MTS India, the CDMA mobile service of Sistema Shyam Tele Services Limited (SSTL), has announced that it would provide free access to all vehicles on Delhi-Noida DND flyway and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway on October 9.

SSTL has offered this interesting facility to mark the launch of its mobile services and super-fast data services in the National Capitali and NCR.

MTS will not charge any money from the vehicles traveling between 9 am to 11 am and then 5pm to 8pm on October 9. The service would be offered for all vehicles moving in or out of New Delhi.

Reliance Mobile, major telecom provider in India, has announced that the company has joined hands with Canadian firm Research In Motion to roll out BlackBerry Tour smartphone for its CDMA consumers in India at Rs 27,990.

The company will start selling BlackBerry Tour, a 3G-enabled smartphone, from October 12, 2009.  

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) has launched new night tariff packs for festive season.

Under the newly launched night packs, users can make local calls at 20 paise per minute and STD calls at 50 paise per minute between 11pm to 7 am. BSNL has also introduced a GPRS pack, which includes unlimited data services at the cost of Rs 230 and valid for 30 days.

The 3G auction may be delayed for another six moths as the Department of Telecom (DoT) will not be able to meet the deadline fixed earlier i. e. December 7, 2009.

As per the news sources, the Defence Ministry has issued a statement to DoT, which said that it would be in a position to release the 20 MHz of spectrum only if it had committed in June 2010 in spite of December 7, 2009.

Tata Teleservices, leading cellular services provider, has launched its mobile services on GSM network in Haryana. This is the first launch of GSM service in the northern region.

Mr. Anil Sardana, MD of Tata Teleservices (TTSL) launched the service by first call on the Tata DoCoMo Haryana network to the state Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In a bid to increase broadband interest in rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) has introduced low-cost broadband connections in the state. An official of BSNL told reporters that affordable broadband connections will be provided in rural and remote areas of the state for faster penetration of information technology.

Moreover, the state government will offer subsidy up to Rs 850 for the first 31 connection for both individual and government organizations. They will also be eligible for Rs 4500 computer subsidy.

Bharti Airtel, country’s leading service provider, has rolled out its new ‘Airtel Advantage’ scheme for all its nationwide subscribers. 

With this offer, customers can make STD as well as local calls to any Airtel number at the cost of just 50 paise per minute.

As per a notice issued on a telecoms department website by the central Government, the auction of much awaited 3G spectrum will take place on December 7.

The bids for the 3G spectrum will be invited from October 26 to November 13.

The notice also said that the EVDO (CDMA version of 3G) and broadband wireless access (WiMAX) would take place after two days after the auctions for 3G spectrum.

MTNL recently declared that they were searching a partner in order to market their 3G services in India.

The reaction to this venture has been less than impressive.

According to sources, only two companies filled including Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and BK-Modi’s Spice have submitted their bids to market Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) 3G services in two telecom circles Mumbai and Delhi.

According to the sources, Indian Ministry of Telecommunications would organize a meeting on August 28, 2009 of telecom service providers to discuss the possible threat caused by the service providers' use of Chinese-made equipment, particularly in border regions.

Equipment from Chinese vendors are a strict no no in border states, Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura told chief executive officers of mobile service providers comprising Airtel, Reliance, BSNL and Vodafone.

Mr. Behura also ordered them to use all necessary steps to boost nation's security.