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12. VAS

in

3G

The primary objective of a mobile telephony system is to allow

mobile subscribers to communicate effectively. GSM systems provide this by offering a number
of different basic telecommunications services. Many of these services are network based and
other are content based. Todays era of cut throat competition, ever increasing expectation of
customers, all operators keep introducing innovative service to maintain an edge over rivals.

Value Added Services: Value added service (VAS) in telecommunication industry refers to
non-core services, which add value to core or basic tele services, the core or basic services
being standard voice calls and fax transmission etc. VAS are stands alone in terms of
profitability and also stimulates incremental demand for core or basic services.

Why VAS is needed :

Revenue from Mobile VAS is around 10-14 % of the total revenue of Mobile Telecom
Service Provider and is expected to cross 30 % of the Mobile Telecom Service
Providers revenue in the next 5-7 years. All operators would like to maximize revenue
and increase average revenue per user (ARPU) for operators.
To Satisfy the growing demand of Customers for voice, Music, Video, Cartoon,
advertisements, commerce, greetings etc.
To improve loyalty & reduce churn

How VAS are offered

Some Value added services such as SMS, Caller Ring Back Tunes (CRBT), GPRS, Broadband
can be offered by the mobile operator themselves but most VAS are offered with the help of
Value Added Service Providers (VASP). In most of the cases VASPs dont own the contents
but they have arrangements with the content providers/content developers or copy right owners
known as content owners. There is going to be a win-win situation for the Mobile Telecom
Service Providers, Value Added Service Providers/content aggregators, handsets manufacturers,
content developers/authors/creators, others associated with mobile contests and streaming audio
and video & customers

In todays scenario may VAS Offerings are available such as News (National, International,
Business, Entertainment, Sports news.), Finance (Stocks (NSB, BSE etc.), Entertainment
(Games, Jokes etc.), Travel (Railways, Airlines etc.), Astrology Service, Music on demand,
Contest, Mobile TV, MMS, M-Commerce (Transaction based services with multiple payment
modes)

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VAS Status in BSNL Mobile Network:

Various value-added services available to the mobile subscribers of BSNL. Two types of SMS
based Value added services are available to the Mobile subscribers of BSNL:

Through the SIM card: These services are given in menu of SIM provided by BSNL. The
user need not remember the SMS short code of these services. BSNL ties with Value Added
Service providers and programs the SIM to deliver these services through them.

Through the short codes: Besides the menu based services, there are many more services, for
which many content providers have tied up with BSNL. These services are allotted short codes
and user can avail these services by sending SMS to these short codes. At present BSNL has
agreement with many VASPs. Details of these providers with tariff and short code can be seen at
www.bsnl.co.in in the mobile services section.

There are many MMS based services which require GPRS connectivity. For this BSNL has its
own Portal. BSNL offers free GPRS access to www.CellOne.in portal. While surfing is
free, downloads come at a charge. Then there is of course a Free Content section. Ringtones
cost Rs. 10 while games come at Rs. 50 and above.

Two portal of BSNL are CellOne Safari and CellOne Galaxy offering a wide variety of high
quality wallpapers, truetones, polytones, video ringtones, animated pictures, single player &
multiplayer games, themes etc. ready for download to the mobile phone.

Some other important VAS provided by BSNL are listed below:

Missed Call Alert: BSNL mobile users can divert their call to 17010 whenever they are not a
position to take the calls. This divert can be activated under various conditions such as
unconditional, busy, no reply, out of coverage etc. When activated, user gets SMS alert for all
the missed calls. This ervice is provided free by BSNL to all its users.
Short Message Service (SMS)
One can type down the message of up to 160-character length including spaces, punctuation
and special characters and send instantaneously to other mobile users. It is also possible to get
the confirmation about the delivery of the message. If the called number is busy or out of
coverage area, the system periodically monitors the status of the called number and sends the
message as soon as it becomes active. BSNL provides national and International SMS facilityto
its post and pre-paid customers at very cheap price.

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Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) It is a cellular telephone standard for sending

messages that include multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text). MMS is an
extension of the SMS standard, allowing longer message lengths and using WAP to display the
content. Its most popular use is sending photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although
it is also popular as a method of delivering ringtones as well.

Unified Messaging Services (UMS): This provides Voice mail, FAX, e-mail, text to voice
services on your mobile phone. The UMS system can be categorized as per the below
mentioned functionality:
Voice Mail Service (VMS)
FAX Message
E-Mail
E-Mail to Speech (ETS)

Voice-Mail: BSNL Voice Mail Service ensures that the customers never miss their calls even
when their phone is busy, switched off, out of coverage, or the customer is simply too busy to
take the call. In such cases, VMS greets the caller and records a message from the caller, which
the customer can retrieve later at his convenience from anywhere in the world. This is available
to all post-paid customers. It's like having your very own ,mobile personal secretary and
answering machine who listens to your incoming calls, greets the caller and stores the
messages left by the caller so that you can listen and call them back later.

FAX-Message: This feature will enable the subscriber to sent/receive fax message. The fax can
be sent/received to/by the subscriber either through BSNL UMN account or using fax machine.

E-Mail/SMS/FAX/Voice Message: This feature will enable the subscriber to send/receive Email / SMS / Fax / Voice messages. The subscriber has to get BSNL UMN account for this
feature.

E-Mail to Speech (ETS): This feature will enable the subscriber to receive the Email on the
mobile phone . The attachments along with Email cannot be listened from your voice mail box.

For more details regarding access code and method to use different services please visit web
site http://www.bsnl.co.in

GPRS Internet surfing: Customers availing GPRS facility can surf the internet through their
mobile handset. BSNL has now introduced GSM Data card facilitating use of GSM connection
with PC/Laptop to have internet access on the move. With this, users can surf the web,

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send/receive e-mails etc. Prepaid users can subscribe to GRRS by sending SMS to 53733
whereas postpaid need to apply with BSNL outlets.
Closed User Group (CUG)
The CUG service enables subscribers connected to the PLMN/ISDN and possibly other
networks, to form groups in which access is restricted. For example, members of a specific
CUG can communicate with each other, but generally not with users outside the group. BSNL
offers Circle level as well as National CUG in BSNL Mobile network. All India hybrid VPN
i.e. a mix of landline, CDMA and GSM connections is also offered through separate IN
platform.

Caller Ring Back Tunes: BSNL mobile customers can program the ring back tune which their
callers will get. A wide variety of music with latest bollywood songs is available for selection.
The service has a monthly rental and each CRBT selection is charged separately.

Location Based Services offered by BSNL

BSNL is offering following services :
(a) Tracking services:
Resource Tracking and Management Services (RTMS)
People Finder Service (PFS):
(b) Infotainment Services :
Advertisement
Chatting Service
Resource Tracking & Management Service (RTMS)
RTMS is real-time tracking, management and communication with field employees and fleet
drivers of a company equipped with mobile phones. Very useful for transport, logistics and
corporate employee work force management. No special device other than mobile handset is
required to keep with vehicles to be tracked. This service can be used over Web/SMS.

People Finder Service (PFS)

This is for mobile users to locate, monitor and communicate with their buddies. It enables users
to add location dimension and content to their personal communication

- Mobile users create buddy list and groups

- Locate, monitor and communicate among friends, family and employees

Send SMS and MMS messages to buddies in a simple

manner. This service can be used over Web/WAP/SMS.

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Advertisement
This is a location based SMS promotions and advertisement Service. This service broadcasts
advertisement as SMS messages to subscribers within a defined geographical region. The
service is free-of-charge for subscriber to use.

Chatting
Chatting provides an "SMS chat" service to the subscribers who would like to communicate or
meet based on their current location. They can specify the distance (Km) and Duration (Hour)
within which they want to find their buddy to chat. It enables to meet with people of the same
interests. The subscriber provides personal profile information (gender, interests ,
nickname,etc.). The Chatting service can be accessed through SMS, WAP and WEB.

Some of the Network based services are:

3.1 Call forwarding: This service provides the subscriber with the ability to forward
incoming calls to another telephone number in the following situations:

Call forwarding on MS not reachable

Call forwarding on MS busy
Call forwarding on no reply
Call forwarding, unconditional
3.2 Barring of outgoing calls: The subscriber can activate or deactivate this service from the
MS with a variety of options for barring outgoing calls. For example, the
subscriber can:

Bar all outgoing calls

Bar all outgoing international calls
Bar all outgoing international calls except those directed to the
home PLMN

3.3 Barring of incoming calls: With this function, the subscriber can prevent incoming
calls. This is desirable because in some cases the called mobile subscriber is charged for
parts of an incoming call (e.g. during international roaming).
There are two incoming call barring options:
Barring of all incoming calls

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Barring of incoming calls when outside home PLMN

3.4 Advice of Charge: The advice of Charge (AoC) service provides the MS with information
needed to calculate the charge of a call. This information is provided atcall set-up.
Charges are indicated for the call in progress when it is mobile originated. BSNL now
offers GSM PCO ensuring a maintenance free PCO with mobility.

3.6 Call waiting: This service notifies the mobile subscriber, usually by an audible tone, for
incoming call. The call can then be answered, rejected or ignored. The incoming call can
be any type of basic service including speech, data or fax. There is no notification in the
case of an emergency call or SMS.

3.7 Call hold: This supplementary service enables the subscriber to put the basic normal
telephony service on hold in order to set up a new call or accept a waiting call.
Communication with the original call can then be re-established.

3.8 Multiparty service: The multiparty service enables a mobile subscriber to establish a
multiparty conversation, that is, a simultaneous conversation between up to six
subscribers. This service can only be used with basic speech telephony.

3.9 Calling line identification services:

These supplementary services cover both the presentation and restriction of the
calling line identity. The presentation part of the service supplies the called party
with the ISDN or MSISDN number of the calling party. The restriction service
enables calling parties to restrict the presentation of their numbers on the MSs of
called parties. Restriction overrides presentation

3.10 Connected line identification presentation/restriction:

These supplementary services supply the calling party with the ISDN number of the
connected (called) party. The restriction enables the connected party to restrict the
presentation. Restriction overrides presentation. This service is useful when the callis
forwarded or when it is connected via a switchboard.
Besides above listed services, BSNL does offer online bill payment, bill
view, detail bill, duplicate bill service through its portal. BSNL is continuously trying to add
new services toits GSM service. Many services such as M-commerce, Video conferencing,
Blackberry, video streaming etc. are in the pipeline. It is worth noting that BSNL is in the
process of enabling all VAS available in GSM service to its CDMA service also.

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