Manish Khera to be appointed as CEO - Airtel Money

New Delhi, 3rd August 2015: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), the 3rd largest mobile service provider globally, today said that Manish Khera, Co-founder & MD of YTS Solutions will be appointed as CEO of Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL), which offers Airtel’s flagship semi-closed wallet under the brand name ‘Airtel Money’. Once appointed, Manish will be a part of the Airtel Management Board and report to Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO of Bharti Airtel (India & South Asia).

Commenting on the appointment, Gopal Vittal said, “I am delighted to announce that Manish Khera will join AMSL as Chief Executive Officer. A trend-setter in the domain areas of financial inclusion, payments & banking, Manish combines the spirit of entrepreneurship with a passion for technology and commitment to serve millions. I am confident that his rich domain expertise will add immense value to our plans and help lead our mobile commerce and payments business to reach millions of underserved Indians."

Manish Khera said, “I was fortunate to go through the retail banking explosion in the early part of my career, and then to drive a host of financial inclusion initiatives in the country under the guidance of banking stalwarts. I am now excited at the opportunity of working with India’s largest telecom company and leading its vision of delivering a transformed m-Commerce experience for million across the country.”

Manish is a recipient of several honours, including “Young Global Leader-2011” by World Economic Forum, “Entrepreneur of the Year” by EY, and the “Forbes India Leadership Award – 2012” in the “Outstanding Start-up” category. Prior to founding YTS, Manish was MD & CEO of FINO Pay Tech Ltd, and earlier worked in ICICI Bank.

AMSL, the wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel also announced that it would integrate the payments and remittance businesses of YTS Solutions.

Airtel is India’s largest mobile operator with a customer base of over 230 million customers. It is also India’s largest rural mobile operator with over 100 million customers. The company’s network covers 4,30,000 towns and villages backed by 1.5 million distribution outlets. In 2011, AMSL had announced the launch of Airtel Money – India’s first prepaid mobile wallet by a telecom services provider. In January 2015, AMSL applied to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a Payments’ Bank License. Based out of Mumbai, YTS has been developing innovative financial products focused on mass market and micro-transactions. This acquisition will expand Airtel’s portfolio in the mobile commerce segment and bring in a host of new product capabilities targeted at migrants in urban cities and their families in rural towns and villages – thus strengthening Airtel’s long term commitment towards driving financial inclusion in India.

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Videocon Telecom registers 43% Growth in Q1

Videocon Telecom, the versatile, friendly and dynamic telecom brand of the Indian conglomerate Videocon group, posted an impressive 43% growth in its Net Revenue for GSM business in Q1 FY 2015-16 over same quarter last financial year. The telco is targeting a consolidated Topline Revenue of 3000Cr in year 2015-2016.

Going aggressive on Customer acquisition, Videocon Telecom achieved 32% growth in its subscriber base over same quarter last year. While, the June 15 Industry Net subscriber addition numbers are still awaited, within April & May 2015, against the industry net subscriber addition (-) 90 K in the 4 operational circle of the telco , Videocon Telecom added 311K Net subscribers addition . The telco plans to acquire 10 Mn new subscribers this financial year .

Despite the impact of increase in Service tax incidence and reduction in Roaming rates, Videocon Telecom reported a 21% improvement in its NRPM (Net rate per min) in Q1 this year over
previous year. The Telco also reported a 15% growth in its minutes of usage during the same period.

Owing to telco’s strategy to upgrade its Network to 2.75 G EDGE, the telco has been substantially
growing its data revenues. Videocon Telecom has doubled its data revenues in Q1 this year over same quarter last year, surpassing the industry growth. Data now contributes to approx 12% of the telco’s Gross Revenue and the company aims at taking up the data contribution to GR at 15% by end of current Financial Year.

After delivering one of the fastest EBITDA positive in Telecom history in its Punjab circle, the telco is targeting EBITDA positive in its MP and Haryana circles by the end of this financial year. Mr. Arvind Bali, Director and CEO, Videocon Telecom said “Its said, ‘well begun is half done’, and I am pleased with the results of Q1 this year. We have achieved 99% of our targeted Gross Revenue in Quarter 1, and this is despite the increase in Service Tax incidence and Roaming rate implication. Our GSM Net Revenue is up by 43% over same quarter last year, and all KPIs, be it gross level or unit level, look promising.

Being a new entrant, our strategy was to attain incremental Customer and Revenue market leadership in our operational circles, and we have been able to achieve the same , while the June ’15 Industry Net Subscriber addition numbers are still awaited, in April and May’15 , the Industry Net adds in our 4 operational circles was (-) 90K , while we added 311 K net subscribers .We aim to maintain and accelerate this growth rate further.

We are targeting over 10 Mn new subscriber acquisitions, Top line Revenue target 3000 Cr and EBITDA positive in MP and Haryana telecom circles in Financial Year 2015-2016 .” Mr. Bali added.

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Airtel Reboots ‘My Airtel’ Mobile Application

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced as all new avatar of its ‘My Airtel'mobile application. The application has been redesigned on Android to follow an intuitive and easy to use interface which allows customers to conveniently discover, access and self-manage Airtel services across mobile, fixed line and DTH platforms1. 

The new version of the ‘My Airtel’ application also comes loaded with a wide range of fresh features and capabilities, and fits within the company’s wider agenda of driving an enhanced digital experience for customers. The new ‘My Airtel’ application is now available for select users, and will be rolled out for all customers over the next few days.

“With design simplicity, intuitive commerce flows and high performance as our priorities, we at Airtel have been working towards re-energizing the experience our customers enjoy while interacting with us through our online properties. A first step in this very direction – the all new ‘My Airtel’ app has a contemporary design interface that will simplify our customer journeys and allow them to do much more – efficiently and effectively. I would like to encourage all our customers to experience the bigger and better version of ‘My Airtel’ and enjoy the ‘Airtel Surprises’ that come along with recharges”, said Srini Gopalan, Director – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel (India).

Customers can now use ‘My Airtel’ app to recharge any mobile number, and receive ‘Airtel Surprises’ coupons with exciting offers like coupons worth value of first, birthday week and many more in weeks to come.

In partnership with mydala, India’s largest coupon and discount marketing platform, present in 200 cities in India, ‘Airtel Surprises’ will leverage a series of exclusive tie-ups with merchants across categories like shopping, food, wellness, entertainment – and offer coupons for popular brands like PVR Cinemas, Café Coffee Day, Flipkart.com. amazon.in, Ebay.in, Myntra.com, Archies, VLCC, among others.

The newly added ‘I Want To’ feature will allow customers to make their frequent tasks (e.g. recharge of a specific prepaid mobile number) a quick action on their application’s home screen – thus helping them replicate the action in no time.

The in-application payment experience and card store feature have now been upgraded and Airtel’s payment stack is now PCI-DSS certified to ensure a safe, secure and faster check out experience for customers across My Airtel and also the PC and Mobile web experiences. Push notifications with alerts such as low balance, pack expiry and payment due date will also be available on the app. Additionally, customers on ‘My Airtel’ will not incur any data charges for using the application.

Betting big on delivering an improved online experience for its customers - the company has already launched a new fast-loading homepage for its websitewww.airtel.in, a brand new 4G experience at www.airtel.in/4G and an omni-channel experience to order a brand new Xiaomi RedMi 4G atwww.airtel.in/mi. Airtel is currently focused at re-engineering its online experience to ensure improved interfaces, reduced load time, payment failures etc.

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NewsX presents VISION 4G LTE

Indian telecom Industry has grown very rapidly in the last two decades and has revolutionized the way we communicate. Going forward, 4G LTE has been identified as the next revolution that will support the growth of this sector. But there is an ambiguity; how will 4G empower people and create inclusive society? How can the 4G agenda taken forward? What is the support required from Govt.? What are the key issues that require joint efforts of public and private sector and many such questions.

Against the backdrop of immense potential of 4G in India, NewsX brings ‘Vision 4G LTE’ – a platform that will bring together key stakeholders from the telecom sector, government representatives, industry stalwarts from public and private sectors to discuss the dynamics of the industry and to chart a comprehensive vision for the future. 

Starting 15th February, a 4-episode special series showcasing the present scenario of the telecom industry, building awareness about 4G LTE at large, highlight the concern areas and address the challenges with a major focus on the future of 4G LTE in India will be telecast on NewsX that will culminate with the telecast of ‘Vision 4G LTE’- Telecom Conclave.

Honorable Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad will be the Chief Guest of the Conclave. His keynote address and interview will be followed by engaging panel discussions involving CEOs and other decision makers from the industry. 

The panel discussions will cover the topics ranging from Leveraging 4G/LTE to drive in Robust Business Module, Meeting challenges in implementing 4G in India to Vision 4G LTE-the Road Map Ahead.

Savvy Dilip, Group CMO, iTV Network, said, “High speed wireless broadband has the ability to transform India and simultaneously, provide a robust platform for building the country’s digital economy and empower people. The objective of this initiative is to bring policy makers and business administrators together and discuss the possible challenges and drivers while India gears up for the next generation of telecommunications.

Watch the special series starting 15th February, Sunday @ 7.30PM, only on NewsX.

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Tata Communications announces the winner of the inaugural F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize

Tata Communications announces the winner of the inaugural F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize


Mumbai, December 29th2014 - Tata Communications, a leading provider of A New World of Communications™, today unveilsthe Grand Prize winner of the inaugural F1® Connectivity Innovation Prize. The jury, which included the 2014 FIA Formula One™ World Champion and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Lewis Hamilton and F1® Commentator Martin Brundle, delivered its final verdict announcing a four-man British team as winners of the Grand Prize. Their novel idea of how 60,000 hours of footage in Formula One Management’s digital archive could be catalogued was a hit with the judges and will see the team share $50,000, and two of themwill attend next year’s FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO as VIP guests of Tata Communications.

The winning team - Jody Allen, Tom Williams, Chris Randall and Chris Belmore from London submitted a user-centric solution that could empower fans around the world to contribute to the process of cataloguing over 60,000 hours of video inFormula One Management’s digital archive. The team proposed a solution to the ‘Crowd Sourcing Commentary Challenge’ where fans would begiven access and encouraged to submit their 'greatest moments’ compilation each week. Searching the archive, which has already been tagged with baseline metadata, fans could explore the relevant race and using the simple editing interface, find and clip their moment.The fan community would vote on the winning clips and the winners could receive VIP prizes. This user-centric approach could empower F1®viewers to catalogue the digital archive, whilst also adding a new dimension tothe fan experience.

As one of the judges making up the F1® Connectivity Innovation Prize jury, the 2014 FIA Formula One™ Drivers’ World Champion, Lewis Hamilton says, “There were lots of really strong entries for all three challenges. The competition really seemed to engage the fans and sparked some great responses. The winning solution understood how race fans think and act, and how our sport can develop ways to connect with our fans at the race tracks and at home.”

Reflecting on their win, team leader Jody Allen says, “At the heart of our belief as Formula 1®fans was the conviction that everyone has their own treasured memory of key moments in the sport’s history. Some are the instantly recognised seminal events, others are highly individual and personal. By connecting these moments to narrative allowed us to build something that was more than just a rigid and structured database, but rather a fluid and dynamic set of linkages between everyone’s personal views of the sport. We’re delighted the judges’ welcomed our approach as the work required plenty of detailed consideration – and quite a few late nights.”


The full judging panel was made up of some of the foremost names in motor racing including2014 FIA Formula One™ Drivers’ World Champion and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team driver, Lewis Hamilton; Lewis’ 2014 FIA Formula One™ Constructors’ World Championship-winning team Executive Director (Technical), Paddy Lowe; Formula One Management’s Chief Technical Officer, John Morrison;F1® commentator, Martin Brundle; Tata Communications’ Managing Director of F1® Business, Mehul Kapadia;Tata Communications’Julie Woods-Moss, Chief Marketing Officer and CEO of theNextgen Business; and John Hayduk, President and CTO at Tata Communications.

Mehul Kapadia, MD of the F1® Business, Tata Communications brought the 2014 Tata Communications’ F1® Connectivity Innovation Prize to a fitting conclusion by confirming that the challengewill be back in the future. “We at Tata Communications decided to partner with Formula One Managementand MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS to give fans around the world a chance to show their creativity and passion for the sport. This has been a genuinely global competition, and we’re proud to have been a catalyst for some truly visionary thinking.”

John Morrison, Formula One Management’s Chief Technical Officer says, “I must congratulate all of the many entrants from around the world for the quality of their work and the self-evident effort made to compete in the challenges. The bar has been set incredibly high.”

The competition,launched by Tata Communications, along with Formula One Management and the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, was a three-part crowdsourcing platform for innovation that engages international brainpower against the demanding backdrop of Formula 1® racing over the 2014 season. The challenges have inspired a legion of innovators from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Singapore, UK, USA and Spain among other nationsto make submissions to the judging panel, making it a truly global affair.

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Airtel 3G services now available in Odisha

Airtel 3G services now available in Odisha

Now offers a wide bouquet of mobile services – 2G & 3G – in the state

Bhubaneswar: Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”), a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today said that it will offer high speed 3G services to customers in Odisha. With this, Airtel now offers a wide bouquet of mobile services to customers in Odisha, with its offerings spanning 2G & 3G services. Airtel is the largest mobile operator in Odisha with over 8.5 million customers.

Airtel 3G will be available to customers in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Brahmapur, Keonjhar, Jajpur Road, Jajpur Town and Paradip. Airtel customers across these cities can now experience high speed 3G mobile broadband experience and enjoy buffer-free video streaming, high speed downloads, file sharing and transfers, online gaming and much more on the go. Airtel 3G services will available at prices starting as low as Rs. 27/- and customers can choose from a variety of simple and affordable plans.

To know more or avail 3G roaming services from Airtel - customers can SMS ‘3G’ to 121 or log on to http://www.airtel.in/3G

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Nokia Networks bags 3G contract from Bharti Airtel

Nokia Networks bags 3G contract from Bharti Airtel

Will provide advanced radio platform and services as Bharti Airtel enhances its 3G network in Mumbai, West Bengal and Bihar

Deal marks India’s first dual band, dual carrier 3G implementation
 
New Delhi, India – Nokia Networks today announced that it has bagged a 3G contract from Bharti Airtel that will help Airtel enhance its 3G network in the Mumbai, West Bengal and Bihar telecom circles* using Nokia’s latest Single RAN (radio access network) Advanced platform. The deal includes an India-first dual band, dual carrier 3G network implementation, refarming 900 MHz to complement Mumbai’s existing 3G network on 2100 MHz. This will enable higher throughput and thus improved 3G services for Bharti Airtel’s customers.

Abhay Savargaonkar, Director Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel said, “As a brand committed to enrich lives, we continue to offer innovative data services like One Touch Internet, Re 1 entertainment store et al empowering millions across the country to leverage the power of mobile internet on our smartphone network. The association with Nokia is in line with this and will enable millions of customers to experience an enhanced 3G network in these circles.”

“With Indian subscribers increasingly looking for high-speed mobile broadband services, 3G is a very important technology option that operators in India need to embrace to fulfill the demands of their subscribers,” said Rohan Dhamija, Partner and Head of India and South Asia, Analysys Mason. “Expanding 3G networks as in this deal, and upgrading the existing 2G networks to 3G across the country by operators will allow subscribers to enjoy rich multi-media applications and services such as their favorite movies, online games, and sports like cricket without buffering on their mobile screen. Ubiquitous 3G network coverage in India means availability of high-speed broadband services to subscribers and increased revenue for operators.”

“This deal bolsters our long-term partnership with Bharti Airtel, and we are committed to helping the operator provide further improved mobile broadband experience for its customers,” said Sandeep Girotra, Vice President and Head of India region, Nokia Networks. “While Nokia’s Single RAN Advanced platform will ensure a reliable 3G mobile broadband connectivity, our comprehensive services will ensure smooth deployment.”

Under the contract, Nokia Networks will supply its Single RAN Advanced platform, based on its energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station**. This multi-standard radio platform is optimal because it will also support Bharti Airtel in its TD-LTE rollout and pave the way to FDD-LTE in the near future. In addition, Nokia Networks will deploy its Flexi Lite Base Station, a small all-in-one base station optimized for indoor and outdoor micro-cell deployments to provide the best coverage in densely crowded areas. Nokia will also supply its extremely compact, highly scalable and flexible multi-technology, all-IP multicontroller RNC (mcRNC).

Nokia’s NetAct network management system will enable effective monitoring and management of Bharti Airtel’s networks. Nokia Networks will also provide a range of services such as network planning and optimization, network implementation, network operations, and care services including hardware and software maintenance as well as competence development.

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Panasonic India launches ELUGA S smartphone

PANASONIC INTRODUCES ITS OCTA CORE SELFIE SMARTPHONE “ELUGA S” WITH BLINK PLAY FEATURE IN THE INDIAN MARKET

• Panasonic introduces its new Octacore smartphone ELUGA S with eye-definition BLINK PLAY that clicks selfies and groupies with a 5MP snapper
• Panasonic ELUGA S is priced at Rs 11,190 and will be available to the Indian consumers from third week of Nov, 2014.

New Delhi, 12th Nov, 2014: Taking forward from the phenomenal response for the ELUGA smartphones, Panasonic India today announced the launch of its new variant; ELUGA S for the Indian market. This is in continuity to the already existing ELUGA series; which has become one of the coolest and most sought after phones from Panasonic in India and it is these phones which have always been recognized for their design, superior build quality and unique user interface for single hand operation. Redefining technological innovation and software advancement, the company continues to introduce devices which are equipped with top of the line hardware and the newly launched 5 inch ELUGA S with HD IPS display features the eye-definition ‘BLINK PLAY’ that lets one click flawless selfies or groupies with a 5MP Front Snapper.

The new phone runs on the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system and is powered by True Octa Core (1.4GHz) processor. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory which can be expanded upto 32GB. The ELUGA S smartphone sports an 8MP FHD capable autofocus camera along with 2100 mAh battery. When ready to shoot, simply blink your eyes & the phone will recognize the eye gesture to initiate the automatic three-second countdown. That lets one catch every moment in the blink of an eye. The stylish thin bezel on front coupled with leatherette skin on rear keeps the ELUGA S chic and compact.

Expressing his pleasure on the launch, Mr. Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India said “We are sure that Panasonic’s ELUGA smartphone range has certainly raised the bar of standard to a great level and has the potential to succeed in the Indian market. This is the third phone is the ELUGA series which defines our willingness to embrace new technology in a market like India. As we launch new devices, we will continue to innovate for our customers.”

Sharing his thoughts on ELUGA S, Mr. Pankaj Rana, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India said “With the launch this series, we have redefined the design aspect and user experience in our range of smartphones. With the introduction of ELUGA S we have gone one step further in software innovation to provide a thrilling and fresh experience targeting the trendy youth of today that is always in a lookout for new and innovative dimension in technology”.

The innovations and new features do not stop just at the phone- the Bollywood heartthrob and Panasonic Smartphones brand ambassador Varun Dhawan will be seen singing his first RAP- “All you got-a-do is blink. Wait for it” which is a part of the TVC of ELUGA S.

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Airtel to contribute to Punjab’s digital inclusion agenda

Mohali: Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”), a leading global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today said that it will invest over INR 4000 crores in the Indian State of Punjab over the next 5 years to expand services and contribute to the Government of Punjab’s digital inclusion agenda.

Airtel and the Government of Punjab today signed an agreement on the sidelines of the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit, under which Airtel will take its high speed 4G LTE services to all towns and villages across Punjab and put the State on the data superhighway.
Airtel launched Punjab’s first 4G LTE services in Chandigarh Tri-City in March 2013, making it one of the first States in India to experience the world-class technology. As part of the agreement, the Company willlay an additional 10,000 km of optic fiber across Punjab and expand its 4G footprint to cover most of the State’s population over the next few years. This will provide a major boost to growth of broadband services in rural areas and enable delivery of services such e-governance, e-education, e-health and much more. In particular, it will provider fillip to the growth of the digital economy in the State and support businesses as well as the Government.

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group CEO, Bharti Enterprisessaid, “Airtel has been at the forefront of Punjab’s telecom growth story and we are delighted to be a partner in Government of Punjab’s vision to build a digitally inclusive State. Just like the mobile phone connected millions across Punjab, this high speed data connectivity initiative will further empower people with information and services available at the touch of a screen. I am confident that this initiative will make Punjab a model State for rest of the country.”

In addition, Airtel will invest in its existing 2G mobile operations, Wire-line & DSL Broadband, DTH services, M-Commerce Services offering in the State. It will also expand its Enterprise Services offerings that provide end-to-end technology solutions to Corporates and SMEs.
Airtel launched mobile services in Punjab in 2002 and is the largest mobile operator in the State with over 7.2 million customers. Till date, it has invested over INR 4800 crores in its operations in the State and its mobile network covers all 162 towns and 12,750 villages, reaching 94% of the population. The Company’s distribution network across Punjab spans 50,000 retailers and its operations provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to over 65,000 peopleacross the State.

Bharti Group has a significant presence in Punjab beyond telecom services. Its retail venture, Bharti Retail, operates 70 stores (out of 212 stores nationally) under the easyday brand across major towns in the State. The Bharti-Axa JV offers financial services across major centers. It is engaged in Agri and Food business through FieldFresh Foods, which has set up the FieldFreshAgri Centre of Excellence- one of the largest R&D facilities of its kind - in Ladhowal (Ludhiana). The Group provides direct and indirect employment to over 70,000 people in the State.
Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Group, which has set up 254 Satya Bharti Schools for undeprvileged children in villages across India, operates 90Satya Bharti Schoolsin Punjab. These Schoolsprovide free quality education to over 10,000 children along with free books, uniforms and mid-day meals. In addition, Bharti Foundation has setup 5 Adarsh Senior Secondary Schools on a PPP model with the Government of Punjab, benefiting over 3000 children.

About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 281 million customers across its operations at the end of October 2013. To know more please visit www.airtel.com

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Airtel & Manchester United bring the Manchester United Tricks App to India

New Delhi, December 05, 2013: Leading global telecommunications company Bharti Airtel and Manchester United today jointly announced the launch of an innovative Manchester United Tricks App for soccer fans in India.

Currently available on the iOS platform, Man United Tricks App is an exciting interactive game featuring animations of past & present Manchester United players. Customers can control the animations to perform tricks to earn points & bonuses. As they play, customers can also purchase and unlock new players and virtual items such as club kits and locations. An interactive gaming app, it will also allow customers to engage with their favourite football club. Customers can easily download the app from the Apple App store for just Rs. 55/-.

The launch of the Manchester United Tricks App on Airtel is in continuation of the exclusive partnership between the two companies and follows the successful launch of Manchester United’s Fixtures App in India earlier this month.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 281 million customers across its operations at the end of October 2013. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth.

Through our 135-year heritage we have won 61 trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day.

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Bharti Airtel brings Shopify for SME customers

New Delhi, December 1, 2013: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced that it will offer Shopify, end to end e-commerce solutionto SOHO and SME customers by provisioning the service through its cloud platform.

Shopify, a hosted ecommerce platform is powered by Airtel’s internet products like DSL and ILP enables SOHO and small and medium enterprises to create an online store to manage their ecommerce presence with great ease. It offers customizable site templates, an integrated shopping cart, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, inventory management and analytics.

In India, today only 5% of SMEs have been able to expand on the digital platform, with Shopify more SMEs and entrepreneurs will be empowered to expand their digital reach. Airtel’s data solutions such as DSL, ILP, 3G and 4G bundled with Shopify willoffer all the features needed to host an e-Commerce platform such as built in m-Commerce shopping cart, payment gateways, social media integration which will be backed with requisite logistic support.

Airtel’s Internet products and Shopify’s Content Delivery Network ensure the website load times are super quick from anywhere, anytime. The solution from Airtel allows customers to reach their audience via different sources like email marketing, social media integration and management apps which makes shopping on Shopify stores a wonderful social experience.

Shopify is the latest addition to Airtel’s SAAS portfolio which is host to a bouquet of services like ERP, Tally, Accounting packages, CRM management etc on Cloud enabled platform.

About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 281 million customers across its operations at the end of October 2013. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About Shopify
Shopify is a commerce platform that allows anyone to easily sell online, at their retail location, and everywhere in between. Shopify offers a professional online storefront, a payment solution to accept credit cards, and the Shopify POS application to power retail sales. Shopify currently powers over 70,000 retailers in 100 different countries, including: Tesla Motors, Gatorade, Forbes, Amnesty International, Encyclopedia Britannica, CrossFit, and many more. Shopify was founded in 2006 and has received $22 million in Series A and B funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital, Felicis Ventures, and Georgian Partners http://www.shopify.in

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Raja says PM and FM were in loop over 2G Spectrum Allocation

The former telecom minister A Raja said that he kept the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister over the steps he took in the 2G spectrum allocation. He responded over the JPC's draft on the 2G scam, that gave clean chit to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

Raja responded to media after arriving in Chennai. On Friday, the JPC gave clean chit to Prime Minister and Finance Minister and also dismissed the loss to exchequer as estimated by the CAG.

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Airtel launches 4G services in Chandigarh, Mohali & Panchkula

Chandigarh, 20th March 2013: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced the launch of Airtel prepaid and postpaid 4G services in Chandigarh, Mohali & Panchkula – the fastest high-speed data experience available for customers in the state of Punjab. Airtel 4G will leverage the most advanced 4G LTE technology to deliver superfast access to data services for customers to stream High Definition (HD) videos, enjoy multiple chatting, instantly upload photos, download rich content and more.

Commenting on the occasion, Jagbir Singh, CTO & Director, Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel said, “The much awaited launch of Airtel 4G services fulfills a huge market requirement and will give customers in Chandigarh the power to upgrade to cutting edge 4G LTE technology - the most advanced wireless broadband experience available across the globe today. This launch is another first by Airtel that further enhances the footprint of mobile broadband in India. We are optimistic about the potential of Airtel 4G services and invite our data savvy customers in Punjab to enjoy this world class data experience”.

In 2010, Airtel had successfully bid for BWA license spectrum in Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) circles. Additionally, earlier last year, Bharti Airtel acquired 49 percent interest in Qualcomm AP’s India entities that hold BWA licenses in Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala. The company has launched its 4G LTE services in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune and now Chandigarh, and is currently working towards rolling out state-of-the-art networks in remaining license circles.

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myairtel app wins ‘Best Application’ honours at GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards 2013

New Delhi, 27th February 2013: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications services provider with operations in over 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced that its myairtel application has been acknowledged as ‘App of the Year’ in ‘Best Application using Network APIs’ category at the prestigious Global Mobile Awards 2013 in Barcelona.


Commenting on this win, Abhay Johorey (Head – Airtel Online, Bharti Airtel) said, “With more than 50% of population under the age of 26 and an ever increasing proficiency towards mobile internet access, customers in India are showing a growing preference for mobile applications across categories. Evolving with the changing needs of our customers, we introduced the myairtel app as a quick and convenient access point to discover, access and self-manage a host of services provided by Airtel. Today, it is indeed an honor for myairtel to be recognized as one of the ‘Apps of the Year’ for its innovative use of network APIs at the prestigious Global Mobile Awards 2013. This milestone achievement reinforces Airtel’s continued commitment to leverage technology and innovations towards furthering customer delight”.



Powered by a robust Network API backbone and a simple front-end User Interface prepared by partner IBM, the myairtel app allows customers of various Airtel services (mobile, fixed line, DTH etc.) to check outstanding bills, recharge, make payments, activate-deactivate services, raise requests and complaints etc. The application is available as a free download for Android as well as iOS based mobile phones, and has recorded more than a million downloads since its launch in September 2012.

Judges ranked myairtel as the leading application in this category based on the use of mash-ups of multiple Network APIs to provide innovative examples of applications that can include information from mobile networks to improve their value to the user or utilise the capabilities of a network operator to improve the way the application can be used by a mobile user.



“Through these awards, we are proud to shine the light on the mobile industry’s many innovators and leaders, from all corners of the world.’ said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “ This year’s new categories reflected the industry’s reach into many new sectors, and we received more than 600 high-quality entries from across the mobile eco-system. We would like to congratulate Bharti Airtel and all Global Mobile Awards 2013 winners.”

The Global Mobile Awards are the most highly sought after awards in the global communications industry. Established in 1996, the awards attract entries from across the world and are judged by a panel of independent, highly respected experts. They are presented at the Mobile World Congress - the global mobile industry’s annual gathering of around 60,000 senior industry leaders, executives, media, analysts and influencers. The GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards 2013 were open to all eligible mobile industry and supporting industry companies in the broad eco-system, as defined in the individual category eligibility descriptions (including GSMA Members, Associate Members and Non-members).

The ‘Best Application using Network APIs’ award category at Global Mobile Awards 2013 is aimed at promoting the utilisation of Network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to allow developers to enhance their mobile or web application either by incorporating information from the mobile network or by making it easier for a mobile user to use the application.

For more information on the myairtel app, log onto www.airtel.in/myairtel. A complete list of winners of Global Mobile Awards 2013 can be viewed at www.globalmobileawards.com.

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Airtel network makes inroads into the toughest terrains of Kargil

Jammu & Kashmir, 05 February, 2013: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa now provides seamless voice & data connectivity to its customers in Kargil, reinforcing Airtel’s pan India coverage strength.

While the government has undertaken various measures to improve tourist infrastructure in the region, lack of accessibility and communication during winters, keeps Kargil isolated from other parts of the country. Airtel through its network presence across all 22 districts of J&K will now allow the residents/tourists connected with their friends & family across India.

Given the extreme weather conditions and rough terrains, the connectivity has been extended to the region through VSAT links and specially designed telecom infrastructure which can be adjusted as per the need in case of any unprecedented weather condition. With connectivity in Kargil, Airtel has covered the farthest destination on the network coverage map of J&K.

Jagbir Singh – Director, Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel said, “At Airtel, it is our constant endeavour to provide superior user experience to our customers by seamlessly connecting them wherever they go. District Kargil is known for its inclement weather conditions and remains cut off from the rest of the country for more than 6 months, especially during winters. The teams have worked very hard towards this project and we are pleased to have the network deployment that will allow the natives and tourists to stay connected to their near and dear ones throughout the year. With this, Airtel becomes the only private operator to have network footprints in the border district of J&K.”

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Brand Airtel wins top accolades at Effie Awards 2012

New Delhi, 10th December 2012: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has stood out as the top telecom brand and winner in several categories in the prestigious Effie Awards 2012. Brand Airtel bagged a total of three Golds and one Silver at Effies this year.

Conceptualised by Taproot India, Bharti Airtel’s extremely successful ‘Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar’ campaign stood out amongst all nominations and bagged three Gold awards. Apart from a Gold in the Telecom Category, the campaign competed with the best brands across industries and emerged number one in ‘Digital Advertising’ and ‘Integrated Advertising’ categories with one Gold each. ‘Baat Sirf Paison Ki Nahin Hai’ campaign for airtel money also recognized with a Silver Effie in the telecom category. Airtel gathered a total of 55 points and emerged as third in the list of ‘Client of the Year’.

Brand Airtel wins at Effies 2012

·    Gold Effie for ‘Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar’ in SERVICES (TELECOM AND RELATED PRODUCTS)

·    Gold Effie for ‘Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar’ in DIGITAL ADVERTISING (ONLINE/MOBILE COMMUNICATION)

·    Gold Effie for ‘Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar’ in INTEGRATED ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

·    Silver Effie for airtel money in SERVICES (TELECOM AND RELATED PRODUCTS)

The Effie 2012 awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at the Turf Club in Mumbai on 4th December. Airtel’s awards were received. Anuradha Sehgal (VP, Brand Marketing, Bharti Airtel), who played a key role in the conceptualization and creation of both the campaigns, accepted the awards to Airtel alongwith the Taproot and JWT teams.

The Effie Awards are organised by The Advertising Club (erstwhile Ad Club Bombay). This year the Effies received 357 entries of which 128 were shortlisted for awards. 50 agencies participated. Judging the awards were 124 experts from the Indian marketing and advertising fraternity of whom 68 were from the client side of the table. Effies uses four criteria to judge the effectiveness of a campaign. They are: ‘What is the strategic objective’, ‘What is the big idea’, ‘How the idea has been brought to life’ and ‘What are the results’. Awards follow 2 rounds of judging.

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Bharti Airtel becomes the fourth largest mobile operator in the world

New Delhi, October 21, 2012: Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa moved up one notch in the world wide ranking to be the fourth largest mobile operator in the world in terms of subscribers. (Source: Wireless Intelligence ‘Scoreboard’).

Top Five Operators Globally: Operator Connections (millions)* YoY Growth, connections

1. China Mobile 683.08 11 % 
2. Vodafone Group 386.88 5 % 
3. America Movil Group 251.83 7 % 
4. Bharti Airtel 250.04 13 % 
5. Telefonica Group 243.51 7 % 

(Source: Wirelessintelligence.com (Mobile operator worldwide group global ranking by connections, Q2 2012) *
Connections are aggregated as the sum of each group’s subsidiaries where a minimum of 50 % plus one share economic interest is held.

At the end of the quarter ended June 2012, the Company had over 250 million mobile subscribers across its operations, representing 13% Y-o-Y growth.

Bharti Airtel had become the fifth largest mobile operator in the world following its acquisition of Zain Group’s mobile operations across 15 African nations in June 2010.

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Mobile Phone Boon or Bane?

Well, is knife a useful instrument, or a weapon? Depends on the usage, a mobile with all the stuffed in features, and applications, is definitely a boon when used properly. But, in the hands of a perverted and sick mind, it can be dangerous instrument. We have seen many instances, where in, videos are taken; photos are taken, only to misuse, and to harm someone. But it can also become an instrument to reveal truth and can be a thing of evidence, if used properly. Take for example electronic media, it can be used as a tool, in undercover operations, and can become a source of evidence.

Coming to the usage of mobile as a phone, it has its own set of advantages, you can use it anywhere and everywhere, all the knowledge and information of the world is your pocket, you can access the world once you connect yourself with internet over phone, you can use it as a source of entertainment, listen to songs play movies, videos, it can be your library on move, you can educate yourself, listen to lessons over mp3’s, audios, videos on development and for that matter any topic of your interest.

Staying at the comfort of where you are, at any part of the world, you can talk to your near, dear and needed ones. You can conduct a conference over phone, with all the people at a same time, at whatever place they are, but, there are also people, who, in spite, of their need, keep talking over mobile phone, or keep chatting, just to pass time. It all depends on the person, who is using it; it should not be given to children as a playing instrument, because of its radiation and harmful rays that have ill effects on the tender body and mind.

Even for adults it is warned, not to keep mobile phones near heart, and other delicate areas in the body where its rays have destructive affects, when one keeps on talking over mobile phone for long hours, it is proven that it has bad effect on the brain. When given to students and college going people, you should guide them, as to the advantages and disadvantages. Well, it is a boon for those, who know when and how to use it use for the good and for the benefit of the self and for others, it is a destructive weapon in the hands of a person with bad intentions.

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Airtel launches ‘Behtar Zindagi’

Press Release Jaipur, 20th June 2012: Bharti Airtel, a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced that it has joined hands with leading Value Added Services (VAS) provider Handygo Technologies Pvt. Ltd to launch ‘Behtar Zindagi’ - a unique mobile based service for farming and allied communities across Rajasthan. This innovative service will empower Airtel mobile customers (specifically across rural parts of the state) with the ability to use their mobile phones to receive comprehensive information and updates on a wide range of relevant topics including weather updates, mandi rates, live stocks, agriculture, fisheries, health, education and finance. The ‘Behtar Zindagi’ service will leverage the simple and easy-to-use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) medium to communicate key information to subscribers, thus allowing them to leverage their mobile phones to plan their businesses and lead better lives.

 Announcing the launch, Mr. Sudipto Chowdhury, CEO - Rajasthan, Bharti Airtel said, “With over 1.45 crore mobile customers - Bharti Airtel has the widest reach across Rajasthan, a large part of which comes from the rural parts of the state. Given this, we are well positioned to drive the role of the mobile platform as a key enabler and enricher of lives. The launch of ‘Behtar Zindagi’ is in line with Airtel’s continued efforts towards launching services that are innovative, relevant and affordable for our customers. Backed by the technology and content expertise of Handygo, we are confident that this unique service will deliver valuable insights for farming and allied communities across Rajasthan – thus furthering our ongoing efforts towards empowering the masses and enabling financial inclusion.”

Announcing the association, Mr. Praveen Rajpal, CEO, Handygo Technologies, said, “At Handygo we want to empower the rural segment through partnership with government organizations and NGOs helping them to reap the benefits of mobile telephony reducing the dependency of rural masses on agents for most basic information related to Agriculture, Commodity Prices, and Weather Forecast, Information on Inland Fisheries, Livestock, Health, Rural Finance and Education. Behtar Zindagi is a strong tool which has and will revolutionize both the generation and the delivery of information anytime anywhere. We are delighted to work with Airtel to deliver end-to-end solutions through Behtar Zindagi in the field of m-banking, m-education, m-governance and others as well.”

To educate and sensitize Gram Panchayats on ‘Behtar Zindagi’, Airtel and Handygo experts will be conducting a mass awareness drive including mobile vans that will reach out to potential customers all across the state. These sessions will be aimed at educating potential customers on the service’s usage and scope towards enhancement of their yield, production etc. The service will be promoted at various touch points including agricultural & rural fairs, farmer’s exhibitions, van promotions, contests, associations with local NGOs, announcements through community radio, distribution of free physical coupons etc.

The ‘Behtar Zindagi’ service is available for farmers 24x7 and 365 days of the year. To use this service, Airtel mobile customers can dial 556780 (toll free) and avail the subscription pack at a charge of Rs 30 for 30 days. As a first-of-its-kind in the Indian telecom industry, this service supports a wide range of dialects and is available in Hindi and 17 other regional languages.

 ‘Behtar Zindagi’ has been developed after a detailed research around the farming community and keeps in mind the information gap that currently exists in this segment. To launch this initiative, Airtel joined hands with Handygo to bridge the gap between static and dynamic information. To ensure A-grade quality information, Handygo has worked with various private and government bodies (including Indian Meteorological Dept, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, CARE, EKO and NETFISH) to collate relevant information and organize its dissemination to farmers using region interactive voice as medium supported by voice and text messages.  

About Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 5 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G services, fixed line, high speed broadband through DSL, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G mobile services. Bharti Airtel had over 253 million customers across its operations at the end of April 2012. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com  

About Handygo Technologies Pvt. Ltd Handygo is a leading wireless solution provider of Mobile entertainment and Value Added Services. With “market presence of over a decade ”, the company is offering new VAS Content spreading across IVR, SMS & WAP platforms of all leading telcos in India & Middle East.The company has plethora of mobile solutions in the domains of rural, health, education and entertainment. The solutions and products of the company empower not only almost all the major communication service providers but also the Greenfield operators.

Airtel
Nikhil Kr Singh
Email: nikhilkr.singh@in.airtel.com
Phone: +919829004288

For more information visit www.handygo.com & www.rockasap.com

Handygo technology Pvt. Ltd
Ms. Divya Bhatia
Email: divya.bhatia@handygo.com
Phone: 09999819826

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Motorola Mobility Extends Motorola RAZR™ MAXX and Motorola RAZR™ V

Press Release:

NEW DELHI – 20th June, 2012 – Motorola Mobility is bringing the longest-lasting smartphone in the market today, Motorola RAZRTM MAXX, and the sexy yet affordable Motorola RAZRTM V to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Motorola RAZR MAXX will be available with Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread), and will receive an over-the-air upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) soon after. In India, Motorola RAZR MAXX will be available in select cities at select retail stores starting 21 June for a recommended retail price of INR 31,590. Motorola RAZR V will be available with Android 4.0 during the third quarter of the year. Specific availability information will be announced closer to the retail launch dates.

Both smartphones sport the iconic RAZR design, with the same sculpted face, diamond-cut aluminum accents Not only are they gorgeous, they’re also made to last, with KEVLAR® fibre for strength and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass. Caught in the rain? Spill your coffee? Fear not. Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V have a splash-guard coating that keeps everything safe – including the electrical boards inside.

Motorola RAZR MAXX – the longest lasting smartphone on the block

With the longest battery life of any smartphone today, this device has enough juice for 17.6 hours of talk-time – on a single charge. And because it’s in the Motorola RAZR family, it has the same incredibly thin, fast and light pedigree as the groundbreaking original Motorola RAZR smartphone. It has a vibrant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display that features a wider range of colours than most LCD HDTVs. Plus at just 8.99 mm, Motorola RAZR MAXX is still impossibly thin.

For aspiring filmmakers, forget about buying expensive, clunky equipment to shoot your first masterpiece. Instead, take advantage of Motorola RAZR MAXX’s 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture for crisp, clear, cinematic-quality images. Or, simply use it to chat with a friend using the front-facing HD video camera.

Motorola RAZR MAXX is also “Business Ready,” meaning it features government-grade encryption that protects your email, contacts and calendar. Even the strictest IT manager will be impressed.

Motorola RAZR V – iconic styling and mind-blowing thinness for your budget

An amazing 8.35mm thin, Motorola RAZR V makes iconic RAZR family styling and quality available to everyone. This big-screen beauty is surprisingly compact and light, and feels great even in smaller hands. Thanks to ColorBoostTM display technology, Motorola RAZR V has extremely vibrant colours for better clarity and sharper images. With Charcoal, Glacier White and Rebel Pink options subject to market availability, you can choose the colour that reflects your own personality and style. And while Motorola RAZR V comes at a surprisingly affordable price, it gives away nothing in performance, thanks to a dual-core 1.2GHz processor.

Unique to Motorola Mobility smartphones, including Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V is Smart Actions – a tool that lets you automate your phone’s settings throughout the day. For example, you can set your phone to automatically turn off its ringer when you get home from work and set it to turn off email while you sleep, or dim the screen when battery life gets below 30 percent. Essentially, Smart Actions manages all the little things that add up to make all the difference in the world – all the while extending your phone’s already long battery life.

“RAZR is synonymous with design excellence and both Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V reflect that,” said Robert van Tilburg, senior regional sales director, South Asia, Motorola Mobility. “With its fantastic battery, Motorola RAZR MAXX is in a class of its own. Not only do you get everything you love about the Motorola RAZR, but now you get the power to last through marathon calls, hours of surfing the Web, or streaming movies. You’ll drop long before this phone ever does. With Motorola RAZR V, we’ve created the perfect smartphone for stylish, smart and tech-savvy consumers who want great looks, great performance and great value.”

Price and Availabily

Motorola RAZR MAXX will be available starting 21 June in select cities at selected retail stores across India for a recommended retail price of INR 31,590. Motorola RAZR V will be made available in Q3 of 2012.

About Motorola Mobility

Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit: motorola.com/mobility


Media Contacts:

Perfect Relations
Pavit Nanda / Sadhika Madaan
+91 9990418466 / +91 9953315413

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