Quality Phone calls to India at 7 cents per minute

The Company PacketCell Networks is a developer and provider of Internet Telephony technology based on LTP (Lightweight Telephony Protocol) headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The company offers a variety of LTP-based voice services and products.

Hotfoon offers the easiest and cheapest way to call via the Internet. Using PacketCell's LTP technology and sophisticated speech coding techniques it offers voice quality far superior to the traditional telephone system. Unlike other VoIP services which require time consuming software download and installation procedure, Hotfoon's micro-dialer typically downloads in one second and is ready to go without any installation.

Open an account; down load the simple dialler.
Payments can be made through paypal, creditcards and through resellers.

Enjoy quality calls to all destinations in India at cheap rates using Hotfoon

Reliance Power to give 3 bonus shares for every 5 held

Reliance Power on Sunday said it will give three bonus shares for every five shares held by its shareholders.

The board of directors approved a bonus issue excluding promoters, as per which three shares would be allotted for every five held.

This issue would benefit over four million investors in the company and the cost would be borne by the promoter group by way of diluting its stake.

Post bonus issue, the cost of acquisition of Reliance Power shares would come down to Rs 269 for retail shareholders and Rs 281 for institutional investors.
The approval of bonus issue is an unprecedented step in the history of capital market in India and abroad.
Shares of Reliance Power closed down by 1.21 per cent on Friday at Rs 416.85 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

ICTel - Register now for the cheap phone calls in South Africa

The long wait for affordable communication in South Africa is finally over
Now you can talk for less - a lot less

Register now free at www.ictel.co.za/29136

Mobile calls from 10c per minute

Launching in February 2008

Fixed line calls from 10c per minute
Mobile calls from 10c per minute
You save more than 70% on phone calls
Keep your present phone contract and number
5 000 free minutes per month for iCTel to iCTel phone calls
Text messages charged at only 1 cent
Your mobile can also act as an extension of your companies switch board
This service is available to individuals and companies

Free Calls with Bezecom

Now you can call your family and friends living abroad at the cost of a local call by using bezecom.

Call your local access number followed by his/her Bezecom number
Access nos. are available from the following countries.
Argentina, Australia, Belgium
Canada,Chile,Cyprus
Czech Republic,France,Greece
Hungary,Israel,Italy
Mexico,Netherlands,Romania
Russian Federation,Singapore,South Africa
Spain,Switzerland,Thailand
United Kingdom,United States

Bezecom allows you to call any destination in the world, directly, without entering a pin code (your bezecom user number and a password).
You can enter up to 3 phone number from which you will make calls via your bezecom account. By dialing to one of bezecom’s access numbers from one of the phone numbers you will set, the system will recognize you as a bezecom member, and allow you to dial directly to your destination.
Calls to premium destinations will be charged to your account, therefore, make sure that you have control over the usage of these phones.

TATA GROWING ECONOMIES INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

Tata Mutual Fund has been among the pioneers in investing in listed equities in the infrastructure sector through Tata Infrastructure Fund.

It is this experience which will help tap the potential opportunities in infrastructure sector in growing economies of the world.

Tata Growing Economies Infrastructure Fund is an open ended equity scheme predominantly investing in Equity and Equity related instruments of companies engaged in infrastructure and infrastructure related sectors.


Investment details

Minimum Investment Amount (Plan A and Plan B): Rs. 10,000 and in multiples of Re. 1 thereafter.

*Investment Pattern:

Plan A: Equity and Equity related instruments of companies engaged in infrastructure and infrastructure related sectors

(in growing economies other than India: 51% - 70%; in India: 30% -49%), Other domestic equities, Debt & Money Market Instruments: upto 19%.

Plan B: Equity and Equity related instruments of companies engaged in infrastructure and infrastructure related sectors

(in India: 65% - 85%; in other growing economies other than India: 15% - 35%), Other domestic equities, Debt & Money Market Instruments: upto 20%.

Two Options for Investment: Dividend Option and Growth Option.

Applicable Load Structure: **Entry Load: For each investment amount less than Rs. 2 crores: 3%,

For each investment amount greater than or equal to Rs. 2 crores: NIL.

Exit Load: For each investment amount less than Rs. 2 crores: 1%, if redeemed on or before expiry of 12 months from the date of allotment.

NIL if redeemed after 12 months from the date of allotment. For each investment amount greater than or equal to Rs. 2 crores: NIL.

NAV Publication /Resale / Redemption: On all business days after the scheme re-opens (not later than 30 days from the closure of the NFO).


NFO opens on 18th February & closes 18th March 2008.

AIRINDIA EXPRESS - BOOK NOW FOR CHEAP FARES

AirIndia Express, the low cost no frills national carrier of India had opened its websale for the summer season from UAE to different Indian destinations.
Passengers can book online their tickets well in advance at cheap rates from the covenience of their home.

Free Call back service by QTel in Qatar

Qtel, the largest Telecom operator in Qatar has launched the "Call me back" service which allows pre-paid (Hala) customers to send a "Call me back" text regardless of their calling credit.

Qtel chief operating officer, Sheikh Fahad bin Jassim al-Thani said: "The service is free and simple to use. It applies to all Hala customers, regardless of their balance or account status, even within the grace period for service extension. Up to three such text messages can be sent a day from any Hala account."

He further added: "Qtel is deeply committed to ensuring our customers are able to maintain communication, regardless of the funds available. The introduction of 'Call me back' service has again demonstrated that Qtel understands its customers' needs."

To use the service, one must dial *103* followed by the mobile number of the person they would like to contact. Qtel will then send an SMS asking "Please call me back" in English and Arabic to that number free of charge.

iConnectHere Gives Free Calls To USA From India

With Internet connectivity gaining vast inroads into the Indian subcontinent staying connected on the net is no longer restricted to the metros. Along with wider internet connectivity and after extensive customer research and market analysis, iConnectHere has identified its unique premium Indian community of phone users. Now, hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals can keep in touch with their family members that live or work in different parts of the US using iConnectHere special offer.

Mr. Tomer Treves, Vice President of Sales at deltathree said that, “VoIP is fast evolving in India due to various factors such as growing Internet penetration, evolution in the IT and telecom sectors as well as the increase in mobility of the Indian diaspora. This has resulted in the developing and embracing of new modes of easy and cost-effective communication. iConnectHere is all about simplicity, convenience and freedom. It is the most innovative and cost-effective way for people to make international calls, dialing from their computers”.

To avail to iConnectHere’s services, all that is needed is access to a PC. Consumers do not need to have access to any landline or a cell phone. iConnectHere easily turns any PC into a phone. The caller just needs to download the iConnectHere soft phone dialer and make free calls to all regular and cellular phones in the USA.

With this special promotion, iConnectHere also offers the most competitive rates to international destinations, including Rs. 10 to Canada and Rs. 11 to UK.

iConnectHere service is very user friendly and simple. To make a call all that the user has to do is sign up to the iConnectHere service using the following link: http://www.iconnecthere.com/india and then sit back and enjoy free calls to USA.

The minimum deposit is $15 and this sum is available to make calls to all destinations worldwide for great low rates, in addition to the free calls to the USA."


* Free calls are available for 3 months to non-commercial users

RELIANCE MONEY TIES UP WITH DUBAI INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES (DIS)

Reliance Money, the financial service and product distribution arm of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, yesterday announced its tie-up with Dubai International Securities (DIS), a part of the Al Rostamani Group, to distribute Indian financial products and services in the UAE.

"This is our first initiative to offer financial services outside India and we plan to tap non-resident Indians in the Middle East with this initiative. Our business model is to offer cost-effective, secure products and services to a larger section of the population and we will replicate that model in the UAE as well," said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, director and chief operating officer of Reliance Money.

Through this tie-up, Reliance Money will offer its range of services, including trading accounts, mutual funds, Indian initial public offerings (IPOs), and portfolio management services (PMS), to NRI investors in the UAE and will eventually expand into other Gulf markets such as Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.

DIS, which has a strong presence in the UAE, will use its existing distribution channels to reach NRI customers.

"DIS has a large Indian clientele across its network. With this tie-up we will be able to provide our customers with a cost-effective and secure platform to deal in Indian financial instruments with the expertise of Reliance Money," said Ernest J. Ratnayake, CEO of the Al Rostamani Group.

Initially, Reliance Money will launch its brokerage and mutual fund services in the UAE. The company currently offers mutual funds from 17 asset management companies.

As part of the product offering in the UAE, Reliance Money plans to offer portfolio management schemes (PMS) for a minimum investment of $50,000. Overall the company is targeting 100,000 customers for brokerage and mutual fund business and 25,000 customers for PMS in the first year of operation.

"Usually, PMS services are offered to high net worth investors. We would like to break the entry barrier to this service and reach out to a large number of middle class investors who have been totally ignored so far," Bandyopadhyay said.

Dubai International Securities, ranked among the top 10 brokerages in the UAE, will assist NRIs in participating in the Indian market through their strong local distribution channels.

Reliance Money said yesterday that it would offer competitive brokerage rates to its UAE customers.

V-GUARD INDUSTRIES IPO:- Issue Opens on : 18 Feb 2008

V Guard established in 1977 is a market leader engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of Electronic voltage stabilisers, Monobloc/Jet/Submersible/Compressor pumps and Electric motors, Insulated electrical cables, storage and instant water heaters, solar water heaters, UPS, Electric Fans and is also in generation of Power in a small way.

V-GUARDS FINANCIALS

Total turnover in 2006-07 is Rs 22227 lakhs
Profit after tax grown from 489.97 lakhs in March 2003 to 1349.69 lakhs in March 2007

ISSUE OPENS - 18TH FEBRUARY
ISSUE CLOSES - 21 FEBRUARY

PRICE BAND 80 - 85


ACT TODAY FOR AN ELECTRIFYING FUTURE

INVESTING IN INDIAN CAPITAL MARKET - HOW TO GO ABOUT IT?

An NRI can invest in the Indian capital market by buying in the secondary market or by subscribing to public offers by corporates.

Secondary market operations:

NRIs can invest in the secondary market only under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) as formulated by the Reserve Bank of India. The salient features of the scheme are:
•A permit is required to be obtained from the RBI before trading under PIS can commence. The permit can easily be obtained through a designated branch of a bank where the NRI investor should have an account.
•Investments can be done either on repatriable basis or on non-repatriable basis or both. In either case RBI permit is mandatory and separate permits are required for repatriable and non-repatriable investments.
•Shares can be bought and sold only on delivery basis. Intra-day squaring off is not permitted.
•Applicable tax on profits made will be deducted at source. For details please refer to the section on Taxation.

If you are a first time investor, you need to open 3 different kinds of accounts to be able to buy and sell in the secondary market
1. An NRE/NRO bank account with a designated bank branch.
2. A Depository account
3. A Trading account.

NRE/NRO Bank account

You need to open an NRE account if you wish your investments to be repatriable; if not an NRO account is sufficient. These accounts can be in single or joint names. A separate RBI permit is required for each account. Documents to be submitted are

•Application in the prescribed form
•Photograph of each holder. If RBI permit is sought, 2 additional photos are required.
•Copy of passport towards proof of identity
•Copies of visa pages as proof of NRI status
•2 bank drafts payable to yourself for a minimum of INR 5000/- for SB A/c and INR 7000/- for PIS A/c.
•If you already hold shares, you are required to make a declaration to this effect in the prescribed format indicating date of acquisition and price of acquisition.

Depository account

Most shares being available only in the electronic (dematerialized) form, a Depository account is a precondition for trading in the secondary market. Depository accounts can be opened either in single name or jointly up to a maximum of 3 holders. Documents to be submitted are:
•Application in the prescribed form
•A photograph of each holder
•Copy of the passport
•Copy of RBI permit if purchase of shares from the secondary market is intended.
•Digital communication agreement authorizing DP to send you digital statement/reports.
•PAN Card

Trading Account

A trading account will enable you to buy and sell shares in the secondary market. One may open an NRE or an NRO account depending on whether or not the investment is to be repatriated. As mentioned earlier, an RBI permit is required in both cases. The trading account is always in the name of an individual but the account can be tied to a jointly held depository account provided the trading account holder is any one of the holders of the joint depository account. The following documents are required for opening a trading account:
•Application in the prescribed form
•One photograph
•Copy of passport with Visa pages
•Copy of RBI permit
•PAN Card

Trading and settlement

Buying: Before you can place a buy order it is necessary to ensure that your PIS account is 100% pre-funded.

Selling: An order may be placed to sell any of the shares held in your depository account. As mandated by you, your depository account will be debited to the extent of your sales obligation. The net sales value will be credited into your PIS account along with a copy of the contract note.

Note: All buy and sell transactions in a PIS account are required to be reported to the Bank on the same day as the transaction.

Taxation

All profits made from secondary market trades come under the purview of the prevailing tax laws. Profits realized within a period of less than one year will attract short term capital gains tax @ 10% which will be deducted at source by your bank. Tax is calculated and deducted for each transaction. In other words, the profits made in one transaction cannot be set off against the loss made in another. You can, however, file your tax returns at the end of the year and claim refunds if any. Profits realized from shares that were held for more than one year are long term capital gains. From the financial year 2003-04 onwards, tax on long term capital gains from capital markets has been abolished. There is, however, a transaction tax of 0.15% on all trades. Currently, all dividends are also tax-free in the hands of the investors.

Primary market

Public offers of shares are made by Indian corporates from time to time. Many such issues represent opportunities for good long term investments. Investors should, however, be selective and invest only in companies that have good credentials. Most public issues come with a portion reserved for NRIs on repatriation basis. As the issuing company would have obtained a general RBI permission for the issue, NRIs need not have individual RBI permission for subscribing to public offers. In most cases, a depository account is necessary for being able to apply to public offers.

TringMe introduces Gtalk-based calling

TringMe now allows making calls from Google Talk (Gtalk). As you know, natively, Gtalk doesn't support making phone calls. This is yet another feature which underlines TringMe's core philosophy of not requiring any software installation for purposes of using TringMe. If you already have Gtalk installed, then with this capability, making a worldwide call to any phone or SIP URI from Gtalk is as simple as sending a message using Gtalk. Calls made from Gtalk can be terminated on all devices that TringMe currently supports.
TringMe continues to innovate in providing connectivity between heterogeneous end-points based on calle and caller's convenience including IMs, Web, Landline and Mobile Phones.
Although this feature is currently under test and is scheduled to be commercially released by February end, it's available for you to try it.
You have to sign up at TringMe with a gmail ID so that a TringMe account can be associated when you make a call from Gtalk (signup with TringMe using same email id as Gtalk). As you may already know, worldwide calling rates offered by TringMe are very competitive and almost half than Skype or other VoIP providers.
To make a call, all you need to do is send a message to tringme@gmail.com from Gtalk. Please note that you would have added tringme to the list of friends in Gtalk already.

To make a call to a number, merely send a message - call - to tringme@gmail.com. For e.g. call 18585551212 would initiate a call to 1-858-555-1212
You can also call other TringMe users by merely using their email address. For e.g., call abc@xyz.com would connect user abc@xyz.com to whatever destination the user has chosen to terminate upon.
You can reach more than 40 million worldwide SIP users using Gtalk just by typing their SIP URI. For e.g call greg@somesipserver.com will connect you to Greg’s SIP server.
In all cases, you will get an inbound call from TringMe and once you answer, the call to the intended party will be initiated. This also opens a new way for developers to integrate core TringMe functionalities using Google or Jabber APIs.

TringMe also demonstrated MobileVoIP at an even in India last month – some details are here http://blog.tringme.com/tringme-at-headstart-2008 . Some more ideas and thoughts are captures at http://blog.tringme.com


Enjoy the new way of making calls.

Etisalat ready to provide VOIP Services

Etisalat, the UAE's leading telecommunication services provider, announced that it is technically ready to provide the Voice Over the Internet (VoIP) services, pending the regulators approval.
"In terms of technologies and infrastructure, we are ready to provide the service, but the regulator needs to set the conditions and terms for providing such a service first," Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar, etislat's chief operating officer, said.
"The service will be introduced soon, this year or may be next year, I don't know but it is on the regulators agenda," he added.
Julfar said it will happen sooner or later and we have no choice but to accept it, as it is ultimately good for the economy because we have to adjust tariffs and fees, and given the scale of our business in 16 markets, we do not expect a huge effect.

KYC - NEW FORMALITY REQUIREMENT

Effective February 1, 2008, mutual fund investing would not be that simple for those who wish to invest Rs 50,000 and above. This is subsequent to the guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) relating to the requirements of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. As per the new rule all mutual funds are now required to verify the identity and maintain records of all their investors through the mandated Know Your Customer (KYC) process effective today.

KYC formalities are required to be completed for all unit holders, including power of attorney holders and guardians, for any investment (new/additional purchase/new SIP) of Rs 50,000 and above.For the convenience of investors, all mutual funds have made special arrangements with CDSL Ventures Ltd. (CVL). The investors can download the form from the AMFI website and submit the same with the following required documents at designated centres.
Required Documents
• PAN Card • Proof of Identity • Proof of Address • Passport Size Photograph

(You can refer to the AMFI website for details of list of documents and designated centers for submission of the same)Investors should note that they need to carry original documents for verification along with a copy each to be presented. To make the process simpler, investors also have the option of providing an attested copy (attested by Notary Public/Gazetted Officer/Manager of a Scheduled Commercial Bank) of the relevant documents. This is a one time process and investors will be issued an acknowledgement when they submit the form. The copy of acknowledgement receipt alongwoth mutual fund application will be a mandatory requirement for investment of above Rs 50,000.Earlier AMFI had started issuing MIN (Mutual Fund Identification Number) to make the investing process 'transparent and easier'. Subsequently MIN was withdrawn and PAN was declared as the sole identification number for investing in funds. Though this facility (of KYC) is being provided free of cost to the investors, it is certainly not going to be as easy as it seems.