the cheque in
clearing.
At the same time, banks claim that they check the drop boxes on a
daily basis and there could be no delay at the bank end but it is the cus-
These machines can be easily invented by making minor changes to
photocopy machines. Customers can deposit their cheque through that
machine and will get a photo copy of both sides of the cheque with time
and date of deposit. In this way nobody would be able to avoid his/her
responsibility. It will improve the efficiency of the bank staff because cus-
tomers will prefer the digital drop boxes and it will decrease the rush at
counters.
MUHAMMAD RASHID ABBAS
Islamabad
Dealing with Piracy
Protection of intellectual property from theft and piracy is a key glob-
al issue being discussed on world, regional and national levels.
Intellectual property involves patents (including patents on "biological
material" such as seeds) and copyrights on books, music, films and soft-
ware. There are hundreds of global piracy syndicates that violate these
copyrights and are costing the respective industries billions of dollars as
consumers flock to pirated material as compared to purchasing legiti-
mate copies.
Pakistan, too, has a problem with piracy. However, we must not look
at the problem inside-out. It affects Pakistanis just as much as it affects
artists, engineers and businesses abroad. There is no institution that
effectively monitors and enforces copyrights and as a result, our several
musicians have gone to foreign markets such as India and Europe to
produce and market their music, simply because those markets are pro-
tected and guarantee returns greater than what they would expect in
Pakistan.
There is an immediate need to address the situation and enforce
copyrights in Pakistan. This is the only way we will encourage greater
and better local efforts not just in the entertainment industry, but also in
publishing and research.
BILAL MUSTAFA
Lahore
Callmate Scam
It is shocking to learn that a popular calling card company like
Callmate has closed down without any prior warning or notice to the mil-
lions of users. I was a regular user of this calling card. I had just bought
a new card when I learnt that the company has closed down its opera-
tions overnight. There is no response from 1257 - the number used by
the company.
There must be millions of users who have been left with the cards.
Similarly, there must be hundreds of thousands of shops throughout
Pakistan who must be having huge stocks of cards of different denomi-
nations. How can this scam involving billions of rupees go without any
action from the authorities? The ordinary citizens are under the impres-
sion that there is no rule of law.
Can anyone throw light on this latest scam?
OSMAN A. KARIM
Karachi
9
 Telecom Flare Report

PTCL, as a part of its corporate social responsibility, donated Rs. 2.5 mil-
lion to the SOS Children's Villages. Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
handed over the donation to SOS children villages Rawalpindi on behalf
of the company. The company has been fulfilling its social responsibili-
ties quite adequately by contributing to various welfare activities

akistan Telecommunication Ltd.

P
PTCL.
(PTCL) donated an amount of
Rs. 2.5 million to the SOS
Children's Villages in the country.
Former Prime Minister Shaukat
Aziz handed over the donation to
SOS children villages Rawalpindi on behalf of

Mr. Shaukat Aziz, who was accompanied

with his wife, visited various sections of the
SOS Village Rawalpindi and said that Islam
encourages its followers to give charity with
abandon and the concept formed a major part
of our faith. He appreciated PTCL's initiative of
choosing SOS villages for the donation, as the
homeless and parentless children need utmost
care and attention of the society. The former
Premier urged other members of the corporate
sector to come forward and donate for such
noble cause.
Walid Irshaid, PTCL's President & CEO,
while speaking on the occasion said that the
best way of expressing out gratitude to Allah is Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz hands over a donation cheque to the reprentatives of The SOS Children's
to look after orphans and destitute. He said Villages. Mrs. Shaukat Aziz, Walid Irshaid PTCL's president and CEO and Miss Zubaida Jalal,
former federal minister are also present.
that PTCL had always championed the cause
of needy people and would Central African Republican.
continue to do so. He said that PTCL is the largest telecom operator in the The SOS Children's Villages
company was fully aware of its is a private social welfare organ-
corporate social responsibility country and is now managed by Etisalat, a ization that offers orphaned and
and would continue to promote
this cause in the future too. UAE based telecom group. Etisalat has abandoned children a new and
permanent home. The children
He expressed hope that the
humble contribution that PTCL expanded its operations in the Middle East and stay with this organization until
they are able to lead an inde-
had made towards the cause of
SOS Villages will be able to Africa with a vision to become one of the top pendent life.
SOS Children's Village
bring the joy and happiness on
the faces of the children adopt- ten-telecom service providers in the global Association was founded in
Austria and the first SOS
ed by SOS.
PTCL is the largest telecom
market by the year 2010 Children's Village was built in
Imst, Austria, by Hermann
operator in the country and is Gmeiner. SOS Children's Villages of Pakistan
now managed by Etisalat, a was established in 1975. It is an autonomous
UAE based telecom group. organisation and managed by Board of
Etisalat has expanded its Governors. The National Office is situated in
operations in the Middle East Lahore and provincial associations have been
and Africa with a vision to established in Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P,
become one of the top ten- Balochistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
telecom service providers in The first project was the SOS Children
the global market by the year Village in Lahore in 1977 and this has been fol-
2010. Its current operations lowed by projects in many other cities. The
include UAE, Saudi Arabia, goal is to continue expansion until there are
Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, sufficient facilities to reach children all over the
Sudan, Niger, Ivory Coast, country.

Benin, Togo, Tanzania,
10
Burkina Faso, Baboon and
 Telecom Flare Report
After failing to announce the outcome of previous four sur-
veys, PTA has got a landmark achievement by announcing
the results of its fifth one. Interestingly, three companies have
rejected these findings saying that report is biased and does
not reflect the actual service conditions of cellular companies
ou may have experienced diffi-
Y culties with the telecom net-
work of Pakistan in peak activi-
ty days. Pakistan Telecom
Authority is responsible for
keeping a check on the quality
of services provided by the telecommunication
companies and the authority conducts surveys
for this purpose. Regulator has announced the
result of its fifth survey, conducted from 4th
September 2007 to 16th November 2007, by
using the recently procured state of the art
monitoring equipment. The services of five
GSM operators i.e. Ufone, Mobilink, Telenor,
Warid, and CMPak were checked in selected
major and small cities. The results of the sur-
vey are shown in the tables.
Telecom market sources sus-
pect PTA for not announcing
earlier results due to bad per-
formance of a cellular compa-
ny. The officials of the company
never justified the absence of
previous QoS survey results
Before discussing the consequences and
results of current QoS (Quality of Service) sur-
vey, lets peek into past by looking at previous
attempts. It must be kept in mind that PTA was
12
unable to announce any of the results of all
previous surveys. The current
results can be considered as a
landmark achievement in the
history of Pakistan telecom.
Telecom market sources
have alleged PTA for not
announcing earlier results due
to bad results of a cellular com-
pany. Maj. Gen. (R) Shezada
Alam Malik, Chairman, PTA,
never justified the absence of
previous QoS survey results. It
merits mentioning here that in a
reply to a question from Flare at
ITCN Asia on August 9, 2007,
Mr. Malik said that there will be
no QoS survey again in
Pakistan. At that time he had
said that mobile number porta-
bility is the best check on the
services of telecom operators.
In this regard, the recent survey
may reveal the destruction or
failure of MNP as well.
Coming back to the current
survey results, three major tele-
com companies have straight
away rejected the results, say-
ing that the result
report is biased
and does not
reflect the actual
service conditions
of cellular compa-
nies.
"These are self
created statistics
and have no con-
cern with the facts"
a telecom company
official told 'Flare'
He further said,
we demand an
inquiry on this
report which aims
to win the sympa-
thies of a big tele-
com operator in the
local industry. The giants of tele- plays a major role in the results of any survey,
com sector ask for inquiry on this is also missing. He further added that PTA
bogus report. should have given its verdict of the services of
We must admit that results of each cellular company, instead of leaving the
a particular survey may not satis- ending note vacant to be filled by the cus-
fy all of the participants, however, tomers.
inquiry of a regulatory body, and Another expert said that the report gives
then the inquest of that inquiry you a good glimpse of current services, and
report may lead us to middle of the miseries of customer. He added that cellu-
nowhere, with numerous un- lar companies will have to re-define their goals
resolved issues. and strategies in order to compete in the
Telecom analysts, on the other hands, say future. The current step-down of two CEOs of
that these survey results are not comprehen- cellular companies allows you to predict the
sive. A senior telecom expert told 'Flare' that management failure with-in the cellular indus-
user satisfaction graph is not seen in the try.

results, while the customers' feedback, which
 Flare Report Telecom

Telenor, the third major cellular operator of the county, takes "Naya Qadam"
to loan out motorcycle shops to physically disabled individuals. These
shops on wheels are specially designed to enable disabled to sell Telenor's
most popular product the 'Easy Load' and other small snack items
elenor Pakistan in col- keys to DWA members to the motor-

T laboration with
Disabled Welfare
Association (DWA),
country's one of the
foremost welfare
organizations for disabled, launched
"Naya Qadam" on the World
Disability Day. With the project that
aims to empower persons with
physical disabilities by making them
partners in retail, Telenor has
become the country's first mobile
operator to do so.
As part of the Naya Qadam proj-
ect, DWA will loan out specially
designed motorcycle-cum-shops,
sponsored by Telenor Pakistan, to
physically disabled individuals.
These shops-on-wheels are
designed so that people with dis-
abilities can easily use them to
display and sell their sale items
on the move. In an attempt, yet
unprecedented in the telecommu-
nications sector, Telenor Pakistan
has also arranged for the physi-
cally disabled entrepreneurs to
become retailers for its most
popular product, Easy Load, in
order to earn a respectable liv-
ing. To boost their income fur-
ther, they will also be able to
sell small snack items from the
built-in tuck boxes on the
motorcycles.
Presiding over the event,
Shujat Ali Baig, Provincial
Minister for Education and
Literacy Sindh said, "The
National Policy for Persons
with Disabilities 2002 and the
National Plan of Action 2006
envision full realization of the
potential of persons with dis-
abilities through their main-
streaming, guided by the prin-
ciples of constitutional guaran-
tees, non-discrimination and
rights-based approach instead
of welfare driven programs."
Adding further Baig said;
"Telenor Pakistan has been playing its role as a sections of society." He congratulated Telenor
responsible corporate organization with vigor
and enthusiasm, running several community-
support programs to empower the deprived
cycle-cum-shops.
Telenor Pakistan's Executive
Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan
explaining the aim of the project
said, "The objectives of the project
are to give attention to the potential
of our physically challenged commu-
nity, and to provide them with a
decent opportunity to be part of the
booming telecom business. These
are talented individuals, and if we
can give them their much-needed
mobility and an honest business
opportunity, they can take care of
their families with the integrity all of
us deserve."
Commenting on the Naya
Executive Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Telenor Pakistan Irfan
Wahab Khan addressing at the launch of Telenor Naya Qadam Qadam project, DWA's President
Javed Rais said, "We appreciate
Telenor Pakistan's support and the
Telenor Pakistan, as a responsible corporate fact that they consider us partners
organization, has been playing a dynamic role that ask only for equal opportunity.
According to WHO, close to a tenth
in the society by running several community- of Pakistan's population has some
support programs to empower the underprivi- disability. So, we hope that the pub-
lic, corporate and social sectors will
leged people come forward to level the field for
their disabled fraternity."
Disabled Welfare
Association (DWA) is a
Karachi-based organization
that works to obtain the due
rights of persons with disabili-
ties. It helps to provide them
economic resources by pro-
moting self-employment,
financial support, and loans.
Telenor Pakistan is the
third biggest cellular network
provider of the country in
terms of subscribers. The
Telenor Group is an interna-
tional provider of high quality
telecommunications, data and
media communications servic-
es. Telenor ranks as one of
the biggest GSM service
providers in the world with
Provincial Minister for Education and Literacy Shujat Ali Baig handing over the keys to the dis- over 133 million subscribers.

abled as Executive Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Telenor Pakistan Irfan
Wahab Khan and Regional Director South Telenor Pakistan Syed Montzer Mehdi look on.
Pakistan and DWA on establishing a solid
model of collaboration in the form of the “Naya
Qadam” project. The Minister also handed out 13
 Interview Flare Lahore Panel

Furqan Qureshi is no stranger to the world of tech-

nology and the challenges it poses to the everyday
life. Having been an active member of the IT indus-
try, worked in the banking industry, specialised in
public sector and manufacturing industry applica-
tions, employed at IBM and servrd as the Senior
Vice President or Corporate Strategy and
Marketing at Si3, you get about 25 years of experi-
ence bundled in this one man. Here we are present-
ing his brief Interview for the readers of FLARE

Flare: Do you think that Wateen's services are
matching the services being provided by other
vendors?
Furqan Qureshi: Wateen is determined to deliv-
er what so many other ISPs, Media outlets and
Cellular providers have tried to deliver to the
market - a portfolio of reliable services and
affordable prices. Of course, it can be done.
We are the ones who are doing it. Wateen is
resolute to provide international level services
to its customers.
Flare: Would you please tell us about the broad-
band services?
Furqan Qureshi: Have you heard of buzzwords
such as integration and communication? There
is a bigger buzzword out there called conver-
gence. It just means that all kinds of communi-
cation can be integrated and used in conjunc-
tion with each other. This includes voice, data
and video streaming. You need massive
amounts of infrastructure, bandwidth, people,
and content to make something like this. Also
known as a 'Triple play' approach, since all
services are IP-based (rather than terrestrial), it
means that everything can be integrated or
plugged into each other. Review a movie you
may have missed on television, online, or do a
video conference and have a voice and data
exchange happening simultaneously. It is one
back end, one platform, all software based so
nobody has to physically come to you and
upgrade or modify something. This portfolio or
range of service is no longer about the future.
It is available right now.
Flare: What makes Wateen that ideal conver-
gence company?
Furqan Qureshi: Wateen is in the telecom indus-
try because it offers voice and data connectivi-
ty. The company is in the Media industry
because of television and radio broadcasting,
and it is in the IT industry because short of
touching the application. Wateen has large
data center services. It represents Cisco as a
large partner. The company will launch some
powerful products regarding video conferenc-
ing. All these features differentiate the compa-
ny from other vendors.
Flare: What does the telecommunications land-
scape look like right now?
Furqan Qureshi: There are close to 70 million
people plugged into one network or the other,
14
though, it is difficult to tell how many of those
are actually active users. PTCL will still rely on
Copper for their broadband so their DSL is as
good as the copper; Mobilink will eventually
launch their WiMax services but Wateen will
retain the advantage of launching before them.
Multinet is in the picture to provide fiber across
the country also. Other service providers might
just try and offer the services that Wateen is
providing but they will certainly not be able to
match its back end or infrastructure. We are
rolling out the fiber across the country, and
though, we are already the largest deployment
right now, we are still growing. We have got
WiMax for the last mile of our broadband. We
have got licenses for all 14 regions of Pakistan
to offer Voice Over IP, and we can offer that on
our fiber or WiMax. Not to mention the fact that
Wateen's sister concern, Warid Telecom,
already has an established footprint in the 145
cities of Pakistan, so they are not far behind in
the GSM space.
Flare: Would you tell us the reason behind your
success?
Furqan Qureshi: It is all about listening to what
customers want and matching it with the tech-
nology that will be best suited for them. At
times, they lack the vision to see what the
future holds for their strategies. For us at
Wateen, sky is not the limit - it is just the start-
ing point. If you have the ability to think about
something, then there has to be a way to make
that happen. Even in Pakistan, there is no rea-
son why the services that our company is plan-
ning for our subscribers can not be done.
Everything is a possibility. We want them to be
able to be at par with the level and quality of
service that they will experience elsewhere in
the world.
Flare: How wide will be Wateen's coverage? Will
it include rural areas?
Furqan Qureshi: Our plan is to go as far as we
can. It has to make business sense, but we are
certain that even if one region does not work,
another city or township will be strong enough
to compensate for it. But imagine this scenario
- If you go and provide all these services in a
small region, you will create infrastructure for
positive economic activity. It has the power to
create a massive societal change. Beyond that,
Wateen was quick to realize the problem that
the industry has already started facing - the
size of the consumer pie is so big. You have to
not only give people a greater number of rea-
sons to use the services, but also increase the
size of the market. Wateen has done its share
of research into the demographics based on its
own surveys and also relying on community
demographics to figure out where its service
priorities are going to be. Even though we are
presently in the test phase of our networks, we
are surprised at the intense demand we found
for our services.
Flare: How the deployment of WiMax across the
country, will impact the end user?
Furqan Qureshi: The platform gives you access
to Broadband Internet of upto 2Mbps dedicated
speeds. Speed is something that service
providers continue to struggle with. Additionally,
users also get telephony with endless value-
added features. Our users are very sharp and
know what they want. Unlike other companies,
we have faith in our users that they will begin
to use the features that we offer to them, and
then demand for more.
Flare: How do you see the current situation and
what is the future of the Pakistani market?
Furqan Qureshi: The current situation in
Pakistan is quite good and the future is very
bright Massive growth, an increased size of the
overall market. By launching our services and
other players, the amount of development work
that will require outsourcing will continue to be
enpanding and it is imperative that service
provider companies come together to grow
their numbers and diversity in expertise to be
able to manage the work and keep it within
Pakistan. IT and Telecom companies will have
to get a better understanding of one another's
dynamics and begin working together.
Flare: where do you see Wateen in the future?
Furqan Qureshi: This is just the first step for
Wateen. Wateen is in a very strong position.
We're hiring, we're investing, we're building,
we're focused on our objectives and we're on
track. When we initiate all our services and
land on the ground running, people will be able
to assess our position on their own. A great
team, some great products and a series of
challenging milestones they are confident of
delivering, Wateen Telecom will carry the
Pakistani flag high up on its shoulders. You
need vision, a lot of faith and a great deal of
expertise. We happen to have a lot
of all three.

 Telecom Flare Report
Mobilink, the leading cellular operator of the country, is playing a significant
role in the welfare of various segments of the society. The company is paying a
special concentration to protect the environment and promote the health of the
community. The company is living up to its image of being socially conscious
entity with a strong commitment and more investment in the public sector
ith a population of over
W 160 million, and experi-
encing high growth every
year, Pakistan faces envi-
ronmental issues like
deforestation and massive
industrial growth, depleting water resources,
climate change, considerable floods and a
weaning wildlife.
With the involvement of organizations on
environment drives, growing consciousness for
protecting the environment has been estab-
lished. Some steps forward can be noticed in
our surroundings due to awareness spread
among the educated and affluent, however, the
subject of environment always has additional
room for improvement.
It is against this backdrop that Mobilink has
taken initiatives to protect and enhance the
neighborhoods and communities it operates in,
by adopting a pro-environment attitude. This is
not only a concerted effort to enhance the sur-
roundings but also a drive to work towards the
welfare of the people and strengthen the quali-
ty of life.
Mobilink, as an example, has invested in
the environmental uplift of major cities of
Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. One of the
projects includes the uplift of existing flower
shops, which were previously make shift stalls
with no proper structure to facilitate the busi-
ness. These shops have been reconstructed
with a rustic appearance integrated well with
the natural environment. Flower markets in
Karachi and Lahore Cantt. are also structured
along the lines of the one in Islamabad.
Mobilink has taken similar initiatives by
perking up intercity neighborhoods through the
16 uplift of existing bus shelters on the main thor-
oughfares of Karachi. Drinking water facilities
provided at these shelters are contributing to
the welfare of the commuters. Canopies
installed at main squares of the city are facili-
tating the traffic police officers to make their
working environment more comfortable.
The company is continuously working to
identify new ways of enhancing the environ-
ment and protecting it. Mobilink in an unprece-
dented move has launched a recycling project
Mobilink has always championed
the noble causes. The initiatives
taken by the company are hoped
to set an example for others to
follow and benefit the community
at a larger scale
where they recycle the hoarding skins, making
school bags out of them, which are distributed
among under privileged children of the commu-
nity. This not only supports a noble cause, but
also protects the environment from exposure to
non- biodegradable materials.
In the health sector, the company has
established an independent two-bed ward in
the National Institute of Health to facilitate a
rare and complex condition known as
Myasthenia Gravis and GBS (Guillain-Barre
Syndrome). Mobilink initiated a special pro-
gram dedicated to provide urgent financial
assistance for this disease. It collaborated with
the PMWO to help purchase expensive equip-
ment for the treatment of Myasthenia Gravis &
GBS. The company also extends a helping
hand by providing large number of plasma kits;
with costs that are over Rs15, 000, depending
on the acuteness of the disease. These are
disposable kits and sometimes patients need
three to four kits at a time which are now pro-
vided free of cost. It is important to mention
here that although there are other donors for
this program too but Mobilink stands as the
major contributor for this treatment. Prior to the
company's funding the hospital was unable to
treat underprivileged, poor patients free of cost.
It is a good trend, initiated by Mobilink that
believes in working intimately with the commu-
nity to generate a positive social and economic
change, creating the right environment of
progress for the people of Pakistan. With a
strong internal CSR policy and focused com-
munity investment, the company encourages
its employees to take part in volunteer pro-
grams and get involved in various welfare pro-
grams.
The company lives up to its image of being
socially conscious entity with a strong commit-
ment towards the uplift of social essentials
through its active investment in the public sec-
tor. Such initiatives taken by the company are
hoped to set an example for others to follow
and benefit the community at a larger scale.
It takes strong commitment, conscious
effort, and honest intentions for any private
company to align itself to a task, which is not
profit generating. It demands integrity and
strong principles to execute such non-profit
endeavors. The CEO Mobilink Mr. Zouhair
A.Khaliq takes personal interest in protecting
the natural environment and believes in living
in harmony with nature. He opposes, cutting
down of trees to erect concrete and metal
structures.


KHL, the Associated Company of the Akbar Associates GROUP, is
focusing to develop its presence in the rapidly expanding and now
deregulated telecommunication, power and infrastructure development
sectors. Due to its deep understanding of latest enhancements in the
operations and maintenance segment of telecom sector, the company is
giving a tough time to its international counterparts to make money
he past few years have registered
T a phenomenal amount of growth
in the Pakistani telecommunica-
tions industry, turning it into a
goldmine for service providers all
over the world; consequently
leading to an influx of foreign vendors into the
industry. The foreigners, with their greater pro-
duction scales and higher economies managed
to rein over the industry for several years, until
quite recently when emerging local players
have also made their presence felt and given
their foreign counterparts a run for their money.
Their emergence has accelerated growth in the
Pakistani telecom industry and fueled the 'tele-
com revolution' that we are witnessing current-
ly.
Companies from as far away as Norway
were tempted into entering Pakistan and its
massive population of 160 million. Since July,
2003, regulators have handed out more than
200 fixed, mobile, and long-distance licenses to
some 50 companies. Adding to the competition
is privatized PTCL the state-controlled carrier
which had a monopoly until 2004; now realizing
that it is no longer the only big fish in the pond
has not only cut down its rates substantially,
but has also revamped its customer service
into a quality that could not even have been
hoped for in the past. Furthermore the compa-
ny has also undertaken the long overdue initia-
tive to rehabilitate its network all over the coun-
try so that it comes up to the level which is
required in the fiercely competitive telecom
industry of Pakistan.
Ideally the real winner out of the war-zone
of our telecom industry will be the consumers.
Analysts expect tariffs to come down further
and service quality to improve as competition
heats up. Hence, for any operator existing in
such a market, the key term to their success is
cost effectiveness. This can only be attained by
having efficient and productive operations and
maintenance policy. These O & M practices
ought to include a review of equipment condi-
tion, building documentation and service con-
tract, spot test of equipment and controls,
trends or data logging of critical data point over
time. The assessment also checks schedules
and control strategies to determine if the site is
Khadija Qasmi
operated optimally and develops a list of rec-
ommended improvements that support ener-
gy/cost-efficient operation. An O&M system has
to encompass the entire range of management
functionality, such as simultaneous display and
handling of both networks' alarms in a common
alarms list as well as display and handling of
bi-technology network topologies.
As wireless markets continue to mature and
begin to migrate to 3G, several factors will
decrease operators' revenue margins, including
ever increasing competition and, ultimately,
market saturation. This will direct operators to
look more than ever for cost-cutting opportuni-
ties. O & M is an outstandingly sensitive field in
that respect, as it holds the key to optimal cost
effectiveness for operators in this market. The
The successful deployment of
Wateen's 5500kms Long Haul
Optic Fiber Cable Network, in a
short period of time, is the undis-
puted proof of KHL's competence.
The company is now set to start
its projects abroad
consequently increased cost effectiveness and
improved service quality will eventually not only
benefit the operators, but it will also give the
broader economy a much-needed boost.
Konnect Holden (Pvt) Ltd - KHL, the
Associated Company of the Akbar Associates
Group, has its tentacles spread all over
Pakistan, China and UAE having offices sup-
porting Group activities & providing value-
added services to its customers. KHL is prima-
rily looking after the telecom, power and infra-
structure support sectors and is the leading
service provider in Optic Fiber Long Haul,
GSM, WLL and LDI network deployments. The
company currently has a specific focus to
develop a presence in the rapidly expanding
and now deregulated telecommunication,
power and infrastructure development sectors.
KHL has a deep understanding of latest
enhancements in the O & M segment of tele-
com sector and stands in the top rankings of
Telecom
service providers in this area. The company
has well groomed and specialized teams on its
O & M projects all over Pakistan. KHL's O & M
Projects set the record for their in-time delivery,
minimal reaction time and pristine quality of
service. KHL's O & M Managed Services
include both Preventive as well as Corrective
Maintenance of networks under its preservation
on GPS & NMS oriented software tools.
What's more astounding is the fact that KHL
is a 100% equity based firm, which accom-
plished all that it did; in collaboration with FWO
its joint venture partner, solely on the basis of
its intrinsic technical and operational strength.
The company's exceptional competence is
exemplified by the fact that it managed to
deploy the entire long-haul network, and metro
rings in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The
long-haul network of Wateen telecom was a
project of colossal magnitude, and KHL man-
aged to deploy 5500kms of Long Haul Optic
Fiber Cable Network in a short period of time.
KHL also installed the metro rings for Wateen
in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad in a very
short time span.
KHL has been short-listed in UAE to under-
take projects with the group which include Abu
Dhabi & Al-Safran and will in eventuality consti-
tute a huge success for Pakistan and for KHL;
as a local company crossing borders towards
international markets.
The government expects the telecom sector
expansion to create more than 370,000 jobs in
coming year or so as telecom's share of the
country's GDP rises. When the transformation
is over, Pakistan's telecom sector will be firmly
rooted in the 21st century, which will support
our nation in its development and growth activi-
ties for the years to come. The fact that local
enterprises & business houses are not only
announcing their presence in the telecom,
power and construction sectors but also giving
their foreign counterparts a serious run for their
money; is an extremely heartening develop-
ment, and is an initiative that ought to be
embraced by our local operators so that our
nation can advance further on its agenda of
self reliance; and eventually rid itself of
dependence on foreign vendors.

17
 Telecom Sohail Raza Qizilbash

PTA, the telecom regulator of the country, is playing its part admirably well. The
proof of its success is the investment of major international telecommunication
companies in establishing their networks in Pakistan and millions of subscribers
countrywide. Not only its achievements have been lauded internationally but it
has also won several awards and certificates for its excellent performance
akistan Telecommunication Shahzada Alam Malik and attended by repre- attended by Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)

P Authority (PTA) is a statutory body

established under the
Telecommunication (Re-
Organization) Act, 1996, with the
mandate to regulate the rapidly
growing telecommunication industry in the
country. It has executed its mandate admirably.
The proof is the investment of major interna-
tional telecommunication companies in estab-
sentatives of all CMTOs and other concerned
agencies. Stressing upon the importance of
the issue, CMTOs were directed to essentially
ensure the following:-

Display of certificate of franchise issued
by the CMTOs to

the satisfaction of the customers.

lishing their networks in Pakistan and millions
of subscribers countrywide. The achievements
of PTA in this field have not only been lauded
internationally but it has also won several
awards and certificates for its excellent per-
formance. In the process, huge inflow of direct
foreign investment in Pakistan is a big achieve-
ment.
In order to fulfill its responsibility of regulat-
ing the telecommunication industry, PTA issued
policy guidelines, instructions from time to time
and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
To ensure the implementation of the policies
and procedures, effective supervision and
monitoring were also undertaken. In this con-
nection, performance surveys were carried out
in addition to routine inspections. Heavy fines
were imposed on those Cellular Operators
whose performances were found unsatisfacto-
ry.
Earlier this year, it was discovered by PTA
that because of booming sale of mobile con-
nections, there were certain franchise holders
who were not adhering to the SOPs regarding
the sale of SIMs. It was specially noted with
concern that SIMs were being issued without
obtaining the particulars of the customers, or
where the particulars were available, their veri-
fication/ authentication had not been done
from National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA). In order to rectify this seri-
ous omission, meetings were held in May and
June 2007, in PTA Headquarters, presided by
Chairman PTA, Major General (Retd)

Filling of Customer Agreement Form,
their
franchisees prominently at their premises for
which had been made simpler for ease of
understanding.

Obtaining the copy of Computerized
National Identity Card (CNIC) of the customers.

Seeking verification of the particulars of
the customers from NADRA.
To ensure the implementation of the
policies and procedures, PTA under-
takes performance surveys from time
to time in addition to routine inspec-
tions. The authority also imposes
heavy fines on those operators
whose performance is found unsatis-
factory

Computerizing the data of customers.
CMTOs were given three months to verify
the antecedents of the existing customers while
they were clearly told that inspections would be
carried out of their outlets to check whether the
laid down procedures were being followed or
not. They were warned that a franchise would
be cancelled and its premises would be sealed
if its holder was found not adhering to the poli-
cy and procedures. These checks were to start
from the month of July 2007.
A meeting of all mobile companies was held
which was chaired by Chairman PTA and
and senior management of CMTOs. While the
mobile operators briefed the Chairman PTA
regarding the measures taken by them to
implement the instructions of PTA, such as run-
ning ads in the press and sending messages
on SMS to customers to get their connections
transferred in their names, the Chairman
stressed the need to follow the SOPs in letter
and spirit.
The promised checks commenced in
August, undertaken by various teams of PTA's
zonal offices located at Lahore, Karachi,
Quetta, Peshawar and Multan. As a result of
these checks, in the month of September 2007,
PTA directed various mobile operators to seal
six premises of franchisees and can-
celed their registration immediately.
After this strict, severe and drastic
action of the authority, it was expected
that matters would improve. However,
in October 2007, similar action was
taken against eleven franchises of vari-
ous operators.
As this process continues, it is
hoped that the situation will improve in
the near future and there will soon
come a time when such drastic action
will no more be required as all the
players will be playing a fair game.
The public expects that the checks will
continue even thereafter.
At the end, it is suggested that in order to
expedite the process of verification of data by
NADRA, a small cell in NADRA should be cre-
ated and entrusted the exclusive task of verifi-
cation of data of mobile connection holders.
The measures taken by PTA are, no doubt,
in the right direction and one should expect
that effective policy making and subsequent
monitoring of its implementation would continue
and Pakistan would retain its prominent status
in telecommunication industry worldwide.

The EDF tower of French state-owned power giant Electricite de France (EDF), is seen in the La Defense office building complex in Puteaux, west of Paris. Shares of EDF went on sale
18 Monday, as the government seeks to raise around euro 5 billion (US$ 7.38 billion), to fund the France's ailing university system.
 Telecom Umar Akram
The telecom operators and content developers, in the extremely com-
petitive market of the world, are experiencing serious challenges as
their "innovation crazy" subscribers demand more from them. They are
continuously struggling to retain their existing subscribers and create
brand loyalty among them
he revenue generated from voice
T is clearly diminishing with every
passing day, forcing the operators
to explore new areas of growth
through continuous innovation in
technologies and services.
Despite the anticipated consolidation by
European operators, the operators need to
focus on services other than the traditional
voice based services so that they can gener-
ate more revenue for themselves. In the fast
moving competitive market of Europe, opera-
tors are not only facing the challenge of com-
peting with low cost MVNOs (mobile virtual
network operators) but are also continuously
struggling to retain their existing subscribers.
On the other side, if we take into considera-
tion the telecom markets in developing coun-
tries, particularly Asia, we notice that besides
the increased mobile growth in these areas,
they still lag behind in responding to the
changing market opportunities. The fastest
developing Asian markets are China,
Indonesia, India and Vietnam. With the
increasing passage of time, Pakistani market is
also gaining vitality due to fierce competition
by operators, immense growth potential and
encouragement of FDI by government. Based
on PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority) stats for October 2007, the total
number of subscribers was more than 71.5
million, a teledensity of 44.5%. In 2007 the
average growth rate has been about 2.3 mil-
lion new subscribers each month. In addition
to this, BMI expects Pakistan to join the small
band of countries with more than 100 million
mobile subscribers during 2008.
As the ARPU (average revenue per user)
on voice continues to decrease, data has
become the most dominant factor for operators
in retaining and attracting the customers.
However, the growth of data services in the
most developed mobile markets such as
(Japan, Korea, Western Europe and to a less-
er degree Northern America) has only
increased from 8% in 2002 to 19% in 2007 as
provided by IDATE NEWS N* 288. The key
factors which have complemented the growth
of data services in developed countries are the
20 increasing capabilities of mobile phones, faster
networks like 3G and mobile applications that
bring a rich user experience by changing the
way people live, work and play. Similarly
besides few exceptions, many operators in
Asia and other developing countries have still
not been able to implement long term data
services strategy, with the result their mobile
play is still primarily focused on voice.
With the changing trends, operators are
now expecting their revenues to grow, as the
subscriber's appetite for mobile based content
has increased. Going beyond a ring tone or a
theme, they are always on a look out for a
"killer software application" that can easily
become popular among the subscribers and
thus create brand loyalty for them. But from
the mobile content developer's perspective it is
not a simple task to come up with such an
application.
To meet the challenges and gen-
erate revenues for themselves,
the operators need to focus more
on the demands of the customers
instead of the traditional services
There is different challenge for the mobile
software developers though. One challenge
highlighted at the Google's Open Source dis-
cussion event was the absence of standards
for the developers in the industry. Optimizing
these applications for different OS and broad
range of mobile devices with varying screen
sizes and versions remains the biggest prob-
lem for the mobile content developers. Even if
the portability issues are resolved, distribution
still remains a big challenge for the develop-
ers. It is the dream of every mobile content
developer to get their content distributed
through an operator. But the unending list of
pre requisites on various issues of portability,
certification and in some cases localization can
turn this dream into a complete night mare.
The fast adoption of advanced phones and
corresponding explosive growth in mobile soft-
ware has transformed it into the buzzword of
every article, publication and news around us.
A new report issued by market intelligence firm
iSuppli1forecasts that the market for premium
mobile content will exceed $44 billion by 2011,
more than doubling the $20 million anticipated
for 2007. The major driving force for the mobile
content developer is to get an easy access to
the information and APIs (application program-
ming interface) which are held confidential by
the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
and OS providers of mobile devices
There should be one organization that can
set guidelines and standards for content devel-
opment by consulting all the stake holders in
the value chain. This will facilitate the develop-
ers to focus only on the core issue, which is to
develop applications for the consumers that
can add value in their lives. This thing is not as
simple as it seems. Due to various political,
economical and competitive landscape con-
straints, it's very hard to unite all the stake
holders at one place and develop standards for
the content developers.
An upcoming step taken in this direction is
the new Android platform that unites the play-
ers of mobile ecosystem such as wireless
operators, handset manufacturers and devel-
opers all at one place. Android software stack
will provide developers a complete access to
handset capabilities and tools that will enable
them to build more compelling and innovative
applications for the mobile consumers. The big
question is how far Android be successful in
combining the concerned parties together and
to what extent they will be able to over come
the unavoidable factors such as fierce compe-
tition among each other. But for the present
state, we can rightly say that if the technology
leaders like Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC,
Qualcomm and Motorola can manage to inte-
grate successfully, they will certainly provide
consumers with a far better user experience
than much of what is available on today's
mobile platforms.
The writer is a Danish-Pakistani focusing on
mobile and internet services. He is the Founder and
Vice President of Mobile Weaver ApS and is cur-
rently serving as the member of the board.

 Flare Report Telecom

hief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the world. He told the successful graduates in all fields, specifically in science and technol-

C
5th Postgraduate
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
urged stu-
dents to aim
high and
give their
best to achieve success in
life, while addressing the

Convocation of National
that this university had equipped them with ogy, are expanding beyond imagination nd so
are the opportunities for
them to advance, provided
they have the inspiration and
will to do so.
HEC Chairman Dr Attaur
Rehman also addressed the
convocation. He informed
the audience about HEC
University of Science and contribution and its efforts in
Technology (NUST) in formulating educational poli-
Rawalpindi. cies and funding institutions
Higher Education at a national level.
Commission (HEC) Earlier, Rector of
Chairman Dr. Attaur National University of
Rehman, Rector of Science and Technology
National University of (NUST), Lieutenant General
Science and Technology Muhammad Asghar, said that
(NUST), Lieutenant this institute was only 16
General Muhammad years old but it had evolved
Asghar and other distin- and progressed phenome-
guished guests were also nally into a highly respected
present on the occasion. national institution, with an
General Ahsfaq Kiani equally distinct international
said, "Always aim high Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani (C), Chairman Higher Education Commission Atta-ur- image.
and put in your best. Your Rehman (R) and Rector National University of Sciences and Technology Lieutenant General Muhammad About 226 postgraduate
Asghar attend the 5th Postgraduate Convocation of NUST in Rawalpindi
attitude will determine scholars were awarded
your altitude. Be the inspiring ambassadors of sound education and training in their respective Master's degrees by General Ashfaq Parvez
values of objectivity, creativity and innovation fields. It was up to them to constantly build on Kayani in their respective fields and two schol-
that NUST has helped you imbibe." this solid academic foundation and embrace ars were awarded PhD degrees on the occa-
The Chief of Army Staff admired the attain- the best in professional learning and advance- sion.

ment of high standard by NUST and commend- ment.
ed it for being among the top 500 universities Ashfaq Kiani said that frontiers of education

ony Group P
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21
 IT Sobia Kabir
Pakistan, the sixth most populous country
of the world with a population of 160 mil-
lions, has an immense market potential in
Telecom and IT sector. Telecom industry
of the country has gradually transitioned
from a regulated state-owned monopoly
to a comparatively deregulated competi-
tive model
he telecom sector worldwide is
T
growing with an increase in
opportunities for telecom service
providers. New trends are prevail-
ing in the market and demand for
new and additional services is
continuing on the rise.
Pakistan, the sixth most populous country of
the world with a population of 160 millions, is
expected to be the next consolidation hot spot.
Pakistan's telecom sector is becoming an ideal
target market for the IT and telecom companies
around the globe.
Pakistan is Asia's top market for 2007, ris-
ing 23% this quarter and of a rise of 15% in the
first three months.
This country has an immense market poten-
tial in telecom and IT sector. The popularization
rate of mobile communication is 5% which indi-
cates the growth prospects in Pakistan. The
mobile subscriber base, after growing by
almost 170% in 2005 and 23% in 2006, had
reached over 48 million (30% penetration) by
early 2007 and was continuing to grow. The
government was continuing to work towards its
targeted national teledensity of 7% (around 10
million lines) by 2010. To achieve this target,
more than one million additional lines need to
be installed every year.
The telecom sector has also seen consider-
able foreign investment. Singapore Telecom
has indicated that it plans to acquire 30% stake
in Warid Telecom, Pakistan's fourth largest
mobile phone company. Emirates Telecom
already owns a stake in Pakistan Telecom
while Orascom Telecom of Egypt owns
Pakistan's largest mobile network, Mobilink.
As many countries are near to telecom mar-
ket saturation, stakeholders are likely to gradu-
ally look outside of their existing markets for
growth opportunities.
The increasing number of opportunities
should help Pakistan's Telecom sector to gain
substantial investment locally and globally.
22
Telecom industry of the country has gradually
Salman Mahmood, President and Chief Executive Officer
transitioned from a
Chairman, Board of Directors
regulated state-
owned monopoly to a comparatively deregulat-
ed competitive model. At length, Pakistan's
telecom sector has begun moving and started
entering into a period of exceptional growth.
The key success factor of countries like
China and India is that they are focusing on
developing their local industry and discourage
imports.
As Pakistani products and software achieve
success in local markets, it should lead to addi- tage of new trends. The government and policy
tional opportunities to gain access to the inter-
national market.
According to Mr Salman Mahmood,
This is the high time to develop
the local IT and Telecom indus-
try of Pakistan by taking advan-
tage of new trends. The govern-
ment and policy makers need to
concentrate their efforts more
to achieve better market share
in international markets
President and CEO Averox(Otcbb: Avox),a
solution and service provider company for IT,
telecom and telecom engineering, IT and tele-
com companies are facing many challenges
today. He believes that the government should
encourage local use by local companies rather
than spending money as well as effort in mar-
keting Pakistani software for export.
He gave an example of Provisus, a provi-
sioning solution which is in testing phase.
Companies in Pakistan are hesitant to order
Provisus until it has an international reference
of testing.
It is presumed that tax and incentive prob-
lems are creating hurdles in the growth of ICT
industry in Pakistan. The industry's current situ-
ation and growth prospects if properly consid-
ered can make Pakistan a hub for ITC players.
It is time to develop the local IT and
Telecom industry of Pakistan by taking advan-
makers should concentrate their efforts to
achieve better market share in international
markets. This can be done through local mar-
keting by providing support and benefits to
local market.
Pakistan's key policy makers and Telecom
authorities should assist future development of
its telecommunication industry. Pakistan is still
a less saturated market with huge growth
opportunities for services especially in its rural
areas.
The government should also increase
efforts for encouraging telecom operators to
work in Pakistan by providing incentives and
support to local vendors. Local IT companies
are also developing software products that are
often world class and best of breed but many
companies prefer to buy software from the
international market instead of local one. The
reason could be the general perception of
using the international software and awareness
of the usage of local software. If the govern-
ment discourages import of such software in
order to encourage local market then Pakistan
IT and Telecom industry can show further
progress.
With the passage of time, more and more
companies will enter in the Pakistani market as
they discover it to be an attractive investment
opportunity.

 Diplomatic Enclave Islamabad Flare Panel

Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh is a multidimensional and multilingual per-

son speaks fluently and understands Urdu very well. The ambassador, who
has been here as a student and junior diplomat, declares himself to be a
Pakistani and feels lucky to be here
Flare: Let's start with the brief introduction to you I visited whole of Pakistan when I was a characterize the level of coordination and coop-
your posting in Pakistan? Tell us about your student at Karachi University. I made tours in eration between two states, in view of strong
experiences in assuming the office here? 70s and 80s. I believe Pakistan is one of the diplomatic relations?
Ans: I am not new in Pakistan. I am here most beautiful lands in the world. Ans: The relation between Pakistan and
for the third time. I am lucky that I am in Jordan is very old. It started after the inde-
Pakistan and I choose it myself. There were Flare: Before assuming the office here, where pendence. Jordan was among those countries
options for me to go to other countries as an were you posted? In how many countries you that recognized Pakistan. There is a one year
ambassador but I choose my second home rendered your services? gap between the independence of the two
that is Pakistan. As an ambassador, I came Ans: I have been to five countries repre- countries; we got it in 1946 and Pakistan in
here in July 2007. I retain back the memories sented my country in UAE, Pakistan, Russia, 47. We established our diplomatic relations
which I had before; I was a student at Karachi Sudan, Qatar and again Pakistan. Of course it from that time. Our embassy was in Karachi.
University in 70s. I did my M.A Political is the first time as an ambassador here I was Later on it was shifted to Rawalpindi and then
Science in 1979 from Karachi University and a diplomat, I am a career diplomat from the to Islamabad. I can summarize the relations
B.A (Hons) Political Science from the same beginning since 1982. I joined the Foreign between the two countries as unbreakable
university in 1978. I came back as a diplomat Service and now I am the ambassador to the because we have the same traditions and
from 1987-1992; I was charge de affaires in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. above all we are Muslims. Moreover we have
Jordan embassy in Islamabad. Now, this is strong leadership relations and the blood rela-
the third time but this time as an ambassador. Flare: What about the bilateral cooperation tion between Pakistan and Jordan. What I
24
I am not a stranger here, I love Pakistan. I tell between Pakistan and Jordan? How would you mean from the blood relations? Muslims as

brothers, the maternal relations like our Prince
Hassan married Pakistani lady Princesses
Sarwat. Many Jordanian students married
Pakistani girls and many Pakistani married
Jordanian girls. This thing makes the relations
between the people stronger.
Flare: Can you tell us about the economic rela-
tionship between Jordan and Pakistan and what
happened in this area during your tenure?
Ans: In fact I am not happy about the eco-
nomic relations between the two countries.
The brotherly countries like
Jordan and Pakistan should
have a high level of economic
and commercial relations. It is
only about 40 million dollars
which is not enough, now we
are working to improve and we
are working on FTA. In fact due
to some reasons it has been
delayed but I hope after few
months we will achieve this
agreement because it will be
useful for both the countries. In
these four months I have been
able to bring a delegation from
the ministry of agriculture. I tell
you that there was a ban on
some Pakistani mango. Now
we have removed the ban and
we tell our nation that it is
among the best and it will be
exported to Jordan. I think it is
a good development.
Flare: During 8th Session of Pak-Jordan Joint
Ministerial Commission in June 2006 both
countries set to initiate the process of negotia-
tions for concluding Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) and Protection and Promotion of
Investment between the two along with cooper-
ation in agriculture, science and technology and that treaty?
other areas, and what has been achieved up till
now to strengthen bilateral relations?
Ans: We are very conscious to have expe-
rience of science and technology from
Pakistan. Always the context is there,
the negotiations there, development of
this field is there and we are trying to
do something in this field.
Flare: In 8th Session of Pak-Jordan
Joint Ministerial Commission, Jordan
invited Pakistani investors to look into
the opportunities available in energy
and power sector of Jordan? Is there
any Pakistani company operating there?
Ans: In fact negotiations are there
and we expect the improvement and
development between the two coun-
tries.
Flare: Jordan initiated reforms in 1994
aimed at improving the overall efficien-
cy of telecommunications services in the coun-
try. These reforms were expected to have econo- with Israel we found that the wars can't be
my-wide benefits for Jordan, by stimulating
new foreign investment, creating new employ-
ment opportunities, and generating substantial
government revenues. How much you have
achieved so far and what about the foreign
investment in this sector?
Ans: Up to 1994 we have only one telecom we knew the border of Israel according to
company but now we have many.
Telecommunication companies are very
strong in Jordan now and it boosted our econ- stopped their idea. Secondly we stopped the
omy. In Jordan we have Fast Link which has
become Zane, because Kuwaitis invest there
and they change the name, Orange, and
Express which are the telecom service
providers in Jordan. Due to profitability foreign do what ever you like and don't demand for
investors come there and they invest and we
are expecting more foreign investment in this
sector because Jordan is a secure country. If
some Pakistani wants to come in our telecom
sector to invest they are welcome. I want to
see Jordanian telecom companies to invest in
Pakistan as well and we are proud that the
director general of PTCL is a Jordanian.
Flare: Jordan and Israel signed a historic peace many projects. Of course everything has not
treaty on 26 October 1994, witnessed by
President Bill Clinton, accompanied by U.S.
H.E. Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh poses during an interview with Flare
Secretary, Warren Christopher. The US has
participated with Jordan and Israel in trilateral in today's challenging world? How it can be
development discussions in which key issues
have been water-sharing and security, coopera-
tion on Jordan Rift Valley development, infra-
structure projects, trade, finance, and banking
issues. Did you get desire results after inking
Ans: First I tell you that Jordan give lot
more to Palestinian cause and it is our duty as an organization made by our leaders and we
brothers for the Palestinian to do whatever we have to respect such organization but we ask
H.E. Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh his views with Flare Team
can to get their own state. After many wars
applicable and cannot give good result. We
made peace process as our strategy and His
Majesty Late King Hussain really was agreed
and he took this step to ink this treaty with
Israel to safe our country from Israeli inva-
sions. For the first time by signing this treaty
them their border is from Farat River in Iraq to
Nile River in Egypt. By this treaty we have
idea of Israeli that Jordan is Palestine
because the leaders of Israel they were think-
ing that to put Palestinian people in Jordan
and they will tell them that this is a Palestine
Diplomatic Enclave
the territory of Palestine. This treaty is very
important especially there was a treaty
between Egypt and Israel before it. We fol-
lowed that treaty to save our country from the
security point of view because we do not want
to fight with Israel. Jordan is a small country. It
is 98000 square meters and we were having
the problem of water; by this treaty we share
water with Israel. Economically also we have
been achieved by this treaty which was
signed in1994. Still it needs time to get
desired results. In general
we have been benefited
from the peace treaty with
Israel and we found it a
door open to talk with
Israelis for the benefit of the
Palestinian. When our
Palestinian brothers want us
to interfere in this matter
with Israel we can, because
we have the diplomatic rela-
tions with Israel. We have
embassy in Tel- Aviv and
Israel embassy is in Jordan.
I think it is good for our
Palestinian brothers and His
Majesty is working day and
night to bring back the
Palestinian and Israelis to
sit on the table and negoti-
ate for the peace process.
This is all about the treaty.
Flare: What is the strength and standing of OIC
effective where the foreign policies of Muslim
countries are different for modern world?
Ans: We are a member of OIC as
Pakistan. I believe that something is better
than nothing. It is an organization of 57
Islamic countries there must be power but it is
not as much practical as it should be. This is
the leadership to show us stronger
stand and more work able attitude
to solve Islamic world's problems. A
wise council can be established that
can put a platform for solving the
problems.
Flare: When you are in front of
press you may be asked anything? It
is understood there's a directive from
the Foreign Office how to respond
and what to say, is this happen that
you take your own initiative to
respond on any issue?
Ans: Off course it depends on
the question, if it will not affect the
interest of the country, or it will not
disclose secret I will go beyond.
Flare: Can you sum up your assess-
ment of the current state of the relationship
between two countries and outlook for the
future?
Ans: Our relations are unbreakable and
strong. I am working to make a Pak-Jordan
Friendship Society that will be more helpful to
strengthen our relations.
He concluded by wishing peace and
prosperity for Pakistan.
We are thankful to H.E. Dr. Saleh
Ahmad Al-Jawarneh for giving us
time.
25
 Telecom Flare Report

PTCL has achieved its broadband

services expansion target of 25,000.
The company is determined to meet
the target of 50,000 till the end of
2007 and has asked its professionals
to enhance their network installa-
tion capacity, after sales and support
services and provide quality service
Group photo of PTCL broadband team with President and CEO Mr. Walid Irshaid

eeping in view the growing household," he emphasised. the customers. He also announced special

K demand, Pakistan
Telecommunication Company
Limited (PTCL) has decided to
extend its broadband services
to all the customers in the
country. In this regard, the PTCL manage-
ment has asked its professionals to
enhance their network installation capaci-
ty, after sales and support services and
Mr. Irshaid specially congratulated the pro-
fessionals of the company who were tasked to
expand the network and broadband services
across the country.

PTCL is the largest telecom operator

provide quality service. PTCL is develop-
ing this product to meet the demand of
the customers belonging to different sec-
tors of the economy.
Walid Irshaid, PTCL's President, in a
meeting with the professional staff, said
"market size is huge which is available to
the company and it's not difficult for us to
net 2.5 million customers by expanding
reliable broadband services across the
country in the near future." "Demand for broad-
band in the country is enormous and the com-
pany has the ability to meet the growing needs
of each sector of the economy as well as each
in the country and managed by
Etisalat, a UAE based telecom group.
Etisalat has expanded its operations
in the Middle East and Africa with a
vision to become one of the top ten-
telecom service providers in the
global market by 2010
PTCL has already achieved its broadband
services expansion target of 25,000 and the
target of 50,000 would be met till the end of
2007 with the increased confidence shown by
incentives for the professionals of the company
who would work hard in meeting desired
broadband expansion targets in the country.
He said that PTCL is now the leader in con-
sumer broadband in Pakistan, leading the
country into the 21st century. The service
has been launched initially in Islamabad,
Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar,
Hyderabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan,
Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sheikupura and Hub.
One year back the company had no rev-
enue broadband services, but due to the
hectic efforts of the PTCL management and
professionals some revenue has started
flowing in from this source.
It may be mentioned here that since pri-
vatisation the new PTCL management has
provided many new services to its cus-
tomers, invested heavily in improving infra-
structure and has brought down local and inter-
national calling rates.

elenor Pakistan has introduce yet service allows unlimited photos and videos

T another inovative service to facili-

tate its valued customers. The
Telenor's PicShare enables users
to automatically upload, preserve
and share their photos and
videos. An announcement to this effect was
made in a statement. It said that
PixSense, a leading provider of mul-
timedia management solutions, has
captured on a mobile phone to be uploaded
automatically, and securely, to a user's web
gallery. Users can add comments and share
them with friends and family directly from the
web and from their phones.
The statement further pointed out that the

PixSense Platform PSP removes pre-

announced that Telenor Pakistan has
vious constraints of sharing memo-
deployed Telenor PicShare, a new ries captured by mobile phones by
service based on PixSense's PSP
(Preserve, Share, Publish) Platform.
providing a next-generation phone-
The statement pointed out that for to-phone and phone-to-web photo
the first time in Pakistan, Telenor's
PicShare service gives users a
sharing service
unique new way of sharing their memories PixSense Platform PSP removes previous con-
online and through their mobile handset. straints of sharing memories captured by
Now, every photo, and video captured by a mobile phones by providing a next-generation
Telenor PicShare user is automatically phone-to-phone and phone-to-web photo shar-
uploaded online to a secure, private account ing service.
and can be shared with other mobile phone With one click, every digital clip taken is PixSense we can easily host services for sub-
and web users, it added. automatically uploaded online, to be shared, scribers that will allow them to take advantage
Telenor Pakistan was looking for a secure blogged, pushed to third party sites or of their multimedia mobile devices, and enjoy
yet economical way for its customers to share archived. Telenor Pakistan Chief Marketing greater freedom and creativity when managing
26
photos and videos on their handsets. PicShare Officer Sigvart Voss Eriksen said that now with and sharing the media they capture.

 Telecom M.H. Khalid
Probably the most important medium for advertising in the 21st century is going
to be the cell phone, not print/electronic media or billboards. Marketers see it
low on cost and high in effectiveness. But in our country there are no hard and
fast rules to advertise through SMS but the trend is gearing up.
et ready for the inbox on your
G phone to fill up faster. From
fast-food chains to carmakers
to consumer goods manufac-
turers and sports franchises,
more companies are adopting
text messaging as a way to target consumers
on the move in Pakistan.
The practice took off in the past years
and appears to be a trend ready to
explode.
Probably the most important medium
for advertising in the 21st century is going
to be the cell phone, not print media, not
billboards. It's just a matter of time; there
are just too many of them. The reason is
that globally the number of cell phone
users recently crossed 2.5 billion, an
increase of a half-billion in just 12 months.
It is also a matter of companies going
where consumers are. It is understood that
SMS advertising is effective and above all it is
inexpensive, timely and draws the attention of
its readers. One can pass away from a bill-
board, can neglect add on TV and can ignore
the advertisement on print media. But if one
gets SMS on his/her mobile makes him bound
to read it because it directly affects the reader
or receiver.
This kind of advertising is in its full swing
around the world and now emerging in
Pakistan. Here are many problems as well
because in our country a large number of
SIMs are unregistered and it is a threat for the
security. There are chances to spread rumors
because in SMS advertising there is no con-
cept of gate keeping and every thing can be
send to mobile phones. This is dangerous for
our national interest. Here, the question is from
where these advertisers get the mobile num-
bers? Advertisers who use this type of adver-
tising say mobile phone companies make
28 agreements to share phone numbers with them
and give discounted SMS rates. While mobile
companies deny aiding advertisers for this pur-
pose.
Mobile service companies also have
allegedly been making agreements with adver-
tising companies for the SMS ad service
despite their claim of protecting their clients'
personal information; that they do not share
their numbers. A leading mobile phone compa-
ny's managing director said that the company
is aware of spam SMS on its network, but the
company did not share customer data with any-
one, especially for advertising purposes. He
said the company was looking for a way to
curb this activity and save its customers from
the trouble.
There is no law to stop spam text mes-
sages. Mobile phones company officials are of
the view that there is no provision in their poli-
cy to share their clients' numbers with such
advertisers who are using SMS as tool of
advertising.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
(PTA) didn't take any action so far against
such advertisers who are using unregis-
tered SIMs to advertise and there are no
hard and fast rule to block such advertisers.
Citizens have expressed mixed feelings
in this regard. A businessman told Flare that
initially he had sent SMS to 100 people to
check public response. Then he contacted a
leading mobile company to get their service for
the purpose.
Mobile service companies
have allegedly been making
agreements with advertising
companies for the SMS ad
service despite their claim of
protecting their clients' per-
sonal information and that
they do not share their num-
bers
He said the mobile company staff offered
him a package according to which he could
send one million SMS within every 10 days at
a rate of 35 paisas per SMS. He said he
refused to the agreement because he had

heard from someone that it had legal con-
straints. He further told that he had also been
receiving messages from traders to reopen this
SMS service.
Another person in Faisalabad, reported that
he had been providing SMS advertisement
service to his clients for the past four months at
a rate of 25 paisas per SMS. He said he had
been receiving good response from business-
men. He had prepared software that sent SMS
to all prepaid and post-paid numbers in a
series provided by cell phone companies with
which he had agreements. The software was
being sold for Rs 27,000. There was no law to
restrict sending SMS advertisements and no
registration or permission from any authority
he Callmate Telips Telecom Ltd,
T provider of various telecommuni-
cation services, payphones and
prepaid calling cards in Pakistan,
is seeking to have an urgent capi-
tal injection of worth Rs1 billion in
order to improve its business operations, said
analyst from JS Research. A source from
Callmate management said that CTTL contin-
ued to struggle with a number of serious prob-
lems, ranging from working capital deficiency to
operational issues such as disconnection of
service by PTCL, which needed to be resolved
on immidiate basis. Farhan Rizvi, analyst of JS
Research, was of the view that some sort of a
bail out package in consultation with PTCL and
the bankers was needed to rejuvenate the
financial fortunes of CTTL.
According to analyst, the company recently
released its detailed accounts and conducted
its Annual General Meeting (AGM) which
revealed that CTTL's top line registered a sub-
stantial decline of 29%YoY, mainly on the back
of correction in revenue recognition methodolo-
gy and reduced tariffs on prepaid calling cards
and Long Distance and International (LDI)
operations. According to the management,
errors were noted on revenue recognition
whereby cards with inactivated pins sold to dis-
was needed for this purpose.
An employee of Mundi Bhauddin
Advertising Agency said that his company had
developed a website and a software to send
text messages. He said his company also had
an agreement with the mobile phone compa-
nies in this regard.
Cell phone users have expressed concern
over the misuse of their phone numbers. They
Mobile service companies
have allegedly been making
agreements with advertising
companies for the SMS ad
service despite their claim of
protecting their clients' per-
sonal information and that
they do not share their num-
bers
said they were being disturbed by messages
from anonymous numbers advertising shops
and businesses in other cities.
Now, SMS has undoubtedly emerged as the
new marketing tool in advertising industry.
Similar to the SMS beeps you might get from a
restaurateur informing you about a discount
scheme, or a disco declaring its forthcoming
event. Do not get surprised if you receive an
SMS from such an advertiser.
The cell phone users are very much dis-
turbed of getting SMS from different compa-
nies. This is a major practice in our society that
cell phone users receive SMS in which they
tributors such as Quality Telecom were recog-
nized as revenue against the underlying princi-
ples of International Accounting Standard (IAS)
18 'Revenue Recognition'
He recommended the management to pro-
vide the remaining balance of Rs581mn (EPS:
Rs8.8) in accordance with requirements of IAS
37 'Provisioning of Contingent Liabilities and
Contingent Assets'. The total outstanding
receivables from Quality Telecom as at Jun 30,
2007 amounted to Rs931mn, out of which only
Rs350mn has been provided so far.
The recent wave of bad news surrounding
CTTL culminated with PTCL discontinuing the
termination of CTTL's calling cards traffic on
account of non payment of dues worth a whop-
ping Rs950mn. With the company running on
critical working capital situation due to its own
precarious receivable situation, it has been
unable to clear outstanding dues to PTCL,
accumulated over the last 12 months.
According to the management, strenuous
negotiations are underway with PTCL to arrive
at a compromise solution, with a waiver of
some proportion of the outstanding dues and a
relaxed payment schedule so that CTTL can
restart its commercial operations.
According to the company's financial results
for FY07, the company reported a massive
Telecom
are being congratulated that they are the win-
ners of millions of rupees. On contacting the
concerned mobile company, they show negli-
gence on such scheme. This practice is on the
rise and the authorities are unaware of this hor-
rible practice.
It is understood that cellular companies
share their customer's numbers with these
advertisers and they are not using this medium
of advertising properly. A need of the hour is to
stop this type of advertising and the action
should be taken against those cellular compa-
nies whose SIMs are in use for this type of
advertising. PTA should make rules for this
advertising and there must be some code of
ethics for this purpose or these advertisers
should be made registered with PTA. What
ever such advertisers want to advertise it
should be in the knowledge of authorities.

160% decline in profits in FY07 versus FY06,
running shock waves among investors.
Further cut-throat competition in the LDI
segment mainly from GSM operators forced
the company to reduce tariffs and provide extra
discounts and promotional schemes to retailers
in order to bypass such competition. As a result
of these discounts, the entity was able to limit
damage to gross margins which stood at 20%
in FY07 versus 27% in FY06.
The significant provisioning was carried out
by new management on account of long over-
due receivables from major business partners.
This includes bad debt provisioning of
Rs350mn (EPS: Rs5.4) from Quality Telecom,
an international distributor of CTTL, who is now
not contactable.
In addition, provisioning has also been car-
ried out on account of advances amounting to
Rs104mn (EPS: Rs1.6) provided to related par-
ties of the previous CFO for construction work
on designated company sites. No work has
been performed to date, nor any money
refunded. This provisioning exercise has result-
ed in a steep growth in admin expenses to
Rs804mn (FY06 Rs139mn), translating into
negative earnings of Rs359mn (loss per share:
Rs5.5) versus profits of Rs603mn (EPS: Rs9.2) 29
in FY07.

 IT Azhar Javed

Software Technology Park, situated at

he object of Punjab government
346-B Ferozpur Road, Lahore, has 17
storey building with 475,000 square feet
of office space and is scheduled to be
completed by December 2008. The build-
ing of the park, equipped with all the
modern facilities, will be constructed
with an estimated cost of Rs 3.30 billion
pletely different picture. It will be based on
leading edge technologies to create jobs and
career opportunities, as well as open up
avenues for entrepreneurship for the people
of Punjab and Pakistan.
Former CM Punjab Pervez Elahi in his
message said that the Government of Punjab
is paying special attention to e-governance
and is developing the Information Technology
(IT) sector in the province under a compre-
hensive programme, capable of meeting the
present and future IT requirements of not only
Punjab but the whole of Pakistan over the
short, medium and long term.
The Punjab Information Technology Board
realising the objectives for which it was

T
to build Software Technology
Park, a mega project, is to make
Punjab the hub of Information
Technology (IT) and promote
economic growth in the IT sector
through the implementation of e-Governance
policies in IT education.
Software Technology Park, situated at 346-
B Ferozpur Road, Lahore, has 17 storey
building with 475,000 square feet of office
space and is scheduled to be completed by
December 2008. Total estimated cost of the
project is Rs 3.30 billion. You can rent the
office in tower as its rent starts from Rs 60 per
square feet while the office space in car park
block starts from Rs 40 per square feet. You
can purchase office in STP with price starting
from Rs 40,000 per square feet, car park
block from Rs 20,000 per square feet.
Park's building is equipped with the facili-
ties like Modern communication systems
including wireless LAN/WAN, WiMax and
VSAT technologies, auditorium, conference
rooms, video conferencing facilities, health
club and training centers, restaurants, cafes,
and parking for around 400 cars, 400 bikes,
central heating and cooling, 24-hour surveil-
lance and power backup system.
A Software Technology Park (STP) is the
need of the hour as there is a tremendous
demand for call centers, off-shore software
development, Business Process Outsourcing
(BPO), IT Outsourcing (ITO), Application
Maintenance Outsourcing (AMO), and Tele-
Medicine opportunities.
Punjab Information Technology Board
(PITB) was set up by the Government of
Punjab as an autonomous body with the mis-
sion to "develop IT as a major sphere of eco-
nomic activity and promote its use in the pub-
lic and private sectors for increasing efficiency
and competitiveness. PITB has achieved con-
30
siderable success in a short time towards
formed.
The ground-breaking ceremony was per-
formed by Chief Minister Punjab. The STP is
a pioneering project and is of national impor-
tance. It is an icon not only for Punjab but
Pakistan as well. It has been dexterously
designed by Jurong Consultants of Singapore.
The construction work is being executed by
world-renowned China State Construction
Engineering Company.
Chairman P&D Board Suleman Ghani said
that the planning and development process in
Punjab has entered a new era of technologi-
cal advancements through the introduction of
policies that encourage and facilitate efficient
governance.
PITB's role is to assist the IT Industry in
creating a reliable and sustainable IT infra-
structure and the development of efficient and
competitive human resources. PITB is making
rapid progress in putting in place the neces-
sary infrastructure for the development of a
thriving IT sector in Punjab and is creating
benchmarks for the development of similar
projects across Pakistan. Over the last few
years, several multinationals have invested in
Punjab including Microsoft, IBM, DELL, Intel,
HP, NCR, Cisco and Oracle. Their revenues
have grown by 30 per cent to 70 per cent in a
sector that is expanding by almost 30 per cent
each year.
There are several IT investment opportuni-
ties in Punjab for foreign investors. These
opportunities include the Software Technology
Park (Ferozepur Road Lahore), Punjab
Internet City, Call Centers, Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO), Land Records
Management Information System (LRMIS),
Medical and Legal Transcriptions, Satellite
HUBS (VSAT) and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS).
In the next three-five years, the IT and
industrial sector of Punjab will present a com-
(PITB) has allocated a development budget of
Rs 7 billion ($115 million) for the next three
years to create opportunities for more than
60,000 highly trained IT professionals in the
province. In recent years, there has been sig-
nificant growth and progress in Punjab's IT
sector. Many multinational organizations have
opened their offices and have made invest-
ments of over $100 million.
PITB has been playing a vital role in
attracting foreign investors to the IT sector.
Punjab Government's efforts have also come
to fruition in the form of strategic partnerships
and alliances with multinational companies
and investors including the UAE's Bukhatir
Group, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia,
British Telecom and Singapore's Jurong
International, for the implementation of mega
development projects.
The business friendly and sustainable eco-
nomic policies introduced by President
General Pervez Musharraf and former Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz are laying the ground
work for long term development of industries
and technology-based projects in Pakistan.
PITB is currently implementing a number
of exciting projects including a Software
Technology Park (STP), Land Record
Management Information System (LRMIS),
Punjab IT Communication Hub and Data
Center, Demand Based IT Training (DBT) and
development of IT Labs.
Chief Minister Pervez Elahi said that the
Punjab Government will continue to strive for
the creation of a vibrant economy based on
progressive development policies across all
sectors. We are working on creating a wide
range of projects with efficient IT-enabled sys-
tems.
He said that the use of IT and Project
Management in education, healthcare, irriga-
tion, agriculture, law enforcement and other
government departments are top priorities of
the Punjab Government.

 Telecom Flare Report

elenor, an emerging mobile speakers shared

T heavyweight in Asia, occupied

nine much anticipated speaking
slots at Asia's biggest industry
event, the GSM Association's
Mobile Asia Congress 2007, held
in Macau, China. Senior officials from
Telenor's Asian head office and Telenor's
Asian operations in Pakistan, Thailand and
Bangladesh were invited to share their win-
Telenor's key
successes and
contributions in
the country of
their operations
Irfan Wahab
Khan while
informing the
audience on key
ning business strategy, product innovations, learning on ICT
sustainable development and future vision for for Development
mobile telecommunications in Asia. The con- projects said "The
gress is an established best practice sharing pilot on "apna Telenor Pakistan's Executive Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan, DTAC (Telenor's Thai mobile
platform for telecommunications related part- PCO" and operation) CEO Sigve Brekke and Grameenphone Bangladesh
ners, suppliers, competitors and authorities "Telenor Rabta
across the region. Centers" has shown that people in rural com- including India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka,
Telenor Asia Region Deputy CEO & Head munities have the need and willingness to Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Ukraine and
Arve Johansen, Telenor Pakistan's Executive spend a significant amount of their income on Russia participated in the congress reaffirming
Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan, DTAC telecom services. The pilot's extended phase its regional clout.
(Telenor's Thai mobile operation) CEO Sigve with rural women has provided this highly dis- The Telenor Group is an international
Brekke and Grameenphone Bangladesh advantaged segment of the society with provider of high quality telecommunications,
(Telenor's Bangladeshi mobile operation) CEO decent incremental income for their families." data and media communications services.

Anders Jensen spoke at the occasion. The A total of 78 speakers from Asian countries

eradata Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. inau-

T gurated its Karachi office, its

third in the country. The honors
were performed by Mr. Javed
Jabbar, Former Federal Minister
for Information. Speaking on the
occasion, Javed Jabbar said, "It is indeed
heartening to note that Teradata has started
operations in such a big way, right after its
spin off from NCR.
The investment of the company bears tes-
timony in Teradata's faith in Pakistan's sus-
tained economic growth and the investment-
friendly policies. We hope that Teradata would
Khuram Rahat, Managing Director, Teradata Pakistan presenting a memento to Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Minister for
continue to expand further and add value to Information at the launch of Teradata's operations in Karachi. Also seen in the picture is (L to R) Syed Jawaid Iqbal, President
the corporate and banking sectors through CMC, Tabish Sabah, Regional Sales Manager Teradata and Sameerah Siddiqui, Marketing Manager Teradata
value added IT solutions." make smarter faster decisions. The demand through data warehousing and enterprise ana-
Khuram Rahat, Managing Director, for Teradata's enterprise data warehousing lytics. The company has hundreds of employ-
Teradata Pakistan, said "This is a major mile- and enterprise analytics is strong and grow- ees in Pakistan, serving customers in the
stone for us and follows last month's success- ing." Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
ful completion of Teradata's spin off from Teradata Corporation is the world's largest region as well as a large number of local cus-
NCR. Throughout the world including company, working in more than 60 countries tomers.

Pakistan, Teradata helps organizations to and solely focused on raising intelligence
added.
"An important factor in the deci-
sion to expand the studio in
Prague was the fact that there is a
large pool of talented young game
developers in the country,"
explained Jiri Rosenkranz, manag-
ing director of Disney's Prague
alt Disney is to make Prague its largest European

W
subsidiary, Disney Mobile Games
site for the development of games played on
Studio.
mobile phones and the Internet, the company
Turnover in the the mobile
announced in statement. An existing games devel-
gaming industry is set to increase fourfold from 2.1 billion dollars (1.42
opment studio in the Czech capital will be expand-
billion euros) last year to 8.4 billion dollars by 2010, Disney said citing
ed and more workers taken on, the company's
industry research.
special division, the Walt Disney Internet Group, added without detail-
"Handsets are increasingly attractive for gamers as larger screens
ing the investment involved in the fast expanding market.
and new generation platforms enable more complex and better quality
32 The move will put Prague alongside Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beijing
game play," it added.

as Walt Disney's leading game development centers worldwide, it
 In Picture
Japan's electronics giant Sony employee Noriko Shoji displays the new digital
voice recorder "ICD-UX80" and its color variations, equipped with stereo micro
phones and built-in 2GB memory enabling it to record up to 581 hours.
The lobby of a Hewlett-Packard call center in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning
province is seen. In the last decade, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM Corp., Britain's BT
Group PLC and some 230 other foreign companies have flocked to Dalian to set up
business software and outsourcing facilities, creating a new center for a multibillion-
dollar global industry.
Keio University Prof. Junichi Ushiba, center, demonstrates his brain-computer inter-
face technology with his researcher at his laboratory in Hiyoshi near Tokyo. Ushiba's
research team is working on delivering a virtual experience that reaches even more
deeply into the user, right into his brain.
Voxtel Launches GPS,
Internet Telephony in India
Global telecom equipment provider and Britain’s leading digital com-
munication products maker, Voxtel, is looking to capture the Indian market
with its latest launch of high performance GPS and India is becoming a
space for enduring success and several companies have been making a
huge contribution to the growth of the telecom industry in the country.
With the launch of these services in India, Voxtel, a part of the $500
million telecom giant BEIL based in UK, is not just taking over end-to-end
Dino Lalvani, Chief Operating Officer,
technology but also getting involved in this ever emerging business.
Announcing the move, Voxtel Telecom chief operating officer, Dino
34
Taiwanese baseball player Wang Chien-ming (L), starting pitcher for the New York
Yankees, displays a notebook computer during a press conference in Taipei,. Wang
attended the press conference to promote one of Taiwan's leading computer brand's lat-
est products
Tokyo University research leader Michitaka Hirose, right, talks about a new marker-based
position tracking system while researcher Katsunori Tanaka crouches down with a Web
camera on a large mat with specially coded leaf patterns on as if he is peering under a
virtually parked car on a screen during a demonstration at Tokyo University in Tokyo.
A 300 milimeter silicon test wafer made using Intel's 45 nanometer process technology and
consisting of rows and rows of memory chips and various test structures is seen in the
photo, released. Intel Corp, the world's biggest microchip maker, unveiled fast new proces-
sors made with the new techniques.
Lalvani, said “India is emerging as a dynamic market for
advanced technology products, especially in the backdrop of
robust growth in the telecom, retail and automobile sector”.
Lalvani also said, “We are looking at India as a strategic
hub to fuel our growth plans in Asia Pacific and Middle East
region. We are in the process of expanding our Bangalore
facility to cater to our global requirement of software services
and research work”.
Voxtel has already entered into strategic tie-ups with big
players and retailers like Reliance, Spencer, Hypercity, Cromo
and others. The company has also teamed up with MTNL
(Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd), one of the major telecom
service providers in India.
Voxtel,
 Internet
Millions of people are taking advantage of video
communications over the Internet. While this
technology opens up many possibilities for keep-
ing in touch with distant loved ones or communi-
cating with key colleagues. Video communication
needs some etiquette rules to be followed by the
communicator while making a video call
f you have a webcam, attached to your
I system, you can talk to anyone, any-
where in the world, just as if they were
sitting in the same room with you.
Millions of people are taking advantage
of video communications over the
Internet. While this technology opens up many
possibilities for keeping in touch with distant
loved ones or communicating with key col-
leagues, video communication presents a per-
plexing new set of etiquette rules that you
must know before jumping on your video call.
Conference calls are becoming more and
more common and everyone not only wants to
join them but at the same time needs to know
how to handle them. To avoid embarrassing
“captured on video” moments, here are a few
tips.
It is a famous saying that “looks do mat-
ter”. Before joining a video call, comb your
hair and make sure your clothes are clean.
Some webcams provide such good image
quality that your friends or colleagues will
know if you haven’t washed your hair lately or
haven’t ironed your clothes.
Don’t wear bright or crazy colours or pat-
terns that may make the person on the other
side difficult to focus. Go for muted colours
instead.
Put your best face forward. Check for fly-
aways, spinach in your teeth and for ladies --
sloppy makeup is a complete no-no. Use your
manners, introduce yourself, speak clearly
and don’t interrupt.
No Munching
Munching is inappropriate in any confer-
ence, so in a videoconference where all the
participants can look at you. This can irritate
South Korea's electronics giant Samsung Electronics displays a prototype model of
36 ultra slim 40-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) television in thickness of 10mm at a flat
panel display trade show in Yokohama.
Ismail Qureshi
them and make the conference less produc-
tive. No one wants to see you munching
chips. And spit out that gum. Even if you are a
celebrity!
Attention Please!
Try not to look distracted. Don’t constantly
check your watch, recline with your feet up or
doodle on your notepad. If you have to fiddle,
at least pretend that you are interested. Also,
don't interrupt or distract others when they are
talking. Be cautious of body language.
Remember, others can see you. So, eye
Conference calls are becoming
more and more common and
everyone not only wants to join
them but at the same time needs
to know how to handle them. It is
a famous saying that “looks do
matter”. So, one should take
much care to expose himself to
the webcam
rolling or snickering in response to even the
most asinine comments won’t go unnoticed.
Avoid tapping your pencil or drumming your
fingers on the desk.
Mind those tech failures
Can you hear me now? Ask the people at
the other side if they can hear you. Make sure
you’re using a headset or a webcam with an
integrated microphone. If not, other partici-
pants may not be able to hear you. Speak in
Palestinian rap group "Battalion 5" performs at a studio in Beirut. "Battalion 5" might
conjure up images of the next big computer game, but in Lebanon, it is a group of
musicians who express the misery of life in Palestinian refugee camps through rap.
your normal voice. Have them introduce them-
selves so you can be sure that you can hear
them. Check the lighting. To ensure the best
video quality, find a well-lit room and try not to
sit with your back to a window during daylight
hours. Close the curtains of your windows.
Daylight may conflict with the lighting required
Make surroundings presentable
Be aware of your surroundings. Make the
area, where you are conferencing from, pre-
sentable. Watch out for inappropriate back-
ground items, such as a dirty shirt draped
over a chair, strange artwork or large quanti-
ties of office supplies that you took home from
work.
Do not have babies screaming or your dog
barking during a video conference call. It’s not
cute at all! If it is not possible to be away from
the noise, mute your phone whenever you are
not speaking. Limit background noise. For the
best audio results, conduct your video call in a
quiet environment
No interruptions please!
Like in a normal meeting, try to avoid side
conversations. Mute the microphone before
moving into a meeting. Shuffling of papers in
a conference call can be very annoying. And
of course, turn your phone off (airplane
mode), not just on silent, to avoid any kind of
feedback.
Most important, regardless of whether it’s
work-related or catching up with friends treat
the experience as though you’re actually in
the same room with your friend or colleague.
Keep enjoying video calling!.

 Flare Report IT

The software will enable the common man to

take advantage of the information available
on the internet in English language by trans-
lating whole web page into Urdu. The "Text to
speech" component that translates Urdu text to
audible speech will be immensely beneficial
to majority of Pakistani population
ederal Minister for Information Technology, Dr. Abdullah

F Riar, inaugurated the 'Urdu Lexicon, Text-to-Speech &

English-to-Urdu Translation Software' funded by the
Ministry of Information Technology under the e-govt.
programme. Dr. Abdullah Riar, while launching the
product, stated that this product would have far reach-
Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology Dr. Abdullah Riar attending the launching
of Urdu Lexicon, Text-to-Speech & English-to-Urdu Translation Software in a ceremony held at a

ing effects on delivery of services to citizens electronically and thus help

in bridging the digital divide within the country.
The Minister stressed the fact that importance of this research and
produced software can not be over stated. He said that Internet and
local hotel Islamabad.

been winning laurels internationally both individually and as part of

number of broadband users in Pakistan is quite low and the introduction
of such softwares will help boost this number in particular and the ICT
industry in general.
The magnitude of benefits, which can ensue with widespread public
use of the software tools will be immense. While bringing the true utility
of internet to the masses, this will also help in boosting the internet and
information resource use on mass scale.
Dr. Abdullah Riar further added that the Ministry of Information
Technology is committed to spread the latest facilities of Information
technology in the country. He pointed that the potential of the IT sector
is based on the exceptionally talented youth of the country who have
major corporations.
The English to Urdu Translation component of this released software
that can be used with popular web browsers will enable the common
man to reap the benefits of the wealth of information available on the
internet in English language by translating whole web page into Urdu,
thereby bringing web's true utility of information dissemination. The "Text
to speech" component that translates Urdu text to audible speech will be
immensely beneficial to majority of Pakistani population who can under-
stand but not read Urdu. At the same time this will come in handy for
people with visual impairments and disabilities bringing them into main-
stream of information revolution. The Urdu dictionary, developed as part
of same Urdu Processing research initiative funded by the MoIT, puts at
the disposal of the users explanation of some 120,000 Urdu words and
phrases with 90,000 carrying detailed description.

37
 Internet Flare Report
uring the first war of independ-
D ence in 1857, the biggest
advantage the imperialists had
over the revolutionaries was
technology, which helped them
communicate revolutionaries'
moves and pre-plan strategy against them. By
the last leg of freedom struggle, the national-
ists had access to the same communication
system. At the time of independence, India had
around 86,000 telephone connections. Today,
the country is adding more than twice that
number every day to its over 250 million strong
network.
This connectivity has brought jobs and
knowledge based exports of services that are
driving the 9 percent plus growth. India's soft-
The formulation of New Telecom
Policy in 1994 (NTP 94) played a
major role in the development of
India's Telecom Sector as it permit-
ted DoT to award licenses to private
operators to offer telecom services
ware revolution stands on a strong telecom
backbone. In 1991, knowledge based exports
stood at $40 million; today, the figure is around
$40 billion. All this suggests that how teleden-
sity of a country is directly related to its eco-
nomic development.
Until 15 years ago, it raised no eyebrows to
see a 15-20 year wait for a new telephone
38
At the time of independence, India had
around 86,000 telephone connections.
Today, the country is adding more than
twice that number every day to its over
250 million strong network
connection in cities,
with almost zero
connectivity in large
parts of rural areas.
Department of
telecommunications
(DoT) under min-
istry of Post &
Telegraph (P&T)
was the sole tele-
com service
provider. It is a dif-
ferent landscape
today and with six
service providers in metros and category. A cir- the same budget. His third achievement was in
cles, operators are chasing subscribers, turn- bringing PCO policy that was responsible for
ing scarcity into abundance, luxury into neces- providing access to telephone to all even in far
sity. flung areas.
History of telecommunications in With the formulation of New Telecom Policy
India can be broadly divided into two in 1994 (NTP 94), a major step was taken in
periods. before liberalisation and post
liberalisation. Contrary to popular
liberalisation of telecom services. The policy
permitted DoT to award licences to private
belief, liberalisation in telecom equip- operators to offer telecom services. Thus, com-
ment took place first and then fol- petition began in a field that was hitherto a
lowed liberalisation in services. In the government monopoly. NTP 94 also envisaged
1980s, Sam Pitroda played an impor-
tant role in the development of tele-
setting up Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI), essential to ensure competition.
com network. His first achievement NTP 94 was revised five years later and
was to convince the government was replaced by NTP 99. This further liber-
about the significance of communications for alised telecom services and made licences
socio-economic development of the country. technology-neutral. As a result, India has
His second major contribution was in devel- became one of the most competitive markets
oping indigenous switches and passing on the in the world, with one of the lowest telephone
low cost (and no air-conditioners required) tariffs in the world and with two telecom com-
technology to local manufacturers, which panies, Airtel and Reliance, among the top
helped bring down prices of switches and five most valued companies of India.

allow DoT to provide more connections within
Nokia Focuses on Content
to Boost its Products
Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, sees content for the wire-
less Internet as key to snapping up more cell phone users, including in
emerging markets, the head of its key unit said in a statement.
Kai Oistamo, who heads Nokia's cell phone division, said that the
biggest barrier in emerging markets to people using the mobile Internet
was lack of interest.
"We are looking as a company as how to facilitate and participate in
creating content that is actually relevant for the consumers in emerging
markets," Oistamo said in a speech at a telecoms forum at Helsinki
University of Technology.
The target market will define what will globally be the next big thing in
cell phones, Oistamo said, but added that location-based services com-
bined with social networks would be one of them.
Nokia's recent acquisitions have supported a content strategy as the
company has made moves to transform itself from being a pure hardware
company into becoming an online services company.
Nokia has already launched a $8.1 billion offer for the U.S. digital map
supplier Navteq, which would be its largest ever acquisition.

 Internet

Craze for online gaming is now increasing popularity of broadband connections

and data cards, this fad is becoming wild.
gripping young minds in Indian Online gaming is not just enjoyment but is
Punjab. After a tiring day at school, gradually developing to a profession. There are
many groups abroad who have perfected online
playing on computer is one of the gaming and they participate in national and inter-
coolest relaxing activities for most national championships.
of the school going children. They In India, the online gaming market is gathering
steam with some 40 million broadband connec-
rush to their computers access inter- tions. But, is the trend welcome?
net and play different online games Psychologists say that the children can vent
out their frustrations, their anger and whatever
raze for online gaming is now grip-

C
ping young minds in Indian Punjab. After a tiring day at
school, playing on computer is one of the coolest relaxing
activities for most of the school going children. They
access the internet and go online to play cards, sports
and puzzle games. In Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar
and even Amritsar, one finds the young trying their hand at games of
skill against unknown masterminds across the globe.
Dead or Alive 4, NFS or Need for Speed, Age of Empires and House
of Dead are some of the games popular among youngsters. With the
feelings they have which are not socially acceptable, on net.
In America, one out of five kids is addicted to net. India is in the
same race. China has taken up a very good measure that they have
started net D-addiction centers. Soon, India should also take these
measures.
Be it Punjab or any state, the youngsters are exploring newer inno-
vations, technologies and trends. But, the danger lies in the young
minds becoming couch potatoes by becoming addicted to these
games.

nternet users reveal more personal information online if they Also, researchers

I believe that they can trust the organisation that requests the
information, says a new research. The project, 'Privacy and Self-
Disclosure Online', led by Dr Adam Joinson, found that people
who had previously demonstrated a high level of caution regard-
ing online privacy would accept losses to their privacy if they
trusted the recipient of their personal information.
"Even people who have previously demonstrated a high level of cau-
tion regarding online privacy will accept losses to their privacy if they
trust the recipient of their personal information," Joinson said.
looked at the way the
wording of questions
and the design of
response options fur-
ther influenced levels
of self-disclosure.
For instance, if
the response 'I prefer
not to say' appears at
In the first of its kind study, rigorous methods were used to measure the top of an options
Internet users' actual behaviour. list, users are far less likely to disclose information.
The project has targeted a number of groups who can benefit from Similarly, if given the opportunity to remain vague in their responses,
the findings, including health professionals, higher education profes- like- in choosing how wide the scale that represents their salary is, they
sionals and survey bodies. are more likely to opt for less disclosure.
Out of all the participants studied, 56 per cent of Internet users stat- "One of the most interesting aspects of our findings is that even peo-
ed that they had concerns about privacy when they were online. ple who genuinely have a high level of concern regarding privacy online
When a website is designed to look trustworthy, people are willing to may act in a way that is contrary to their stated attitudes when they
accept privacy violations. But, the same action by an untrustworthy site come across a particular set of conditions," Joinson said.

leads to people behaving in a much more guarded manner.

hose illegally sharing files French web users

T will face the loss of their

net access as a newly
created anti-piracy body
was granted the wide-
ranging powers. The anti-
piracy body comes out of a deal agreed
by France's music and moviemakers
and its net firms. The group who bro-
kered the deal said the measures were
caught pirating movies
or music could soon be
thrown offline.

look
A special committee established to
at the problem of the net and cultur-
intended to curb casual piracy rather al protection drew up the agreement
than tackling large-scale pirate groups. between net firms, record companies,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy filmmakers and government.
said the deal was a "decisive moment The deal was hailed by the
for the future of a civilised internet". International Federation of the
Sarkozy: "A decisive moment for the future of a civilised internet" Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which rep-
Net firms will monitor what their cus-
tomers are doing and pass on informa- resents the global interests of the music
tion about persistent pirates to the new independent body. Those identi- business.
fied will get a warning and then be threatened with either being cut off "This is the single most important initiative to help win the war on
40 or suspended if they do not stop illegal file-sharing. online piracy that we have seen so far," it said in a statement.


ritish engineers have been asked to build the payload for
B what will become one of the biggest commercial tele-
coms satellites ever launched. London-based Inmarsat
has signed a contract with industrialists to construct the
Alphasat I-XL mission. The six-tonne satellite will deliver
high-bandwidth services, such
as mobile internet, to Europe, Middle East,
Asia and Africa. It will have five times the
capacity of current space platforms.
Inmarsat will use Alphasat I-XL to sup-
port its huge I-4 satellites, which deliver the
company's global broadband network,
BGan.
The spacecraft allows people to set up
virtual offices anywhere around the world -
on land or at sea. Users get half-a-megabit
connections through small, laptop-sized ter-
minals. Customers include business trav-
ellers, disaster relief workers, journalists,
and people in the petrochemical and mar-
itime industries.
The Alphasat I-XL mission has emerged from a technology pro-
gramme overseen by the European and French space agencies (Esa
and Cnes).
The Alphabus project was set up to develop a next-generation satel-
lite that would allow European industry to compete at the top of the
global market - especially with the products coming out of the US aero-
space industry. The Alphasat I-XL will be the first spacecraft to be lofted
using the Alphabus model. In essence, Inmarsat is the first commercial
customer.
The spacecraft will incorporate an advanced new digital signal
processor developed by EADS Astrium. The payload, or "brains" of the
spacecraft, will be made at the company's Stevenage and Portsmouth
centres.
Manufacture of the spacecraft's chassis and final assembly will take
place at Astrium's other European facilities - and those of its key part-
ner in the project, Thales Alenia Space.
icrosoft's Visual Studio 2008 and
M .Net Framework 3.5 have been
released to manufacturing and
are now available for MSDN
(Microsoft Developer Network)
subscribers to download, the
company. "Included in Visual Studio 2008 are
enhancements such as visual designers for faster
development with the .Net Framework 3.5, signifi-
cant improvements to Web development tools and
language enhancements that speed development
with all types of data," Microsoft said. The platform
provides developers with all the tools and framework support required
to create compelling, expressive, Ajax-enabled (Asynchronous
JavaScript and XML) Web applications, it added.
.Net Framework 3.5, meanwhile, builds incrementally on the new
features added in .Net Framework 3.0, including feature sets in
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication
Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and
Windows CardSpace. Version 3.5 also contains a number of new fea-
tures to avoid breaking changes, Microsoft said.
250 New Features
Visual Studio 2008 delivers over 250 new features, makes improve-
ments to existing features including performance work on many areas,
and significant enhancements have been made to every version of
Visual Studio 2008, from the Express Editions to Visual Studio Team
System.
Although the products are now available for download, they will not
be officially released until February.
Internet
The six-tonne satellite will deliver high-
bandwidth services, such as mobile internet,
to Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. It
will have five times the capacity of current
space platforms
Alphasat I-XL features a 12m aper-
ture antenna reflector. It will have an
electrical power of 12kW and a design
lifetime of 15 years. The Alphabus
model, though, allows for even bigger
spacecraft to be made in the future,
supporting missions that have a
launch mass of more than eight
tonnes and 18kW payload power.
These can use novel systems such
as ion engines, which are more effi-
cient than chemical thrusters in main-
taining the orbit or a spacecraft over
extended periods. With their new tech-
nology and greater power, Alphabus-
type missions will be able to handle more traffic at higher bandwidths.
"We believe that the new satellite will have better beam-forming
capabilities and therefore, we should be able to put more capacity into
areas; and we should be able to increase speeds," commented
Inmarsat spokesman Chris McLaughlin.
Although urbanised centres will always have superior wired commu-
nications, satellite-delivered services may be the only solution in more
remote or temporary locations.
One of the world's most powerful rockets will be needed to launch a
satellite of I-XL's size - something comparable to a bus or small truck.
As a flagship European mission, the task of lofting Alphasat I-XL may
well fall to the European bloc's premier launch vehicle, the Ariane 5
ECA. A flight is being targeted for 2013.
Inmarsat expects its investment in the satellite - excluding insurance
- will be in the region of 260m euros (£190m). The Alphabus project
represents an expenditure of 440m euros (£320m) by 16 Esa Member
States.

Web 2.0 Functionality
Visual Studio 2008 delivers improved language
and data features, such as Language Integrated
Query (LINQ), that make it easier for individual
programmers to build solutions that analyze and
act on information. It also provides developers with
the ability to build applications that target the .Net
Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5, supporting a wide vari-
ety of projects in the same environment.
New tools speed the creation of connected
applications on the latest platforms including the
Web, Windows Vista, Office 2007, SQL Server
2008 and Windows Server 2008, while other additions help improve
collaboration in development teams, including tools that help integrate
database professionals and graphic designers into the development
process.
Together, Visual Studio and the .Net Framework reduce the need for
common plumbing code, reducing development time and enabling
developers to concentrate on solving business problems.
Hitting a 'Sore Spot'
Experts rank the LINQ as the No. 1 new feature in Visual Studio.
They say that LINQ makes it easier to write code that queries databas-
es, and so is a particularly important addition because it "really hits a
sore spot for developers," and Virtually 100 percent of customers will
end up using that feature.
Life Cycle Management
.Net Framework 3.5 will also help visual designers create and man-
age graphically rich Web 2.0 software. In addition, Visual Studio 2008's
TFS makes improvements in both performance and version control.
41
 In Picture
Shahid Meha, Shahzad Raoof and Kamran Banday pose for a group photo with the
teams of Warid Telecom and combined players of Wateen Telecom and Hauwei
Technologies at Punjab Stadium Lahore .
Lt. Gen. Mohammad Asghar, Rector National University of Science and Technology
(NUST) awarding Rector NUST's gold medal for best project in BE (Avionics) to Plt Off
Nazish Younis during a ceremony held at PAF Academy Risalpur.
Vendors selling different kind of electric and electronic stuff to customers at their roadside
setup in Provincial Capital City Lahore.
China at the Door of IPv6 Networks
China is the first country to build massive IPv6-only networks,
and proposed real source address identification based on IPv6,
which ensures the construction of a secured CNGI. Chinese scien-
tists first worked out "IPv6overIPv4," which is a transitional techni-
cal solution. In addition, the first large-scale adoption of homemade
IPv6 routers in the national network backbones has provided an
environment for testing the homemade products, which is helpful
for the improvement of IPv6 core routers.
Research on Internet technology began in China in the late
1970s. Besides learning how to design, establish and operate the
Internet, the engineering technicians in China started their initial
research and development in 1994. The Chinese technicians have
overcome key technological problems including IPv4 core routers
and IPv6 core routers as well as key software of the Internet and
its application.
42
Advisor to Prime Minister, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad poses for a group photo with the partici-
pants during a ceremony in connection to World Science Day for Peace and
Development Celebrations in Islamabad.
A lady participant capturing the moments through her camera during the convention of
scientists on the occasion of World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD)
held at a local hotel in Islamabad.
A view of high voltage electric pole installed in the middle of a house and residential area
posing serious threat to the residents of Bund Road, waiting for the attention of con-
cerned authorities in Lahore.
Supported by the CERNET, Tsinghua University established the
first virtual IPv6 test bed in China in 1998, and combined the test
bed with 6Bone, which is the test bed of the international IPv6 next
generation Internet.
Some experts have suggested a national plan for the research
of the next generation Internet. They believe it would be of great
strategic importance to the country's development. The deployment
of IPv6 network should be deemed a national strategy and related
measures should be carried out rigorously. In view of such situation,
these experts suggest that China accelerate its pace of IPv6
address application and seize every opportunity to acquire this
strategic resource.
Presently, there is only a unanimous agreement that the next
generation Internet will be larger, faster, safer, more punctual, more
convenient, more manageable, and more profitable.

 Interview Sabah ud Din Qazi

I think, I must focus

more on the defense
side now.
Joanna Rutkowska, Polish Security Researcher talks exclusively to Monthly FLARE how and why she is supposed as one of the
Top Five Hackers who have left a mark on the year 2006.
She needs no introduction in the field of computer security as she has been involved in computer security research for several years.
Nevertheless we are presenting a brief of her personality. During an interview with Monthly FLARE, a leading telecom news magazine
of Pakistan, she informed that she has been fascinated by the internals of operating systems when she was in a primary school and start-
ed learning x86 assembler on MS-DOS. Soon after she switched to Linux world, got involved with some systems and kernel program-
ming, focusing on exploit development for both Linux and Windows x86 systems.
A couple of years ago she got interested in stealth technology used by malware and attackers to hide their malicious actions after a
successful break-in. This includes various types of rootkits, network backdoors and covert channels. Now, she focuses on both detecting
this kind of activity and on developing and testing new offensive techniques. Last year, Joanna also pinpointed inherent weaknesses in
anti-virus software; warned that the major operating system vendors are not yet ready for hardware virtualization technology and con-
firmed fears that stealth malware is the operating system's biggest security threat.

Kindly share your professional carrier with our
readers?
I am a security researcher focusing on
operating systems security. I have been work-
ing in this field for about 6 years on both the
defensive and offensive sides. My offensive
work includes assessing the security of various
technologies and implementing proof of con-
cept attacks that proves the weaknesses. I
have recently started my own company,
Invisible Things Lab, a consulting company
dedicated for cutting edge research into operat-
ing systems' security. We provide our services
to both security vendors, who are interested in
evaluating the security of their products, as
well as large corporations, who would like to
ensure that the technology is really secure or
does provide the promised protection.
How did you enter in the field of Computer
Security and do you remember when was your
1st hacking activity and how?
44
I really do not know why everybody would
like to call me hacker. I am just a security
researcher. I target technology, not particular
computer systems or networks. I might come
up with some "hack" from time to time, against
some specific technology, but I am not involved
in any kind of "hacking activities".
As to how I got into computer security - in a
very straightforward and common way - I start-
ed programming very early, when I was 11, and
then over the next couple of years, when learn-
ing e.g. assembler language for x86 architec-
ture, I learnt a lot about the internals of operat-
ing systems, which in turn brought me into the
security field.
I remember when I once wrote a little pro-
gram in assembler for MS-DOS, whose pur-
pose was to bypass the BIOS Anti-Virus pro-
tection of the boot sector, which was a very
popular feature in BIOSes in mid 90's. I just did
it to convince a friend of mine that this protec-
tion is not really that good as he thought. At
that time I was probably 14 or 15.
How did you feel when you came to know that
your name has been included in the Top Five
hackers who left a mark on the year 2006?
It was very nice, of course, to see my name
there, but we should also remember that this
was just an expression of a subjective opinion
of one of the journalists writing about IT securi-
ty, thus I took it with a bit of reserve. After all
there are dozens of super-smart security
researchers out there, for sure much more then
just five...
Last year, we had heard in news that Joanna's
'Blue Pill' Prototype creates 100% undetectable
Malware. Would you like to provide some details
about it and why you called it 'Blue Pill'?
It is a reference to the movie "The Matrix",
which can be thought as of a nice metaphor for
the concept of virtual machines in computer
science. In this movie, when you take the Blue
Pill, "the story ends, you wake in your bed and
you believe whatever you want to believe" - in
other words you are taken back into the Matrix
 Interview

Rootkit gurus Joanna Rutkowska and Jamie Butler go over the slides after Rutkowska's
presentation
"virtual machine" and you can't even realize
that it has just happened.
My Blue Pill attack works pretty similar -
once Blue Pill is executed on the target
machine, it creates a hardware virtual machine,
moves the operating system which runs on the
native machine into the virtual machine, it
becomes so called hypervisor, and resumes
the system inside the virtual machine allowing
it to continue its execution, without even realiz-
ing that it is now running inside the virtual
machine, fully controlled by the hypervisor. This
all happens on the fly and takes less then a
millisecond to complete!
As you have demonstrated a working prototype
for Windows Vista x64 at the SyScan Conference
in Singapore and at the Black Hat Briefings in Las
Vegas. How do you describe your experience
there?
The experiences of presenting at SyScan
in Singapore and Black Hat in Las Vegas were
dramatically different. The SyScan conference
was very small and also the audience did not
seem too much involved in my presentation. I
got only very few questions and comments dur-
ing and after my speech. I presume the talk
was a little bit too technical for this conference.
On the other hand, the audience I had at
Black Hat conference in Las Vegas was just
great! I could see they understood all the tech-
nical details. I was talking about and I got lots
of good questions and comments.
What was Microsoft's response about your
research and demon- I think that I would like to focus more on the
stration? defense side now. In the past two years I have
A few months after worked on several offensive techniques, start-
my presentation at ing from passive, very hard to detect covert
Black Hat, Microsoft channels ("Nushu"), then I presented "Stealth
fixed the design prob- by Design", type II malware, then I showed that
lem that I was exploit- Vista kernel can be subverted despite the new
ing to bypass Vista protection mechanism and also demonstrated
x64 kernel protection. that recent hardware virtualization technology
However, neither can be used to create a new class of stealth
Microsoft nor AMD or malware - something I call type III malware
Intel addressed the (e.g. "Blue Pill").
problem of virtualiza- And just recently I found that hardware
tion based malware, based memory acquisition as used for foren-
as demonstrated by sics, believed to be absolutely reliable,
Blue Pill. The reason because it uses so called "Direct Memory
is that the current Access" to read memory, can be cheated in
technology does not some cases. Unfortunately I have not seen any
allow us to solve this serious effort in the security world to address
problem today. most of those threats. We still do not have any
effective way to combat type II malware.
Do you see stealth Malware as a
serious threat to ICT Sector?
Yes, definitely, after all, this
is an ideal way to spying on
competition! A couple of
months ago, Gartner, a promi-
nent IT research company,
came out with the prediction,
that "by the end of 2007, 75
percent of enterprises will be
infected with undetected,
financially motivated, targeted
malware that evaded their tra-
ditional perimeter and host
defenses", Sounds a bit scary
to me…
Few months ago, Malaysia's
Hack In the Box Team has
Joanna Rutkowska having a laugh with one of the conference attendeees
organized a hacking workshop
(HITB Security Conference 2007)
at Dubai in which many international hackers and Network intrusion detection systems and fire-
security experts participated. What are your com- walls are years behind when it comes to
ments regarding it? detecting or preventing any more advanced
I was invited to speak twice at the HITB in covert channels. We still do not have any good
Malaysia over the past two years and I think solution to prevent or detect hardware virtual-
that it is a really nice conference. It is one of ization based malware...
the few conferences which brings quality tech- I would like to work more on the defense
nical, non-marketing, speeches and is also side now. I believe that we should convince OS
very well organized. It is probably the best IT vendors (and also CPU vendors) to make sys-
security conference in Asia. tems verifiable, so that we could come up with
*systematic* ways to check whether the system
Finally, please share your future plans with our is infected by any of type I, II or III malware.

readers?

Dell's All-in-One PC Hits the Market

Dell Inc. introduced its first all-in-
one desktop PC, a system that com-
bines a computer and monitor in a
single chassis. The company pub-
licly unveiled the product and now it
is available on their online store.
The aluminum-and-glass PC, which
has a 20-inch display and a televi-
sion tuner, will cost $1,499 in the
U.S.
The XPS ONE comes in four fla-
vors, The Essential One ($1,499),
The Music One ($1,748), The
Performance One ($1,999), and The
Entertainment One ($2,399). The
two high end models come with an
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 CPU and a
256MB ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO
video card, while the two low end
models come with an Intel Core 2
Duo E4500 processor and integrated
video.
All models come with a 20"
display, 2 GB of RAM, and
Windows Vista Home Premium
standard. Naturally this is
designed to compete with
Apple's popular iMac, and the
more recently introduced Sony
VAIO LT and Gateway "One."
Dell is not the first company
to come with a space-saving
design. Apple Inc.'s all-in-one
iMac, its most popular desktop
computer, debuted in 1998.
Gateway Inc., purchased last
month by Acer Inc., introduced
its first all-in-one computer in
September.

US computer giant Dell employees introduce the all-in-one desktop PC "XPS One" at
a global launching in Tokyo. 45
 Cover Story Zubair Ahmed Kasuri

PTCL has hit a home run and thrown

the ball out of field by introducing
Pakistan Package, but a much sensible
game play is required to out class com-
petitive and strong attack from other
telecom companies operating in the
country

46

akistan Package is first of its kind
P business plan adopted by Pakistan
Telecommunication Company
Limited. Short term and long term
consequences of this package may
not only amplify customers' satis-
faction over the service, but businesses and
general social values are likely to swallow the
positive change as well. However, before going
into further details, let's comprehend the pack-
age.
The salient features of 'Pakistan Package' are:

Free NWD (PTCL to PTCL and PTCL to
Vfone) calling against a fixed charge of
Rs. 199 per month - exclusive of taxes
and the line rent.

The package is offered across the
board to all PTCL landline subscribers
with an option to opt out of the package
through IVR or operator by dialing 1236.

Any one opting out of the package
shall be charged at standard calling rates
for the NWD calls made during the
month.

Fair usage policy
applies whereby
monthly usage in
excess of 5,000 min-
utes will be charged at
normal NWD rates.

Code barring facility
to restrict NWD calling
has been removed
(only for NWD calling)
to facilitate hassle free
calling.

Green package has
also been withdrawn as
a consequence of this
more attractive NWD
offer.

Local calls will be
charged at same old tar-
iff.
Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, PTCL, Dr Sadiq al Jadir speaks during a press conference regarding the
If seen broadly, one
can easily term above
given package as a revolu-
tionary step, taken by the landline
telecom giant PTCL, however, con-
sidering some serious allying con-
cerns, may lead us to a slightly dif-
ferent conclusion.
This is a landmark change for the
end users, as now businesses, pri-
vate entrepreneurs, students and
residential users; I mean every one
can stay in constant touch with any-
one, anywhere in the country, as
often as they want, without fearing
the heights of their bills. Pakistan
Package will defiantly do the won-
ders with customers.
In current telecom scenario,
where cellular subscribers are grow-
ing at 100 percent rate, along with
very low tariff, not only this, handset rates are
hitting their bottom limits too, PTCL was badly
required to take such a step to get back into
action.
Current plan's incentives may alter the tele-
com indictors of country when it comes to fixed
line, which holds only 3 percent tele-density.
PTCL officials must be having high hopes from
Cover Story
this package to do good enough for decreasing Some people did not comment on the pack-
revenues of the company.
On the fourth day of December 2007, PTCL
officials announced the package in a press
conference, where Dr. Sadiq Al Jadir, Senior
Executive Vice President (SEVP)
(Commercial), PTCL, unveiled that around 8
million calls have been made just in three days
under the new free package of PTCL Long
Distance Nationwide calls introduced from
age, saying that they are not in any position to
give feedback, reasoning the ambiguity. They
said that only the phone bills will decide them
whether to keep this package or to discontinue.
While speaking with them, one could easily
judge their concerns regarding the hike in tele-
phone bills. Another confused PTCL user said
that company has not defined any mechanism
to calculate the used minutes, that is, your limit
December 1. of 5000 minutes may end any moment without
PTCL officials say that around 95 per cent alarming the customer and hence PTCL will be
subscribers have welcomed the package ask- charging millions of rupees.
ing the company to introduce more and more As per telecom analysts only 20 percent of
services and packages. users contribute in majority of PTCL revenues.
"Only few thousands customers have These 20 percent included small and medium
applied for de-activation of the package, how- businesses, government sector, and others
ever, the company is trying to communicate the who make long duration long distance calls.
procedure and benefits of this service," told a Pakistan Package may give a big relief to
PTCL official during the press conference. these 20 percent subscribers; however remain-
Flare conducted a survey on Pakistan ing 80 percent may have to share the rev-
Package, which showed that most customers enues' burden for adding very little in their out-
appreciated the package especially business going calls.
class. On the other hands, middle and poor A telecom expert told Flare that only
disliked the package to some extent, as it will 300,000 customers (out of 4.5 million) of PTCL
add another burden on their budgets. pay more than Rs.1000 /month. The rest of 4.2
The shopkeepers of mobile phones related million users use it only as a decoration piece
on their side
tables. So now
they will have
to pay Rs.230
Extra for that
decoration
piece.
An online
blogger has
challenged the
financial feasi-
bility of the
project.
According to
him, if you are
getting your
eighty percent
of revenues
from very little
number of con-
sumers, there
is no point in
getting your
machinery into
Pakistan Package of PTCL. Ali Kadir Gillani is also seen in the picture. a rough state.
He illus-
trates this phenomenon by giv-
Pakistan Package will improve social and economi- ing an example of an
exchange named as "ABC",
cal values, communication opportunities; it is going which generates you Rs. 100
a month but you feel that there
to change the way people interact with each other in are only 2 users giving you
that revenue. If you decrease
coming days. In collaboration with regulator, input the tariff at once, resultantly 4
users will start using it. This
from customers and LDI companies, PTCL can may sound great but you still
get the same Rs.100. Blogger
reach a situation where it can offer services, which thinks that by decreasing the
tariff you just exhausted your
would be optimal and ideal for its customers and resources by making a strate-
gy for going into loss because
challenging for its competitors in a fairly manner you just increase your opera-
tional expenses for that
exchange.
businesses fear that this package would affect Another blogger has a different opinion, he
their businesses as the cellular subscribers says that when you make a decision to reduce
may return to their landline phone terminals. A tariff, in return you increase percentage of pop-
shopkeeper who sells cellular cards told that ulation which may use the facility. This incre-
he may see tough time in coming days, as this ment in numbers will lead to progress for socie-
package will hit his sale as well. He said that ty. Businesses may enjoy better communica-
long duration calls, which generate almost 80 tion and connectivity services, which will hit
percent of cellular traffic, may find alternate positively the economical stats of the country.
options such as PTCL. LDI/WLL/LL companies have involved the
47
 Cover Story
legal elements in the introduction of such a
package by PTCL and raised hue and cry on it.
According to these telecom companies, this
package will directly hit them.
Senior officials of LDI and WLL companies,
while speaking with Flare told that their busi-
nesses are on high risk, as the Significant
Market Player (SMP) has started taking such
illegal actions. They said that PTCL should
have asked PTA prior to introduction of the
package. "PTCL could announce the package
only after carrying a positive consensus by all
LDI and LL companies, PTA is solely responsi-
ble for letting PTCL play with our investments
in the country", told a president of LDI compa-
PTA says that it has direct-
ed PTCL to refrain in future
from announcing any pre-
activated package without
customers' consent and with-
out prior approval of the
Authority.
Acknowledging consumers'
complaints, PTA has directed
PTCL not to charge Rs. 199
from those subscribers who
are unable to opt out of the
package and have NWD bill of
less than Rs. 200 per month
in the corresponding months.
PTA has also directed PTCL
to reduce the time period of
subject package to 60 days
with no extension. This deci-
sion was taken to ensure
healthy competition and to
safeguard consumers' inter-
est.
The Authority has further
said that PTCL is directed to
refrain from launching /
announcing any promotion or
tariff package without prior
approval of the Authority by
submitting complete details
of such package(s) to the
Authority at least ten (10)
days in advance and also to
refrain from pre-activating
such packages without cus-
tomers' prior consent.
48
ny.
Private telecom companyies officials met
PTA Chairman and they showed their concerns
on PTCL's package. In their discussion with
PTA Chairman Maj. Gen. (R) Shahzada Alam
Malik, the representatives from telecom compa-
nies said that if this package is not stopped
then they will have to roll back their setups in
the country, and investment in this sector will
be badly affected. Officials of telecom compa-
nies told 'Flare' that PTA chairman assured
them to take necessary actions and PTCL
administration would be called by PTA for this
issue which is threatening to other telecom
players.
PTA issued a statement say-
ing that it has directed PTCL to
refrain in future from announc-
ing any pre-activated package
without customers' consent
and without prior approval
of the Authority.
Acknowledging
consumers' com-
plaints, PTA has
directed PTCL
not to charge Rs.
199 from those
subscribers who
are unable to opt
out of the pack-
age and have
NWD bill of less
than Rs. 200 per
month in the cor-
responding
months.
PTA has also directed PTCL to reduce the
time period of subject package to 60 days with
no extension. This decision was taken to ensure
healthy competition and to safeguard con-
sumers' interest.
The Authority has further said that PTCL is
directed to refrain from launching / announcing
any promotion or tariff package without prior
approval of the Authority by submitting complete
details of such package(s) at least ten (10) days
in advance and also to refrain from pre-activat-
ing such packages without customers' prior con-
sent.
PTA's press release includes a note that
Authority has always appreciated innovative
packages from the operators; however, the reg-
ulator has to ensure that it should not disturb
consumers' interest and fair competition.
PTCL stakeholders, are eyeing the situation
in their own way, following two equation are
extremely important for them
5 Million x Rs. 200 x 12 months =
Rs. 12 Billion
Long Distance Revenues Dropped from
Rs. 10 Billion to 5 Billion
No doubt that it was a very bold step by
PTCL to facilitate its customers, however, natu-
rally it is impossible to satisfy 10 out of 10 in
the line. PTCL could have come up with differ-
ent packages, such as free local call package,
free nation wide call package and flat package
that may charge every call on
regular basis. Defiantly,
PTCL management would be
eyeing such opportunities in
coming days. PTCL officials
have already mentioned their
plans of introducing a local
call rate of Rs. 3.99 per
hour.
LDI companies'
reservations
make sense too,
but similar pack-
ages were also
introduced by
World Call, a
wireless local
loop company,
which offers 24
hours free on-
net calls to its
customers. From
past couple of
months, cellular companies have also started
offering late night on-net calls for free or at
very nominal rates. The ultimate consequences
of this price war will lead to immense cus-
tomers' benefits, however, as far as the busi-
nesses and investments are concerned, PTA
has badly failed in maintaining a fair balance
amongst small and big investors.
I will put to an end of this discussion with a
note that through Pakistan Package, better
social and economical values, communication
opportunities and the way people interact with
each other will entirely change in coming days.
In collaboration with regulator, input from cus-
tomers and LDI companies, PTCL can reach at
a position where it can offer services, which
would be optimal and ideal for its customers
and challenging for its competitors in a fairly
manner.

 Informative
Nokia N82
Size
Dimensions 112 x 50.2 x 17.3 mm, 90 cc, Weight 114g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, Monophonic, True Tones, MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call
records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot microSD, hot swap, 2 GB card
included, 100 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 32, 107 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps;
DTM Class 11, 177 kbps, 3G HSDPA, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP
technology, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels,
Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), xenon flash; secondary
CIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS function
Motion sensor (with UI auto-rotate), Installed Maps application covering
over 100 countries, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA player
Video player, 3.5 mm audio output jack, TV out, Stereo FM Radio
Organizer, Office document viewer, T9, Push to talk, Voice dial/memo
Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 225h, Talk time Up to 4 h 20 min
With a 5-megapixel camera, Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics, the N82
delivers vivid photographs, even in low-light conditions. Fast camera
activation, autofocus with a dedicated autofocus assist lamp, fast reload-
ing between shots and DVD.
Nokia 8800 Arte
Size
Dimensions 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc, Weight 150g
Display
Type OLED, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, Scratch-resistant glass
Living wallpapers, Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, video ringtones
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records, 20 dialed, 20 received, 20
missed calls, 1 GB of user memory
Data
GPRS Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps, EDGE Class 8, 236.8 kbps, 3G
Yes, 384 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, USB Yes, microUSB OTG
Features
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email Browser, WAP 2.0/xHTML, Games Yes +
Downloadable, Colors Black, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofo-
cus, video, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3 player, Voice memo, T9, Calendar,
Calculator, Built-in handsfree, Accelerometer, Durable stainless steel covers
Turn-to-mute
Battery
Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3h
Bringing 3G capabilities to the Nokia 8800 series, the 8800 Arte fea-
tures an elegant and sophisticated design theme that takes inspiration from
nature. On the surface, the metal and glass body gives the 8800 Arte a
sense of style, while under the skin functionality is driven by innovation. By
tapping the steel surface below the display, an analogue clock appears. To
add an element of sophistication and security, each handset comes with a
leather pouch with a linen-lining and a separate matching desk stand.
Nokia 6301
Size
Dimensions 106.8 x 43.8 x 13.1 mm, 55.6 cc, Weight 93g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 30 MB of user memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class
10, 236.8 kbps, 3G No, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UMA technology
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0, USB Yes, miniUSB
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), Java MIDP 2.0, FM stereo
radio, Push to talk, Macromedia flash lite 2.0, MP3/MP4/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
player, Voice memo, Voice command, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in
handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 310h, Talk time Up to 3 h30 min
The Nokia 6301 offers seamless voice and data mobility across GSM
cellular and WLAN networks. Weighing a mere 93 grams and measuring
less than 13.1 mm thin, the 6301 is constructed of quality materials. To
accompany the UMA technology, the Nokia 6301 also offers consumers a
modern suite of features, including a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital
zoom and full screen viewfinder.
52
Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte
Size
Dimensions 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc, Weight 150g
Display
Type OLED, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, Scratch-resistant glass
Sapphire gem stone on D-pad, Living wallpapers, Downloadable wallpapers,
screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, video ringtones
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20
missed calls, 1 GB of user memory
Data
GPRS Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps, EDGE Class 8, 236.8 kbps,
Bluetooth Yes, USB Yes, microUSB OTG
Features
Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, Java MIDP 2.0,
MP3 player, Voice memo, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree
Accelerometer, Turn-to-mute, Durable stainless steel covers
Battery
Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3h
The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is a premium handsets aimed at discern-
ing and style-conscious consumers. Featuring a high-end metal and glass
composition, the 8800 Sapphire Arte creates a classic, iconic style. A smooth
slide mechanism - comprised of state-of-the art ball bearings and a unique
spring mechanism - ensures each handset is a pleasure to touch and behold.
Owners will be able to enjoy an exclusive videotrack and soundtrack com-
posed by Kruder & Dorfmeister with visuals by Fritz Fitzke - adding an extra
touch of sophistication and individuality to both handsets.
A pedestrian passes by Samsung Mobile phone's advertisement board in Seoul, South
Korea. South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill demanding an independent investi-
gation into allegations of bribery at the Samsung Group conglomerate.
Sony Ericsson Z750
Size
Dimensions 97.4 x 49 x 20 mm, Weight 110g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
Second external OLED display (36 x 128 pixels), Wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3
Memory
Phonebook Yes, Photo call, Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls
Card slot, Memory Stick Micro (M2), 32 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G
HSDPA, 1.8 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA); secondary video call camera
Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ player, TrackID music recognition
FM radio with RDS, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo
Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h
This mirror-finish clamshell features a 2 megapixel camera, 320x240 pixel
262K TFT display, Memory Stick Micro™ removable storage, integrated picture
blogging, full HTML browser benefiting from HSDPA broadband speed, live tick-
ertape RSS feeds and Exchange ActiveSync for push email, calendar and con-
tact synchronization.

Nokia 3110 Evolve
Size
Dimensions 108.5 x 45.7 x 15.6 mm, 72 cc, Weight 87g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 128 x 160 pixels, 5-way navigation key
Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC
Memory
Card slot microSD, up to 2 GB supported, 9 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10,
236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 (with A2DP), Infrared port Yes, USB miniUSB
Features
Camera 1.3 MP, 1280x960 pixels, video, Java MIDP 2.0, Stereo FM radio
MP3/MP4/AAC+/3gp/WMA player, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree
Voice memo, Voice command, T9, Built-in handsfree, Push to talk
Battery
Stand-by Up to 380h, Talk time Up to 3h 30 min
The just-announced 3110 Evolve candybar from Nokia is big on fea-
tures. A phone that features a 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio, and a tri-
band GSM radio. Certainly nothing to write home about there, but the
Evolve's claim to fame is that it's rocking "bio-covers" made with over 50 per-
cent renewable materials and comes in a box made of 60 percent recycled
stuff.
Samsung Telecommunications India Managing Director Ryu Hyun Chul, left, and
Bollywood actor Eisha Deol pose with a Samsung Metal 5 mobile phone during its launch
in New Delhi, India.
Sony Ericsson W890
Size
Dimensions 104 x 46.5 x 9.9 mm, Weight 78g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches, Wallpapers,
screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC
Memory
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 2 GB card included
26 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE
Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video; secondary videocall cam-
era, Java MIDP 2.0, Walkman player, TrackID music recognition
T9, FM radio with RDS, Image viewer, Picture editor, Organiser
Built-in handsfree, Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 9h 30 min
Latest Walkman phone from Sony Ericslsson, the W890, contin-
ues their music-focused approach by loading up Walkman Player 3.0,
the newest release of their player software. The W890 has features
like FM radio, 3G HSDPA, SensMe tempo and mood detector, Stereo
Bluetooth, a 3.2-megapixel camera and quad-band GSM.
Informative
Samsung G800
Size
Dimensions 101 x 51.1 x 18.8 mm, Weight 134g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 160 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8
kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes,
v2.0
Features
Camera 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, autofocus, video, xenon flash, 3x
optical zoom, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA player
Stereo FM radio, Face Detection, T9, Bluetooth printing, Document
viewer (Word, Excel, Power Point, PDF), Built-in handsfree, Voice
memo, TV out
With G800 take an FM radio wherever you go. Enjoy your
favorite radio shows and round-the-clock music, news, weather and
traffic reports using auto/manual tuning. Or save your favorite chan-
nels, tune less and just sit back. Now you can't take a bad shot. Enjoy
a face-oriented auto-focus feature, image and red-eye stabilizers,
faster auto-focus and panorama/macro/multi-shot modes. ISO options
and WDR optimization guarantee great pictures in any light
Samsung i560
Size
Dimensions 130 x 51 x 16 mm,
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call
records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot microSD (TransFlash)
150 MB built-in memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA,
3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536
pixels, video, flash; secondary QCIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS
navigation, 3.5 mm audio output jack, FM radio, Java MIDP 2.0
Flash player, WMV/3GP/H.263/MPEG4 player,
WMA/MP3/AAC/AAC+/OGG/ASF player, Organiser, Document viewer
(MS Word, Excel, PPT, PDF), Built-in handsfree
The Samsung SGH-i560 has been announced as an S60 phone.
It appears to have a QVGA screen, HSDPA connectivity, GPS, and
comes in a slim sliding form factor. However, there appears to be very
little information on i560 in the public domain as yet.
Motorola RIZR Z10
Size
Dimensions, Weight 100g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, Scratch-
resistant display
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call
records, Practically unlimited, Card slot microSD (TransFlash)
77 MB internal memory, TI 2420 multimedia processor
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8
kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes,
v2.0 miniUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536
pixels, autofocus, video(QVGA 30fps), video(QVGA 30fps), xenon
flash; secondary VGA videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0,
MP3/AAC/AAC+ player, T9, Organizer, Calculator, Built-in handsfree
Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Upto 380h, Talk time Up to 5h
You're going to be able to get the latest UIQ 3.1 powered device
from Motorola that packs a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, 30
fps recording at 320×240 and apparently a 2.2 inch 320 x 240 16 mil-
lion color display with touch resistant glass. It has quadband GSM
support, 3G is dual band.
53
 Informative

Nokia 1208 Samsung C140

Rs. 2600 Rs. 2300
Size Size
Dimensions 102 x 44.1 x 17.5 mm, 67cc, Weight 77g Dimensions 104.2 x 44.2 x 16.2 mm, Weight 71g
Display Display
Type CSTN, 65K colors, Size 96 x 68 pixels, 29 x 23 Type UFB, 65K colors, Size 128 x 128 pixels
mm, Themes and wallpapers Ringtones
Ringtones Type Polyphonic (16 channels)
Type Polyphonic (32 channels) Memory
Memory 600 KB shared memory
4 MB user memory Data
Features GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
T9, Calendar, Calculator, Currency converter Features
Built-in handsfree T9, Organiser, To Do list, Calendar, Currency
Battery converter, Voice memo, Built-in handsfree
Stand-by Up to 365h, Talk time Up to 7h Battery
Stand-by Up to 490h, Talk time Up to 5h
Nokia 1208 is designed to meet the unique
needs of a shared mobile device. This new cellphone Web access via WAP 1.2 is a valuable
introduces the industry's first call-time tracking appli- asset, clearly boosting this handset above other
cation and multi-phonebooks to make phone sharing basic models. EMS also provides enhanced mes-
simpler and more efficient. In order to help manage saging, to add extra pop and sparkle to mes-
airtime costs, the call-time tracking feature allows sages. PIM functions such as monthly calendar,
consumers and village phone entrepreneurs to pre- To Do list, and 500-entry phone book organizes
set a time or cost limit on individual calls, automati- your day, while various clocks and alarms, cur-
cally ending the call after the limit has been reached. rency converter and calculator help juggle your
numbers.
Design: 7.4
Features: 7.5 Design: 7.3
Performance: 7.5 Features: 7.6
Performance: 7.7

LG KG270 Sony Ericsson J120

Rs. 2450 Rs. 2800

Size Size
Dimensions 98 x 45 x 12.9 mm, Weight 60g Dimensions 99 x 44 x 17 mm, Weight 75g
Display Display
Type TFT, 65K colors Type STN, 65K colors
Ringtones Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (16 channels) Type Polyphonic (16 channels)
Memory Memory
Phonebook 300 entries Phonebook 200 entries
Features Features
Java, FM radio, T9, Organiser, Calculator, Built-in FM radio with RDS, T9, Calculator, Reminder
handsfree Built-in handsfree
Battery Battery
Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to3 Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h

LG KG 270 is another blaster from LG for the Sony Ericsson J120 has easy to use features,
lower end market. It has got everything to meet such as a single-icon menu and one-click access,
basic communication requirements. However, poly- with the added benefit of a built-in FM Radio that
phonic tones and FM are good plus for music allows you to store up to 10 favorite channels plus a
lovers stereo headset that's supplied with the phone. When
it's time to share the radio play-list with a wider audi-
Design: 7.7 ence, the Sony Ericsson J120 features a loudspeak-
Features: 7.6 er through which the radio can be played.
Performance: 7.6
Design: 7.6
Features: 7.7
Performance: 7.7

54

Above prices are subject to change as per market


Samsung X820
Rs. 10,300
Size
Dimensions 113 x 50 x 6.9 mm, Weight 66g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 220 x 176 pixels,
35 x 28 mm
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
80 MB shared memory, 3.7 MB for messages
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE, Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes,
v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF)
Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+ player
T9, Organiser, Document viewer, TV-output
Built-in handsfree, Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 210h, Talk time Up to 2h 30
min
Extremely durability and lightweight, the
X820 is manufactured from fiberglass-infused
plastic. Underneath, Samsung's Smart Surface
Mounting Technology (SSMT) compresses fea-
tures to pack in maximum functionality.
Capturing specials moments with the built-in
2.0-megapixel camera, the X820 can also give
presentations with an integrated document
viewer.
Design: 8.2
Features: 7.8
Performance: 7.9
Nokia 6120 Classic
Rs. 14,100
Size
Dimensions 105 x 46 x 15 mm, 66 cc, Weight 89g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields,
Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days
Card slot, microSD (TransFlash), 35 MB of user
memory, 64 MB SDRAM, 128 MB ROM, ARM 11,
369 MHz CPU
Data
GPRS Class 11, HSCSD Yes, 43.2 kbps, EDGE
Class 32, 296 / 177.6 kbits, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth
Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, miniUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS v9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera
2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA), flash; sec-
ondary QVGA videocall camera, Video calling
Java MIDP 2.0, FM stereo radio, Push to talk
MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, Office applications
(Excel, PDF, Powerpoint, Word, Zip), Voice memo
T9, Calculator, Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 3h
The Nokia 6120 Classic features two cam-
eras - a 2.0-megapixel camera with 4x digital
zoom, flash and panorama mode for taking high-
quality photographs as well as a second camera in
the front that adds a personal touch to calls by
making use of the video call feature. Users can
personalize the phone with a wide variety of add-
on applications, enhancements, content and serv-
ice. S60 also allows users to run several applica-
tions at the same time enabling them to browse
the Web while listening to their favourite music.
Design: 8.1
Features: 8.2
Performance: 8.2
Above prices are subject to change as per market
Informative
Sony Ericsson K530
Rs. 12,100
Size
Dimensions 102 x 46 x 14 mm, Weight 92g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2)
16 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Yes, HSCSD Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video; second-
ary videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0,
MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, FM radio with RDS
TrackID music recognition, T9, Picture blogging
Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 395h, Talk time Up to 9h
The K530 comes with the Access Netfront™
Web browser pre-installed. Search the Web, make
online purchases and much more - you have Web
access whenever you want. A 2-megapixel cam-
era takes pictures to be proud of. Upload to your
blog or surprise your friends with picture mes-
sages.
Design: 7.9
Features: 7.9
Performance: 8.0
LG KE770 Shine
Rs. 9,400
Size
Dimensions 105 x 46 x 9.9 mm, Weight 79g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels,
1.77 inches, Mirror effect screen, full metal body
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Card slot
microSD (TransFlash), 70 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2
with A2DP, USB Yes
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video, flash
Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC++/3GP/MPEG4 player
T9, Organiser, Voice memo Document viewer
Battery
Stand-by Up to 200h, Talk time Up to 2h 30 min
LG KE770 Shine is a full metal candybar-
style handset at the 3GSM. This stylish new
phone has a stainless steel body with a luminous
blue lighting. Very little details have been released
about this amazing new phone. What we do know
is that it has a standard full color display, a cam-
era, integrated music player, and has the ability to
view Microsoft Office and PDF files. For the
females out there, turn off the phone and the
screen doubles and a mirror!
Design: 8.2
Features: 7.8
Performance: 7.9
55
 Informative

Nokia 2630 Sony Ericsson K510

Rs. 5,900 Rs. 5,900
Size Size
Dimensions 105 x 45 x 9.9 mm, 45 cc, Weight 66g Dimensions 101 x 44 x 17 mm, Weight 82g
Display Display
Type TFT, 65K colors, Screensavers, themes and wallpa- Type TFT, 256K colors
pers Ringtones
Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Type Polyphonic (24 channels), MP3 Memory
Memory 28 MB shared memory
11 MB user memory Data
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes
Class 6, 177.6 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0, USB Yes Features
Features Camera 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels, video(QCIF)
Camera VGA, 640x480 pixels, video(128 x 96), FM radio Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, T9, Image
Java MIDP 2.0, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Currency con- viewer, Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo,
verter, Built-in handsfree Exchangeable Style-Up covers
Battery Battery
Stand-by Up to 310h, Talk time Up to 6h Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 6h

A sophisticated, yet easy to use mobile phone with As the smallest 1.3-megapixel phone from Sony
full range of practical mobile features to help you enjoy Ericsson, the K510a delivers high quality pictures with 4x
and share the treasured moments of your life; camera, FM digital zoom. Through the 262K-color TFT display, the
Radio, EDGE, Bluetooth and polyphonic ringtones may K510a easily sorts photos through thumbnails. Before
catch your eyes at first sight. sharing, pictures can be made more captivating with sim-
ple effects such as face warp, sepia colorizing and
Design: 7.7 panorama views.
Features: 7.5
Performance: 7.6 Design: 7.8
Features: 7.7
Performance: 7.7

LG KG195
Motorola SLVR L9 Rs. 5,600
Rs. 10,100
Size
Size Dimensions 100 x 45 x 12.4 mm, Weight 69.9g
Dimensions 113 x 49 x 11.5 mm, 59 cc, Weight Display
96g Type TFT, 256K colors
Display Ringtones
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels, 1.9 inches Type Polyphonic (64 channels)
Ringtones Memory
Type Polyphonic, MP3 Phonebook 500 entries, Card slot microSD,
Memory (TransFlash), 64 MB shared memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 20 MB internal user Data
memory GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Data Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes, v1.1
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps Features
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with Camera VGA, 640x480 pixels, video, FM radio
A2DP, USB Yes, v1.1 miniUSB Scheduled FM recorder, MPEG4/MP3 player
Features Java MIDP 2.0, T9, Organiser, Voice memo
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF) Battery
Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio with RDS, Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 2h 30 min
MP3/AAC/AAC+/MPEG4 player, T9, Calendar
Built-in handsfree, Voice command, Voice memo The LG KG 195 has an MP3 player and FM
Battery radio with options such as FM recording and voice
Stand-by Up to 350h, Talk time Up to 4h recording making it a truly musical experience. The
Video player supports MP4 and 3GP formats but only
The Motorola SLVR L9 provides users with an inte- of 174 X 144 resolution. The phone has sophisticated
grated music player, FM radio, and Motorola's new look but the keypad is hard and make the keys are
CrystalTalk technology to hold conversations in noisy uncomfortable to use.
environments. The integrated music player with stereo
Bluetooth wireless technology allows users to freely enjoy Design: 7.9
music wirelessly on the go. Even when traveling, users Features: 7.7
can listen to their music uninterrupted in airplane mode. Performance: 7.8
The Motorola SLVR L9 also offers an FM radio, support-
ing Radio Data System (RDS) for radio station information
- including such details as the song genre, song title, or
radio station name - all on the handset's main screen.

Design: 7.8
Features: 7.6
Performance: 7.7

56

Above prices are subject to change as per market


Nokia N95 8GB
Rs. 42,500
Size
Dimensions 99 x 53 x 21 mm, 96 cc, Weight 128g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True
Tones, MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields,
Photocall, Call records Detailed, max 30 days
8 GB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 32, 107 / 64.2 kbps, HSCSD Yes,
EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps; DTM Class 11, 177 kbps
3G HSDPA, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology,
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port Yes
USB Yes, v2.0 miniUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 5 MP, 2592 x
1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA
30fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera
Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS function, Installed Maps
application covering over 100 countries, Dual slide
design, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA
player, 3.5 mm audio output jack, TV out, Stereo FM
Radio, Organizer
Office document viewer, T9, Push to talk, Voice
dial/memo, Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 280h, Talk time Up to 6h
With up to 8GB of built-in memory, the Nokia N95
8GB has key features of its predecessor, including a 5.1-
megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, built-in A-GPS,
WLAN, HSDPA and an innovative 2-way slide. The N95
8GB also boasts a luminous 2.8-inch (240 x 320 px)
QVGA display, so watching videos, browsing the Internet
or viewing maps is a pleasure. With its expanded memo-
ry, the N95 8GB offers up to 20 hours of video or up to
6000 songs. The N95 8GB supports services like Nokia
Music Store and N-Gage Games. Once N-Gage goes
live, users will be able to try games for free before decid-
ing on a purchase.
Samsung U600
Rs. 16,300
Size
Dimensions 103.5 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm, Weight 81g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 34 x 44 mm
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 60 MB embedded memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class
10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video(CIF),
flash, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/eACC/WMA player
FM radio with RDS, T9, Yahoo search, Organizer, Business
card recognition, Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
PDF), Voice memo, Built-in handsfree, TV out,
Battery
Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 3h 30 min
The Samsung U600 is part of the premium Ultra Edition
range, at 11.9mm slim the U600 truly is a feat of mobile engi-
neering. The perfect combination of style and functionality.
This sleek, inspirational mobile is equipped with a 3.2
Megapixel camera, auto focus and an amazingly high quality
262K colour screen. The feature rich U600 plays multiple
audio formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, and
WMA. Utilise the U600's Bluetooth capabilities with a wireless
stereo headset, allowing you to remotely control your music
player, or transfer your music at lightning fast speeds using
USB 2.0. Either way, it's all music to your ears.
Design: 8.5
Features: 8.3
Performance: 8.3
Above prices are subject to change as per market
Informative
Sony Ericsson K850
Rs. 33,000
Size
Dimensions 102 x 48 x 17 mm, Weight 118g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3
Customization Composer, download, Vibration
Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 x 20 fields, Photo call, Card slot
Memory Stick Micro (M2)/microSD , 512 MB card includ-
ed, 40 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE
Yes, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps (K850i only),
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, autofocus,
video(QVGA@30fps), xenon flash and 3LED video light;
auto lens cover, secondary videocall camera, Java MIDP
2.0, FM radio with RDS, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
Motion sensor (with UI auto-rotate), TrackID music
recognition, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor/blogging
Organiser, Built-in handsfree, Voice memo/dial
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h
The 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and
Xenon flash produces true digital camera results. Even if
you are not an expert photographer, the K850 does
everything to help you get the best possible shots on
your phone. Photo fix automatically improves light bal-
ance in one click to make your picture as good as it can
get. When taking a picture of a moving object, for exam-
ple at a sports event, you can select BestPic™ and take
nine pictures in one burst. Then simply choose the best
and delete the rest.
Design: 8.2
Features: 8.2
Performance: 8.3
Nokia E90
Rs. 53,500
Size
Dimensions 132 x 57 x 20 mm, 140 cc, Weight 210g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 800 x 352 pixels, 4 inches
Second external 16M colors display (240 x 320 pixels), 2
inches, Full QWERTY keyboard
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields,
Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot
microSD (TransFlash), hotswap, 128 MB shared memory
330 Mhz ARM processor
Data
GPRS Yes, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, 3.6
Mbps WLAN, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with
A2DP, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes, v2.0, miniUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS v9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 3.15 MP,
2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash;
secondary QCIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS receiver
(with preinstalled maps), Push to talk, Video calling
Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/M4A/AAC/eAAC+/WMA player
FM radio, Voice command/dial, PIM including calendar,
to-do list and printing, Document viewer, Photo/video edi-
tor, Integrated handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 330h, Talk time Up to 5h
The Nokia E90 Communicator is based on the S60
platform, making additional mobile applications available
for its users. The E90 also has an integrated GPS and
Nokia Maps application to provide help in finding routes
and locating services. For increased personal conven-
ience, the E90 is equipped with an FM radio, a music
player, a video player and two cameras - a 3.2-megapixel
auto focus camera with flash and a second camera for
videoconferencing.
Design: 8.2
Features: 8.3
Performance: 8.3
57
 Informative
Nokia N81 8GB
Rs. 32,500
Size
Dimensions 102 x 50 x 17.9 mm, 86 cc, Weight 140g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
Navi wheel interface
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True
Tones, MP3
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields,
Photocall, Call records Detailed, max 30 days
8 GB internal flash memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD
Yes, EDGE Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, WLAN Wi-Fi
02.11b/g with UPnP, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB
Yes, v2.0 microUSB,
Features
OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera
2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(VGA 15fps), flash; sec-
ondary CIF videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0
MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, Rotating gallery with Navi
wheel, Stereo FM Radio, T9, Push to talk, Voice
dial/memo, PIM including calendar, to-do list
3.5 mm audio output jack, Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 410h, Talk time Up to 4h
The Nokia N81 8GB features up to eight gigabytes
of built-in memory, used for a true mobile entertainment
experience. Featuring dedicated music and gaming keys,
3.5 mm headphone connector and 3G and WLAN con-
nectivity, the N81 8GB is configured to find, buy, manage
and play music and games purchased from the Nokia
Music Store and N-Gage games service. N81 8GB offers
dedicated music or gaming keys, expanded memory,
large screens and extended battery performance to pro-
vide quick and easy access to entertainment content.
Design: 7.9
Features: 8.1
Performance: 8.1
Motorola RAZR2 V8
Rs. 22,800
Size
Dimensions 103 x 53 x 11.9 mm, Weight 117g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, Second
external 256K colors, 2 inches display (240 x 320 pixels) with con-
textual touch interaction
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records 30 dialed, 30
received, 30 missed calls, 420 MB or 2 GB internal user memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 12,
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), Java MIDP 2.0,
MP3/AAC/AAC+ player, T9, Organizer, Calculator, Built-in hands-
free
Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 330h, Talk time Up to 7h 50 min
The Motorola RAZR2 V8 has a completely redesigned User
Interface (UI) so consumers can search contacts even faster. The
main menu is customizable, so consumers are never more than 2-3
clicks away from favorite applications, and even messaging is easi-
er; automatically recognizing what type of message consumers are
sending. The RAZR2 V8 also 'talks' to consumers by speaking the
interactive menu, contact lists, emails and messages aloud - a fea-
ture developed for people with visual impairments, but convenient
for in-car use. Without opening the phone, RAZR2 users can rely
on the large external screen to read messages and reply with pre-
programmed text messages.
Design: 8.4
Features: 8.0
Performance: 8.1
58
Above prices are subject to change as per market
Sony Ericsson W660
Rs. 18,700
Size
Dimensions 102 x 46 x 14.5 mm, Weight 93g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels, 2 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3
Memory
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 512 MB card included
16 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD
Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video; secondary videocall
camera, Video telephony, Java MIDP 2.0, Walkman player
2.0, FM radio with RDS, TrackID music recognition, T9
Image viewer, Picture editor, Picture blogging, Organiser
Built-in handsfree, Voice memo/dial,
Battery
Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 6h
The W660i can store up to 470 full-length songs (in
eAAC+ format) on the 512 MB Memory Stick Micro (M2)
supplied. As collections grow, consumers can expand the
memory as needed and, by way of example, a 1 GB
Memory Stick Micro (M2) will hold up to 1,000 tracks. W660i
features TrackID. If users ever need to identify a piece of
music that they don't recognise, simply record a few sec-
onds of the track, either via the microphone or by tagging a
clip straight from the phone's FM Radio, and TrackID will
send the clip to the Gracenote Mobile MusicID database.
This quickly identifies the track, the artist and album and
relays the information back to the W660i.
Design: 7.9
Features: 8.0
Performance: 7.9
LG KE970 Shine
Rs. 16,700
Size
Dimensions 99.8 x 50.6 x 13.8 mm, Weight 119g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inch-
es, Mirror effect screen, full metal body
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 50 MB internal memory,
300 text messages
Data
GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP,
USB Yes
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, autofocus,
video(QCIF), flash, Java MIDP 2.0
MP3/AAC++/3GP/MPEG4 player, T9, Organiser
Voice memo, Document viewer (.ppt, .doc, .pdf, .xls, .txt)
Battery
Stand-by Up to 280h, Talk time Up to 3h
Encased in a full-metal body, the slider phone
offers users amazing looks and a high technical specifi-
cation including expandable memory (microSD card)
and an auto-focus camera by Schneider Kreuznach.
When closed, Shine exudes sophistication with a per-
fectly reflective 2.2-inch screen. Slide open the super-
thin brushed metal body and the 'magic mirror' full color
screen comes to life, while Shine's keys are bathed in a
cool blue light. Access to Shine's menu system is by an
easy-to-use multi-function scroll key.
Design: 8.4
Features: 7.8
Performance: 7.8
 Informative

i-mate JAMA
If you are looking for a handheld device and want Windows Mobile, then the choice
between Windows Mobile Smartphone and Windows Mobile Pocket PC can be a difficult
one to make.
I-mate has just blurred the dividing line further with the JAMA. It looks like an ordinary
candybar mobile phone with a slider format that keeps the number pad hidden away until
needed. But in fact the relatively small casing (106mm tall, 52.5mm wide and 15.6mm thick)
houses Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC. This means it doesn't need a hardware-based
number-pad. The dial-pad can go on the screen, which is touch-sensitive.
So is the JAMA the best of both worlds or too much of a compromise?
Of course there is a camera - a 2-megapixel one - and there is around 45MB of free
storage space for applications and data, including photos and music to play through the
JAMA's copy of Windows Media Player, and more. A microSD card slot is on the left edge
of the casing for more memory to be added.
If you are thinking of using the JAMA as a music player then you'll want to know that
when we asked it to play music non-stop from a full battery charge, with its screen forced
on to push the battery hard, we got a little less than six hours of music. That's not bad
The slim, compact design and low weight make the i-mate JAMA a highly portable
device, which will benefit users who plan to use more of the
phone's capabilities. Also, the software bundle is another strong
point of the device. Other than these, there are all the features
specific to Pocket PCs (the touch-screen, productivity tools etc),
even though they do not make the i-mate JAMA stand out from
the crowd.

Nokia 6500 Slide

The 6500 Slide is a sleek 3G slider phone which comes in a silver & black colored casing. The phone
comes with easy to use imaging features which bring a fun & useful element to this smooth opening hand-
set. The phone comes with a 2.2 Inch high color screen which provides the user with a 33.5mm x 44.7mm
active display which can display up to 16 million colors.
The Nokia 6500 Slide is a fashion conscious handset which measures 96.5mm x 46.5mm x 16.4mm
which is a good size for a 3G slider phone. The handset weighs 123 grams which gives the phone a solid
& quality feel when in use & is still light enough for carrying purposes. The Nokia 6500 Slide comes with
an expandable memory option which allows the user to expand the phone memory up to a massive 4
Gbytes using a MicroSD™ memory card. The phone comes with 20 Mbytes of internal memory & with a
256 Mbytes MicroSD™ memory card to get the user started. The 6500 Slide comes with a phone charger,
battery, 256 Mbytes MicroSD™ memory card, stereo headset, TV out cable & USB cable. The 6500 Slide
is from the same family as the Nokia 6500 Classic.
The battery has a 900mAh capacity & provides the user with up to 320 hours of standby time or up to 6
hours of talk time from a fully charged battery. The Nokia 6500 Slide is an imaging focused 3G handset,
which comes with an impressive camera feature complete with Carl Zeiss™ optics. The 3.2 megapixel
camera comes with a Carl Zeiss™ lens & 8 x digital zoom which allows the user to get a close up shot
every time the camera is used. The auto focus feature allows the user to capture a clear shot & the double
LED flash allows the user to capture the perfect lighting for their photo.
You can enjoy MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA music formats on their Nokia 6500 Slide. Phone sup-
ports polyphonic, MP3 & video ringtones which the use can be change to suit the user's ringtone style.
The user can access the Internet for new music or information using the built in Opera Mini browser which
allows the user to enjoy a mobile Internet experience at any time.

60
 Informative

Nokia N82
How do you follow up a success like the Nokia N95? Well, one way to do it is
to follow the path of the Nokia N95 8GB and give it more memory and a larger
screen. If you wanted to go further, then you'd probably dream up something even
more superlative than the N95 and call it the Nokia N96. So, the Nokia N82 is a
surprise, because it's not really what we would imagine a successor to the N95 to
be like.
The very first thing that strikes you about the Nokia N82 is just how ordinary it
looks. Where the N95 was frankly a bit mad with its two-way slider, the N82 is a
straightforward monoblock design with an uncluttered keypad and large QVGA
display.
Pretty much everything from the original N95 has been directly ported over to
the N82. There's a five megapixel camera with Xenon flash, autofocus and a Carl
Zeiss lens, 3G support with HSDPA, WiFi, microSD expandable memory (with
2GB in the sales package), A-GPS (Assisted GPS), a video calling camera, FM
radio and stereo Bluetooth.
This is a Symbian S60 smartphone, so it comes with a web browser, email
client, document viewer, advanced multimedia player and the N82 also has a set
of personal information management (PIM) applications. Nokia Maps is prein-
stalled for basic GPS use, although expect to pay a fee for more advanced map-
ping functions. Video capture is an impressive 640x480 pixels at 30 frames per
second.
Nokia say that the N82 is available now from selected retailers at an unsubsi-
dized cost of around Rs. 50,000.

Nokia 6120 Classic

Nokia's 6120 Classic is a slim, light, 3G mobile phone that runs a full
Smartphone operating system. The advanced features on offer are hampered a lit-
tle by the phone's small size and shape, but if you are looking for an opportunity to
try an S60 Smartphone yet also want something pocket-friendly, light and unobtru-
sive, it could be ideal.
At 89g and 105 x 46 x 15mm, the 6120 Classic should fit in most pockets, but its
screen is the feature that compromises its ability to function perfectly as a
Smartphone. It delivers 320 x 240 pixels and manages 16 million colours, both of
which are top-notch specifications. But at two inches corner-to-corner it is just too
small to display some information well enough.
The Web browser is one example. Retrieving information at 3G data speeds is
fine, and the browser itself can be switched into widescreen view. Thumbnail views
of Web pages are available and these are marked up with numbers identifying dif-
ferent areas of a page. Hit a number and you go to that area.
There is 35MB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot on the back, left-hand
edge of the casing. The music player delivers well, and there's an FM radio too.
Battery life is good: We got a little less than nine hours of non-stop music from a full
battery charge.
Among the huge number of applications pre-installed are a calendar, to-do list
manager, mobile e-mail, note taker, calculator, clock with alarms, voice control,
voice recorder, unit converter and IM. For e-mail attachments you get the Adobe
PDF reader and QuickOffice for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewing.
The 6120 Classic comes with Nokia's PC Suite software and a cable for con-
necting to your computer, so you can synchronise contacts and diary information at
no extra cost.

61
 Informative

Nokia 3110 Evolve

If you're the sort of person who thinks that not using a plastic bag for your shop-
ping is actually some meaningful way to save the planet, then the Nokia 3110
Evolve is for you.
Based on an unremarkable and fairly inexpensive handset launched earlier this
year, the 3110 Evolve is a basic tri-band GSM phone with a 128 x 160 pixel display,
1.3 megapixel camera, FM stereo radio, microSD expandable memory and an MP3
player, plus Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
It's a pretty lightweight handset at 87 grams, but you can tell by the specification
that the screen is the 3110 Evolve's biggest weakness.
So what makes this different from a standard 3110? Well, Nokia say that there
is "bio-sourced material on the covers", and they also say that the cover material is
50% renewable - so we guess that it uses some sort of plant-based hydrocarbon
compound rather than plastic from fossil fuels. The Nokia 3110 Evolve comes in a
much smaller sales package consisting of 60% recycled content, and there's a new
more efficient phone charger. Nokia say that the charger uses "94% less energy
than the Energy Star requirements" but does not give any figures comparing it to a
standard unit.
In other words, the Nokia 3110 Evolve uses less plastic, is more efficient to
transport and uses less power than a standard 3110.
The Nokia 3110 Evolve should be available during Q1 2008.

LG KE770
LG KE770 Shine is a candy bar version of the stylish LG KE970 Shine. The LG
KE770 is known as the LG KE770 Shine or the LG KE770 Shine Bar. The handset
comes with a high quality & truly inspirational mirror effect screen which has made the
LG Black Label Series Shine phones so popular.
The screen is 1.7 Inch in size & displays up to 262,000 colors on a high resolution
screen. The handset comes with no opening mechanisms due to its bar design which
makes the handset easy to use & comes with a keypad lock to avoid any buttons being
pressed when the handset is being carried. The KE770 Shine Bar comes with a beauti-
fully metal effect keypad which is etched into the handsets casing & is neatly situated
below the phone mirror effect screen. The handset is extremely slim with a total depth
of 10mm & the KE770 weighs only 79 grams includes the fitted battery. The battery
provide up to 200 hours of standby time & approximately 2.5 hours of talk time from a
fully charged battery.

The built in camera provides the user with an easy to use 2 megapixel camera com-
plete with camera or video settings & capabilities. The camera feature is easy to use
as the handset comes with camera keys situated on the side of the phone for ease of
use. The camera comes with a LED flash & digital zoom which will ensure the user
gets the perfect shot each time the camera is used.
The user can enjoy their music on the go with the built in music player which sup-
ports all popular music formats. The music player comes with music settings & storage
which allows the user to access their music & enjoy it at any time of the day or night.

62
 Informative

Samsung U300
The Samsung SGH-U300 forms part of the Ultra Edition II range, and it
can be seen as a slimmer and slightly tweaked version of the Slightly
slimmer that the D830 - the U300 is just 9.6mm thick, the SGH-U300
also has a 3 megapixel digital camera.
However, the U300 does not appear to have expandable memory
(although 70MB is built in), which puts it at a disadvantage over the older
handset.
Despite the limited memory, the overall features on the U300 are still
pretty decent. There's a 2.2" 240x320 pixel main display with a smaller
secondary on the outside. The U300 has a multimedia player that can
play back MP3, AAC, WMA, WMDRM, H.263 and MPEG4 clips
(although the limited memory will be a factor here).
It's a tri-band GSM 800/900/1800 device with GPPS and EDGE. The
SGH-U300 also support Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connections.
If your looking for a clamshell phone and your primary consideration is
how slim it is, then the U300 is an attractive device. And in terms of
looks, the U300 is an elegant and quite understated handset that should
draw some admiring glances.
However, the slim design of the handset has compromised its features
somewhat, both in terms of expandability but also the RAZR-style hand-
set that might become irritating to use after a while.

Trend T 786 Dual Sim GSM

Trend mobiles were the first in introducing the dual SIM mecha-
nism that allowed a person to hold two different SIMs in one mobile
phone at one time in the face of a growing telecom industry and
increasing Trend of multi company market. Entirely a local group,
Trend mobiles is a sub-group of 4B Group, 4B Telecom and 4B
Fertilizer as its main components. Trend is their brand which markets
imported cell phones in the local market. It has now come up with the
simplest and yet the most loaded of the mobile phones. It is called the
T 786, Trend Perfect dual Sim.
The features of T 786 are startling. Its basic edge is that a user
can retain different network operators’ Sims in one cellphone and can
receive calls in both at the same time. It is a complete multimedia
cellphone with 1.3mega pixel camera, which has an audio and video
recorders and players as well.
The USB Data cable allows the user a unique facility of `Plug N
Play`. Attach the cable with your computer and view what you have
recorded. There is no need of any software or driver installment unlike
other cell phones. A riddle free and consumer friendly cellphone. It is
also totally software friendly for the users. No pains but all the gains.
Trend mobiles offers an unmatched Deluxe Package along with the
set which includes a free-of-cost 256 MB memory card, USB port, 2
extra batteries and an In-Car charger and a Trendy pouch to carry
your cell phone in style.
The mobile phone holds another edge to other cell phones in the
market. It is the only cell phone in the market that has a warranty of
thirteen months. It has the style, it has the look and it has all that you
require in a cell phone to begin with.

63
 Informative

LG KU990 / LG Viewty
LG Viewty - a 5.1 megapixel camera phone with a Schneider Kreuznach
lens and advanced imaging capabilities. The front of the LG KU990 has a
large touchscreen, similar to the LG Prada. 5.1 megapixel camera comes with
a flash, electronic image stabilization, photo editing and single-click uploading
to YouTube.
Video capture on the LG Viewty is up to 120 fps (frames per second) - this
is twice the frame rate of an HDTV and frankly why anyone needs this kind of
frame rate is a mystery. We're not sure what the video capture resolution is on
the KU990, but it will need to be at least 640x480 pixels.
Schneider Kreuznach are the people who make lenses for Kodak, so that's
a promising start when it comes to the KU990's optical credentials. Combine
this with the 5.1 megapixel camera, and the KU990 Viewty looks very good
indeed.
The "U" in KU990 should indicate that this is a 3G device, and you can
reasonably expect to see a multimedia player, web browser, email client and
all the usual features. You can safely assume that the KU990 / Viewty will be
competing directly against the N95, where the LG has the advantage of a
touchscreen but is unlikely to have GPS.

Sony Ericsson K850i

On paper the Sony Ericsson K850i looks like a winner - this
Cyber-shot branded handset now has a 5 megapixel camera and
boasts HSDPA 3.5G data plus tri-band UMTS support, plus a host of
other goodies.
First the good stuff - the Sony Ericsson K850i's camera comes
with autofocus, a flash, multishot capabilities, an image stabilizer and
various photo tweaking applications. The display is a 240x320 pixel
panel in 262,000 colours, and the K850i has a multimedia player,
radio, expandable memory (using Memory Stick Micro cards), stereo
Bluetooth, a web browser, email client and RSS news reader.
The K850i is being pitched as a business phone as well as a con-
sumer handset - it supports Microsoft ActiveSync to enable email and
PIM functions to be synchronised with an Exchange server. Tri-band
3G support with HSDPA also means that the K850i can be used on
pretty much any WCDMA 3G network worldwide, although oddly it is
only a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz device and not a quad-band
one.
The Sony Ericsson K850i measures 102 x 48 x 17mm and weighs
118 grams. There are two colour variants: "Velvet Blue" and
"Luminous Green", although this colouring extends pretty much only
as far as the controller pad and some piping down the side of the
phone. There is also a K858c variant for China which loses 3G sup-
port and substitutes EDGE data instead.
Really the Sony Ericsson K850i should be considered an evolu-
tionary step up from the excellent K800 and K810i phones.

64
 Informative

LG KE970
The LG KE970 is a beautiful & highly capable mobile phone which is better known as
the LG Shine. The beautiful KE970 Shine is the second Black Label Series mobile hand-
set to be deigned by LG. The highly attractive mobile phone has been given the name LG
Shine due to its stunning appearance & mirror effect casing.
The LG Shine comes in a super slim casing with a tactile slide opening mechanism.
The phone comes with a shiny stainless steel casing & with a large mirror effect screen.
The screen displays a real mirror when the LG Shine is in its closed position, for all to
admire. The handset has a roll bar navigation tool which allows the user to scroll through
menus with ease.
The keypad is etched into the stainless steel surface & the keys have a blue backlight
which is highly effective. The keypad can be accessed when the handset is in its slide
open position. The LG KE970 Shine is an appearance & feature focused mobile phone
which will be admired by all.
The large screen provides a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels on a 2.2 Inch high
colour screen. The screen provides the user with a sharp & clear viewing tool which
comes with the stylish mirror effect feature. The user can take photos & record video
footage with ease using the built in imaging features. The user can save, edit, share &
store their photos & video footage. The LG KE970 Shine comes with a photo album &
video gallery which allows the user to store & locate their photos & video easily.
The phone comes with a built in music player which supports all popular music for-
mats including MP3 format & provides high quality sound. The LG KE970 comes with a
built in Internet browser which the user can access from the phones main menu. The
user can access the WAP Internet browser & enjoy a mobile Internet experience on the
their mobile phone.

Motorola Z6c
The Motorola Z6 is a handset available in a few different formats - the
MOTOROKR Z6 is a GSM device for sale in Europe, Asia Pacific and else-
where, and then there's a CDMA version called the MOTOROKR Z6m for
North America, China and Far East Asia. Another version, the MOTORIZR
Z6tv is a CDMA variant for the Verizon network optimized for streaming 3G
TV.
The fourth variant of the Z6 is rather more novel - called the Z6c, this
particular Z6 combines both CDMA and GSM network functions into one
handset, making it an ideal phone for GSM customers who want to use a
GSM device at home, but who also want to travel with the same handset
globally.
This dual CDMA/GSM functionality is very rare, but we have seen it
before - in the Motorola A840, which hit the market about three years ago.
The Z6c represents a welcome addition to this surprisingly small market
niche.
Expect to see a 2" 240x320 pixel display, 2 megapixel camera, microSD
expandable memory and Bluetooth in a device weighing around 105 grams.
To look at, you'd be hard pressed to tell it apart from its siblings, but the
Z6c does come with a "World" logo in the top left hand corner to mark it out
as something special.

65
 Informative

Sony VAIO FZ180 2.0GhZ C2D

Rs. 127,000

Product Specifications

Processor Type Intel Core 2 Duo T7300

Processor Speed Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2 GHz 800Mhz

RAM 2 x 1 GB DDR2,

Hard Drive 200 GB 5400 rpm, Serial ATA

Display 15.4 in TFT active matrix

Graphic Accelerator NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT

Camera Integrated

Optical Drive DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) Drive

Wired & Wireless Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN , Ethernet,
Communication IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g,
Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft)

HP Compaq 6710 US
1.8C2D 512MB Rs. 51,500
Product Specifications

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83Ghz

Memory 512 MB

Memory Max 1GB , 2GB

Hard Disk 120Gb

Modem type Fax / modem

Modem Speed 56kbps

Wireless 802.11b/g

Optical Drive Super Drive

Battery Lithium-Ion

Weight 2kg

O/S Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

FireWire ports 1 x FireWire 400

USB Ports 4 x USB 2.0

Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty

Acer Aspire 5720-301G16 Rs. 69,000

Processor Intel® Centrino 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz 4MB L2 Cache

Operating System MS VISTA Home Premium

Ram 1024MB (2*512) DDR2

Display 15.4" WXGA Crystal Bright

Graphic Card 128MB GeForce Go 7600

Hard Drive 160GB SATA HDD

Primary CD/DVD DVD Super Multi Double Layer
Drive

Communication 802.11abg Wireless LAN,Bluetooth,Gigabit LAN

Extra Features 6 cell battery, Crystal Eye Camera,Dolby Digital
Sound,Acer Carry Bag,56k Modem

Warranty & One year International Travelers Warranty
e-support

66

Above prices are subject to change as per market

 Informative

Asus W5Fe Rs. 135,000

Product Specifications

Processor & Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5600
Cache Memory 1.83GHz 667MHz, 4MB L2 cache

Operating System Windows® Vista™ Business,

Chipset Mobile Intel® 945 GM Express Chipset

Main Memory DDR2 533/667MHz SDRAM, 1GB 1 x
SODIMM socket for expansion up to 1536MB
SDRAM

Display Main display: 12.1" WXGA Color-Shine
(Glare-type) and Crystal-Shine (High bright-
ness) LCD, Asus Splendid Video Intelligent
Technology
Auxiliary display: 2.8" QVGA TFT LCD

Video Graphics Embedded Intel® 945GM VGA
& Memory 2.5" 9.5mm 120GB IDE HDD /w Ultra

Hard Drive DMA/100 / S.M.A.R.T. supported
9.5 mm, 5.25"

Optical Drive DVD Super Multi Double Layer: RAM R/W
2X, CD/DVD Read 8X/24X, CD-R 24X, CD-
RW 10X, DVD-R 4X, DVD-RW 2X, DVD+R
4X, DVD+ RW 2.4X.

Toshiba Satellite A200-1CR Rs. 63,500

Product Specifications

Processor Type Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T2080
1.73 GHz

Processor Speed 1.73 GHz, 533MHz

RAM standard : 1,024 (512 + 512) MB
maximum expandability : 2,048 MB

Hard Drive technology : DDR2 RAM (667 MHz)

Display 120 GB

Graphic 15.4 " Toshiba TruBrite® WXGA TFT display
Accelerator Hybrid Graphics System lets toggle between
NVidia GeForce Go 7400 (up to 335 MB

Optical Drive DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer
Fixed

Wireless Compliancy : Wi-Fi®
Communication Network Support : 802.11b/g integrated
Wireless Technology: Wireless LAN

Operating System Windows Vista® Home Basic Edition

Dimensions 362 x 267.8 x 33.5 (front) / 39.3 (rear) mm

Stephanie Endicott and Marcus Smallegan, first-year students at George
Washington University, use their laptops in Washington. For the Facebook genera-
tion, love now comes with a drop-down menu.
Brad Garlinghouse, left, senior vice president of Yahoo, demonstrates the
capabilities of a laptop during a media preview flight aboard "BetaBlue," an
Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with an onboard wireless network. JetBlue will
start offering free online messaging services on one of its planes next week,
67
becoming among the first airlines to offer in-flight Internet access.

Above prices are subject to change as per market

 In Picture

(L-R): Francisco Gonzalez, president of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Cesar

Alierta, Chairman of Spain's telecom company Telefonica, Jose Ignacio Sanchez
Galan, president of Spanish power company Iberdrola, Antonio Brufau, chairman of
Spanish oil major Repsol YPF and Spanish Stock Exchange president Antonio
The president of National Association of Software and Service Company (NASSCOM) Kiran
Zoido attend the first day of Madrid's Latibex Forum.
Karnik delivers his speech during the IT Conclave organised by the National Association of
Software and Service Company (NASSCOM) in Bangalore.

Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili speaks with journalists during a news
conference after his trip to Britain in south of Tehran. Iran said, it would safeguard
its right to nuclear technology whatever European Union foreign policy chief Javier
Solana reported about his latest talks with Tehran.

Hamadoun I. Toure, from Mali, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication

Union (ITU), presents the book of Provisional Final Acts of the World Radio Communication
Conference, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland.

Managing Director of Emerson Process Management India, Sunil Khanna (R) and
President of Rosemount Division of Emerson Process Management USA, Mark
Schumacher (L) pose for a photograph at the press launch of Smart Wireless
Solutions for Process Automation in New Delhi.

Ericsson's Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg arriving for presentation of the third-quarter
result in Stockholm. Ericsson, the world's leading mobile networks maker, allegedly paid more
than a million dollars (euros) to a former Oman government minister in what appears to have
been a bribe for a large contract, Swedish public radio report.

New Linux - Fedora 8

Launched
A new version of the free Linux operating system Fedora is available.
Fedora 8 includes improved security functions as well as a reworked user
interface, reports Red Hat, the company supporting the Linux project.
Fedora 8 can also be started from a USB stick. The software can be down-
loaded at http://fedoraproject.org.
68
European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (C) Indian Minister for
Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath (R) President of the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), Chairman and Managing Director, Bharati AirTel Mobil telecommuni-
cations, Sunil Bharti Mittal (L) and Secretary General, Business Europe, Phillppe de
Buck (2L) shake hands during the eighth India-EU Business Summit in New Delhi.
 Flare Report Telecom

otorola, Inc.

M announced a special
edition of the new
RAZR2, available in
limited quantities, in
time to celebrate the
holiday season in style. The signature
RAZR2 form factor has been re-imag-
ined and reconfigured in the most luxuri-
ous materials - bathed in gold and
clothed in snake-like skin, and includes
a full suite of features and accessories
for consumers seeking a glamorous
design.
RAZR2 Luxury Edition, equipped
with unique features, is designed for the
Middle Eastern audience keeping the
latest and most desired trends in mind.
The phone has a metallic feel with gold
accents adding to the ultimate finesse of
the device, while the snake skin finish is
sure to entice local and expatriate resi-
dents of the region.
This special edition of RAZR2 comes
complete with a black slate Motorola
H680 Bluetooth headset with 18k gold-
plated accents and also includes in-box.
The New phone comes with up to
approximately eight hours of crisp, clear
talk time and eight days of standby time.
The petite and stylish H680 is the per-
fect companion of style conscious.
A wired stereo headset for music
enjoyment, a matching patent leather
carrying case with mini strap, and a polishing
cloth are also included in box, adding even more
style to a device that delivers the complete mobile
experience. RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is avail-
able in Motorola authorised retail outlets across
UAE.

69
 Internet Flare Report
ome users of the online hangout
S Facebook are complaining that its
two-week-old marketing program
is publicizing their purchases for
friends to see. Those users say
they never noticed a small box
that appears on a corner of their web
browsers following transactions at Fandango,
Overstock and other online retailers. The box
alerts users that information is about to be
shared with Facebook unless they click on
"No Thanks." It disappears after about 20 sec-
onds, after which consent is assumed.
Users are given a second notice the next time
they log on to Facebook, but they can easily
miss it if they quickly click away to visit a
friend's page or check e-mail.
People should be given much more of a
notice, much more of an alert," said Matthew
Helfgott, 20, a college student who discovered
his girlfriend just bought him black leather
gloves from Overstock for Hanukkah. "She
ahoo Inc is offering consumers
Y in Latin America's three
largest markets a set of
mobile Internet search servic-
es, paving the way for network
carrier partners to offer Yahoo
services of their own. Yahoo said that con-
sumers in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico can
point their phone web browsers to
m.yahoo.com to download Yahoo's
OneSearch mobile Internet software, which
features local information in Spanish or
Portuguese languages.
OneSearch offers Internet search on the
first screen that users call up, in contrast to
browsers designed for computer users that
force phone users to navigate through several
screens of links to locate the Web information
they desire.
ow cost computers for poor chil-
L dren worldwide are being mass
produced in China as US non-
profit One Laptop Per Child
strives to deliver on its promise.
The first of the XO laptops being
built at a Quanta Computer facility in
Changshu are destined for Uruguay, marking
a milestone for the charity group founded by
Nicholas Negroponte in Massachusetts two
years ago, BBC reported.
A challenge for the organisation has been
that governments have not backed effusive
words of support with willing flows of cash to
buy laptops for children inside their borders.
For every laptop donated for a child, the
donor gets a laptop. The original price was to
be 100 dollars per laptop but nearly doubled
70
as costs climbed after Negroponte launched
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the social
net's ad plan
The Yahoo service, which
will start out in public test mode
in Latin America, was first intro-
duced in the United States earli-
er this year. It makes mobile
Web search faster and more
relevant by providing links to
local news, financial data,
weather conditions, Flickr pho-
tos, and other Web sites.
These consumer services
are designed to complement
Yahoo's push to partner mobile
operators to feature a set of Yahoo Internet
services on phones they offer their own sub-
scribers.
Earlier, Yahoo struck a deal to deliver such
services to customers of Telefonica SA in sev-
eral European and Latin American markets.
the initiative in 2005.
Telecom firm T-Mobile USA is offering peo-
ple a year of free access to its nearly 8,500
wireless Internet hotspots in the United States
said she had no idea (information would be
shared). She said it invaded her privacy."
Facebook has long prided itself on guarding
its users' privacy, but the walls have gradually
lowered. In 2006, a "news feeds" feature
allowing users to track changes friends make
to profiles backfired when many users
denounced it as stalking and threatened
protests. Facebook quickly apologized and
agreed to let users turn off the feature.
The new program lets companies tap ongoing
conversations by alerting users about friends'
activities through the feeds. About 40 web
sites have decided to embed a free tool from
Facebook, known as a Beacon, to enable the
marketing feeds.
The idea is that if users see a friend buy or do
something, they could take that action as an
endorsement for a movie, a band or a soft
drink. But it also raises privacy concerns.

The deal could eventually cover up to 100 mil-
lion Telefonica phone subscribers.
"You can see this as a precursor for our
partners to deploy it on their side," Marco
Boerries, executive vice president of Yahoo's
Connected Life division, said.

if they become G1G1 donors.
The world's largest video game maker,
Electronic Arts in Northern California, said this
week they are giving the original "SimCity" to
OLPC to put on laptops for free.
XO laptop operating systems are based on
free open-source software. The machines are
designed to use less than a tenth the power
than standard laptops and come with solar or
hand-crank charging options.
XO laptops are billed as a "kids machine"
designed for rugged environments. The com-
puters have built in video and still cameras as
well as wireless Internet connectivity.
By empowering children to educate them-
selves, a new generation will ultimately be
better prepared to tackle the other serious
problems (poverty, malnutrition, disease) fac-
ing their societies.


Life is a bed of roses (with the thorns and minus the
free money), Idea of earning money is gaining momen-
tum by each passing day. Yes, the magical question
everybody is seeking, lets review it here in this article
f you're reading this and desperately
I want to be financially independent,
possibly dream of buying a brand
spanking new BMW, Mercedez or a
huge bungalow, my advise is - just skip
this page. I really have no idea on how
to make so much money online and I believe
not many people has the ability or luck to
achieve that.
Hold on, but that doesn't mean making
some money online is not possible, there is
an old saying and it goes: 'Aim for the stars
and if you fall, you'll fall among the stars.'
Why Blog?
The secret lies in Blogging, blogging is
easiest and most efficient way of making
money online, it is simple, require little skills
and some investment depending on the
choice of blogging platform.
According to research company, one blog
is created every second and that's 86,400 per
day or 31,536,000 per year.
The blog-sphere continues to double about
every 5.5 months and about 13% of all blogs
are updated at least weekly. The main issue is
how long does a blogger blogs before giving
up? A week? One month? According to
research, half of the new blogs become
redundant after just three months.
Most bloggers started out with a good
intention. The secret path to success is the
ability to blogging consistently. It doesn't mat-
ter if no one drops any comments or someone
uses harsh words on you, the ability to main-
tain the momentum and chunk out interesting
articles is the key to success. Most blogs
takes an average of 6 months to build up the
much-needed momentum to leap frog one to
the other stage.
What to Blog?
Here is the real issue, what to blog? There
must be number of people would be interest-
ed in blogging, but they are confused about
what exactly they should blog
Real bloggers that earn big bucks are usu-
ally:

Geeks

With some good knowledge in computers
or web coding

They tend to surf the net for hours

Their knowledge is basically limited to
computers, gadgets and alike
If you happen not to be in those cate-
gories, congratulation! Blogging about com-
puters, gadgets, photography, graphic designs
are an over saturated market, which basically
is a poor decision, the pie is huge but it is
over crowded that it is not even worth fighting
over it.
The ideal topic to blog about is what you
like best, for example, if you happen to be a
girl and you love fashion, go ahead and blog
about it. You need not be a geek to know
about blogging, there are plenty of blogging
tools available online. The only difference
Aamir Attaa
between those free blogging and paid hosting
blogging are better search engine ranking,
which is a plus point.
What NOT to Blog?
Choosing the right topic is crucial; it is like
finding the right soul mate. There are observa-
tions that many bloggers abandon their blogs
due to the lack of interest or simply lack the
idea on what to blog.
There are number of young clueless blog-
gers with no knowledge of what they are blog-
ging about. Never do that! Never blog about
something that you don't know

mesothelioma lawyers

what is mesothelioma

peritoneal mesothelioma

consolidate loans

refinancing mortgage

tax attorney

mesothelioma

car accident lawyer

ameriquest mortgage

mortgage refinance
Above-mentioned are some of the highest
paying keywords in Google Adwords or in any
other contextual advertising program. Sure,
you can plagiarize these articles from
Wikipedia but for how long? The best topic
would be something of your interest, be it
The best topic to blog about is some-
thing of your interest. If you are pas-
sionate about the topic you are blog-
ging, chances are you will never run
out of ideas
music or art that has a niche market in the
digital world. If you're passionate about the
topic you are blogging, chances are you will
never run out of ideas, remember - maintain
the momentum is the key to success.
How to Blog?
Don't worry at all; you don't need any html
skills or web designing knowledge. Blogging is
as easy as 1-2-3. There are few blogging plat-
forms to choose from. The current market
leaders are Blogger, Wordpress and
MoveableType. They are pretty easy to set
up. Here is a brief guide:
Blogger

Free hosting, unlimited bandwidth

300MB hosting space

No unique domain name (e.g. your-
name.blogspot.com)

No plugins, limited features

Central comment center to control spam

Not quite search engine friendly
Wordpress

Freeware, host in your own server

Unique domain name (e.g. www.your-
name.com)

Tons of plugins, lots of feature

Central comment center to control spam

Tons of professional looking templates
Internet

Search engine friendly
Wordpress Online

Free, host in your own server

No unique domain name (e.g. your-
name.wordpress.com)

limited plugins, limited features

Central comment center to control spam

A handful of professional looking templates

Not quite search engine friendly
MoveableType

Freeware, host on your own server

Unique domain name (e.g. www.your-
name.com)

Lots of Plugins

Central comment center to control spam

Tons of professional looking templates

Search engine friendly
For those with no knowledge in computer
or web designing, Blogger.com is the best
platform around for beginners. It requires no
setup and no coding skills. Wordpress and
Moveable Type is the heavy duty version, they
are packed with lots of feature and comes
with some really nice, professional looking
templates. Depending on your budget, if
you've got the money and the desire to blog,
then by all means get a paid hosting and host
your own blog. The plus point in having your
own domain name and hosting server is the
ability to get a better ranking in Google
Search Engine. Most search engines tend to
shy away from free hosting servers. Even
Google ranks blogs from their own
Blogger.com below others that has their own
unique names.
If you are not sure about getting your own
paid hosting plans, I would recommend you to
try out this reliable hosting company 3iX.
What formula do you need?
Determination, this is a very important and
key element in becoming a full time blogger.
To be able to make money out of blogging,
one must be consistent, which means a series
of discipline attitude. Blogging is not as easy
as what it seems, you may have a good
knowledge of computer/html/search engine
tweak but without consistency or determina-
tion, you'll never succeed. You got to have a
willing mind, the passion of learn and the abili-
ty to unlearn. Sometimes it takes more than a
year for a blog to be successful, remember
that if you kept on blogging, eventually you'll
succeed.
06 - What's next?
Diversifying is the key to success, bloggers
that seek a steady flow of income should have
multiple blogs that spread across different
server and topics so as not to put all their
eggs in one basket. Recent years have wit-
ness the addition of a variety of viable adver-
tising options for bloggers. Adsense and blo-
gads advertising and a handfull of other are
the only option available.
My advice is, just start it now. 
71
 IT Shahid Zahid

The STB/gateway paradigm has launched a race of sorts as its manufacturers contest to
stuff as much functionality into it as possible. It has also prompted other companies such
as Motorola and Cisco to get into the technology. As a result STBs are increasingly packing
sophisticated technology
elcos making plans for video serv- replace the STB altogether. it is not an issue, but the point is most people

T ices are already aware that there

will be more to Internet Protocol
Television (IPTV) than the TV bit,
as the Set-Top Box (STB) evolves
from an interface for channel-surf-
ing to a gateway for value added services, from
interactive channels and shopping to Digital
Video Recorders (DVRs) and home networking
hubs that can distribute IPTV services any-
The Media Center Revolution
Little wonder, then, that analyst are bullish
on the media server market. According to ana-
lysts, PC media server market alone will grow
from $37 billion this year to $44.8 billion by
2011. With the arrival of faster in-home digital
networking technologies such as Multimedia
over Coax Alliance (MoCA), an industry-
do not have one now and if a home already
has a PC, the owner is not necessarily going to
go out and replace it with a Media Center PC
just to get IPTV.
STB's have a technological edge in that
they boot up faster, consume less power and
generate less heat and they are less noisy. As
PC gateways require at least one in-built fan,
the noise factor when in operation makes them
where in the home. accepted framework for networked digital not very living room friendly and the noise will
The STB/gateway paradigm has already media distribution in Digital Living Network get worse as the gateway ages, particularly in
launched an arms race of sorts as STB manu- Alliance (DLNA), and the increase in both pay- a dusty living room where dirt particles are
facturers contest to stuff as much functionality TV and Internet content moving over in-home prone to stick to the fan blades.
into STBs as possible. It has also prompted networks, the home media server is becoming Even more crucial, however, is the usability
other companies such as Motorola and Cisco a key beachhead in the digital home. factor. The usability of gateways is marginal at
to get into the STB/gateway. As a result STBs PC aftermarket software and embedded best. Not too many subscribers will be able to
are increasingly packing sophisticated technol- media server middleware will also see serious figure out how to work it, or will be willing to try
ogy. STB for IPTV are really PCs in disguise. growth in that time. According to analysts, ven- to figure it out. Media PCs are high-end
From a hardware standpoint, they are almost dors are developing software that lets con- machines bundled with lots of software. It can
the same thing sold as different products. A sumers create their own media servers, while do what the STB does, but with it you have to
really good quality PC can do what a STB DLNA middleware vendors are creating media go through the pain of actually making it all
does. server software for Original Equipment work. Indeed, one perceived weakness of the
Over the last couple of years, the PC hard- Manufacturers (OEMs) across all media server media server market is that it is a DIY proposi-
ware and software sector has been taking that categories. tion that caters to users who want to piece
notion to heart. The rise of so-called media But while this entire means that media together their own home networks or home
servers and multimedia PCs have sought to servers will play a prominent role in home entertainment centers. The trick is that in a
position PCs as the central media boxes in the entertainment centers and home networks, that world where pay-TV comes with more function-
home, serving not only as Digital Video does not necessarily, mean the STB will be ality than ever, there is far more to building a
Recorders (DVRs) but also video distribu- home network than connecting a DVD play-
tion hubs, enabling users to view their TV er and a game console to the TV set.
shows, movies, digital photos or favorite STBs have a technological edge in For example, CableLabs - the organiza-
YouTube videos anywhere in the home that they boot up faster, consume tion that developed the CableCARD stan-
from one source. Since that logically dard - requires the products as well as the
includes the living room, many companies less power and generate less heat implementation to be certified, killing any
are working on ways to converge the two- DIY aspirations the user might have.
foot/lean-forward PC experience and the
and they are less noisy. As PC gate- Another problem is that the average user
ten-foot/lean-back TV experience. ways require at least one in-built fan, needs to be tech-savvy enough to trou-
This is hardly a new idea. The idea of bleshoot their media server if something
multimedia PCs as home entertainment the noise factor when in operation goes wrong.
hub has been around since at least the makes them not very living room It is always possible that five years form
early 90s. But it has not been until recent- now, consumers will be a lot more tech-
ly, with the arrival of larger, cheaper hard friendly and the noise will get worse savvy about media servers than they are
drives, integrated processors, that the now. The STB right now is more about con-
media server business has finally started
as the PC ages trol of the experience than technology.
to gain traction. Microsoft has been touting Service providers are not thrilled at the
its Media Center PC solution as the future of made obsolete in the process. Media servers idea of people turning their PC into an STB
home entertainment systems, while Intel's lat- have come a long way and promise much, but because it adds complexity to their service.
est cause caliber has been Viiv, a solution that there is still doubt as to how ready they are to They want to have their own STB in the home
promises to allow TV viewers to download deliver an integrated PV/TV experience. because they want to provide an integrated
movies, subscribe to TV shows and create service and environment. They can manage
their own self updating video collection - all of The Pain of Do it Yourself (DIY) the STB and control the services offered on it
which is searchable by keyword, and all of More to the point, a number of IPTV ven- and introduce new ones easily. This is particu-
which can be operated using a TV remote dors maintain that STBs carry far more appeal larly important in terms of delivering customer
instead of a mouse. Apple has similar plans for to service providers than media servers. In satisfaction, which relies on the service working
a PC-TV solution. their current form media gateways can be a end to end.
Where does the STB fit in all this? mass product. For a start, they are expensive. A related issue is control of bandwidth
Depending on whom you ask, the STB may not A PC can cost $300 or so and that does not usage. For example, broadband TV services in
exist in five years. A technology called even include the software license. In compari- developed countries dedicate separate band-
CableCARD intends to make media servers son, an STB these days costs less than $ 100. width within the access loop for broadband
cable-ready, eliminating the need for a cable Media server model puts the burden on the Internet and IPTV, which means that super
STB. Meanwhile, software company Verimatrix end-user to buy the Customer Premises heavy downloads will not impact on the IPTV
is reportedly developing a PC app that will not Equipment (CPE), since IPTV service providers video stream.
only allow IPTV subscribers to watch their TV are not likely to subsidize media servers the
72
channels from any broadband connected PC, way they subsidize STBs. Changing Channels
but could also enable a Media Center PC to If a home already has a media PC, perhaps Of course, there is more to control than

service quality. It is also about competition -
not just in terms of which provider has bet-
ter customer service, but also in the context
of other types of video services for which
PC-based media servers are well-suited,
form video hosting Web sites to peer-to-
peer services. Ever since iTunes showed
there was a market for video downloads,
start-up sites like YouTube and GUBA, as
well as similar video sharing portals run by
Google and Yahoo, have become hot prop-
erties to the point that big-name movie stu-
dios and content owners, who have com-
plained of users posting copyrighted video
clips, are now using these sites to promote
new content.
Fox Entertainment Group is planning to
distribute its videos via sites like MySpace.
GUBA recently announced deals with major
movie studios Warner and Sony to sell and
rent premium movies and TV episodes via
its website. This trend signifies a shift in think-
ing by studios seeking new channels like the
Internet and mobile to distribute content. As
more and more people begin adapting and
adopting mobile communication and mobile
entertainment into their everyday lifestyles,
more studios and content providers will be
looking to these portals as a means of reaching
a larger audience, offering premium content,
with a very positive economy of scale.
Services like GUBA have the advantage of
being established and ready, whereas IPTV
services are only just coming online. It will take
a while before the IPTV technology will be per-
fected and employed throughout residences
and adopted by major telecommunications
companies and in Pakistan Brain
It is an STB world right now, but
service providers are looking at what
other services they can offer or
where the STB handles more than
video. Analysts believe that the pay
TV media server category will be
dominated in the near future by the
medium-term, the STB, while the PC
media server and consumer elec-
tronics categories will flourish as
personal and Internet content media
servers
Telecommunication Private Limited is providing
IPTV using the technique of Fiber To The
Home (FTTH).
If you put the legal issues of certain servic-
es, the popularity of P2P has demonstrated
that people's media consumption habits are
changing in favor of distributed on-demand
video rather than top down model of broadcast,
cable, satellite and even IPTV. P2P is easy to
use and you don't have to set your viewing
schedule to the TV's schedule. It is also
portable and you can download videos onto
your iPod or video device and consume it on
your own terms on the go. P2P is also a scala-
ble and cheap way to distribute video.
It is an STB World
Even so, the rise of video downloads does
IT
not necessarily spell doom for broadcast
video in any format. For one thing, service
providers are already looking for ways to
incorporate the YouTube/P2P trend into
their portfolios. It is an STB world right
now, but service providers are looking at
what other services they can offer or where
the STB handles more than video.
Still the ticket for IPTV to succeed
remains value-add. They have to offer
something that you can not get by another
way. In any case the role of the STB
seems secure for now. Researchers say
that while the media server camp will have
plenty of success stories, they are more
likely for the time being to sit alongside
STBs than supplant them. They believe
that the pay TV media server category will
be dominated in the near future by the
medium-term, the STB, while the PC
media server and consumer electronics
categories will flourish as personal and Internet
content media servers. Put another way, media
servers and STBs will remain two different mar-
ket segments. The Media Center PC is more
like an extended arm of the PC for media
where you will use it for watching DVDs or
movie downloads. It does not have a big role in
IPTV.
There will always be a need for live TV.
Broadcast will still be in demand for things like
news, sports events, concerts and so on, but
the content and the way it's delivered will
change.

The writer is a TV Broadcast & Satellite
Communication Engineer with a National
Broadcaster of Pakistan, ATV
73
 Internet Ahmed Saeed
Search engines are now revamping their business and road maps to adjust to the condi-
tions of the market. Timely data is now as important as gold was a few years back. As a
result, Google and Yahoo are on the verge of a heads on collision regarding human
resources, customer relationship management, data mining processes and an overall
understanding of the international markets
ith a competitive market in
W place kick-starting all
avenues of gathering infor-
mation, search engines
are now revamping their
business and road maps
to adjust to the conditions of the market.
Google and Yahoo are now on the verge of a
heads on collision regarding human resources,
customer relationship management, data min-
ing processes and an overall understanding of
the international markets. Timely data is now
as important as gold was a few years back.
Data alone can become the differentiators in
the market pricing, value, service, and quality
become a close second.
Google has recently launched a strong
campaign hiring graduates from all over the
world to become a part of the Google family.
These young individuals have been globe trot-
ting in searching of new avenues and ventures.
The title of these young cadets is APM,
Assistant Product Managers, who have been
hired by Google to turn each and every stone
to identify exciting and financially savvy ideas.
One can hardly go wrong with the best of
the minds in the world dedicated and equipped
with all the management and financial decision
making that a person only acquires after a
good ten years in the work field. Astonishing
enough, this kind of indecent management
style has given birth to an orchestrated plat-
form of ideas that have surfaced beyond the
imagination of communities. Orkut and Google
maps are just one of the hundreds of exciting
and worth taking ideas from these youngsters
that have embarked on a revolution on its own.
Microsoft is not far behind tracking each
detail of customers and whipping out ideas that
can become trade marks in the evolving cus-
tomer centric applications. It is now a require-
ment of all the big companies to have a strong
hold of their customer base and a direct link
with the users that have not been touched irre-
spective of location, size and economic stature.
Millions of dollars are now being spent to
endorse the critical elements required to meas-
ure customer expectations and volumes of
untapped resources.
Untapped resource is the most horrifying
number that all CEO's dread to even dream
74
about. The internet has enabled the masses to
understand the real picture at hand. Total cus-
tomer base is not now measured by sales
activity alone. Sales forecast is no longer kept
under scrutiny and unpredictable variables
have been almost eliminated. Search engines
are now able to provide a detailed account of
the untapped resources available. For a manu-
facturing plant in Idaho, the owner can now get
a comprehensive analysis of how many cus-
tomers purchase towel all over the world and
what is the overall segment that purchases
them online. The numbers that conclude inter-
net sales are alarming. It is growing at a rate of
Google has recently launched a
strong campaign hiring gradu-
ates from all over the world to
become a part of the Google fam-
ily. Microsoft is tracking each
detail of customers and whipping
out ideas that can become trade
marks in the evolving customer
centric applications
40 percent increase on an annual basis.
This revolution has become a major study
and research intensive segment for the univer-
sities all over the world. Millions of dollars are
now being spent in universities that have a
strong research driven engineering school.
University of Utah, USA students are now get-
ting offers from major software companies for
their research and data mining utilities.
Industrial and manufacturing units are highly
pleasured with the quality of leaders that are
coming forth from these research driven
schools. Engineers now are equipped with
deciphering the current trends in the market
just by searching the online search engine sta-
tistics. University of California has generated
an immense number of start-up entrepreneurs.
It is an evolving revolution in the making. Much
of the business acumen stems from the grow-
ing demands of the masses. Intelligent cus-
tomer centric devices or applications do not
require much of a business case model. Basic
logical stability in searching the heaps of raw
data from the internet is more than sufficient.
Boris Evelson, a Forrester Research
Analyst and lead author on the upcoming study
"It's Time to Reinvent Your BI Strategy", elabo-
rates that companies now need to start
indulging into statistics and vision engineering
prior to getting finances into play regarding IT
software applications, human resources and
even operational purchasing.
Search engines are working very hard for
increasing export from China. Thousands of
factories that are gathered in all the different
segmented areas of China now want a more
comprehensive tool set regarding the cus-
tomers.
With such a blooming economy in place, it
is imperative that the manufacturing giants
have a comprehensive understanding of the
direct customers. An example of this kind of
unique identification is that of the automotive
industry. Companies are now tapping into the
customers directly. According to a recent
report, during the electronics show 2006 in
USA, a good 40 percent of users change their
radios after purchasing their cars. This alone
provides the automotive industry with the cur-
rent user trends and moving forward can equip
cars with the specific music devises that cus-
tomers are willing to add into their vehicles.
Amazing fact is the number of manufactur-
ing units across the world that still does not tap
into the search engine database. The entire
fleet of motorcycles was changed in Korea
which resulted in a revolution in the scooter
industry. The entire fiasco started by simply
understanding what the Korean market wanted.
It was not through the rigid marketing surveys
or the extensive interviews with the current
customer base, but by understanding and
learning from the thousands of search crite-
ria's. The search engines indicated a huge cus-
tomer base searching for faster, reliable trans-
port mechanism. The motorcycle industry was
not catering to this demand. The heavy
engines and big bikes were not what the young
and female population wanted. Scooters
became into style as soon as the Korean
industry figured out the Morris code in the raw
data from the search engines.
In a world where competition means the
elimination of companies thriving to make a dif-
ference, a smarter workflow of inputs will make
all the difference.

 Flare Report Telecom

amsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in the

S mobile phone industry with leadership in design and

technology, announced the launch of `The Metal 5` in
India. The latest Metal 5 is also the World's Slimmest 5
Mega Pixel camera phone. A design icon with high per-
formance camera, The Metal 5 is the latest member of
Samsung's successful Metal Series phones. Made to capture quality
pictures of priceless moments this metallic finish slider phone is a
fusion of design, photography and multimedia.
Commenting on the camera phone market in India Mr. H.C.Ryu,
M.D. Samsung Telecommunications India, said, "There is high con-
sumer demand for gadget convergence in Sub Continent.
Consumers opt for camera phones that are much more convenient
for capturing spontaneous shots. As per an independent study, by
2010 almost one billion camera phones will be sold worldwide. In
India we are witnessing phenomenal growth in the imaging segment
where the market is growing at 6%. Currently one-third of mobile
phones sold in India have built-in camera. Samsung has plans to
launch this model in other countries as well"
He further added that,"with sleek design, the Samsung Metal 5
embodies everything that Indian consumers are seeking in high end
camera phone, in terms of unique compact metallic design and flaw-
less function, appealing to young fashion conscious tech-savvy
enthusiasts."
Bollywood actress Esha Deol, the new brand ambassador of
Samsung, was also present at the launch ceremony.
The actress, who made her debut with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe
and is the daughter of celebrated film couple Hema Malini and
Dharmendra, struck fame with her performance in Dhoom.
The Metal 5 provides complete imaging solutions from image cor-
rection to capturing the widest view with panorama shot. All those
moments can either be viewed on a 2.2" LCD screen with 16 million
colors or played directly on TV with TV Out or wirelessly printed
through Bluetooth printing.
The Metal 5 is also equipped with a host of multimedia features
designed for those on the go. Music lovers will enjoy the embedded
MP3 player and stereo FM radio. The
Bluetooth capabilities in the phone allow
users to enjoy music seamlessly through a
wireless stereo headset. With improved inter-
net browsing, users will also benefit from
NetFront Browser v.3.4, which provides PC-
like browser capabilities on mobile.
The Metal 5 phone is further secured with
revolutionary mobile tracker, emergency SMS
alert and privacy lock that provides peace of
mind to mobile consumer.
Key Features of Samsung Metal 5

Video Player / Recording & Messaging
(H.263 / MPEG4)

Background music animation

FM recording / 3D sound Speakerphone

USB / Bluetooth 2.0 / PictBridge

Bluetooth Stereo Headset supported

Mobile Printing (via Bluetooth)

SMS/ MMS / EMS/ WAP / Group
messaging

Intelligent UI / Expresso GUI

Voice recorder

Netfront browser v 3.4

55MB Internal Memory

Expandable Memory with micro SDT
Flash. Samsung Telecommunications India Managing Director Ryu Hyun Chul, left,
and Bollywood actor Eisha Deol pose with a Samsung Metal 5 mobile phone
75
during its launch in New Delhi.
 Telecom Flare Report

Google has launched new digital "watermarking" technology on YouTube in an

attempt to stop copyrighted movies and TV programmes from appearing on the
popular online video service
alled YouTube Video one and make money from it by using But that only works if someone attempts to

C Identification, the new technolo-

gy has been in development for
months with content partners
including Time Warner and
Disney. Over six hours of video
are uploaded onto YouTube every minute and
since it was bought by Google last year for
$1.65bn (£810m), the site has increasingly
been targeted by media companies who
accuse it of aiding people in breaching copy-
right.
Last March, Viacom, owner of Hollywood
studios Paramount and DreamWorks,
launched a $1bn lawsuit against YouTube for
copyright infringement.
The new technology, launched in "beta
test", allows media companies to send their
content to Google so it can be digitally "fin-
gerprinted" or "watermarked", allowing them
to control what happens if anyone tries to put
all or part of it on YouTube.
Media companies can prevent clips from
or an entire watermarked programme or
movie from ever being uploaded to YouTube;
or they can allow this content to be put on the
site and track how many times it is watched;
or allow their content to be uploaded by any-
Google's advertising platform to place adverts
alongside it.
Google maintains that the technology goes
well beyond its legal requirement for dealing
with copy right material on YouTube.
Find your Copy Righted clip
But the new technology will not deal with
the estimated millions of clips of copyrighted
material already on the website. Media com-
panies will have to follow the traditional route
of finding their copyrighted material and
demanding YouTube remove it.
Google already watermarks copyrighted
clips that media companies want to remove
they cannot be uploaded by someone else.
upload the same clip. The new technology,
however, watermarks an entire movie or TV
programme so none of its can be put on the
site without its legal owner's knowledge.
Anyone trying to put this type of content on
the site will see a warning message telling
them the content's owner has barred it from
YouTube and telling them they can appeal the
ruling if they feel the content is not subject to
copyright.
"Only the rights owner can know whether
their content is available online with their
permission or not - no technology can
replace this," admitted a spokesman for
YouTube. "But what technology can do is
make it easier for rights owners to express
their decisions about how their content is
used online."
"This is what we have built - a simpler
way for rights owners to express their con-
tent policies. This means that rights owners
who want to use and help us refine our
video ID system will be providing the neces-
sary information to help us identify their work,
and what they have done when that recogni-
tion happens. We aim to make that process
as convenient as possible."

The new 256-slice CT machine can

produce 3D body images of
unprecedented clarity while reduc-
ing radiation by as much as 80%. It
seems to be another step beyond
what we were previously able to
do. In the case of cancer, it will help
us see how far it has spread

new scanner has been unveiled which takes large and is also designed to reduce patients' exposure to X-rays and It is so

A numbers of X-ray pictures, and combines them using

computer technology to produce the final detailed
images. It also generates images in a fraction of the
time of other scanners: a full body scan takes less than
a minute. The Philips machine was unveiled at the
Radiological Society of North America. Because the images are 3D
they can be rotated and viewed from different directions - giving doc-
tors the greatest possible help in looking for signs of abnormalities or
disease.
All images also can be accessed on any computer in a hospital or
by colleagues and researchers remotely, to make it easier for the
whole team to share information. The scan is much quicker than cur-
rent technology, as the machine's X-ray emitting gantry - the giant ring-
shaped part that surrounds the patient - can rotate four times in a sin-
gle second - 22% faster than current systems.
The cost of the equipment - known as the Brilliance CT - is unclear.
At present, it is only being used in one hospital:
76
"This scanner allows radiologists to produce high quality images
powerful it can capture an image of the entire heart in just two beats "
Steve Rusckowski, chief executive of Philips Medical Systems, said.
The record company EMI was behind the first commercially viable
CT scanner, which was invented by Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield in
Hayes, United Kingdom at the company's laboratories and unveiled in
1972.
At the same time, Allan McLeod Cormack of Tufts University inde-
pendently invented a similar machine, and the two men shared the
1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Experts say that this is a quantum shift from the first CT scanners
as it gives a lot more detail. It seems to be another step beyond what
we were previously able to do. The high resolution enables you to see
smaller things in both the lungs and the airways and then decide
whether there is anything there and how best to get at it. In the case of
cancer, it will help us see how far it has spread. It will also help us pick
up new patterns of abnormality. It promises to be a significant
advance.

Informative

77
 Chief of Army Staff and Pro-Chancellor General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani giving away the degrees among the successful students during the 5th
Postgraduate Convocation of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).

Visitors play a video game at the India Gaming Summit 2007, in Mumbai, India. Sony Online School children view the exhibits inside the 'Science Express' at the Jammu railway
Entertainment LLC plans to set up a development studio in India for online games that would station in Jammu. The 'Science Express', a unique train exhibition specially designed
have local content and a local partner, a company official said. to arouse the curiosity of youth in the field of science and technology.

A clock at a Siemens AG office building indicates "five minutes after twelve" in Erlangen, Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh, center, is briefed on a mobile
southern Germany. German telecommunications giant Siemens AG paid about 17.5 million phone by an unidentified LG Electronic Inc.'s employee as LG Electronic Inc. vice
dollars (12 million euros) in bribes to government and industry officials in chairman Nam Yong, right, looks on during Manh's visit to the LG Electronics Inc.
Nigeria, Russia and Libya in a bid to win contracts. factory in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, South Korea.

Two-legged "e-nuvo Walk" Verstion 3 robot kicks a ball during a press preview in Tokyo. Robots for Japan's largest industrial robot maker Yasukawa Electric, beat a drum at
ZMP of Japan began selling the walking robot that runs on Microsoft's new robotics software the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Some 200 companies and more than 50
a product the companies said will make it easier to transfer technology from one robot to organisations from Japan and abroad took part in the 2007 International Robot
78 another. Exhibition in Tokyo, one of the world's largest robot shows.
 Event
Telenor Pakistan, in collaboration with Rafi Peer Theater Workshop, present-
ed one of the biggest events of Asia in Lahore. The event provided a fair
amount of fun to the audiences as over 1000 international artists from all
over the world performed during affair
elenor Pakistan and
T Rafi Peer Theater
Workshop (RPTW)
jointly presented
Asia's biggest festi-
val, 'World
Performing Arts Festival 2007'.
The event was held at Alhamra
Cultural Complex, Lahore from
22nd November to 2nd
December, 2007. Over 1000
international artists from different
counties performed in various
events of music, drama, film, the-
ater and puppetry.
The aim of the festival was to
promote culture as a fundamental
dimension of contemporary life at
all levels. The festival highlighted
the fundamental role of the arts
as cultural expression necessary
for human development, the
economy, the creation of new
educational partners and the cul-
tivation of diversity.
The idea for the World
Performing Arts Festival took root
in 1992, in the form of a simple
puppet festival. Since then it has
grown into the largest and most
exciting cultural event to take
place each year in Lahore. It
incorporates every important
mode of creative expression, be it
dance, theater, puppetry, music,
or film, and grants each country a
space in which to shine. This
80 year the countries from five conti-
Flare Report
nents (Asia, America, Europe,
Africa, and Australia) participated
in the festival.
Over the years, consistent
efforts and hard work has gone
into making this Festival possible.
Today, it is the largest Festival of
its kind in South East Asia.
Enjoying overwhelming support
from diverse audiences, it is also
one of the leading events of cul-
tural and artistic exchange
between the East and the West.
This year the festival featured
more than 1000 performers hail-
ing from near 50 countries.
Diverse musical genres such as
Telenor Pakistan and Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop presented 'World Performing Arts Festival World Music, African, Rock, Pop,
2007' at Alhamra Cultural Complex Lahore. Sigvart Voss Erikssen, Chief Marketing Officer
Telenor and Azeem ul Haq, Director Marketing Telenor are watching the performance of artists Folk, Jazz, Sufi Soul, and Fusion
were presented during the event.
Theatre traditions from various
cultural origins were on display.
Performances in both classical
and modern dance styles were
conducted. Puppeteers from all
over the world entertained and
educate the audience with their
skills and creativity. An intensive
cinematic experience was deliv-
ered to the audience through fea-
ture films, short films and docu-
mentaries, from different coun-
tries.
The festival provided a strong
platform, away from the West, for
artists from all over the world to
meet and fight for a better society
through diversity of culture. It also
 Event
ater, and dance show-
cases were dominated
by international groups
this year. The puppetry
segment including a
new performance style
called "object theater."
The segment, as a
whole, included 13
performance groups,
of which 11 were inter-
national. The theater
portion of the festival
featured 16 interna-
tional and five local
groups, while the
dance line-up included
six international and
three local groups.
The festival was
screen over 58 films,
ranging from feature
films to documen-
taries, short films, and
telefilms, originating
from 13 countries.
Foreign media guests
included Govind
Nihalani, Sudhir Misra,
and members of Film
Trust India were pres-
ent in the event.
Irfan Wahab Khan,
Executive Vice
President Telenor
Pakistan, while com-
menting on the part-
nership between
Pakistan's largest cre-
ative arts group and
the fastest growing
mobile company, said,
"Telenor Pakistan has
worked with Rafi Peer
Theater Workshop to
further expand the fes-
tival because it offers
so much. We get to
contribute to the inter-
national appreciation
of the richness of our
culture. We create
opportunities for
upcoming Pakistani
talent and experienced
folk performers to
reach out to interna-
tional audiences. We
get to host artists who
will act as cultural ambassadors for
Telenor, Pakistan's third largest Pakistan in their own countries. Such a
creative platform is the need of our soci-
cellular operator with over 12.5 ety and aligns well with Telenor
million subscribers, is fulfilling its Pakistan's aim to promote our culture as
something that binds us together across
social responsibility in a right distances."
CEO Peer Group, Usman Peerzada,
manner by promoting various pleased to continue his partnership with
activities in the country Telenor Pakistan, said, "Over the years,
the World Performing Arts Festival has
experienced tremendous growth along-
gave them a chance to understand this region
side enjoying international media coverage. In
and develop relationships with the artists here.
the year 2007, Rafi Peer Theater Workshop
A natural outcome of this exchange will be a
with Telenor Pakistan, will reach newer heights.
more informed dialogue between cultures and
The festival has traveled a long journey to
the potential for further peaceful collaborations
reach its twenty-sixth edition and become the
between countries.
biggest showcase of performing arts in Asia. It
The festival presented a range of art forms
is the only independent event of such magni-
in over a hundred performances. The music
tude in the region, serving to put Pakistan firm-
showcase featured a different genre of music
ly on the cultural world map, year after year."

each night: World Music, Rock, Pop, Mystic
Soul, Ghazal, and Classical. The puppetry, the- 81
 Event Flare Report
Warid is making seri-
ous efforts to bring
overlooked game and
plzyers in to light. Its
initiatives will per-
suade other companies
to take interest in the
elevation of the low
profile games of the
country The final match of WISPA event in Pakistan Open Squash Championship
at Mushaf Squash Complex between Chritina Mak & Donna Urquhart.
arid Telecom, a sub-
W sidiary of Abu Dhabi
group and rapidly
growing cellular net-
work of the country,
sponsored Pakistan
Open Squash Championship 2007. The
event, held at the Mushaf Ali Mir Squash
Complex Islamabad, included men's and
women's events. Produce
Male participants of the championship
took part in the qualifying round, while the
women's event, which was staged for the
first time ever in the history of Pakistan
Open, did not include qualifying round due
to low number of entries. World number 13
Stewart Boswell from Australia was the top
seed while world number 16 Mohd Azlan
Iskandar from Malaysia occupies second
place of the international showpiece. Five
Pakistanis - Mansoor Zaman, Aamir Atlas
Khan, Farhan Mehboob, Shahid Zaman
and Yasir Butt were already in the main
round as Yasir got a wild card entry in the
championship. Around $ 77,000 prize
money was distributed among the men
and $11,000 among the women players.
The championship was little bit discol-
ored as most of the international players
refused to play due to the imposition of the
emergency in the country. But eventually
the event reached a safe and secure con-
clusion.
Aamir Atlas of Pakistan and Christina
Mak of Hong Kong lifted the men's and
women's titles respectively. Aamir Atlas
overcame the more-experienced Mansoor
Zaman in straight games to win the title of
Pakistan Open Squash Championship.
Christina thrashed Donna Urquhart of
Australia 3-1 in the final to win the
women's crown of the championship. Dr
Shamshad Akhtar, Governor State Bank of
Pakistan was the chief guest and distrib-
uted the prizes and trophies among the
women.
Gen. Tariq Majeed, Chairman Joint
82
Chiefs of Staff Committee, was the Chief
Governor State Bank Shamshad Akhtar poses for a group photo with the finalists
of WISPA/Pakistan Open Squash Championship at Mushaf Squash Complex.
Guest at the men's final. Air Chief Marshal
Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, President
Pakistan Squash Federation, Mr Farrukh
Hayat GM Sales Warid Telecom, and AVM
Asim Suleiman Senior Vice President,
PSF, were also present on the occasion
and awarded trophies to the winners and
runners up.
Mr. Omer Haider, G.M. Government
and Regulatory Affairs Warid, said "Warid
is aiming to promote various sports in the
country as its social responsibility. We
want to see Pakistan achieve the glory it
had in the past in the game of squash at Ms. Christina Mak from Hong Kong receiving the winners trophy from Governor
international circuit. We believe our efforts State bank Shamshad Akhter after winning the final of WISPA Pakistan Open
will definitely bring fruits and a clear differ- Squash Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash Complex.
ence will be seen in the future."
Pakistan dominated the squash world
for staggering four decades and the stun-
ning exploits of their gifted players like
Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan had left
even their opponents marveling in awe at
the prowess of the country's talent, but
today the story is entirely different. The
standard of squash has nose-dived dra-
matically and all that is happening despite
a perceptible increase in the infrastructure
for the game.
One of the main reasons behind the
debacle of squash is the lack of incentives
for the players. Very few companies are General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee giving away the
contributing to sponsor the game and play- winning trophy to Aamir Atlas after a final of WISPA Pakistan Open Squash
Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash Complex.
ers. Sponsorship plays a very critical role
in the promotion of a game. They not only
bring the foreign investments in the coun-
try but also contribute to the game by initi-
ating different incentives for players.
Warid telecom is playing a very active
role to promote various games in the
country. The company is making efforts to
bring the ignored games into light and
raise Pakistani players to the international
arena. The company is determined to take
more measures to bring more games and
players to the light in the future. This initia-
tive will persuade other companies to take
interest in the elevation of the low profile Aamir Atlas and Mansoor Zaman struggling to get hold on the ball during the final
of WISPA Pakistan Open Squash Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash
games of the country.
Complex.
 Internet
ndia's fastest-growing telecom provider, Tata
I Teleservices and Opera Software has announced
that the upcoming BREW-enables handsets will
get access to Opera Mini. This revolutionary
browser is expected to be available first on the
Huawei C2900i, a mass market BREW-enabled
handset. With the Opera Mini, Opera Software marks a
vibrant entry into the Indian market. Tata Teleservices
also provides an access to Internet in local languages
such as Hindi.
The world's popular mobile web browser allows
mobile owners to access the entire web and surf their
favorite websites, mobile blogging and social networking. It also bun-
dles bookmarks, secure access to e-mail and online banking to offer
Web content to everyday mobile phones.
The Indian telecom industry watchdog, the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) remarked that the number of Indian customers
who connects the Internet through Mobile phones has more than dou-
apanese electronics giant Hitachi unveiled
J the company's new humanoid robot
"EMIEW 2" (Excellent Mobility and
Interactive Existence as Workmate)
equipped with the world's first convertible
legs. The new toddler-like robot rolled
around and waved in a demonstration, only to
crash into a desk -- highlighting the hurdles robots
must overcome to become real-life partners.
Never that the 80cm tall, 13kg machine could
scoot on two wheels, get on its knees to move on
four wheels and even lift its foot 3cm to step over
thresholds and bumps.
The red and white robot, designed to work as a
guide and run errands in offices, was not prepared
for the jam of lunch-break wireless and Internet
ietnam and US aircraft
V maker Boeing have
signed deals for twelve
787-8 Dreamliners to help
the state-run carrier mod-
ernise its fleet and meet
surging air travel demand. Vietnam
Airlines agreed to buy four of the large
passenger jets and the newly formed
Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company
(VALC) will buy eight of the twin-aisle air-
crafts to lease out to the airline.
VALC said the eight planes it bought,
to be delivered from 2016 onward, would
cost a combined 1.4 billion dollars, put-
ting the total price tag for the 12 aircraft at
about 2.1 billion dollars.
Boeing's Vice chairman Stanley Alan Dean (R, sitting) and Vietnam Airlines' Deputy
The first of four 787s ordered under a Director General Pham Ngoc Minh (L, sitting) sign a Boeing 787 aircraft purchase
previous deal are due to be delivered by agreement as Boeing's Chairman Scott Edward Carson (2nd R, standing) and
late 2009, and Vietnam Airlines plans to Vietnamese Minister for Plan and Investments Vo Hong Phuc (3rd R, standing) look
operate a total of 20 Dreamliners by
2015, and 28 by 2020, the airline said in
a statement.
"The 787 Dreamliner will enable Vietnam Airlines to better match air- ment's official website.

84 plane capabilities with market expectations and demands as the airline
bled in just about a year - to 38 million from 16 million.
"We are bringing the world's best mobile Web brows-
ing experience to India and are the first operator to
enable this experience for Indian consumers. Mobile Web
on affordable mobile devices will open up the power of
the Internet to a huge base of consumers, in a language
of their choice." said Pankaj Sethi, President, VAS &
Enterprise Marketing, Tata Teleservices Ltd.
"India continues to be an important market for Opera
and we are excited to partner with Tata Teleservices to
offer the full power of the Internet to mobile users in India.
The new Opera Mini on BREW solution clearly demon-
strates our vision and commitment to provide an outstanding Web
browsing experience on mobile phones to customers in India," com-
mented Jon von Tetzchner, Chief Executive Officer, Opera Software.
Research studies conducted by Gartner explained that India's mobile
phone market is expected to reach more than 18 per cent in the next
five years.

traffic at Hitachi Ltd's research center and
smashed into a desk right in the middle of a
demonstration. A demonstrator reached out in the
nick of time to catch the robot by its winglike han-
dles before it toppled over.
Robots now mostly used as industrial machin-
ery and entertainment gadgets. But Hitachi's new
robot is the latest attempt by several Japanese
companies to develop one that can play roles as
assistants in daily life. Engineers are working
hard to create robots that run smoothly and safe-
ly so that people are not hurt.
Japan among the world's leaders in robotics,
and the government is pushing major companies
like Hitachi to develop robots for practical use.

expands ...to include North
America and new European
and Asian destinations," said
Michael Fleming, Boeing's
senior sales director for the
Asia Pacific region.
Communist-ruled Vietnam
has also agreed to buy 10
Airbus A350-900XWBs and
20 A321s in a deal that is set
to be finalised by the end of
this year.
Air travel is taking off in
the country of 84 million --
which has seen tourism and
business travel surge amid
over 8 percent annual eco-
nomic growth last year -- and
foreign airlines and budget
carriers are flocking to
on in Hanoi. Vietnam.
The aviation sector is now
growing at 11.7 percent a year, according to a statement on the govern-

ost Americans think
M they are helping the
earth when they
recycle their old com-
puters, televisions
and cell phones. But
chances are that they contribute to a
global trade in electronic trash that pol-
lutes the environment overseas.
While there are no precise figures,
activists estimate that 50 percent to 80
percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons
of electronics collected for recycling in
the United States each year ends up
overseas. Workers in countries such as
China, India and Nigeria then use ham-
mers, gas burners and their bare hands Heaps of electronic waste lie at a dumping site.
to extract metals, glass and other recyclables.
"It is being recycled, in the most horrific way you can imagine," said
Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environ-
mental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving
our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."
The problem could get worse. Most of the 2 million tons of old elec-
tronics discarded annually by Americans goes to U.S. landfills, accord-
ill Gates, chairman of Microsoft
B Corp., announced that Microsoft
will donate developer software to
all National Society of Black
Engineers (NSBE) educational
chapters in the United States.
The announcement was made during Gates'
keynote speech at the NSBE Region VI Fall
Regional Conference, sponsored by Microsoft.
The software grant provides NSBE educa-
tional chapters with a three-year membership
subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network
Academic Alliance. Through the memberships,
faculty and student NSBE chapter members will
have access to more than 100 Microsoft soft-
ware products. Key software includes develop-
ment and design tools such as Microsoft Visual
Studio; client and server operating system plat-
forms such as Microsoft Windows Server and
Windows Vista; and platform servers such as
Microsoft SQL Server.
"Microsoft and the National Society of Black
Engineers have many common goals, including
Chinese knock off
Americans in Digital
Self-Expression
illions of young Chinese are embracing the Internet
M as a discreet space for their thoughts and emotions,
according to a survey of Chinese and American
youth released by IAC, which operates businesses
in sectors being transformed by the Internet, and
JWT, the fourth largest advertising agency network
in the world. The findings show how eagerly young Chinese are taking
to the Internet and its possibilities-for example, almost five times as
many Chinese as American respondents said they have a parallel life
Internet
ing to U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency data. But a growing number of
states are banning such waste from
landfills, which could drive more waste
into the recycling stream and fuel
exports, activists say.
Many brokers claim they are simply
exporting used equipment for reuse in
poor countries. That's what happened
in September, when customs officials in
Hong Kong were tipped off by environ-
mentalists and intercepted two freight
containers. They cracked the contain-
ers open and found hundreds of old
computer monitors and televisions dis-
carded by Americans thousands of
miles away.
Activists complain that most exporters do not test units to make sure
they work before sending them overseas.
"Reuse is the new excuse. It's the new passport to export," said.
"Other countries are facing this glut of exported used equipment under
the pretext that it is all going to be reused."

a passion to attract more African-American
students to enter science, technology, engi-
neering and math fields," said Carl Mack,
executive director of the NSBE. "We are
thrilled that Microsoft will help our students
reach their goals by providing them with the
latest developer software."
Also during his keynote address, Gates
spoke about the opportunities for African-
American students entering U.S. engineer-
ing careers and the importance of diversity
in the technology field. This grant, he said,
is part of Microsoft's overall efforts to pro-
vide minorities with the tools necessary to
be the IT leaders of tomorrow.
NSBE and its members have long rec-
ognized the company's diversity efforts.
Microsoft was recently named NSBE's Most
Preferred Employer. NSBE praised
Microsoft for its career advancement oppor-
tunities, job security, work-life balance,
interesting work and availability of intern-
ships.

online (61 percent vs. 13 percent).
And while less than half of the 1,079 American respondents agreed
that "I live some of my life online" (42 percent), a sizable majority of the
1,104 Chinese respondents agreed with the statement (86 percent).
The two random online surveys polled 16- to 25-year-olds. The "Young
Digital Mavens" study aimed to explore how attitudes toward digital
technology are changing among Chinese and American youth at a time
when people are spending less time with traditional media and more
with interactive technology.
The study found that while a large majority of youth in both countries
now feels dependent on digital technology, this attitude is especially
pronounced in China. As many as 80 percent of Chinese respondents
agreed that "Digital technology is an essential part of how I live", as
compared to 68 percent of Americans.
The Internet is such a vital part of life for Chinese youth that they are
twice as likely as young Americans to say they would not feel OK going
without Internet access for more than a day (25 percent vs. 12 percent).
And more than twice as many Chinese youth admitted they sometimes
feel "addicted" to living online: 42 percent vs. 18 percent of Americans.
85
 Internet

oogle released upgraded mapping displays a map of the area with a blue circle pin-

G software that figures out the gen-

eral vicinity a mobile telephone is
in based on which transmission
tower it is using. The beta or test
version of new Google Maps for
mobile software lets mobile phone users choose
from options including seeing satellite views of
their locales, getting directions and finding nearby
businesses.
Unlike other mapping devices, Google's new
tracking feature can display a phone's location
without the user entering an address.
"While some people are lucky enough to have
GPS-enabled mobile phones that provide loca-
tion information ... the vast majority of us are
not." Google mobile team engineer Mike Chu
wrote in a posting on the company's website.
The revamped mapping software enables
mobile telephones linked to the Internet to simu-
late GPS (global positioning system) tracking,
which uses orbiting satellites.
The free Google Maps version 2.0 comes with a "My Location" fea- millions of people in more than 20 countries.

ture that determines which cell tower a mobile telephone is using and
pointing the spot.
A search for "cafes" in the area resulted in a list
of coffee houses along with directions on request.
"We have all been there," Chu wrote. "You are
out and about, and you need to figure out where
you are, what is around you, and how to get there."
Google says its location tracking service is
faster than GPS, uses less battery power and is
more reliable indoors where architecture some-
times interferes with satellite signals.
In an effort to pre-empt concerns regarding pri-
vacy, Google says it is not gathering "any personal-
ly identifiable information" or data that could reveal
The software is unique as unlike particular users' whereabouts. The My Location
other mapping devices this feature can be disabled by users.
My Location software works on most of the
tracking feature can display a Internet-enabled smart phones including
phone's location without enter- BlackBerry models, newer Sony Ericsson devices,
some Symbian and Motorola phones.
ing an address Google says its mobile mapping software,
which debuted in the US in late 2005, is used by

he music business has been in decline for the last seven

T years. CDs are not selling in the numbers they used to,
which is a worry for the record industry as well as retail-
ers. The online revolution took the record industry by sur-
prise and it has been playing catch-up ever since. "I think
the music industry has to accept its fair share of the
blame for not acting quickly enough to digital music," said Adam
Benzine from Music Week magazine.
The recording industry is finally hitting back and mobile phones are
leading the charge. CD sales might be tumbling but digital music sales
are steadily increasing. Unfortunately digital growth only accounts for a
tenth of overall music sales, so they are still not making up for the
shortfall generated by CDs.
There is one territory, which is bucking this trend though. Digital
music sales in Japan are sufficient to offset the loss made by CDs. In The biggest hurdle that mobile music companies currently face is
fact, Japan saw a 1% rise in music sales last year. Industry observers that it is just not easy enough to buy music on the mobile phone.
attribute this rise to mobile music downloads. Globally, various mobile music stores have launched; the UK has seen
Downloading via mobile offers the user the ability to browse a three launch in recent weeks.
store's back catalogue, purchase and download music all via a mobile Generating more hype than the average Hollywood blockbuster,
phone while on the move, cutting out the need to download songs Apple's iPhone downloads songs using wi-fi from its already successful
using a computer. iTunes store.

Microsoft Corp said has that it expects strong growth in Asia's IT
sector to more than double headcount for its customer service centre in
the region in five years time. Wing-Dar Ker, general manager for
Microsoft Customer Service and Support in the Asia-Pacific and
Greater China region, said that the centre currently has around 850
staff. "We have huge growth across the board, not only just in China
but all across Asia as well,"
With rapid growth, of course the need for services will come along.
The centre, founded in 1997, offers technical support to customers in
86
Mainland China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. While the
majority of the staff is located at its Shanghai headquarters, the centre
also has offices in Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Southeast Asia,
Australia and New Zealand.
The centre also offers training to Chinese information technology
employees, and works with 400 to 500 outsourcing agents in the Asia-
Pacific region. According to research firm Gartner, the information tech-
nology services market is set to grow 8.7 per cent globally to more
than $730 billion this year.

 National

ICT Growing Fast, Chairman PTA tell Worlds Conference

Chairman Pakistan of Center of Excellence (CoE) at
Telecommunication Authority Pakistan and planned courses for
(PTA) Maj. Gen. Shahazada Alam the year 2008.
Malik (Retd) met Dr Hamadoun The Secretary General
Touré, Secretary-General expressed his great confidence on
International Telecommunication telecom development capacities in
Union (ITU) and Houlin Zhao Pakistan and acknowledged these
Deputy Secretary-General, ITU at achievements as remarkable. He
ITU Tower World Radio mentioned that Pakistan can be
Conference 2007 in Geneva, presented as a role model and
Switzerland. The meeting was ITU will plan a case study on the
aimed to apprise the Secretary subject as a part of activities under
General on developments in tele- Telecommunication Development
com sector and international activ- Bureau.
ities of Pakistan especially with Chairman reaffirmed full sup-
reference to ITU, and to seek port of PTA and Government of
assistance of ITU in development Pakistan and its activities particu-
of telecom sector of Pakistan. larly focus on its role in develop-
Chairman PTA briefed Chairman PTA, Maj. Gen (R) Shahzada Alam Malik and Executive President National
ment of the developing countries'
Secretary Gen regarding latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt Dr. Amr Badavi signing a Memorandum of under- networks. The meeting was
developments in telecom sector standing (MoU) to increase the mutul cooperation between two Authorities. Ambassador of acknowledged beneficial for both
comprising of mobile growth, suc- Pakistan to the United Nation Mr. Masood Khan is also present the parties.
cessful MNP implementation, WLL It is pertinent to mention here
success story, rural PCOs under President Rozgar Scheme, USF fund, that World Radio Conference was held after four years and it dealt with
R&D Fund and issues related to mutual interest. Chairman further Radio Communication and Spectrum issues and was attended by 200
informed regarding capacity developed at PTA in the deregulation member countries. Chairman PTA participated as member Radio
process and consultancy provided by PTA at international level to Regulation Board - an elected body within ITU consisting of 12 mem-
Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea etc. bers from all parts of the world.

Chairman explained the Secretary Gen. regarding successful operation

Mobilink Launches Lifetime Validity IT Minister Dr. Abdullah Riar

Mobilink has announced the launch of
another innovative feature 'Lifetime Validity' visits NTC
for its entire JAZZ customer base. The The Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Dr Abdullah Riar
prepaid market has always had the dilem- visited National Telecom Corporation Head Quarters and
ma of scratch card validities with cus- addressed the NTC officers at concluding day of the first ever
tomers worrying about their credit/connec- conference for 1st quarter of performance review 2007-8.
tion expiring. The Minister was apprised about the progress of the corpora-
Now their validity is dependent on tion, its completed and ongoing projects as well as future
usage as opposed to recharge, hence
JAZZ customers will not have to worry
about their connections or scratch cards
expiring. With just one phone call or SMS,
customers can keep their connections
active, providing them with complete free-
dom and convenience.
Akbar Khan, Head of Brands, said,
"Our JAZZ Customers are the backbone of
the company. Their loyalty and determina-
tion get due recognition from Mobilink,
keeping in view their changing lifestyle and
aspirations as the focal point we have launched JAZZ lifetime validity, bringing
A group photograph of Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology Dr.
peace of mind to their day to day communication requirements. It is a new Abdullah Riar during the inauguration of video conferencing facility by National
feature in the telecom sector, where customers will now be able to keep their Telecom. Corporation (NTC).
Jazz connections active forever."
schemes. Dr. Abdullah congratulated NTC management and
staff on overall good performance and achievements.
The test launch of the video conferencing project was under-
taken by the IT Minister -one of the recently completed projects
of video conferencing setup for government including 14 VVIPs
sites established in Islamabad and Provincial HQs at Karachi ,
Lahore , Quetta and Peshawar - all interlinked with Islamabad .
The Network has been setup at a cost of Rs.20 Million.
Dr.Abdullah had interactive sessions with Dy. Chairman
Planning Commission Dr. Akram Skeikh and Mr. Hifz-ur-
Rehman, Secretary IT. Dr. Abdullah Riar hailed the project and
urged that it should be extended to other Ministries as well.
The Video Conferencing systems have been installed at the
Presidency, President's Camp Office, Prime Minister's
Secretariat, Planning Commission, Ministry of IT, Governors and
Chief Minister's offices in all the four provinces. Objective of the
project is to provide visual communication means for the VVIPs,
with a view to enhance security and efficient communication.
After presentation on NTC performance, the Minister distrib-
uted Certificates of Excellence among the best performers of the
Corporation and congratulated the newly promoted officers to
BPS-19. Chairman NTC and Member Telecom, MoIT, Mr. Noor-
ud-Din Baqai accompanied the Minister during the visit.

PABBF Secretary Syed Ashraf Ali Shah and Col (R) Naseem Butt Secretary Federation address-
88 ing a press conference for the up coming National Women’s Basket Ball Championship 2007.
 National

Soomro Lauds Progress of Telecom Sector

Caretaker Prime Minister
Mohammadmian Soomro has said
that as a result of government's
policies of deregulation, privatiza-
tion and liberalization, the telecom
sector has attracted record invest-
ments and this sector has become
a major employer of skilled jobs as
its exponential growth has resulted
in creation of thousands of jobs.
The prime minister said this while
talking to the CEO PTCL Mr. Walid
Irshaid, who called on him at the
prime minister's secretariat.
The prime minister said that
systematic and sustained imple-
mentation and management efforts
by the government has totally trans-
formed and modernised the telecom sector. He added it is not often
realised that access to telecom services gives a sense of pride and
confidence to the people as it
provides instant connectivity
across the country and the world.
CEO PTCL Mr. Walid Irshaid
said that the economic stability
achieved by Pakistan has created
a conducive atmosphere for
investment. He said efforts are
underway to transform PTCL into
a world-class company and it will
bring expansion in areas of fixed
liens, cellular phones, broadband,
domestic and long distance calls.
PTCL, managed by Etisalat, a
UAE based telecom group, is the
largest telecom operator in the
CEO, PTCL, Mr. Walid Irshad called on Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Mian country. Etisalat has expanded its
Somroo at PM secretariat Islamabad operations in the Middle East and
Africa with a vision to become one of the top ten-telecom service
providers in the global market by the year 2010.

Motorola and Mobilink Sign Accord

Motorola, Inc has announced an agree-
ment with Mobilink to deploy a WiMAX
802.16e-2005-access network in Pakistan.
Under the terms of the agreement,
Motorola will design, plan, deploy and opti-
mize a WiMAX network for Mobilink, deliv-
er integration and support services as well
as indoor and outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE) units to enable
faster adoption of the operator's WiMAX offering.
"As we adopt new technologies to meet evolving customer needs, we
wanted to work with a trusted wireless broadband solutions provider. Motorola
was a natural choice to support us in designing and deploying our 802.16e
WiMAX network in Pakistan to offer our growing customer base next-genera-
tion broadband services," said Mobilink's President and Chief Executive
Officer Zouhair A Khaliq.
"Today's announcement with Mobilink and Orascom Telecom for WiMAX As a continuous policy of warid Telecom encouraging employee's sports activi-
highlights both the long-term viability of this solution and the vibrancy of ties, 2nd Inter-departmental tape ball cricket tournament. GM HR and
Pakistan's communications sector. We are proud to be building on our long Administration is handing over the trophy to the winner of the finals.
relationship with Mobilink in Pakistan with the deployment of WiMAX," said Ali
Amer, Vice President of the Sales, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Motorola
Home and Networks Mobility.
IGI Securities Offer SMS
The benefits of the WiMAX network to Mobilink's customer base will
include rapid broadband access in geographic areas where broadband cover- Service to Investors
age was not previously available. WiMAX is anticipated to offer affordable
IGI Securities has announced to introduce an SMS service
broadband as well as a convenient end-user solution with unified pre-paid
that will instantly confirm any trading transactions made by
billing.

investors - anytime and anywhere. Whether they buy or sell,
investors will be able to validate their trade, almost immediately
PSEB Promoting Entrepreneurial after they make their transaction.
Investors can avail of this new SMS service by enrolling their

Culture in IT cell phone numbers on the IGI Securities website, calling the toll
free call centre or by simply giving instructions while opening a
trading account with IGI Securities.
Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is launching various initiatives to
This new service will provide investors with the peace of mind
facilitate access to venture capital, strengthening the
that their trading transactions have been executed, whether they
equity base of IT companies and promoting world class
are trading through a broker or an online internet trading system
entrepreneurial culture in the IT industry.
like I-Trade. IGI Securities Limited is determined to become the
The projects are aimed at raising the fast track devel-
leading brokerage firm in Pakistan by providing innovative servic-
opment and robust growth of the Pakistan's IT industry.
es. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of IGI Investment
One such Programme, the PSEB's Entrepreneurship
Bank and a part of the IGI Financial Services Group which offer
Project has been initiated to provide consultancy, on due
services including Investment Banking, Insurance, Brokerage
diligence, to selected IT companies with the objective of
and Asset Management.

qualifying them for Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Currently, out of over 1082 IT companies in Pakistan,
only two companies are listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange. 'To get more companies listed, as envisioned under the project, PSEB would sub-
sidise its consultancy by 75 per cent while selected companies would bear the remaining 25 per cent of the consultancy fee', a spokesman of
PSEB said in a statement.
In order to facilitate access to venture capital, PSEB would facilitate entrepreneurs in getting venture capital funding through vetting business
plans and establishing linkages with Angel, VC, Private Equity, Public and Multilateral funding organisations.
PSEB has also launched an Apprenticeship Programme for creating a pool of skilled resources in Pakistan's IT industry matching the
advanced and specialised international technological requirements.
Under this initiative, IT companies would recruit IT graduates on apprenticeships and later hire them for a period of at least one year. This
would allow fresh graduates to follow a career path provided by the participant companies, thus strengthening the pool human capital in the coun-
try. The spokesman also said that a multinational IT company, Bearing Point, has already expressed its willingness to recruit about 100 IT appren-
tices out of which 46 have already been placed.
Another major project, the IT industry Internship Programme, said the official spokesman of PSEB, intends to bridge the gap between the IT
industry and academic institutions, and would help mould fresh graduates into world-class professionals. Some 3100 internees from 205 universi-
ties/institutes were placed in the local IT industry and 235 IT departments of public and private sector organisations.
89
 National

PTCL's VSS Purely

Voluntary: IT Minister
The Government of Pakistan likes to clarify that the separation
scheme offered by PTCL to employees is purely voluntary in
nature and does not force any employee to leave the company.
This was stated by Dr. Abdullah Riar, the Federal Minister of
Information Technology and Telecom while reiterating that the
decision of Cabinet Committee on Privatization and PTCL Board
of Directors is very clear in this regard.
The IT Minister emphasized that the Government of Pakistan
is fully cognizant of PTCL's employees' concerns regarding the
scheme, and the aim of Voluntary Separation Scheme is to offer
an attractive scheme to employees and at the same time, to help
PTCL improve its operational efficiency. He said that the scheme
would offer attractive package to the employees and it would be
ensured that the PTCL management inculcates confidence
amongst the employees regarding the benefits of the scheme
Mustafa Peracha, Vice President Customer Services Mobilink inaugurating the new Mobilink
and its voluntary nature. The Minister further stated that the
Service Center in Jehlum.
employees of PTCL would be guided through workshops on safe
and secure investment opportunities.

Alcatel-Lucent Pakistan Appoints
Olivier Lauras as new CEO
The Board of Directors of
Alcatel-Lucent Pakistan Ltd has
appointed Olivier Lauras as Chief
Executive Officer to succeed
Sidney Taylor who has returned to
USA.
Olivier started his career in
1988 at British Telecom R&D (now
BT) in Colchester, UK, as part of
Kazi A. Muktadir, MD, National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF) address- his scholarship. In the 9O's he held
ing the First SME & Microfinance Conference 2007 held in Karachi recently, while positions in Tendering and Export
Ashraf Kapadia, Managing Director, Systems Limited & President P@SHA & oth- Sales within NEXANS in France
ers attending the conference (formerly Les Câbles de Lyon).
He joined the Alcatel Telecom
in 1993, in charge of Export Sales
Ufone to Add 1000 new in the Asia Pacific Region. He sub-
sequently held several positions in
Destinations to its Network Sales and Operations in Asia, UK,
Mexico and France. He was
appointed Director in Alcatel-
Ufone, one of the leading telecom operators in the country has Lucent Pakistan, in charge of
announced yet another network expansion phase, to be complet- Sales activities in September 2006
ed at a cost of $ 150 Million. The envisaged plan focuses on the and recently Country Senior Officer
expansion of the network in terms of capacity and coverage in for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
existing and new cities besides providing high-speed cellular He is a graduate from Ecole
mobile and wireless data services based on EDGE technology. Superieure d'Ingenieurs en Electronique et Electrotechnique (ESIEE) in Paris
This will add up more than 1000 additional cities towns and high- France, holds an MSc. in telecom engineering from Essex University in the
ways to Ufone's footprint. It is estimated that by the end of June UK and an Executive Master in management from Ecole de Management de
2008, Ufone will be covering more than 4500 cities, towns, vil- Lyon in France.

lages and all major highways in the country.
The project, approved by the Ufone Board of Directors, reflects the commit-
ment of the shareholders to invest in Ufone infrastructure and to provide best
quality services for the better facilitation of Ufone customers. In addition to the
major investment commitment, Etisalat brings its extensive experience of
Telecom Industry to Pakistan to ensure that Ufone possesses unmatched net-
work in the country.
The contract has been awarded to Huawei Technologies which is one of the
world's most rapidly growing telecom vendor and awarding another contract to
Huawei shows Ufone's confidence in their professionalism and state of the art
technology. Huawei is the vendor of choice in latest 3G Telecommunications
Networks, 31 of the world's top 50 operators worldwide are using their technical
infrastructure.
MR Walid Irshaid, President and CEO PTCL, while speaking on the occasion
said that an expansion contract of this magnitude indicates Ufone's aggressive
strategy towards market growth and expansion, in the wake of tremendous
potential of Pakistan's cellular market. He said that the previous Network rollout
phase of US$ 550M was the single largest expansion plan in the history of
PTCL President &CEO Mr. Walid Irshaid and Mr. Yi Xiang CEO of Huawei Pakistan and this region as well. He further stated that the new contract shows
Pakistan, exchange documents after signing the Ufone network expansion Etisalat's commitment to the Pakistan market and hoped that it will also boost
project.
investors' confidence and encourage them to invest in this country.
Mr. Yi Xiang CEO Huawei Pakistan, in his remarks, stated that Huawei is fully committed to Pakistan's telecom industry and would complete the
network expansion process of UFone in a fastest and efficient manner.
He said that by this project, Ufone would be acquiring state-of-the-art network infrastructure based on Release 4 standard for future mobile
communication.

90
 National

Mobilink and AKU join hands for BlackBerry Solutions

Mobilink and Aga Khan University (AKU) announced that they are
collaborating to provide exclusive BlackBerry communication solutions
to AKU's campus life. Mobilink is the country's market leader in innova-
tive mobile solutions, with a growing base of over 29 million customers
and part of the Orascom Telecom group. AKU is Pakistan's first private
international University with 11 teaching sites in 8 countries. Both AKU
and Mobilink will harness specialised campus applications that will give
mobile access to the university's faculty, staff and students.
Speaking at the launchof the service, Zouhair A. Khaliq, President &
CEO Mobilink, said, "We are very pleased to partner with AKU and are
confident that our pioneering efforts in creating mobile enabled educa-
tion systems will give support to the educational sector in the future.
Our commitment to reshaping lives is as steadfast as our resolve to
strengthen the bonds of our corporate social responsibility. Mobilink is
proud to have taken a leap forward to empower the educational sector
at the University level by offering its BlackBerry solution."
Mr Firoz Rasul, President AKU, while appreciating the solution
offered by Mobilink said "Utilization by the AKU family of an integrated
wireless solution will take advantage of other technology advancements Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink alongwith Mr Firoz Rasul, President, Agha
at the university to increase productivity." Khan University at the signing ceremony.
Mobilink launched its BlackBerry services in Pakistan in December
2005 and has achieved a unique distinction in the world of fast and effi- Mobilink is an Orascom Telecom Group company and is Pakistan's
cient communications. The device is a business tool, which improves leading cellular service provider with a subscriber growth of 104% in
an individual's productivity and efficiency, qualifying the handset to be 2006. The company has achieved an unprecedented customer base of
an indispensable asset for every organisation and its human resources. over 29 million.

Dadex selected Wateen for LG Pakistan Wins 'Best Marketing

WiMAX Practices' Award
Dadex Eternit excels in the Pakistan division of LG Mobile
field of engineering in Pakistan. phones has won award for "Best
Alongwith implementing one of the quickest and largest instances Marketing Practices" in Asia and Africa.
of SAP integration in the country, Dadex has selected Wateen for The award ceremony was held in South
its superior WiMAX service for the implementation of data and Korea, where Mr. Zeeshan Pervaiz,
voice communications. CEO, New Allied Electronics, was
This deployment is still in process and the technology and awarded for besting all other countries
financial benefits of the implementation will be realised after the in terms of mobile phone sales.
first quarter ending March, 2008. Initiatives, such as the WiMAX The administration of a Korean company said that in year 2007 LG sold
deployment tend to increase the productivity and efficiency lower- 1.5 million mobile sets only in Pakistan which is a record sale for any compa-
ing overall operational costs. The potential benefits of WiMAX ny in Pakistan. Mr. Zeeshan Pervaiz, told 'Flare' in a special interview, that
include broadband access for rural areas cost reduction of trans- company has plans to further invest in Pakistani market to boost up sales of
mission lines, increased access and mobility along with reliable LG cell phones.
broadband. Zeshan perviz, further said that they sold 100 thousand mobile sets last
Wateen Telecom UAE has been in the process of deploying year but in the running year they sold 1.5 million mobile sets which is a
one of the largest WiMAX networks in Pakistan. The nation wide record sale of the company. He said that this award is the recognition of LG
WiMAX network being concurrently deployed in excess of $60 Pakistan's marketing practices that were carried out through various medi-
million will provide high speed wireless broadband voice and data ums.

networks across the country.

City Nazim Mustafa Kamal addresses during the function on "2nd All Pakistan
Utech 07" organized by UIT computer society held in Karachi. While Karachi
University Vice Chancellor Perzada Qasim and Dr. Manzoor Ahmed are also pres- US Consulate Acting Public Affairs Officer Antone Greubel talking with school students during an
ent on the occadion. exhibition organized by US Consulate at National Museum of Science and Technology in Lahore.

Mubashir to Play as Etisalat's senior Adviser

Ufone President and CEO Mubashir Naqvi has been elevated to the contribute for the group in the
post of Etisalat International Pakistan's senior advisor. days to come. He also wished
In his new role as a senior adviser with Etisalat International him the best in his new and
Pakistan, he will be part of the team looking after the Etisalat opera- expanded role with Etisalat
tions in Pakistan as well as certain other countries. The new president International. Naqvi joined Ufone
and CEO for Ufone will be announced in the due course of time. in 2004 as VP Commercial and
Speaking on the occasion, Abdulrahim Al Nooryani (Chairman of the was elevated to the position of
Board of Directors and Etisalat International Pakistan) lauded the President & CEO in January
efforts of Mubashir Naqvi in Ufone's development during his tenure. 2007.

He said that as part of Etisalat's strategy to utilise local human
resources in their international operations, Mubashir has a lot more to 91

Teradata Calls Nominations for 8th IT Excellence Awards
Teradata Pakistan announced
the call for nominations for the
Eighth Teradata National IT
Excellence Awards. The period of
submission of nominations will be
from December 6, 2007 to
January 5, 2008.
Teradata National IT
Excellence Awards celebrate
accomplishments in the IT industry
by bringing recognition to people
who are instrumental in introduc-
ing, promoting and implementing
IT in Pakistan. The Teradata
National IT Excellence Awards are
Khuram Rahat, Managing Director Teradata Pakistan addressing a press conference on
considered the country's most
the 8th Teradata National IT Excellence Awards' Call for Nominations. Also seen in the
prestigious IT awards and an inte- picture are Chris topher Armitage, Regional Vice President Teradata Corporation , and pleted their achievements during
gral part of the IT industry. The Sameerah Siddiqui, Marketing Manager Teradata Pakistan.
categories span the field from soft-
ware development and research to education and business application.
Nominees must have completed their achievements during the period of sentative of Partner Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder, Sharjeel Ahmad were
January 2006 to December 2006. A lifetime achievement award is given also present at the occasion.

Intel Pakistan & IT Department NWFP Sign MoU
The Intel Pakistan Corporation and Department of Information
Technology, NWFP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for
promotion of computer education at school and college levels in the
province. The representatives of Intel Pakistan Corporation and the
Department of IT NWFP signed the memorandum.
Caretaker Provincial Minister for Information, Information Technology
Syed Imtiaz Gilani and Provincial Minister for Education Iftikharud Din
Chamkani were also present on the occasion.
According to the memorandum the Intel Pakistan Corporation would
provide training to the students and teachers at school and college lev-
els in various subjects to boost their skills imperative for facing the chal-
lenges of 21st century.
The Intel's education initiative is a sustained commitment to prepare
students with the skills required to thrive in the knowledge economy.
Intel collaborates with local governments and educators across the
world to help promote professional development programmes and
resources for elementary and secondary educators.
Secretary General Revenue Division and Chairman FBR Abdullah Yusuf addressing to
the participants during IT Appreciation Awards 2007 organized by Pakistan Computer
Association held at Islamabad
Averox Signs Contracts with Oracle and Microsoft
Averox (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Averox Inc,
announced that it has become an Independent Software Vendor (ISV)
Partner for Oracle in Pakistan.
"As an ISV Partner of Oracle, we are very pleased to be able to offer
our customers the best solutions targeted to meet their specific busi-
ness needs by combining Averox's expertise with Oracle software prod-
ucts," said Mr. Salman Mahmood President and CEO of Averox Inc.
He said as certified members of the Oracle Partner Network; we can
deliver specialized industry applications that rely on the performance,
reliability, scalability and security of Oracle software.
Averox Inc. is a publicly held independent provider of solutions and
services in the domains of Telecommunication Engineering,
Telecommunication OSS and BSS and Information Technology.
Oracle has been operating in Pakistan since 1997. It helps Pakistani
businesses, government departments, NGOs and education institutions
through its 74+ certified partners, to adopt integrated information tech-
National
to the individual who has made
outstanding contributions to the
state of IT in Pakistan.
Nominations are open to all
companies. Organizations can
nominate those employees who
they feel have made a remarkable
and outstanding contribution in
one of these specific areas.
According to information pro-
vided to the press and media, the
two new categories are excellence
in IT business intelligence and
excellence in project management.
For participating in these awards,
the nominees should have com-
the period of January 2006 to
December 2006.
Regional vice president Teradata, Christopher Armitage and repre-
Intel Tech Programme is proven world wide that has been driving
systematic changes in teaching and learning. Under this programme
over 135,000 teachers have been trained across the country.
Speaking on the occasion the NWFP Caretaker Minister for
Information and Information Technology Syed Imtaiz Hussain Gilani said
that IT and Computer are just tools which could be utilised for the bet-
terment and development of the nation.

The sale of mobile phone SIMs have become a nuisance for national
security as criminals behind terrorist threats, bomb hoaxes, kidnap-
ping for ransom, fraudulent prizing schemes, irritating and repetitive
unknown calls and text messages, identity theft, you name the illegal
activity and you will find the use of these unregistered SIMs. A SIM
can be purchased quite easily and cheaply from the hawkers without
ID card. This phenomenon is facilitating criminals while the PTA has
failed to take any action against such sales
nology infrastructures to achieve higher work efficiencies. Oracle has
more than 1100 customers in Pakistan, spanning top organizations in
the public and private sector.
In another announcement Averox said that it has been named a
Microsoft reseller for Microsoft Business Solutions. Microsoft Business
Solutions status is awarded to those firms whose sales and marketing
achievements rank them in the top echelon of the worldwide network of
value added partners reselling Microsoft Business Solutions.
"We are extremely honored and pleased to be recognized as part of
this prestigious platform of Microsoft Business Solutions resellers," said
Salman Mahmood, CEO, Averox. "Our excellence in sales and market-
ing within the IT and Telecommunications domains is the driving force
behind this partnership agreement," he added.
Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions
that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

93
 In Picture
Visitors look at computers on display during the annual computer show at the World Trade
Centre in Taipei. A total of 360 computer and peripheral makers from here and abroad dis-
played the latest products of their lines in the nine-day exhibition.
Japanese electronics giant Sony displays their latest products at the CEATEC electronics
trade show in Chiba. After a tough first year, sales of the PlayStation 3 are finally gaining
momentum while the company's new flat television is reviving its reputation for innovation.
Japan's machinery maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries robot "Cube-kun" is seen solving a
3x3x3 Rubik's Cube during a demonstration in Tokyo, while an attendant (L) tries to solve the
cube. The double armed industrial robot is displayed with advanced technology products.
US computer giant Dell senior vice president Alex Gruzen introduces all-in-one desktop PC
"XPS One", at a global launching in Tokyo. The "XPS One" is equipped with Intel's Core2
Duo or celeron processor 20-inch WSXGA (1,680 x 1,050-pixel) LCD display and wireless
keyboard, mouse on its stylish body.
94
Model display the handy PC device with sliding key board "Lui PC remote pocket",
equipped with a 4.1-inch sized WVGA display on its palm sized body weighing 250g,
which enables to download digital contents such as video, music and datas from a
home server "Lui home server PC" (in the cabinet) during a press preview of the
company's advanced technology fair in Tokyo.
"Motoman" robots from Japan's largest industrial robot maker Yasukawa Electric,
perform a demonstration at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Some 200
companies and more than 50 organisations from Japan and abroad are taking part
in the 2007 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, one of the world's largest robot
shows.
Chinese staff work in a TCL store at a computer mall in Shanghai. French electron-
ics company Legrand SA has agreed to buy a low-voltage electrical unit of strug-
gling Chinese consumer electronics maker TCL Corp for (US$67 million).
Reporters checks Gibson's new product "Robot Guitar" at Gibson Tokyo office. A
new electric guitar from Gibson comes with robotics technology that allows the
instrument to tune itself in a matter of seconds. The technology, developed in part-
nership with German company Tronical, allows the guitar to recognize pitch and use
its processor and six motors on its tuning pegs to tighten the strings accordingly.

SKT wins Hanaro stake for $1.18b Culture on the go with
Korea's biggest mobile company, SK
Telecom, has won its battle to acquire Korean Mobiles
broadband operator Hanaro Telecom.
Hanaro, the No. 2 largest broadband
provider, has accepted SK Telecom's offer of
KRW 1.087 trillion ($1.18 billion) for 38.89% of the company. The agreement
is conditional upon on government approval.
Under the agreement, SK Telecom will replace a consortium led by AIG
and Newbridge as the largest shareholder in Hanaro, with 43.6% of the stock.
The US-led consortium took Hanaro out of bankruptcy in 2003 for $500 mil-
lion, booking a profit of more than $600 million on the deal.
The acquisition was largely welcomed by analysts, who said it gave the
mobile operator greater scale and the ability to deliver convergence services.
It comes a week after the board of Sprint-Nextel rejected a $5 billion offer
from SKT and private equity firms for a stake in the US operator.
"I expect this change to bring new growth opportunities for the Korean IT
industry," said SK Telecom CEO Shin Bae Kim. "Building on our strong
expertise in convergence business, we will strive to create new global busi-
ness models such as developing wired and wireless integrated service with
Hanaro Telecom" he added.

Joke Offended Sikhs Demand
Apology from Ambani
People belonging to the Sikh community in
Meerut staged violent protests after taking serious
offence to a joke circulated on a mobile network, and
has demanded apology from the chief of the
Reliance Communications, Anil Ambani.
A joke reportedly originated from a website called
www.santabanta.com, which is based on two humor-
ous Sikh characters, and got circulated by Reliance
Communications that had been giving space to an
advertisement campaign of the website.
Members of the Sikh community launched a mass protest after an 'utterly
derogatory' joke was circulated on the mobile network.
"Since the past few years our community has been the butt of ridicule and
snide jokes. Be it television, plays or movies, we have been targeted. But this
joke by Santa Banta on Reliance is utterly disgusting," said Jagmeet Singh
Meet, President of Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha.
The community is now demanding withdrawal of the joke. "If he (Anil
Ambani) doesn't apologise, we will launch a worldwide protest and burn all the
Reliance offices," threatened Meet.

Vodafone Seeks China Expansion
British mobile phone giant Vodafone wants to increase its presence in
China, according to chief executive Arun Sarin.
Vodafone currently owns about 3.0 percent of China Mobile - which is the
biggest mobile phone group in the world in terms of subscribers, and is the
fourth biggest by stock market capitalisation.
Sarin told the financial ties that the stake, worth about 13 billion dollars
(8.9 billion euros), was a "kitty" that could be used to take advantage of
opportunities in China. He added that only 35 percent of the Chinese popula-
tion has a mobile phone. "From our shareholders' point of view, China is 35
percent penetrated, we have a long way to go," Sarin was quoted as saying.

President and Managing Director, JVC Japan, the world's leading electronic company, Kunihiko
Sato (R) and Chairman and Managing Director of the Fedders Lloyd Group, Brij Raj Punj hold
electronic products in New Delhi. JVC and Fedders Lloyd announced their tie-up to bring JVC
consumer electronic products in India.
International
Get theatre tickets digitally,
download a smart video trailer of
how the play was directed, order
and pay for snacks for the interval
and, after a culture-packed night,
order a taxi home -- all by just
swiping a cell phone over smart tags placed on the menus or
around the hall of the theatre.
The Oulu City Theatre in northern Finland, 600 kilometers (373
miles) north of Helsinki, says it is the world's first cultural institution
to use the hippest handset technology, expected to turn mobile
phones into wallets.
"It is often said that theatre is somehow old-fashioned. I'm hop-
ing this will build the opposite picture," the head of Oulu City
Theatre, Ahti Ahonen said.
NFC (near-field communication) technology is activated by wav-
ing phones over wireless readers, or smart tags, and is widely
used in public transport access cards. The cultural world should
also keep abreast with the latest technological developments.
The theatre is running a pilot, involving technology from Finnish
mobile phone maker Nokia and telecommunications operator
TeliaSonera, until the year-end and will extend its usage more
widely if it proves successful.

David Neeleman, founder and chairman of JetBlue, checks his Blackberry during a
media preview flight aboard "BetaBlue," an Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with an
onboard wireless network. JetBlue will start offering free online messaging services
on one of its planes next week, becoming among the first airlines to offer in-flight
Internet access. Passengers can use Yahoo e-mail and instant messaging services
on laptops equipped with Wi-Fi wireless access. They can also check other personal
and work e-mail on two BlackBerry models that have wireless capabilities.
NEC Pioneered Translation
Software on Cellphone
Japanese electronics giant NEC Corp said that it has created a
world's first real-time translator on a cellphone, which can instantly
turn Japanese travellers' words into English.
One second after the phone hears speech in Japanese, the
cellphone with the new technology shows the text on the screen. In
the next second an English ver-
sion appears. NEC said it was
the first time in the world that
automatic translation is available
on a cellphone without external
help. The company made it pos-
sible by making the software,
which includes a voice-recogni-
tion system and translation func-
tions, compact enough to oper-
ate on a small microchip mount-
ed in a cellphone.
The software, which can
recognise some 50,000 Japanese words, is especially designed for
smooth translation of travel phrases such as "Can I have a subway
route map?". According to NEC spokesman Mitsumasa Fukumoto
it is technically possible to make the English translation vocal but
NEC is not considering the idea at the moment.
95
 International

Computer Security Day Observed

Computer Security Day was observed across the globe to help raise
awareness of computer related security issues. The day is a reminder for the
people to protect their computers and information.
Most people keep the same password for too long and use it for too many
purposes. To mark this day, one must change the password of his personal
computer and vacuum it.
This annual event is held around the world on November 30 although
some organisations choose to have functions on the next business day if it
falls on a weekend.
Computer Security Day is an annual event started in 1998 by the
Association for Computer Security Day. It's an event that reminds us to take
time to tighten our workstation and network operations to prevent unautho-
rised use.

Vietnam's general secretary of the Communist Party Nong Duc Manh (R) talking

UMC Sales Down 10.9% on a video mobile phone with South Korea's SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won
(L) at the central research institute of SK Telecom in Seongnam, south of Seoul.

Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) posted 9.03 billion Taiwan

dollars (280 million US) in November sales, down 10.9 percent from 10.13 bil-
lion dollars in October. However, the November sales were up 3.90 percent
year-on-year, the world's second largest contract microchip maker said. Child-Friendly Internet
Stopping short of directly forecasting sales for the fourth quarter to
December, UMC said at an October 31 investor conference that its wafer
shipments in the period are expected to fall 9.0 percent from the third-quarter
Search Engine Launched
level. The fourth-quarter average selling price in US dollar terms is seen as The German government launched a secure Internet search
falling one percent from the preceding three months, it added.
engine to allow children to surf the Web without any risk of vio-
lence. The site offers a mix of games, information and links to
approve, children-friendly websites and is being promoted as a
Global Technology Spending first in Europe. The site was offering a guide to the Bundestag
lower house of parliament as it went into operation.

Growth to Slow in 2008
Growth in global technology spending will slow next year, hurt by a US
economic downturn that could crimp spending on computer hardware, Lenovo to Open Polish
research firm IDC in a report with predictions for 2008.
IDC estimates worldwide technology spending growth to range between
5.5 percent and 6 percent in 2008, down from about 7 percent this year. US
Computer Plant
spending growth will dip to 3 percent to 4 percent next year from 6.6 percent
in 2007, IDC said. Companies will target faster-growing emerging markets The Chinese information
along with small and medium-sized businesses to offset slower US spending technology group Lenovo
growth, IDC predicted, and in some cases they will need to make acquisitions announced, it would build an
to launch into promising sectors. assembly plant in Poland that
Frank Gens, IDC's senior vice president of research, said Web search would turn out five million per-
leader Google Inc could cement its position in the small and medium-sized sonal computers a year. A new
business market with an acquisition of Salesforce.com or Intuit Inc, two com- plant in the southwestern Polish
panies with strong Web-based business applications. city of Legnica would be up and running by September 2008 and
IDC sees big software makers targeting business application firms in would cost around set 20 million dollars.
emerging markets such as Brazil's Datasul, China's Kingdee and India's 3i It said the plant would eventually employ 1,000 people and
Infotech Ltd. A foothold in those markets will be crucial since IDC sees tech its output would be destined for the European, Middle Eastern
spending in Brazil, Russia, India, China and nine other emerging countries, and African markets.

including Poland and Mexico, growing 16 percent in 2008. IDC also predicts
US mobile phone operators will follow in the footsteps of Verizon Wireless,
which announced last month plans to open its network to any phone or soft-
ware by the end of 2008.

BSNL seeking CDMA
Services Nationwide
India's state-run Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Ltd has applied to launch
nation-wide mobile telecom services on
the CDMA platform, telecom minister
said. India's fourth-largest mobile firm,
operates on the dominant GSM plat-
form across the country, and currently
uses CDMA technology only for limited-
mobility phone services.
Minister did not provide any other details on the application
or on how the government would process it. In November, the
head of BSNL had said the firm was considering to launch
CDMA services nation-wide, after the government permitted tele-
com firms to use alternate platforms.
Government said that BSNL, as an "incumbent player", is
exempt from the license fee private telecoms firms have to pay
to launch alternate technology services.
The government decision permitting dual technology was
A hand out photo shows an employee of South Korea's mobile carrier KTF shows her mobile
phone that can control a robot vacuum cleaner in Seoul. The robot, called Iclebo can detect challenged by a lobby group of telecoms firms using the GSM
96 platform, and the issue is being heard by the telecoms tribunal.

intruders and send an alarm message to its owner, apart from tackling vacuum cleaning chores.
 International

Banglalink Subscribers, Hackers Force Mass Website

Revenue Doubled
Banglalink, the mobile telephone operator in
Bangladesh, more than doubled its subscribers
and revenues in the past year, according to a
statement released by the company's Egyptian
owners Orascom.
However the company's earnings were hit
in the third quarter due to the US dollar 18 mil-
lion paid to the Bangladesh Telecom
Regulatory Commission for its involvement in
illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or
call termination business.
By the end of September, Banglalink had 6.02 million subscribers, up
123 percent on the same date a year earlier. This gave it a market share
of 18.9 per cent, according to Orascom.
In the third quarter, Banglalink's revenues rose by 18 percent on the
previous three months to US$ 55.6 million. Year-to-date revenue for
2007 was US$ 133 million, an increase of 113 percent.
The company said the substantial growth had been fueled by
enhancing the quality of the network with US$232 million worth of capital
expenditure made so far this year.
Average revenue per user, (ARPU), remained steady in the third
quarter, although at US dollar 3.1, but was down 6 per cent on the same
period a year earlier.
"While other major players in the market have been experiencing
stagnant revenues and declining ARPU, Banglalink has been maintain-
ing a healthy upward trend," the company said.
Measured by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amor-
tisation, Banglalink made a loss of US$ 21.3 million in the three months
to September 31, compared to a loss of US$ 14 million in the previous
quarter.

Closures
Hundreds of websites have been shut
down temporarily by one of the largest web
hosting companies in Britain after the personal
details of customers were stolen by computer
hackers.
The hackers managed to access the "mas-
ter database" of Fasthosts for information,
including addresses, bank details, e-mails and
passwords.
The action is expected to lose vital business for hundreds of small
companies in the run-up to Christmas.
Fasthosts claimed that it had no option other than to perform an
emergency shutdown after it discovered that the hackers had tried to
use information gleaned from its servers. New passwords had to be
sent out by post rather than e-mail to avoid the information being com-
promised again.
Fasthosts was founded by Andrew Michael when he was still at
school in Cheltenham. Mr Michael, 27, sold the business, which sells
domain names and space on computer servers, to a German firm.
The company discovered a network intrusion in October and recom-
mended that users change their passwords. Staff noticed "unusual
activity" on some of its sites and closed down all those that had not yet
changed their passwords, as well as some that had.
Among the companies affected by the shutdown was EU Reporter, a
small, web-based business that makes money from downloads and
web advertising. Chris White, the owner, said that his downloads went
from 47,000 a week to nothing and subscribers assumed that he had
gone out of business. This has been a crime turned into a farce and I
don't know if we will survive.
Barry Wise, who manages 100 sites, said: "This is worse than being
hacked because I now just have to wait for the post. I can't call them
because their phone lines are overwhelmed.This could well be the
biggest internet attack of its kind. The criminals could theoretically have
taken everything on the database."

Toyota Aims to put Robots to

help People
Toyota Motor Corp said
that it aims to put its
humanoid and other
advanced robots to practi-
cal use soon after 2010 to
help people in factories,
hospitals, and homes.
Unveiling two new
robots called the "mobility
South Koreans with mobile phones take pictures of presidential candidate Chung Dong- robot" and the "violin-play-
young of the liberal United New Democratic Pary during his campaign event in Seoul.
ing robot", Japan's top
automaker said it would

China's New SMS Code Starts step up research and devel-

Journey
China's unified short message code system will make the industry
grow in a healthy way and the regulator will take measures to ensure it
works, the Ministry of Information Industry said in a statement.A new
mobile service provider code prefixed with 106 will be formally initiated
to replace the current four-digit number from each telecom service
provider in China.
Carriers including China Mobile, China Unicom, China Netcom and
China Telecom will use the new code system for mobile phone and Little
Smart users, whose user base has reached 600 million. The person-to-
person SMS system will not be influenced by the change, but paid serv-
ices such as ringtone downloads and mobile newspaper subscriptions
will come under the new system.
"A service provider can freely choose a cooperator among the four
Chinese telecom service providers (under the new system) and bad
behavior can be easily tracked," the ministry said in a statement on its
Website. MII has established a team to ensure all firms to adopt the new
codes and set up a national hotline 12300 to regulate the new system.
According to Shanghai Mobile, the biggest local carrier, from
December 1 to March 1, users' subscription to the old numbers will be
cancelled and they will be told of the new code prefixed with 106.

opment in the field, includ-
ing by doubling the number
of engineers to about 200 in
around three years.
Researchers in Japan,
including from academia Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor unveils their new
and companies such as violin-playing robot at the company's showroom in
Tokyo.
rival Honda Motor Co, are
racing to build robots smart enough to serve the needs of the elderly in
a country where 40 percent of the population is expected to be over 65
by 2055.
President Katsuaki Watanabe said, "Over the next two to three
years, we will put the robots to the test through trial applications and
see what kind of business possibilities they present".
Under its recently crafted long-term plan dubbed "Global Vision
2020", Toyota aims to make the robotics field one of its core businesses
by 2020.
In a demonstration of the new achievements, Toyota brought out the
152 cm (5 ft), two-legged violin-playing robot, which gave a brief per-
formance -- complete with vibrato sound -- from Elgar's "Pomp and
Circumstance" Marches, popular at graduation ceremonies in Japan.
Toyota plans to further advance the robot's dexterity and flexibility to
enable it to use tools and assist with domestic tasks and nursing and
medical care.
97
 International
Saudi Firm Wins 26% of Microsoft Trials XP on XO Laptop
new Kuwait mobile Operator announced
Microsoft has
to begin field
Saudi Telecom (STC), the largest
Arab telecom firm, has won a 26-per-
cent stake in Kuwait's third mobile com-
pany, expected to start operating next
year.
STC made the highest bid of 248.7
million Kuwaiti Dinars (907.6 million dollars) in a tender for the
stake said the authority, which manages the investments of the
oil-rich Gulf state. The deal still has to be approved by the
Kuwaiti government.
A law to establish the new mobile company set aside 24 per-
cent for state institutions, 50 percent to be sold to citizens in an
Initial Public Offering (IPO) planned for February, and the rest to
go to a core investor. The second highest bid for the stake came
from a consortium led by the emirate's largest Islamic bank,
Kuwait Finance House, which offered 195.1 million Dinars.
STC president Saud al-Daweesh said the new company will
start operations six months after its formal establishment in the
first quarter of next year and will bring to Kuwait a package of
new services based on latest technology.
Kuwait has two mobile operators - Zain, established in 1983,
and National Mobile Telecommunications Co (Wataniya), which
started operations in 1999. Together they have 2.5 million clients
in a country with 3.2 million people.

Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd talks at the Oracle World Conference in San
Francisco. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's biggest PC seller, is scheduled to
report fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes.
Emergency Rules for Net
Telephony
Watchdog Ofcom has ruled
that firms, which route phone
calls across the net must con-
nect to 999 and 112. till now
net phone firms have not been
required to connect to emer-
gency numbers. This ruling
applies to those firms that let
customers call normal national phone numbers.
Ofcom says, the stipulation is needed to ensure that during
an emergency people can summon help as quickly as possible.
Research carried out by Ofcom suggests few people know
that net phone services, aka voice over IP, do not connect to
999 or 112, the European Union's universal emergency number
for mobiles and fixed lines.
In an Ofcom survey 78% of those using net phone services
which cannot connect to the emergency services thought that
such a call was already possible on that network or were
unaware that there might be a problem.
Ofcom fears that having to find a phone that can call the
emergency services during a crisis might make a serious situa-
tion much worse.
The ruling does not apply to all net phone firms. Only those
that let customers call out to normal national numbers but not
receive them or let customers make and take calls from normal
98 phone numbers are affected.

tests of Windows XP
working on the so-called
$100 laptop, or XO, early
in 2008. It has not com-
mitted to offering XP on
the XO laptop but hopes
to release the operating
system in the first half of
2008 if the trials succeed.
The work, undertaken
as part of the firm's plans
to widen access to tech-
nology, shapes the part of
a project to run Windows
on flash-based machines. The XO does not have a hard drive, and uses a
lightweight flash drive instead.
Microsoft's James Utzschneider, writing on his blog, said: "We are hard
at work on the project here. Between Microsoft employees and third party
contractors that we have brought into the effort, we have over 40 engineers
working full-time on the port."
The XO is the work of the One Laptop Per Child project to boost access
to technology in the developing world by building a low-cost laptop
designed for educational uses.
It has been pioneered by a not-for-profit group led by Nicholas
Negroponte, the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
Media Lab.
The group has taken its first orders, with 100,00 bought by Uruguay and
40,000 by Peru, with an option for a further 210,000.
The availability of Windows on the XO could boost take-up of the
machine. There have been reports that some countries have been cautious
about signing-up to the project because it does not run Windows, the
world's most popular operating system.
The XO laptop runs Linux, an open source operating system, which
costs nothing for schools around the world to use. If schools and govern-
ments wanted to use XP on an XO machine, they would have to buy a
license.
For Microsoft the challenge in porting XP to the XO machine has been
in re-writing many drivers for the operating system that control functions like
the laptop's webcam and wireless connections.

Telecom Italia's chief executive Franco Bernabe, left, and chairman Gabriele Galateri pose
prior to the start of the news conference in Milan, Italy. After months of uncertainty, Telecom
Italia's new shareholders exerted control, voting in a new management team to lead Europe's
fifth largest telecommunications company.
Manpower Crisis Worrying India
The world sees India as the hub of Information Technology, but the
country is today facing a shortage of skilled manpower in the field, a top
official of software giant Satyam said, stressing on the urgent need to set
up more technical educational institutions.
Virender Aggarwal, Director and Senior Vice President of Satyam said
that the top four IT companies (Satyam, Infosys, Wipro and TCS) hire most
of the talent in the country. There is a serious dearth of skilled manpower
for the other hundreds of IT companies,
Despite being the smallest of India's Big Four outsourcers, Satyam's
sales have tripled in the last five years and its workforce has grown too
with the company planning to hire another 15,000 this year.
The company was named by Forbes Asia as one of Asia's best 50 com-
panies based on its long-term profitability, sales and earnings growth, stock
price appreciation and projected earnings in the region.