iPhone coming to India in September, via Vodafone?

[X-Machine]

This iPhone will be launched simultaneously by Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance. Vodafone gets the first right to introduce the iPhone to India.
Moreover, the prices floating around in the market are all rumours as stated above.
Vodafone and Airtel have some serious competition from Reliance, who would price it about 10-12% lower to attain maximum market value.
Its gonna be a war - starting September, with all the Ads & Value Schemes.
Hope the customers gets the final advantage.

X

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by X-Machine

This iPhone will be launched simultaneously by Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance. Vodafone gets the first right to introduce the iPhone to India.
Moreover, the prices floating around in the market are all rumours as stated above.
Vodafone and Airtel have some serious competition from Reliance, who would price it about 10-12% lower to attain maximum market value.
Its gonna be a war - starting September, with all the Ads & Value Schemes.
Hope the customers gets the final advantage.

X

How will the iPhone work on Reliance network? I thought it was just a GSM phone.

[malgudi]

Reliance GSM may get launched by then ;-)

[lurker]

No, I think Reliance will just sell the phone from their Apple Stores. Possibly they might have access to a CDMA version too. Who knows ?

But this entire iphone thing is way too overhyped.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by lurker

No, I think Reliance will just sell the phone from their Apple Stores. Possibly they might have access to a CDMA version too. Who knows ?

But this entire iphone thing is way too overhyped.

There is no CDMA version. Reliance is actively looking to enter the GSM market since CDMA(mostly due to utilitarian phones) is considered low end market.
If they offer same rates in GSM field, its going to be bad news for others.

[X-Machine]

Originally Posted by Sahil

How will the iPhone work on Reliance network? I thought it was just a GSM phone.

Thats coz Reliance is launching thier GSM services by October this year. Moreover, Apple does not plan to introduce CDMA iPhone for the next 5 years.

X

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Reliance is actively looking to enter the GSM market since CDMA(mostly due to utilitarian phones) is considered low end market.

This is partially true - there is a perception factor in India that the CDMA phones are meant for autorickshaw drivers and raddiwallahs, but then Reliance themselves are responsible for this perception. It is no fault of the technology.


More than this, Reliance would want to jump onto the GSM bandwagon because:

1. They're paying a fairly hefty royalty PER SUBSCRIBER PER YEAR to Qualcomm for CDMA usage. When you consider the number of subscribers they have, this is a huge amount, working out to a few hundred million dollars.

2. CDMA doesnt fit into their expansion plans. If, for instance, they merge with MTN, the merged entity will not benefit from economies of scale because of two different technologies. And there arent many CDMA operators around for them to acquire anyway.

What they dont realize, however, is that the perception of being a 'cheap operator' is not because of their technology but because they really havent been anything more than an el-cheapo service provider. Customer Service is non-existent, brand loyalty is zilch and the aspirational value of a Reliance Connection is negative. These are factors that Reliance themselves are responsible for, not the technology.


Anyway, getting back to iPhone, I booked one each with Vodafone and AirTel. Lets see who gives a better rate, then maybe I can get an cheap iPhone from India and use it abroad, giving the line to one of our parents to use. Even if Reliance releases the iPhone in India, there's no way I'm going to be buying voice services from them.

[deepakhon]

Off topic entirely:

My 3 year old daughter likes to watch the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons I have downloaded in my iPhone. But, apart from watching those MxTube downloaded cartoons, she also meddles with the phone very much.

Yesterday evening, she started telling me, "Appa naanu dustbin muttuttiddine (I am touching the dustbin)". I did not give her statement its due. She repeated her statement after a while. I then realised that she was operating my phone. Before I knew, she had deleted a photo of Rolls Royce Phantom I had clicked at Royal Orchid hotel, Mysore last weekend. :(

Talk of ease of use!

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

This is partially true - there is a perception factor in India that the CDMA phones are meant for autorickshaw drivers and raddiwallahs, but then Reliance themselves are responsible for this perception. It is no fault of the technology.


More than this, Reliance would want to jump onto the GSM bandwagon because:

1. They're paying a fairly hefty royalty PER SUBSCRIBER PER YEAR to Qualcomm for CDMA usage. When you consider the number of subscribers they have, this is a huge amount, working out to a few hundred million dollars.

2. CDMA doesnt fit into their expansion plans. If, for instance, they merge with MTN, the merged entity will not benefit from economies of scale because of two different technologies. And there arent many CDMA operators around for them to acquire anyway.

What they dont realize, however, is that the perception of being a 'cheap operator' is not because of their technology but because they really havent been anything more than an el-cheapo service provider. Customer Service is non-existent, brand loyalty is zilch and the aspirational value of a Reliance Connection is negative. These are factors that Reliance themselves are responsible for, not the technology.


Anyway, getting back to iPhone, I booked one each with Vodafone and AirTel. Lets see who gives a better rate, then maybe I can get an cheap iPhone from India and use it abroad, giving the line to one of our parents to use. Even if Reliance releases the iPhone in India, there's no way I'm going to be buying voice services from them.

When I meant lown end, I wasn't even talking about the "customer base"
I was talking about handsets.
For example, a year ago, the most expensive phone from reliance was a series40 v2 6265 from Nokia, costing 16000.
You could buy a windows mobile or Symbian series 60 phones for lower price.
More features, low price.
Only recently did blackberry etc., come to reliance fold.
the reasons can by myriad, but when there are no high end phones on offer, it limits the market.
Compare that to GSM. There is such a thriving grey and white ecosystem.

[malgudi]

Steeroid,
1. In my opinion, the royalty to Qualcom is part of the handset cost(paid one time when Reliance or any other vendor procures the set) and in that way paid by the customer(as he buyies the cell and the royalty is like hidden cost passed on to him/her). So Reliance does not pay any per year per subscriber royalty to Qualcom.
2. Even if the end technologies are different, The business support systems(BSS) and Operation Suport Systems(OSS) remain the same and can be integrated/same systems used for GSM & CDMA (I know this for sure). Hence economies of scale do work out. End technology (GSM/CDMA) matters only upto the HLR's / MSC's. Ultimately BSS & OSS systems are the ones that support the day to day workings of Telco's.

[IMP]

I just registered myself with both airtel and vodafone.
As Srijit mentioned: Steve Jobs in his keynote at the WWDC mentioned that the iPhone will be launched at a maximum price of $199 all around the world. (With a 2 year contract of course).

If that's the case, i hope, it will be the same over here.

[nitroxx]

Its impossible that the I phone would launch at the same price world over, I think we forgot the fact that different countries different taxes.
Another pathetic excuse for a phone with a pathetic network provider and pathetic pricing..Even though I myself use vodafone and an Iphone once for a damn short period.
No offense guys, anyone buying these please feel free to enjoy your glee.
I'm just voicing my thoughts.

[shazikon]

Originally Posted by IMP

I just registered myself with both airtel and vodafone.

How much is the booking amount?

[diabloo]

3 buck via Mobile SMS and free via Internet.

Originally Posted by shazikon

How much is the booking amount?

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by malgudi

1. In my opinion, the royalty to Qualcom is part of the handset cost(paid one time when Reliance or any other vendor procures the set) and in that way paid by the customer(as he buyies the cell and the royalty is like hidden cost passed on to him/her). So Reliance does not pay any per year per subscriber royalty to Qualcom.

I suggest you check this out, though I could well be wrong - I havent worked for Reliance so my information is based on industry sources. As I understand it, the licensing agreement between Reliance and Qualcomm is very complex and involves terminal license fees as well as per subscriber license fees for technology usage - Qualcomm also had a shareholding in RComm to begin with and as I understand it the technology came rather cheap upfront to RComm because Qualcomm was hoping to ride RComm for a larger slice of the telecom market as opposed to GSM. Reliance was supposed to be the Next Big Thing that would help CDMA break the GSM stranglehold, so Qualcomm had put a lot into this particular arrangement. That it didnt really work that way and RComm are looking to move into GSM is another story altogether.

Only those in the INNER circles at RComm would have the specific details.

Originally Posted by malgudi

2. Even if the end technologies are different, The business support systems(BSS) and Operation Suport Systems(OSS) remain the same and can be integrated/same systems used for GSM & CDMA (I know this for sure). Hence economies of scale do work out. End technology (GSM/CDMA) matters only upto the HLR's / MSC's. Ultimately BSS & OSS systems are the ones that support the day to day workings of Telco's.

BSS may be similar, but OSS cannot be. Equipment vendors cannot be the same for the GSM and CDMA networks - MTN is majorly supported by Ericsson, while I dont know what Reliance is on. Probably Nortel or a chinese equipment service provider (ZTE?). Most likely chinese, knowing Reliance and most probably basic stuff bought at ridiculously low prices. Having worked with MTN I can tell you that COST is not their primary driver, Quality is. There would therefore be a huge qualitative gap between the two networks.

End technologies dont matter just upto HLR/MSCs - the bulk of your network OPERATION costs are BSC/BSS related, not MSS/MSC related. Radio planning will also be different for each technology, as would be the provisioning systems. Other than Transmission there is very little interoperability.

There is a big difference between being 'similar' and being exactly the same. When it is exactly the same, that is when you get economies of scale.

EDIT: But we're digressing here. Perhaps this discussion can move to some GSM v/s CDMA thread (I'm sure there is at least one).