Airtel to offer Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 technology   

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, telecom services provider, has announced a
strategic tie-up with Microsoft with the launch of Microsoft's Windows Mobile
5.0 platform that provides an opportunity to all Airtel customers to access
corporate email via direct push technology. 

The Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 platform offers a host of applications.
All Airtel users will now have access to MS office (Outlook, Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Internet Explorer), multi-media functionality (camera, MP3, video
recording) and Line of Business applications like Sales Force Automation on
their mobile phones. 

Elaborating on Microsoft's value proposition for customers, Microsoft India
chairman Ravi Venkatesan, said, “The launch of Windows Mobile 5.0 is in line
with our stated vision of creating People Ready Businesses. Windows Mobile 5.0
is the perfect solution for the global mobile workforce to work in an 'always
on' environment and better organize their work and personal lives. The
alliance with Bharti Airtel reflects the synergy between two industry leaders,
both focused at innovating to help individuals realize their true potential.
With this association Bharti Airtel thus joins 115 existing mobile operators who
currently offer the Windows Mobile solution worldwide.” 

Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 will be available to Airtel customers on the
latest HP I-Paq and I-Mate handsets. The handsets are priced in the range of Rs
16,000 — Rs 65,000. Airtel enterprise customers will also get the benefit of
preferential hand-set pricing. There are three price points for accessing the
service Rs 399, Rs 599 and Rs 799 depending on the amount of data downloaded. A
dedicated after-sales support, owing to the back-to-back SLA with all its
partners would also be there to service the customers. The company also
announced Infosys as its first enterprise customer for this service.