It’s good to see the telco industry going green. That said, we’re glad to report that Bangladesh-based Grameenphone has ordered hybrid solar-powered base stations from Huawei to provide mobile connectivity in rural areas. Solar energy will power-up the stations, and there’s also a diesel engine which is used for backup purposes.

Once deployed, the new system will improve Grameenphone’s network performance, and lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Because of the latter reason, the carrier will reduce the cost of refueling and site visits, hence offset the capital investment in just two-to-three years.

Commenting on the news, Grameenphone’s CEO, Mr. Oddvar Hesjedal, said: “As Bangladesh’ s key telecom operator and a responsible corporate citizen, GP is committed to investing in green mobile network. Huawei’s competitive green power solution helps us utilize renewable energy and reduce our CO2 emissions while providing even better broadband services to our customers.”

[Via: CellularNews]

Check this not-that-usual use of mobile technology. It’s happening in India, where the forestry department of Jharkhand State has started handing out free mobile phones to villages to warn them of rampaging elephants. Some 600 villages will take part in the project, and so far the State has handed out more than 100 phones.

Commenting on the initiation, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) A.K. Singh said: “Mobiles are being distributed to one member of the Joint Forest and Village Defence Committee (JFVDC) member of each village. The mobile has all the relevant numbers of the forest department so that the officials can be informed about the movement of rampaging elephants. We have also constituted flying squads who rush to villages where elephant movements are seen. The flying squad members drive away the elephants to save the villagers,” he added.

Just imagine an SMS – “There are rampaging elephants coming your way!” Sounds kinda silly, but it’s a serious danger. As a matter of fact, over 1,000 people have been injured by rampaging elephants, and 679 have died, since 2000. Hopefully, this project will help the local people get the life-saving information on time…

[Via: CellularNews, image from nytimes.com]

Kenya’s largest mobile operator Safaricom has introduced the solar-charged mobile phone called Simu ya Solar, developed by ZTE and Intivation.

The eco-friendly element doesn’t stop with the built-in solar charger — the device is made using recycled materials.

Price wise, the phone is retailing for KSh2,999, and is available at all Safaricom retail and dealer channels countrywide…

My two cents: it’s good to see that even carriers in developing world adopt green technologies, and I’m looking forward to see similar moves being unveiled by other carriers and handset makers from other parts of the world, as well.

Hutchison Telecom announced that it has sold its 51% stake in Israel’s Partner Communications to the local handset distributor, Scailex Corp, for approximately $1.38 billion. Of the amount, Hutchison will get about $1,081 million in cash, and the rest of the money ($300 million) in form of a secured debt instrument.

The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2009 conditional on Israeli regulatory approvals and Hutchison Telecom’s shareholders’ approval.

As for the remaining shares of Partner Communications, 43.4% is listed on the local stock exchange and 5.3% is held by the founding shareholders.

Going forward, Hutchison Telecom will focus on developing its existing operations in Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka…

[Via: CellularNews]

Again and again, I find myself amazed with cool and useful uses of mobile technology. On that note, we bring you this story which involves India’s mobile operator Tata Teleservices and agri-tech company Ossian Agro, and how they help farmers monitor and switch on irrigation pumps remotely.

The problem is that farmers in the country routinely walk several kilometres to water their crops, and sometimes they find out that there’s no electricity available to power their irrigation pumps. Enter Nano Ganesh, the system which enables farmers to dial a code from any phone to a mobile modem attached to the pump’s starter, and which informs them [farmers] whether electricity is available. Moreover, it also allows farmers to remotely switch the pump on or off.

As you’re probably figured out, Ossian Agro developed the system, which at the moment is being trialled in two villages in the state of Gujarat. The price of the wireless device connected to the pump’s starter is INR 2700 ($56), and there’s also the phone cost… More information is available from a dedicated website.

In a surprising move, HP announced that they have opened a MVNO operation in Japan. The company is renting network from Japan Communications (JCI), and offers its netbooks from $50 to $100, for customers who sign up to prepaid data service.

It could prove as a game-changing plan, and we’ve no doubts if proves successful, the California-based company will transfer the model to other countries, as well. We don’t any additional information at the moment, but we do know one thing – HP’s netbooks look super-cool. If I haven’t bought my Dell Mini 9 before the HP Mini 1000 series was unveiled, I would definitely grab one of those (most likely the Linux-powered one).

Anyway, we’re hoping this practice will work for HP and we’ll see other computer makers joining the wave, making the service more available due to increased competition. We’ll certainly watch this space…

[Via: jkOnTheRun]

It’s a sign of times when emergency call centers are turning to SMS. Moreover, it’s plain logic to allow people to reach the center as soon as they can and in any manner they can or want. That said, an emergency call center in Waterloo, Iowa is officially the first in the country to accept “911″ emergency SMS and even reply back.

You may be thinking it takes longer time to send a text than to make an actually phone call, but what about deaf people – they certainly prefer texting over calling. In addition, this could be useful for situations where the victim is hiding and doesn’t want to be heard.

On the downside, though, dispatcher can’t determine texter’s location via SMS, and they could do that with a call. Or they could co-operate with carriers to get location information, but that’s another story…

In any way, it’s good to see an emergency call center embracing SMS and I’m looking forward to see other centers going this route, too.

[Via: MobileWeblog]

Two Israeli mobile operators, Cellcom and Partner, have submitted non-binding offers to buy rival network, Motorola (NYSE: MOT)-owned MIRS. We don’t have the figures at this stage as neither company have detailed how much they are offering for the operator. We do, however, know that MIRS has been previously valued at around $300 million.

For the record, MIRS Communications operates an iDEN network and has ended last year with an estimated 441,000 subscribers, representing a market share of just under 5%…

[Via: CellularNews]

Following a meeting last August by the National Advisory Committee for the Standardization of Air Transport, Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport overturned a law from 2001 that banned mobile phones from being used on aircraft. The new regulation still forbids phone use on planes that have not been fitted with specific equipment.

Now, we’re wondering whether any of you guys and/or gals have actually tried to use his or her phone on a flight to or from Mexico. How was it?

For the record, several airlines, mainly in Europe have already tested in-flight mobile phone systems, and are looking to start offering the service on a commercial basis.

[Via: CellularNews]

Virtually every operator in the U.S. now have its unlimited offering. Prepaid mobile phone service provider Page Plus Cellular is the latest one to jump on board with the announcement of their new Unlimited Talk n Text plan for $39.95 a month. The plan includes unlimited voice, unlimited text messaging, and 20 megabytes of data. At this price, it’s reportedly the lowest-priced plan of its kind in the prepaid wireless market.

Commenting on the announcement, the company’s CFO, Dean McDowell, said: “Right now, people are looking for the best value in all areas of life, be it wireless service, or any other part of their monthly budget. This plan simply provides quality wireless service at an unbeatable price. The coverage we offer, the variety and cost effectiveness of our handset selection, and the price of this plan make it a plan that will change the way people think of prepaid wireless service.”