TRAI, Where the hell is Number portability???

We had been hearing this for years now. I can find articles dating long time back regarding this, but the number portability is still a fairy tale and far far from being a reality. For the last few months i had been so perturbed by a really worse Vodafone network in bangalore. It takes me atleast 5 to 10 tries on an average to make a call in the evening which becomes quite frustrating. Besides, the network strength in the region keeps fluctuating heavily as well. The only reason why i still remain with this network paying well over 1500 bucks a month is i dont want to change my number. I would have moved to Airtel or some other service provider having a better network infrastructure if i were in college and having a pre-paid connection.

Look at this article on why this is such a tough task for TRAI :

http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2006/106012109.asp

With most of the service providers apprehensive of implementing number portability, it appears to be a difficult task for the Telecom Regulator.

Number portability is a system, which would enable a subscriber to retain the same number even while changing the service provider. With the steady growth in the telecom services in India and enhanced competition in the mobile sector, Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had initiated the move by inviting views on the issue.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is not in favour of the Telecom Regulator's initiative in introducing the number portability in India. DoT officials are of the view that it is not the right time to introduce number portability.

“Indian telecom industry is still in a nascent stage to introduce number portability. Every operator offers the call forwarding facility, which should be considered as an alternative. This would minimize the burden on the consumers as well as on the operators,” an official said.

The New Telecom Policy provides for implementation of number portability within 12 months of the policy's announcement. TRAI had issued the consultation paper n this issue last year but had to extend the date of receiving the views after GSM operators association Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) sought more time for submitting its views.

According to most of the telecom companies, number portability would bring about additional expenditure on infrastructure about 10 percent. COAI said that implementing number portability is an expensive and complex. The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited is also of the view that there is no urgent necessity of introduction of number portability.

Changes in the numbering scheme and the installation of new equipment – are some of the major concerns of the service providers. They have to invest heavily in storage capacity and billing mechanisms.

More importantly, telecom service providers will need to constantly update their networks. This is because number portability gives the customers the freedom to move to another network, which would offer better service. Above all, who will share the cost of installing the additional network is one of the questions service providers raise.

It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive

Another movie of oscar fame - Fälscher, Die - The Counterfeiters, though this time the best foreign film of 2007. A pretty nice movie, not very complicated and much more appealing when you consider its based on a true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936.
Karl Markovics who portrayed the professional counterfeiter Salomon Sorowitsch was pretty good and fitting for the role. The nazis portrayed in the movie were a bit smooth compared to the horror pictures that hollywood had previously showcased.
Over all a movie to watch, and i believe a worthy winner for the best foreign picture oscar. (an austrian movie in German, do watch it with subtitles or you might have a tough time!)
About the real story : Operation Bernhard was the name of a secret German plan devised during the Second World War to destabilise the British economy by flooding the country with forged Bank of England £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes. The counterfeiting team also turned its attention to US currency, producing samples of one side of $100 bills on 22 February 1945 with full production scheduled to start the next day, but the Reich Security Main Office ordered the work halted and the press dismantled.
Read more here

"No Country for Old men"

It was one movie i desperately wanted to see after seeing an imdb User Rating: 8.6/10 (70,503 votes) Top 250: #39 (as of 02nd march 2008). But after watching the movie i felt its a bit too overrated. The performances are great, direction good but the the story is very ordinary indeed. The following words from one of the imdb user reviews on the movie sums up everything :


But I honestly did not understand this film. Im not saying its horrible but I will say I don't think it deserves the ratings it is getting. I personally rated it a 1 because I feel compelled to balance out the absurd over ratings it is getting.

What I saw was two men fighting over the same two million dollars. One who is somewhat good and obviously poor and the other who is this maniac psycho killer. Im not even sure its his money, how he knows about it or why he even wants it. None of that was clarified.


May be i'll give this movie another shot. Let me try watch it again (the last time i did, it was immediately after watching another movie. may be that made me a bit too tired in understanding the complexities of this movie). or may be its signs that i'm getting old, and its truly 'not a movie for old men' ;)