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The cellular industry improves the quality of service and is turning towards self-regulations to address consumer grievances. All mobile service providers will soon come out with a “manual of practice” (MoP) which will tell their consumers of the redressal mechanisms, where and how to register their complaints, the timelines within which the consumer grievances would be attended to and the steps they can resort to if their grievances go unaddressed.

The cellular Operators Association of India, the body representing all GSM operators replied to Trai’s consultation paper on ‘redressal of consumer grievances and consumer protection in telecommunications’ that the COAI in close coordination with other industry associations would undertake to draft a common industry MoP.

Industry associations and operators have pointed out that Trai’s proposal for three-tiered redressal mechanism at the levels of call centre, nodal officer and an internal appellate officer of deal with individual consumer grievances had already been implemented all service providers. On Trai’s proposal that operators state the timeframes by which the customer’s complaints are addressed at each of these levels.

Service providers will announce the setting up of an office of Ombudsman to address consumer grievances against their respective operators, on the lines of other consumer driven sectors. Some of the operators have also sought that it should not be made mandatory for the hard copies of the MoP to be issued to subscribers in this digital age.

For insurance, the Association of Unified Service Providors of India, the body representing CDMA and basic operators, and operators such as BSNL and Reliance Communications have said that MoP could be made available on the website of Trai and service providers.

World’s three auto majors Renault of France Nissan of Japan and India’s Mahindra and Mahindra have come together to set up an integrated automobile projects to produce a wide range of vehicles near Chennai at an initial investment of Rs.4000 crores.

Sakthikanta Das, secretary, Tamil Nadu Industries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mahindra & Mahindra automotive president Pawan Goenka, Renault executive vice-president Patrick Pelata and Nissan Motor executive vice-president Carlos Tavares, in the presence of Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi in the Secretariat to set up the nation’s biggest vehicle manufacturing centre at a single location at SIPCOT Industrial Park, near Chennai.

Initially, Rs.4000 crore will be invested by the three auto giants on the integrated automobile project, on a 1,000-acre spread at Oragadam, the ‘Detroit of South Asia’. Mr.Keshub Mahindra, chairman of M & M told reporters that this abutomobile project would be India’s biggest automobile manufacturing centre rolling out cars and SUVs besides 50000 tractors per annum. He said that the first vehicle plan in this venture would roll out in the second half of 2009.

About 41000 persons will get direct and indirect job by this automobile project. About 18000 crore per annum will be resulted to the State Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by this automobile project.

This automobile project will consist of integrated facilities including engine plant, transmission plant, press shop, body shop, paint shop, assembly line soon. There will also be a Mahindra Research Valley in the Mahindra World City near Chennai.

Secretary L.K.Tripathy, Finance Secretary K.Gnanadesikan, SIPCOT MD Jothi Jegarajan, Mahindra and Mahindra president Keshub Mahindra, Renault India managing director Arun Nanda, Nissan general manager Sylvain Bilaine and Horiuchi Yoshio were also present at the function.

February 25, Iran said that it had successfully tested its first satellite what that had reached space. The announcement made on state-run television, was unclear, but appeared to refer to Iran’s efforts to launch its first commercial satellites into orbit.

Iran’s Science and Technology defence Ministries built the craft, the state-run television quoted Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran’s Space Research center. Bahrami provided no other details beyond saying that Iran had successfully launched what he called a space rocket or space missile.

Iran has announced that it wanted to be able to send its own satellites, including commercial satellites, into orbit. But it has revelaed little information about the project.

In 2005, Iran launched its first satellite in a joint project with Russia. The government has said that Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said, to increase the number of land and mobile telephone lines to 80 million from 22 million. It also hopes to expand its Internet base user.