PRESS RELEASE
Mumbai, January 27, 2003
Hutchison Essar affiliated companies in India, announced the launch of a wide range of GPRS services simultaneously across all Hutch networks covering Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In one of the fastest ever deployments of a GPRS network anywhere in the world, a number of breakthroughs in the areas of technology, applications and content have been achieved. Star among them, at the very leading edge of global technology, is the Cricket World Cup video service exclusively on the Hutch GPRS phones. Hutch GPRS services will be available from February 8, 2003, coinciding with the inaugural event of the 2003 Cricket World Cup. This was announced by Asim Ghosh, Managing Director, Hutchison Max Telecom, in the presence of India's star batsman Rahul Dravid, in Mumbai today.
In a countrywide deployment, the Hutch GPRS service - HutchWorld - will be available to all Hutch subscribers in India including those in upstate towns in the state circles of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The other unique feature is roaming. Hutch subscribers will be, for instance, able to receive a video clip of cricket highlights even while roaming in any Hutch network.
Hutch brings cricket video replays to its subscribers in its capacity as one of the official sponsors and the only one with exclusive rights to content of the ICC World Cup Cricket 2003 for mobile telephony. Subscribers will be able to receive 10-second video clips of the best moments of all matches of the World Cup as each match progresses. This unique and exclusive video service is one the first of its kind anywhere in the world. It involves sophisticated back end processes of editing the replay, converting it to a format suitable for mobile phones and delivering it to the consumers in real-time. Phones capable of receiving and replaying video clips are also just becoming available in the global market. The Ericsson P800, which is one of the first phones capable of video replays, is available at Hutch Shops across the country. Alternatively, consumers who have more readily available and lower price MMS enabled GPRS phones will be able to receive progressive stills of the World Cup on their phones.
Another GPRS service that is expected to be widely used is photo messaging using MMS. Consumers with camera phones will be able to take pictures and send them to any MMS enabled phone on the Hutch national network or indeed to an e-mail ID anywhere in the world. Not just that, consumers will also be able to add a text or voice clip to the photo message and for those recipients who do not have a GPRS phone the service still works by sending an SMS prompt to the recipient advising him to access the MMS message through the conventional internet.
Fully operable e-mail service is another valuable feature. Hutch has exclusive tie-ups with MSN Hotmail to offer e-mail services on the phone to its consumers. Yahoo mail and MSN Messenger are also available. The advantage of e-mail on the GPRS network is that e-mail is in a format similar to its familiar PC version.
Hi-end Java games will be available to subscribers on the mobile phones. These games are among the most advanced and sophisticated available to any mobile subscriber internationally.
Other services available on the portal cover news, astrology and entertainment including a wide range of polyphonic ringtones.
All these services usher in a new world of content available on mobile phones and will over time create a unique and differentiated HutchWorld for the Hutch subscribers.
Hutch GPRS services will be available at a basic subscription of Rs 249 per month which is being offered at a special introductory price of Rs 99 till March 31, 2003. The World Cup video clips and progressive stills can be received for only Rs 99 right till the end of the tournament.
Announcing the launch of HutchWorld, Asim Ghosh, said, "This adds a new dimension to communication. We've moved things to a new plane by bringing action to the user's fingertips. This is absolutely world class and all made available at the same time across the country."
Commenting on the World Cup video clips feature of HutchWorld, Rahul Dravid, said, "My first experience of HutchWorld exceeded all expectations. Video replays of the action throughout the match is a fantastic service that HutchWorld can deliver to cricket viewers. It's almost like carrying your TV around with you."
About Hutchison in India
Hutchison-affiliated companies operate cellular services in the four metros and three state circles - Orange in Mumbai; and Hutch in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Hutchison-affiliated companies have a combined subscriber base of over 2 million cellular subscribers in the country. Hutch was recently polled as 'India's Most Respected Telecom Company' by a Businessworld-IMRB Survey.
Contact:
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Arup Saikia Hutchison Max Telecom Mumbai Orange 9820018601 Fax: 022-2431 1111 e-mail: arup.saikia@orange.co.in |
Amrit Singh Deo Genesis PR Mumbai Orange 9820211064 Tel: 022-56603027 Fax: 022-2491 1788 e-mail: asinghdeo@genesispr.com |
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