12/08/10 ~ Blog of Asad Mirjat

NewsPod

NewsPod: 08 Dec 10 More revelations by Wikileaks

December 8, 2010 at 8:57 PM

Australian FM blames US for Wikileaks cables / Cameron and Miliband in angry clash over fees / 30th anniversary of John Lennon's murder.

Media Files
newspod_20101208-1557a.mp3 (MP3 Audio, 15.1 MB)

NewsPod: 07 Dec 10 Wikileaks founder arrested

December 7, 2010 at 9:01 PM

Wikileaks founder arrested in London / Daily aspirin dose 'cuts cancer death' / Bollywood and 'Hinglish'

Media Files
newspod_20101207-1601a.mp3 (MP3 Audio, 12.7 MB)

NewsPod: 06 Dec 10 Concorde ruling

December 6, 2010 at 8:59 PM

Continental blamed over Concorde crash / US 'vital facilities' list leaked / Study offers hope of 'repairing' Multiple Sclerosis.

Media Files
newspod_20101206-1559a.mp3 (MP3 Audio, 14.1 MB)

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Letters to Editor: Telenor Charged me Rs. 150/Min for a Call to UK
Mobilink’s HTC HD7 Blogger Meet-up [PIX]
Orascom Sells its Tunisian Stakes to Qtel
Hidden Charges – A Confession!
Zong Climbs the Subscriber Numbers with Clear Vision
Telenor and TransferTo Partner for International Top-Up Service

Letters to Editor: Telenor Charged me Rs. 150/Min for a Call to UK

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 02:39 AM PST

Letters to Editor: Telenor Charged me Rs. 150/Min for a Call to UK is a post from: ProPakistani

I was shocked to learn that I have been charged approx. 900 PKR for making a 6 minute call to a UK toll free number.

Telenor blocked my number and later (voice) called me to tell me that I need to pay up my bills. I inquired how much am I charged and for what and they didn’t have a clear answer.

After having called their support number, I got the call rates for calling on UK toll free numbers which is 149.98 PKR per minute (1.73 USD per minute) without taxes and they told me that I have been charged approx. 900 PKR for a 6 minute call.

I had no information prior to making calls because their false marketing vouches very low rates close to 1 PKR per minute or something.

It was a shock to learn about such high call rates, these rates are more realistic for late 90′s era and not in 2010.

It’s for Telenor and to realize that they have to be more honest in their marketing campaigns and give out the correct info to the customer to tell them that they actually care for their customers.

They have just lost one of their loyal persona customer paying more than 3000 PKR per month on average. I am porting my number to some other network, all I have to say is that Telenor has scammed me and others should know it because they won’t tell you!

Rizwan Ahmed

———————————————————

Letter written to ProPakistani reflect readers thoughts, feelings and experiences. ProPakistani may or may not, partially or fully, agree with content of these letters. ProPakistani bears no responsibility in any manner of the content produced in these letters/emails.

You can write to us by visiting this page or email us here: letters [a] propakistani.com (remove spaces and replace [a] with @ )

Mobilink’s HTC HD7 Blogger Meet-up [PIX]

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 02:35 AM PST

Mobilink's HTC HD7 Blogger Meet-up [PIX] is a post from: ProPakistani

Yesterday Mobilink organized a Blogger Meet-up at Rendezvous, Islamabad to launch the new HTC HD7 smartphone especially in the blogging community.

About 45 bloggers mainly from Islamabad but also from Karachi and Lahore attended the event. The meet-up was interactive and had a lot of online activities to keep the blogging community active and give them chances to win prizes during the blogger meet-up.

A brand new HTC HD7 smartphone was also given away by Mobilink to one of the bloggers through an online Facebook competition.

All participants were asked to take write a message in an empty HTC HD7 phone frame on paper, take a photo and upload it on their Facebook pages with a caption to encourage their friends to help them win the free smartphone by Mobilink. Instantly, all bloggers started taking photos and uploading it on Facebook. The winner at the end of Meet-up was Redmond Pie from Karachi who managed to get over 300 'likes' in just 25 minutes. As of today, the 'likes' to that photo have crossed 2,000 likes.

ProPakistani doesn't use Facebook and hence didn't participate in the contest.

Another blogger from Solo Smart, Lahore won the Twitter contest while Propakistani and Telecom News Bulletin won prizes for blogging about Mobilink's HTC HD7 launch in Pakistan and writing a review about the HTC HD7 phone, respectively.

The evening concluded with a lavish hi-tea. Mobilink always strives to not only provide their customer the best connectivity with the most affordable packages but also strongly believes is keeping up with the latest trends in mobile phone technology.

Previously, Mobilink had introduced BlackBerry and Milestone, the android phone in Pakistani market and with this latest launch of Windows Phone 7 powered HTC HD7 smartphone, Mobilink brings to its customers a wide range of choices when it comes to choosing the best smartphone for quality connectivity on the go.

Here is a collection of some photos from Mobilink's Blogger Meet-up.

Orascom Sells its Tunisian Stakes to Qtel

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 02:23 AM PST

Orascom Sells its Tunisian Stakes to Qtel is a post from: ProPakistani

Orascom Telecom has sold its 50 percent stake in Tunisian mobile operator Tunisiana to a Qatari-Tunisian consortium for $1.2 billion.

The consortium includes Qatar Telecom’s (Qtel), the Kuwaiti unit Wataniya, which already owns 50 percent of Tunisiana, the Qatari landline line and wireless carrier,

Qatar Telecom or Qtel, through Wataniya – Group's arm in Tunisia, said that they have signed an accord with Orascom to complete the buyout.

Wataniya already holds 50 percent of Telecom Tunisie, or Tunisiana, North African nation's biggest private telecommunications company.

According to Reuters, of the 50 percent stake, 75 percent is expected to go to Wataniya and 25 percent to Princesse Holding, subject to approval by Tunisian regulators. The deal is expected to pay for Orascom’s debt service.

As per Reuters, Qtel's Chief Strategy Officer has stated that group is planning to sell shares to the public in its Iraqi unit in two years and in its Tunisian unit in 2011.

Qtel has presence in Pakistan through wi-tribe, country's second largest WiMAX broadband operator.

Via Reuters

Hidden Charges – A Confession!

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 11:32 PM PST

Hidden Charges – A Confession! is a post from: ProPakistani

Guest Post by Tehreem Ahmed

Alright! I want to make a confession in front of you all. I know that I am being cheated! Yes! I am being cheated and I so hate this fact that I feel like banging the head of the culprit on the wall. If not the culprit – then I know who'd suffer with my anger against this reality I loathe – my dear cell phone!

Well! Trust me, I am not insane – but I can't get over the fact that I am being cheated all the time by these telecoms. And believe me – I know you are also the victim!

Hidden charge in a mobile phone package is paradoxical statement as the complete information about the price plan is advertised and propagated but with little emphasis. A number of marketing schemes are employed to shroud the exact tariff plan by either printing the details too faintly on the advertisements or by writing the details on the websites and if you don't have internet access to check the website there remains no clue of tariff plan.

In general a user may be charged with following types of so called hidden charges in the deal.

Activation charges
Subscription fee
Daily charges
Daily package fee etc.

Let me act like the offspring of Sherlock Holmes and I'll show you the real faces of these crooks. To bring in the limelight – we have this recent example of Ufone's Bachat Offer.

They claim to be the cheapest rate providers. Sigh! How fake they are! The package of the cheapest rates is false claim as there are hidden charges in the name of daily subscription fee, including activation charges. So, at the end when you calculate the total amount spent, you actually end up paying almost the same price or more as other operators are offering. BANG! Ouch, it hurts!

The honest Telenor, in its recent offering of '49 paisas per 30 second' followed the tradition. The tagline of 49 Paisas per 30 seconds is damn catchy – but again subscription fee of Rs. 3 plus tax is mentioned no-where.

Now, talk about the King of the ring. The country's biggest mobile phone operator has launched a youth brand 'such Jazba' to compete with other youth brands available in the market, djuice, glow and Uth. Again, company failed to communicate 'such' in their advertisements as they have not mentioned 'Daily Charges' of PKR 3.99+ tax & 'Daily Package fee' of PKR 1+tax.

It will take my whole life to quote the examples in relation to this scenario (ignore the exaggeration); almost all the telecom brands do the same except for few. This is the time for the authority and consumers to raise question on this issue and ask the trust breakers to flow the factual communication.

You think I am crazy? Or am I just paying attention? Whatever it is – I am sure of one thing – I am not ALONE!

Unfortunately, today's business environment breeds sneakiness. To raise the bar of their profits, companies have seized on scam. I am hurt and I will hurt them in return. On their face – I would say that the most successful firms are now the ones that hide their prices best: Under asterisks, deep inside terms and conditions, in charges they call taxes and so on…

Would you still say that I am pointless? Well, you may stand with me against them or you may not – keeping the above points in view, I firmly believe and that hidden charges are a big deal.

Zong Climbs the Subscriber Numbers with Clear Vision

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 10:29 PM PST

Zong Climbs the Subscriber Numbers with Clear Vision is a post from: ProPakistani

The recently released PTA report on cellular subscribers showed ZONG as the clear winner for the third quarter of 2010, with a net addition of over 740,000 subscribers in the period.

This brought the total number of subscribers under the company to just around 7.5 million. If numbers were the only way to analyze companies, one would certainly have to commend ZONG on its performance. However, if you put aside quality and other metrics, the company has truly proven how a clear vision in market segmentation can help to establish a base of one's own.

It was in 2008 that the disturbed and troubled carcass of PakTel was bought out by China Telecom, making it the first international endeavor for the Chinese telecommunication giant.

With over 500 million subscribers, China Telecom is regarded as the largest cellular service provider in the world, followed by Vodafone. While the latter is spread over several countries and continents, the former has been largely concentrated to its home country.

In the 2 years since its foray into Pakistan, China Telecom has invested over $1 billion into establishing itself and its brand, and it seems that some return is slowly starting to creep in.

For PakTel, the trouble lay in the lack of resources available for the company to innovate its systems, which was essential in the eye of increasing competition from Mobilink, Telenor and Ufone. However, that has not been an issue for China Telecom, which has ensured that Zong remained as innovative and competitive across all fronts in the Pakistani market. The differentiator, however, is the vision with which Zong has approached the local market; segmenting down to the low income users and ensuring that the packages it promotes provide the most benefit to these users.

This approach symbolizes a lack of aggressiveness on part of Zong against its market competitors; at least not directly in the established segments of the market. While the company offers an enhanced portfolio including Blackberry services, its focus appears resolute to the far-flung areas and the consumers seeking more value out of little. The company seems content on keeping its creativity locked on finding ways to gain loyalty from this segment. And we can witness this in all their communication.

The credible factor is that it is paying off for the company. People are responding in the positive and in the droves. They did that when Zong opened its operations promising everyone their personal choice of numbers, and while that may not be the case every day now, the company's consumer-centric offerings are keeping its subscriber base quite steady. Furthermore, an informal survey of consumers reflects that Zong is commonly referred to as 'China Mobile', and viewed as cheap and low-quality. However, for the masses who are already burdened with daily expenses of survival, the brand brings a link between their needs and affordability. Handsets and double credit; all I need to remain in touch longer.

Kudos to Zong for finding their customers and addressing the needs in packages, hardware and communication. One hopes that this remains a long-term vision of the company, allowing many more from the rural areas to 'Say it All'.

Telenor and TransferTo Partner for International Top-Up Service

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 09:00 PM PST

Telenor and TransferTo Partner for International Top-Up Service is a post from: ProPakistani

Telenor Pakistan and TransferTo, the international mobile airtime top-up network, have joined hands to enable International Top-Ups to Telenor subscribers from overseas, both companies announced today.

Pakistanis living abroad can now conveniently top-up their loved ones' phones with Telenor Pakistan airtime through any of TransferTo's authorized partners, as well as the consumer-facing website, http://www.transferto.com.

Pakistani subscribers in Saudi Arabia, for example, can send Telenor Pakistan top-ups simply by SMS if they are STC subscribers, a TransferTo partner operator.

The transaction is processed in real-time through TransferTo's secure platform. Top-ups towards Telenor Pakistan on TransferTo can be as low as 100 rupees and as high as 5,000 rupees for any given transaction.

There are approximately 7 million Pakistanis living abroad. For many, topping up a phone in their home country is a great way to make a low cost, high value gift to friends and family on special occasions such as birthdays or religious holidays.

"We are excited to add Telenor Pakistan to our list of receiving operators and increase coverage of Pakistan in the process," said Eric Barbier, TransferTo Founder and CEO. "Now, Pakistanis living abroad can easily send airtime to their loved ones back home."

Chief Marketing Officer Telenor Pakistan, Lars Christian Iuel said,

"Telenor Pakistan is always looking at possibilities to expand its outreach to its customers and provide them with unique services, no matter where they are. This is an exciting time for us. We are pleased to introduce a service that will help our international customers send airtime back home and stay connected across borders."