Thursday 23 January 2014

Press Release - Aircel launches first of its kind international calling plans

Press Release

Aircel launches first of its kind international calling plans
First operator to offer ISD calling @ 1p/sec with its product Aircel “ISD 54444”
Chennai, January 23, 2014: In a step to revolutionize the international calling market in India, Aircel today launched first of its kind international calling plan – Aircel ISD 54444. Aircel’s existing as well as new customers will enjoy special ISD call rates through this new pre-activated tariff plan. Introduction of ‘Aircel ISD 54444’ a prefix based calling plan,’ will redefine the user experience and consumption of international calling services in the country. The plan which is industry’s first will have no additional charges.
Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, said, “At Aircel, we constantly innovate plans that fit the needs of our customers and ensure they get best products and services. With an aim to establish Aircel as the preferred operator for international calling, we have introduced special plans to give our customers more value and low rates which will be enable them to stay connected with their family and friends living abroad. International calling is usually perceived as expensive so through our ISD plans we aim to break this myth by offering international calling at rates more affordable than local calling.”
Aircel’s new range of international calling plans:
·        Aircel ISD 54444: The prefixed based calling pack offers international calls to select top called destinations like USA, Canada, Singapore, China, UK at 1p/sec without paying any additional charges. Aircel subscribers opting for Aircel ISD 54444 will need to prefix a 5 digit toll free short code “54444” followed by 00 - Country Code – Customer number to avail the benefits of discounted international calls at 1p/sec to these 5 destinations. The prefix dialing code 54444 is common across Aircel circles. This service will not be applicable while on roaming.
·        ISD Super: A rate cutter pack specially priced at Rs. 18 offers international calls through pay per second rate to destinations in America, Europe, Asia and Gulf countries. The offer will be valid for 28 days.
·        ISD Super tariff: Till 31st March, 2014, all new Aircel subscribers will enjoy the benefits of ISD Super tariff pre-activated in their new plan for 90 days. 

About Aircel Limited
Aircel is a leading telecom service provider with pan-India operations. It won 3G spectrum in 13 circles and BWA spectrum in 8 circles and has successfully launched 3G services which is the fastest 3G roll out ever in the Indian Telecom Space. Aircel has been constantly innovating products and services and is credited with making 3G affordable to masses by launching Pocket Internet Smart which offers best value 3G packs. Aircel Pocket Internet Smart gave a boost to 3G adoption in the country as it is a true value for money product that allows consumers to access unlimited 3G data at extremely affordable prices. Aircel has positioned itself as a data led telecom player and has addressed the multi-functionality of a mobile phone in many innovative ways which are Industry firsts, be it the Aircel Pocket Internet, Pocket Internet Games and Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel. Aircel is also a preferred telecom network to launch Apple iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. Recently, the company has become the proud recipient of coveted awards such as Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) 2012 South Asia by Enterprise Asia, ‘Excellence Award for Security in Telecom 2012’ by Data Security Council of India (DSCI) an institution setup by NASSCOM® and ‘Best in class Learning and Development Awards’ for ‘Innovation in Learning’ and ‘Best Training Venue’ by World HRD Congress 2013.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Press Release - Aircel launches a special community building STD pack in Karnataka

Press Release

Aircel launches a special community building STD pack in Karnataka
 
Introduces RC35 offering STD at 10p/min for Aircel to Aircel calls
Bengaluru, January 14, 2014: In its commitment to offer best value for money products to its customers, Aircel, one of India’s leading telecom players, today announced the launch of special community building STD pack - RC 35 - in Karnataka. The product offers STD calls at 10p/min for Aircel to Aircel and 30p/min for Aircel to other mobile  ,with a validity of 30 days. 

K. Kadhiravan, Circle Business Head - Karnataka, Aircel, said, “Karnataka witnesses a huge population of students and young working professionals from other states who want to stay connected with their friends and family. Aircel aims to bridge this gap by offering this unique product which will not only provide best value for money for the customers but also helps them stay connected 24X7 across the country with this attractive low rate pack.”

Aircel constantly makes efforts to offer exciting engagements for its customers in the Karnataka market along with the products and services. The company strives to bring an element of ‘Extra’ in its products as a simple way to bring joy and happiness to its customers. 

About Aircel Limited
Aircel is a leading telecom service provider with pan-India operations. The company has 3G spectrum in 13 circles and BWA spectrum in 8 circles and is credited with the fastest 3G roll out ever in the Indian telecom space. As a young data led telecom player, Aircel has constantly been at the helm of introducing innovative and value for money products and services for its customers, which are industry firsts, be it the Aircel Pocket Internet, taking the first step in making 3G affordable for the masses, being the first telecom player to introduce Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel, and many more. The Smart Pocket Internet data plans by Aircel truly changed the way mobile internet was perceived and consumed. Aircel is also a preferred telecom network to launch Apple iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. The company has been the proud recipient of coveted awards such as Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) 2012 South Asia by Enterprise Asia, ‘Excellence Award for Security in Telecom 2012’ by Data Security Council of India (DSCI) an institution setup by NASSCOM® and ‘Best in class Learning and Development Awards’ for ‘Innovation in Learning’ and ‘Best Training Venue’ by World HRD Congress 2013. For more information, please log onto their website www.aircel.com or follow them on Twitter @AircelNews

BROTHER INDIA PRINTERS & MFCs

I was of the view that. in India the existing brands in consumer & small business printers (apart from Brother India) offer the best technology at the current price point. However, my views changed after being introduced to the world of Brother India. Before touching upon that that, let me tell you who is this company and what does it do.


INTRODUCTION
Brother International is a century old Japanese company that manufactures multi-function printers & home sewing machines around the globe i.e. it is present in more than 100 countries. Being the market leader in US, the same superior technology has finally come to India. They ventured into our country with Brother India, few years back. 
Brother manufactures Printers & Multi-function centres (MFC) primarily. Their collection of all-in-one Inkjet & Laser printers is good and caters to home users, small enterprises and medium size organisations.

BROTHER IN INDIA
For the Indian market, they have Inkjet MFC, Mono laser printers, Mono laser MFC, Colour printers, Colour laser MFC, fax machines and label printers.

In this blog post, I will cover two printers and run you through the other offerings from Brother India. 
HL-3150CDN


The HL-3150CDN offers fast and efficient colour and monochrome print speeds of up to 18 pages per minute (whoa! that’s fast). With the automatic 2-sided printing feature, one can save on costs by printing on both sides of pages. Sharing this printer over a network is easy and several users can access it simultaneously. This printer supports Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile printing.

If you want to know all the specs of this printer, then visit this link - click me

MFC-9140CDN



This fast and efficient MFC offers print speeds of upto 22 pages per minute and multi functions i.e. print, scan, copy and fax. It has 3.7 inch colour touch screen for navigation. Save costs and paper with automatic 2-sided printing, share printer with several users over a network and it has support for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile printing.

The technical specifications of this MFC can be browsed in this link - click me

OVERALL PRINTING RANGE OVERVIEW: 

1. Monochrome Laser printers - Choose between 5 printers according to your usage
    (Offering print speeds up to 38 pages per minute)
2. Monochrome Laser MFCs – Choose between 8 MFCs
    (Up to 40 pages per minute)
3. A4 Mono-Colour Inkjet MFCs – Choose between 3 offerings
4. A3 Mono-Colour Inkjet MFCs – Two offerings
5. Three Colour Laser printers & Two Colour Laser MFCs

Check out the entire details of the range of printers from Brother India here --> click me

INNOVATION
Brother Colour Inkjet MFCs use an innovative technology, where the color cartridges are distinct, so you need not throw away the entire set if one of them goes bad or empty. Just replace the particular empty ink cartridge and there is no need to throw away unused ink cartridges thereby reducing printing costs. 



This is just one of the few examples of innovative technology by Brother, read about it in detail on this link - click me
 
The question arises, why chose Brother over other brands ? 

I would say that reliability, efficiency, host of innovative features and superior technology at affordable costs should be enough to answer this question. Be it home, Small office, home office or corporate enterprises, everyone wants hassle free printing, and Brother aims to give you a hassle-free experience.

Their service centers are present in over 100 cities in Indi and they have telephone as well online support.

On a personal note, I have seen other manufacturers offering printers at low prices, but they compromise on features and print speeds. At many local print/Xerox shops, I am saddened to see colour printers with a dismal print speed of 5 pages per minute. It would be great, if smaller shops adopted Brother India printers because in long run, they are bound to gain much more than money.

 If you are interested in buying Brother India printers, check this link - click me

Friday 3 January 2014

HARPIC - STEPS FORWARD

Harpic is one of the names that spring to mind when you think about one of the most popular brands in India. But not every brand in India has humanized itself enough to think about the society as a crucial entity. Thanks to the #HappyMornings campaign, I can say it with confidence that Harpic is evidently one of the exceptions.

Harpic along with Save the Children has done much for the betterment of society. One great example of the same came out last Friday. Sreeniwaspuri in New Delhi has one of the most populated slums in the capital. Like every slum area, this region faces a lot of disparity when it comes to basic amenities regarding clean water & sanitation. Drainage systems happen to be one of the prime pain points in such areas. The slum visit on 14th December pointed out how the brand along with STC has tried its best to eradicate the problem faced by the unsung of the nation.



The Sreeniwaspuri slum area faced a tough time receiving clean water & the drainage system was in ruins. Children & adults alike often hurt themselves while walking about the bylanes as water flooded the inner lanes difficult to pass through. Water was scarce, when it was there. Harpic & STC installed a proper drainage facility & water storage units that helped this problem. The drive also pointed out the reasons behind open defecation that is so prevalent in India. The reason is not a behavioral problem, but a more fundamental one. The demand for a clean toilet exceeds the availability for one. And where there is a toilet, it functions pathetically. Harpic raised community awareness among the slum folk & interaction with the government are in order regarding the same.
A nearby government school was also a part of the drive where we saw a properly functioning water cooler system. And mind you, there wasn’t just one. From incinerators to storage units to water tanks to clean water taps for every child. It was quite a happy spectacle to see this development. Children here are not just taught how to keep their own selves clean, but also how to teach others the same thing. Community outreach has never been so effective in India!




#HappyMornings, their campaign to create awareness about the sanitation & related problems faced by underprivileged people in India strives to create enough noise about these issues that strong actions are implemented.