Key milestones in the history of telecommunications service Skype

September 16th, 2009 Millicom International sells Laos operationsNEW YORK — Millicom International Cellular SA said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its 74.1 stake in its Laos business to Russian telecommunications company VimpelCom for $65 million. The sale is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by year end.

August 17th, 2009 Correction: AT&T labor storyDALLAS — In an Aug. 16 story about AT&T agreeing on a new contract with 8,900 employees, The Associated Press erroneously reported that members of the Communications Workers of America had earlier ratified a new contract with AT&T in the West region.

May 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - J.S. Sarma, a member of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, Thursday took over as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), succeeding Nripendra Mishra.

April 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India plans to implement mobile number portability services in Kolkata, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu circles by September this year, a top official said here Thursday. 'By April 2010, we plan to launch the service in circles in the eastern and the southern parts of the country, including the whole of West Bengal,' Ashok Sapra, managing director of the US-based Telcordia Technologies, which owns a majority stake in MNP, told reporters.

April 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says he has found a special friend in Oscar-winning music maestro A.R. Rahman, who has created music for two of his movies.

April 16th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Bangalore-based realtor Alliance Group Thursday announced it will develop a housing project for senior citizens here, and claimed it would be the first of its kind in India. 'This is a unique residential project that offers 225 senior citizen-friendly lifestyle apartments, and incorporates safety and convenience features like anti-skid floors, grab bars in bathrooms, alarm buttons and wider passages,' said Alliance Group chairman and managing director Manoj Namburu.

April 16th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Bangalore-based realtor Alliance Group Thursday announced it will develop a housing project for senior citizens here, and claimed it would be the first of its kind in India. 'This is a unique residential project that offers 225 senior citizen-friendly lifestyle apartments, and incorporates safety and convenience features like anti-skid floors, grab bars in bathrooms, alarm buttons and wider passages,' said Alliance Group chairman and managing director Manoj Namburu.

April 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States has asked India to address its concerns about the process for modifying foreign direct investment (FDI) requirements for internet service, access to submarine cable systems and restrictions on encryption. The concerns were expressed in its annual review of the operation and effectiveness of telecommunications trade agreements with various countries by the US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk's office.

March 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has selected two US-based companies - Telcordia Technologies and Syniverse Technologies - to provide mobile number portability (MNP) services in India, a government spokesperson said Monday. MNP once implemented will enable mobile phone users to change their telecom operators while retaining their mobile phone number.

January 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Rapper Jay-Z explained the meaning of the new song he sang at the pre-inauguration ball of the 44th US President Barack Obama recently. Ananova.com reports that Jay-Z sang 'History' before he attended US president Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.

January 16th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - The Tata-led Neotel consortium and mobile phone giant MTN South Africa have signed an agreement to jointly build a 2 billion rand ($202 million) 5,000-km optical fibre network that will connect all major centres across this country. This joint venture is not only expected to improved telecommunications and reduce costs for consumers but will also connect Africa to the rest of the world with the undersea cables EASSy and SEACOM, currently under construction along the eastern coast of Africa.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Unitech Wireless, the telecom arm of real estate major Unitech Ltd., Monday said it has received 4.4 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum in the 1,800 MHz GSM band in the West Bengal telecom circle. With this, the company has been allotted initial spectrum in 21 service areas of India out of 22, a company statement said.

January 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Aamir Khan starrer 'Ghajini', which released to packed houses Dec 25, is on its way to create history by taking over the mantle of the biggest domestic earner so far, leaving behind 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. 'Ghajini', a romantic action thriller that explores the life of a rich businessman who suffers from short-term memory loss following a violent incident, has earned Rs.2 billion ($41 million) in less than two weeks from its release.

December 26th, 2008 Following are key milestones and timeline of developments in India's telecom sector in 2008, when the country's network emerged as the second largest in the world after China's, displacing that of the US: Jan 1: Telecom watchdog issues status paper to ensure Internet service providers adhere to minimum prescribed speeds for broadband connectivity Jan 3: Delhi High Court issues notice to the government, regulator, Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices on a petition challenging allocation of radio spectrum Jan 9: Vodafone moves the Bombay High Court challenging an income-tax notice slapping a $1.7-billion capital gains tax on the acquisition of stake in Hutch-Essar Jan 10: The communications ministry decides to allot scarce spectrum to all existing mobile phone service providers, irrespective of the technology they use Jan 31: India's Internet connectivity is disrupted as two undersea cables in the Mediterranean are damaged Feb 15: Spice Corp unveils a no-frills mobile phone that will retail at about Rs.800 ($20) from early April Feb 21: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications announces acquisition of Uganda's telecom service firm Anupam Global Soft and commits $500 million investment Feb 22: Telecom watchdog says Indian operators added 8.74 million new phone subscribers to the network in January Feb 28: The Department of Telecommunications issues licences to 22 more operators March 2: Virgin Mobile, part of Britain's communications group Virgin Media, launches youth-oriented mobile services in India through Tata Teleservices March 17: Watchdog announces stricter measures to rap telecom operators who fail to rein in unsolicited telemarketing calls March 20: Reliance Communications teams up with Taiwan-based handset manufacturer High Tech Computer to tap the market for high-end CDMA mobile phones in India March 25: The Supreme Court asks the government to amend its law in eight weeks to provide for imposing stiff penalties on service providers and telemarketers for making unsolicited calls March 27: Regulator says it will remove a levy imposed on service providers to fund rural connectivity April 1: The government unveils new guidelines for sharing of infrastructure, such as transmission systems and cables, by telecom operators in a bid to lower operational costs and help consumers April 10: Indian telecom officials and the makers of BlackBerry, the Canada-based Research in Motion, meet to discuss security concerns raised over the services provided by the company April 11: India adds 7.6 million new mobile phone users under the GSM technology in March, surpassing the US as the second largest wireless market, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India April 16: The home ministry asks telecom operators not to offer certain types of BlackBerry services until a proper monitoring system is put in place to address security concerns April 22: New government guidelines say mergers and acquisitions among telecom operators will not be allowed if the number of service providers falls below four after any such move May 9: Bharti Airtel and 15 other leaders in the global telecom industry sign a deal to build the first direct, high-bandwidth optical-fibre undersea cable system from Britain to India May 13: The Delhi High Court says it is shocked to hear that even the telecom regulator does not have the powers to regulate direct marketing agents and others in curbing unsolicited calls May 14: Bharti enters final rounds of consolidation talks with South Africa's largest telecom operator MTN in a deal estimated to be worth nearly $45 billion May 24: Bharti-MTN call off consolidation talks May 26: Reliance Communications says it is entering exclusive negotiations with MTN to discuss potential combination of their businesses May 27: Arun Sarin stuns the world of business by announcing he is stepping down as chief executive of Vodafone after leading the world's largest mobile phone company to record profits during his five years at the helm June 18: State-run Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd received much-awaited licence for international long distance telephony, raising hopes for further cut in tariffs June 25: India's fifth largest cellular operator Idea Cellular says it is buying 40.8 percent stake in Spice Communications July 2: Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura says Blackberry mobile services do not pose a threat to national security, indicating a government go-ahead for its operations in the country July 18: The globally-watched consolidation talks between Reliance Communications, India's second largest private telecom company, and South Africa's MTN called off Aug 1: Communications Minister A. Raja announces the much-awaited guidelines for the auction of radio spectrum, or airwaves, to launch third-generation mobile phone services in the country Aug 7: The government approves release of airwaves to two state-run companies, MTNL and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, for the launch of third generation mobile services in the country Aug 8: Mobile telephony has grown rapidly in India, especially during the last three years, with India becoming the second-largest wireless market in the world after China and ahead of the US, says a World Bank study Aug 18: Regulator permits Internet service providers to offer products that allow calls from computers to fixed line as well as mobile phones Aug 22: Apple iPhone 3G (third generation) launched across India by telecom majors Bharti and Vodafone Aug 25: Out of 594,000 villages in India, 550,000 now have telephone connections whether through satellite technology or conventional lines, while 30,500 villages even have broadband cover, says the government Sep 1: The International Chamber of Commerce, the global arbitration tribunal, asks Tata Communications to pay a Reliance Communications $19 million plus interest from May 2006 as damages over a cable dispute Sep 8: The Indian government kick-starts process to e-auction radio frequencies to telecommunications operators who want to offer third-generation mobile phone services Sep 23: The UAE's Etisalat says it has bought 45-percent stake in Swan Telecom for a cash consideration of $900 million Oct 29: Norwegian telecom giant Telenor picks up controlling 60-percent stake in Unitech Wireless, the telecom arm of real estate major Unitech, for $1.2 billion Nov 6: Taking the stake sale by Swan Telecom and Unitech as case points, the Communist Party of India-Marxist alleges major scandal in the latest round of radio frequency allocation to mobile telecom operators but the government denies the allegation Nov 11: The Telecom Commission recommends a licence fee of three percent of average gross revenue on those mobile operators who will offer stand-alone third generation mobile services Nov 12: Japan's leading mobile telecom operator NTT DoCoMo says it will pick up 26-percent stake in Tata Teleservices for $2.7 billion Nov 25: Communications Minister A.

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - The government will soon come out with a policy on Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), a senior official of the Department Of Telecommunications (DoT) said here Tuesday. 'MVNO policy is under consideration and we are hoping to come out with the policy by January 5, 2009, that is the last application date,' DoT Joint Secretary J.S.