Apple is in talks with Reliance Communications
to offer 3G data plans on the iPad 2 platform in India. These plans would
be available in RCOM’s existing 13 3G circles at the moment. A key feature of
this tie-up is that these plans may not be bound by a contract binding for
activation/ cancellation at any point of time, according to industry sources.
Tariff plans for this service offered by RCom
are pegged at Rs 200 for the I GB one-day plan, and Rs 1000-1200 per month for
the unlimited plan. The unlimited plan is available in two packs with one
offering 5 GB of free data, at a monthly cost of Rs 750, and a 10 GB data plan
at Rs 1100. 3G data plans are being offered to both prepaid and postpaid
subscribers. RCom officials did not divulge exact details of the launch date,
but said that the 3G data plans can be activated from Reliance World outlets.
Apple riginally partnered exclusively with BSNL for 3G data plans in India,
providing limited choice to users. Accordingly, its tariff plans with BSNL
for prepaid and postpaid were priced at Rs 99 for a daily unlimited plan, Rs
599 for a 6GB monthly plan and Rs 999 for an unlimited monthly plan valid for
30 days. The partnership with Reliance Communications will provide more choice
to iPad users, and will also help to drive down prices of data plans.
Apple iPad 2
which made its India debut in April, was a sell-out before it was even out in
stores due to advance bookings, despite being priced between Rs 29,500 and Rs
46,900. The Apple iPad 1 also sold one million units in less than a month in
India. iPad 2 works on Wi-fi and 3G networks and is available with 16, 32
or 64 GB memory space. iPad 2 also features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor
for faster performance and graphics and also includes two cameras, a
front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera
that captures 720p HD video, both of which also allow for a unique video chat
experience.
With the backing of the end to end IP network which RCom
enjoys, sources confirm that RCom is launching 3G services with customer
centric data plans in a big way. According to Prashant Gokarn,
head-3G, Reliance Communications, A key advantage that RCom 3G has over other
operators is a completely fiberized backhaul which supports huge bandwidth and
provides low latency.” To date, RCom has approximately 500,000 3G customers,
and is steadily expanding 3G services to all 13 circles where it won 3G
spectrum. The operator offers a pay-as-you-go plan for 3G which starts at Rs
0.10 for 10 kb and a starting monthly plan of Rs 100 for 100 MB.
By TelecomLead.com Team
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