Mobilink Anti-Spam SMS Filter: Is It Effective?

Messages Minus the Mess! While PTA tries to figure out what to do with all the unwanted SMS psam, here’s Mobilink’s solution to SMS spam. Readers, please let me know if you have used it, if its good or is it just not worth trying?
Say good bye to annoying and fraudulent SMS as a thing of the past! Welcome to the new world!
Mobilink has always been the first to bring the best and most innovative services for our valued customers. Keeping in line with our main focus on customer convenience as a socially responsible organization Mobilink introduces Anti-Spam SMS Filter for the first time in Pakistan to protect our valued customers from fraudulent spam messages. This solution will cover all inter-operator promotional and spoof messages and will be provided to the entire customer base for free!
How will the Filter Work?
The anti-spam filter will act like a firewall, which will prevent intrusive SMS from reaching our valuable customers. Once the engine detects any spam message from any other network it will be blocked there and then.
SMS is all about fun and Mobilink makes sure that it stays that way. So enjoy SMS like you should because only Mobilink looks out for you!

VoIP Future

VoIP is far from done in terms of its market impact. While it has gained substantial awareness recently, by most accounts, VoIP's market share can only be measured in single digits. However, its underlying impact on the overall landscape has been much greater, and VoIP is now recognized as the de facto standard for where telecom is going.

The vast majority of new telephony systems and network investments are VoIP-based, and over the next few years, as the installed base of legacy telephony turns over, the market share for VoIP will rapidly increase. For business users, VoIP will continue to gain ground in 2009, and you will start to see it used in new ways.

For most of us, business VoIP means IP telephony, which is easy to tell by the growing presence of IP phones popping up on desktops these days. However, in 2009, you can expect to see VoIP being used more often in other areas as well. Three examples come to mind right away. First is web-based calling, which can take many forms. Making a voice call on Skype is one, and that's a form of VoIP. Another would be click-to-call applications embedded in web sites or your Outlook directory. A second example – related to this – is the use of softphones. This is a desktop application developed specifically to make VoIP calls from your computer, and will work wherever you have a broadband connection. The third example is mobility. While the market is not quite ready for mobile VoIP, business users are increasingly discovering ways of making these calls over WiFi with their smartphones. These devices are becoming much more popular – and affordable – now, and with that, you can expect to see a lot more mobile calling over WiFi in 2009.

Courtesy:

ARP, RARP A Quick Review

ARP

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to map a known IP Address to a unkown data-link identifier (for example MAC Address). The ARP Request will contain:

• Source IPv4 Address;
• Source data-link identifier address (MAC Address for example);
• Destination IPv4 Address;
• Destination data-link identifier (MAC Address in our example) will be set to 00:00:00:00: 00:00.

Check this ARP Request capture:

Ethernet II, Src: 00:30:b8:83: cb:40, Dst: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff Destination: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff (Broadcast) Source: 00:30:b8:83: cb:40 (00:30:b8:83: cb:40 ) Type: ARP (0x0806) Trailer: FFE0002000200030358 00000FFE00010003 0 Address Resolution Protocol (request) Hardware type: Ethernet (0x0001) Protocol type: IP (0x0800) Hardware size: 6 Protocol size: 4 Opcode: request (0x0001) Sender MAC address: 00:30:b8:83: cb:40 (00:30:b8:83: cb:40) Sender IP address: 201..6.115.1 (201.6.115.1) Target MAC address: 00:00:00_00: 00:00 (00:00:00:00: 00:00) Target IP address: 201.6.115.254 (201.6.115.254)

By default Cisco Routers holds the ARP entries for 4 hours. You can change this value per interface basis with the command: arp timeout . Example:

interface fastethernet 0/0 arp timeout 3600

RARP

RARP is the opposite of ARP, it maps an IPv4 Address to a know MAC Address, for example, old workstations (dumb terminals) could have it´s firmware programmed to send a RARP request as soon as it was powered up, and a RARP Server would answer this RARP request with the workstation´s IP Address (Airline Companies used it ALOT in the past). Hmmm.. looks like DHCP right?! Yeah.. it looks, but it ISN´T ok?! ;)

RARP Request will contain:

• Source and Destination data-link identifier (MAC Address in this example) will be the local host MAC Address;
• Source and Destination IP Address will be set to 0.0.0.0.

Check this example capture of a RARP Traffic:

Ethernet II, Src: Marquett_12: dd:88, Dst: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff Destination: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff (Broadcast) Source: Marquett_12: dd:88 (00:00:a1:12: dd:88) Type: ARP (0x0806) Trailer: FFE0002000200030358 00000FFE00010003 0 Address Resolution Protocol (reverse request) Hardware type: Ethernet (0x0001) Protocol type: IP (0x0800) Hardware size: 6 Protocol size: 4 Opcode: reverse request (0x0003) Sender MAC address: Marquett_12: dd:88 (00:00:a1:12: dd:88) Sender IP address: 0.0.0.0 (0.0.0.0) Target MAC address: Marquett_12: dd:88 (00:00:a1:12: dd:88) Target IP address: 0.0.0.0 (0.0.0.0) ---> EXAMPLE TOOK FROM Wireshark Wiki <---

Proxy ARP

A Proxy ARP enabled Router answers ARP requests intended for another machine, it does that by making the local host believe that the Router is the "owner" of that IP Address, local host will forward the traffic to the Router and the Router will be responsible to "route" the packets to the real destination.

For example, a Host in Subnet A wants to send traffic to Host in Subnet B, Host A and Host B are in the same subnet, but in different broadcast domains. Host A will send an ARP Request with Host B IP Address, the Router connected to both subnets will answer to Host A request using it´s own MAC Address instead of Host B MAC Address.

Now when Host A wants to transmit traffic to Host B, it´ll send to the Router MAC Address and the Router will just forward the traffic to Host B. That´s why "Proxy ARP".

It´s used on networks where the hosts are not configured with a default-gateway.

Oh yeah... it´s enabled by default in the Cisco IOS, and you can disable it on a per-interface basis with the command: no ip proxy- arp

Gratuitous ARP

In some circunstances a Host (Router, Switch, Computer, etc) might send an ARP Request with it´s own address as the target address... But, to his own address?! Why a host would do that!?

Well... there are some reasons... for example:

• It´s use to update other devices ARP Table (when a device receives an ARP Request with an IP that it´s already in it´s cache, the cache will be updated with the new information;
• HSRP Routers that takes over the control will send Gratuitous ARP out the network to update the cache table of other devices ;
• To check for duplicate addresses (if the host receives a response, it´ll know that somebody is using the same IP Address).

You can check this Gratuitous ARP traffic captured with Wireshark (the best opensource sniffer out there):

Ethernet II, Src: 02:02:02:02: 02:02, Dst: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff Destination: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff (Broadcast) Source: 02:02:02:02: 02:02 (02:02:02:02: 02:02) Type: ARP (0x0806) Trailer: 0000000000000000000 0000000000000000 0 Address Resolution Protocol (request/gratuitous ARP) Hardware type: Ethernet (0x0001) Protocol type: IP (0x0800) Hardware size: 6 Protocol size: 4 Opcode: request (0x0001) Sender MAC address: 02:02:02:02: 02:02 (02:02:02:02: 02:02) Sender IP address: 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) Target MAC address: ff:ff:ff:ff: ff:ff (Broadcast) Target IP address: 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) ---> EXAMPLE TOOK FROM Wireshark Wiki <---

IP Redirect:

IP Redirect is used by routers to notify hosts of another router on the data link that should be used for a particular destination.

For example, Router A and Router B are connected to the same Ethernet Segment, so as Host C. Host C has Router A set as default-gateway, Host C will send the packets to Router A, and Router A sees that the destination address of the packet is reachable via Router B, so Router A must forward the packets out the same interface it has received to Router B. Router A does that, and also, sends an ICMP Redirect to Host C informing to use Router B to reach this particular destination next time.

IP Redirect is enable by default in IOS Routers and can be disabled on a per interface basis with the command: no ip redirects.

Pak-India Joining Hands for Telecom Growth in Region

Pakistan has come a long way in the development and growth of international communications technology (ITC) and the telecom industry, but must now concentrate on following policies that address infrastructure development, creating a skilled IT workforce, and allow private enterprise to be in the driver’s seat for future growth, according to a recent study.

The study done by Pakistan-born IT specialist Imran Chaudhry, now at the George Mason University here, draws a comparison between Pakistan and India and how they have fared in the ITC sector. India, he finds, has made major strides in ICT and telecom and now must take steps to build on its past successes. Common issues of both countries involve allowing their rural populations to become interconnected with their urban centres. Much like the railway and canal systems function to allow the conduct of trade and commerce, telecom can be used to join together far-flung, rural and economically neglected areas of both nations, he argues.

The two countries, he writes, “simply have to learn to get along. The stakes for each are too high to further allow tensions to fester among them. ICT and telecom can function as a bridge for improving bilateral relations and both would benefit greatly from this. In other words, the two neighbours must leverage their common history to build a bright and prosperous future.”

In Pakistan, competition in value-added services began in 1994, when the government awarded 15 domestic data communications licences with international access through Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL). The Pakistan Telecom Authority was established in 1997 to oversee the transfer of telecom services to the private sector. Throughout India, phone services were provided by three government-owned companies. India adopted a policy after 1994 to expand and improve its telecom infrastructure by encouraging private sector participation in telecom services. A new telecom policy took effect in 1999 under which existing basic and cellular licensees can continue under their existing contracts, while new licensees are to be charged a one-time entry fee and subjected to a revenue-sharing arrangement. Pakistan has a 50 percent greater outgoing traffic per subscriber, while India has almost 50 percent more telephone mainlines per 1,000 people. Waiting time in Pakistan for a connection is a year longer than in India. In India there are four mobile phones per 1,000 people, compared to two in Pakistan.

Chaudhry’s study finds the lack of ICT expenditure data in Pakistan is an “area of concern,” indicating that compiling such data is simply not a priority or that the figures are so low that it is considered better to let them go unreported. “The results of telecom-related public policy decisions will be difficult to gauge if the data is either incomplete or unreported,” he points out.

Pakistan’s telecom market is presently grappling with the transition from a regulated state-owned monopoly to a deregulated competitive structure. The government has a target to increase national teledensity to 7 percent (around 10 million lines) by 2010. To achieve this target, about 750,000 additional lines need to be installed every year. The planned privatisation of the state-owned telecommunications monopoly, PTCL, is an essential feature of the changing marketplace.

The prospects for strong development will continue to be low, unless rigid regulatory policies are removed and serious restructuring takes place, he argues.

According to Chaudhry, the wireless market in India is closing in on the 35 million-subscriber mark. Pakistan by contrast, has just over 3.5 million users. Pakistan appears to be headed in the same direction with the PTA taking steps to open up the wireless market. Pakistan believes that it can sustain six wireless players into the long term, pointing out that it had a wireless penetration rate of 2.46 percent at the end of 2003, short of the country’s wire-line teledensity of 2.79 percent. The PTA has sought to dispel fears about the country’s frequent change of policies in regard to wireless telephony, claiming that there will be no more changes for at least five years.

Chaudhry writes that the overall scores of each nation dropped between 2002 and 2003. India’s ranking in terms of telecommunications advancement slipped from 43 to 46 while Pakistan remained at 57 during this period. An examination of individual category scores highlights areas of contrast. The connectivity environment figures (India 1.7, Pakistan 1.1) highlight how overall technology penetration is greater in India. A new report by Telegeography forecasts that India’s international submarine cable capacity will have grown 17-fold in just three years, reflecting the results of the government policy over the past decade of easing telecom controls.

Consumer and business adoption figures (India 3.0. Pakistan 1.8) reflect concerns, including the sluggish investment by the Pakistani government in IT. It also highlights a disparity in the use of the Internet in the conduct of E-commerce. It appears that this is the next area which India will have to address if it is to gain the full domestic benefits of the telecom revolution. Pakistan will be able to realise such potential only once its IT infrastructure and public policy evolution has matured, according to the study.

Chaudhry finds that both foreign and domestic investors are jittery to take on risks in both countries where there might be perceived uncertainty. Pakistan faces challenges in this regard if it is to attract continued outside capital. A necessary step is the smooth transition from one elected government to another. India on the other hand, will have ensure that its ICT and telecom policies do not become unnecessarily bogged down by industry challenges in the courts. Both countries face challenges, each of their own nature. India has an advantage because of a 15 percent higher literacy rate than Pakistan.

“Education policies in Pakistan will have to keep pace with ICT and telecom policy development if the country is to position itself in the global IT marketplace, while India will have to pay closer attention to its rural population if its general population is to reap the benefits of the Internet age,” according to the study. The Indian government has followed a general policy of privatisation, and continues to fine-tune it as market conditions change, he writes, adding, “Pakistan will be well served in closely heeding this evolution so that when its time comes, it is able to similarly develop policies that serve the public good, and enact legislation that serves to level the ever-changing ICT and telecom playing field.”

Chaudhry finds that Pakistan is not in the same position as India presently in terms of a global IT presence. Rather than falling further behind, an aggressive policy of information exchange through the Internet, research and development entities and ICT think tanks should be adopted, he recommends. Although India is currently the default choice as offshore supplier for the communications industry, many other countries are fast emerging as challengers. The second-tier challengers include Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Northern Ireland, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, and South Africa. In addition, many countries in the third and fourth tiers are aggressively vying for offshore business. With global competition heating up among offshore destinations, India finds itself in the position of protecting its turf, which it cannot afford to have threatened by unstable relations with its neighbour. He writes that Pakistan realises how the Internet is now an instrument of power. The challenge lies in adopting policies that allow the general population to be able realise its full potential, the good and the bad.

Courtesy: www.dailytime.pk

Pakistan Ranked 4th in BroadBand Internet Growth

Pakistan is ranked fourth in terms of broadband Internet growth in the world, as the subscriber base of broadband Internet has been increasing rapidly with the total base crossing 170,000 in the country.

The rankings are released by Point Topic Global broadband analysis, a global research centre. According to the statistics, there are around 382. 4 million broadband subscribers worldwide by the end of August 2008 as compared with 317 million in August 2007, showing 17 percent growth.

Regional Broadband trend revealed that Western Europe has the largest share of broadband users with 26 percent followed by North America at 22 percent. South and East Asia regional is in the third place with 22 percent share.

In Pakistan operators are offering wide range of technologies like DSL, Cable, FTTH and WiMax. They have added 25,500 new broadband connections in the financial year 2007-08, which is around 150 percent increase compared to the previous financial year, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) statistics reported.

The Internet Protocol (IP) traffic through high-speed access link has become the success factor that have made rapid the transfer of online information and communication services, data, voice and video footage. The easy way of communication owing to highly competitive market of service providers has been penetrating in the country with modest acceleration in the metropolis.

At present Digital Subscriber Link (DSL) is the leading broadband service in the county with 65 percent of the market share. Major DSL providers in Pakistan are Micronet, LinkDotNet, CyberNet, MultiNet and PTCL.

Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) is the second largest broadband technology in terms of the market share. Approximately 25 percent of the total broadband subscribers are using HFC technology. WorldCall (Pvt) Ltd is the larget provider of Cable Modem Broadband in Pakistan through its widespread HFC network in Karachi and Lahore. Wateen Telecom is another service provider which is providing HFC service in the country.

Global broadband market analysis has shown that subscribers base for FTTH technologies is increasing sharply with the emergence of innovative applications and services such as IPTV. These new services require very high access connectivity that can only be provided through FTTX technologies.

According to the PTA annual report 2008, operators have started offering FTTH and WiMax services in metropolitan cities. At present there are approximately 2,800 FTTH and 2,000 WiMax subscribers.

A significant reduction in subscription and services charges has been witnessed in the country. The DSL subscription rate has declined to $15 (nearly Rs1200) per month from $55 (above Rs 4,000) per month for 512Kbs connection.

Subsequent to the introduction of high-speed broadband access in early 2000, telecommunication companies have started offering a whole new variety of services.

Courtesy: www.dailytimes.pk

Zong Take One

A new and interesting service by Zong to share media with others (for pre-paid and post-paid). You will need a GPRS enabled phone and GPRS activated for your mobile number.

TakeOne is a service by Zong which enables mobile users to share their photos and videos by:
Sending to any mobile in the world
Sending to various online destinations – Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa
Sending to any email address

Take One is the answer to the PicShare service by Telenor. Nokia has also introduced the Ovi service.
This is a direct competition for the popular sharing and social network services.The trend is fast moving from PCs to phones and operators like Zong want to be the service provider.
The service is supposed to be easy — you take a picture and you get a prompt on whether you want to send / share that. However depending on the user this kind of prompt may be a convenience or annoyance. Overall the usability of the application will be a major factor in its success.
Subscription charges are Rs.25+tax per month and you can share unlimited photos and videos. Data (GPRS) charges are applicable to this service.
Click below to get details on how to subscribe.
User sends TAKEONE to 343 [ Rs2+tax]
User receives SMS with WAP link to download application
User clicks on the WAP Link
If user’s phone is supported he is shown the download link
After the installer is downloaded, the installation starts
Once the installation is complete, the application starts
When the application starts – it sends ACTIVATION SMS to 223 [Rs. 25+tax]
When system receives ACTIVATION SMS, the user is activated at the backend and he can start sharing his photos and videos – he is also sent a Welcome SMS.

Orascom’s Mobilink commercially launches “Mobilink Infinity” mobile WiMAX service in Pakistan

Mobilink, Pakistan’s cellular market leader, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced the commercial launch of Mobilink Infinity, a wireless broadband and telephony service for residential and enterprise consumers based on the mobile WiMAX standard, 802.16e-2005 (Rev-e).

Mobilink Infinity went live on October 22 in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial capital and major business center. In its very first week, the service attracted several thousands of subscribers. Mobilink, a member of the Orascom Telecom group, estimates that the service will attract 50,000 subscribers by year-end.

“When choosing a partner for the Karachi commercial launch, time-to-market and product readiness were key decision-making criteria,” noted Zouhair A Khaliq, the President and CEO of Mobilink, adding, “We saw Alcatel-Lucent as one of the most advanced WiMAX players. The maturity of their technology and the quality of their support have been excellent throughout the project.”

Commenting on the initiative, Naeem Y. Zamindar, Vice President & Head of Broadband Business Division at Mobilink, said, “Mobilink Infinity is all about making high speed internet and telephony over WiMax as accessible through our plug and play, affordable, customer friendly service. We’re offering our subscribers high-quality and reliable connectivity that has the potential to revolutionize their lives.”

Because Mobilink Infinity is built upon Alcatel-Lucent’s innovative and state-of-the-art mobile WiMAX Rev-e technology, Mobilink Infinity subscribers benefit from easy, affordable and always-on connectivity to the Internet, with fast downloads and smooth audio and video streaming; they can also enjoy high quality voice calls. Calls can be made using a regular phone or PC interface.

Alcatel-Lucent has supplied a comprehensive WiMAX Rev-e solution including both fixed and nomadic terminal devices from various CPE partners, thanks to its Open CPE program, which is designed to ensure service provider customers have the widest possible range of interoperable end-user devices. The Alcatel-Lucent WiMAX network leverages existing sites and equipment in Mobilink’s GSM network, helping to optimize deployment economics.

“With voice telephony seeing tough competition, WiMAX presents an excellent way to generate additional revenue, all while providing a level of service that subscribers truly appreciate,” noted Vincenzo Nesci, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in the Middle East and Africa, “We have a long relationship with Mobilink and Orascom, and we are pleased to have helped them launch this service in Karachi.”

Mobilink and Alcatel-Lucent will provide further details on how this advanced service was deployed and how it is being received by the first subscribers with a live media web cast during the upcoming WiMAX Forum Congress Latin America 2008 December 2-4.

About Mobilink:
Mobilink, a subsidiary of the Orascom Telecom Group is Pakistan’s leading cellular service and market leader with an unmatched customer base of over 30 million subscribers.

The company has successfully achieved a record subscriber growth of 40 % in 2007 and with over 7,500 cell sites, has coverage in over 10,000 cities, towns, and villages, through out Pakistan. International roaming is available in over 130 countries with more than 300 partner operators, and the company’s investment to date, is over US $2.5 billion. It directly employs over 5,000 people, and facilitated through an integrated technology infrastructure, has the largest distribution network of over 200,000 retail outlets across Pakistan. The company is a carrier-class nationwide connecting service with its 6,500 kilometers fiber optic backbone, and is leading the Mobile Commerce revolution with its first lifestyle application, “Genie” which enables customers to pay utility, telephone bills and top-up prepaid credit through their mobile phones.

Through The Mobilink Foundation, the company’s corporate social responsibility program contributes significantly in the areas of health and education. The company is also the official cellular service of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the leading BlackBerry communication services provider in Pakistan.

About Orascom Telecom

Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in seven high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 460 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 33% as at 30th June 2007. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria ("OTA"), Pakistan ("Mobilink"), Egypt ("Mobinil"), Tunisia ("Tunisiana"), Iraq ("Iraqna"), Bangladesh ("Banglalink"), and Zimbabwe ("Telecel Zimbabwe"). In Pakistan, Mobilink has 30 million subscribers.

Orascom Telecom had over 61 million subscribers as at June 2007. Orascom Telecom owns 19.3% of Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited, a leading telecommunication services provider operating in seven countries. Orascom Telecom is traded on the Cairo &Alexandria Stock Exchange under the symbol (ORTE.CA, ORAT EY), and on the London Stock Exchange its GDR is traded under the symbol (ORTEq.L, OTLD LI).

About Alcatel-Lucent’s position in WiMAX
With 34 commercial contracts and more than 70 trials around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is the undisputed leader in the WiMAX infrastructure market, benefiting from end to end integration and implementation capabilities. This market leadership uniquely positions Alcatel-Lucent to help customers launch end-user services effectively and in a record time.

As a result of its strong market position, Alcatel-Lucent also has established itself as a key driver of the development of the WiMAX ecosystem, with its Open Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) Program becoming one of the industry’s premiere showcases and test-beds for WiMAX terminals from many of the world’s leading WiMAX device vendors. Thanks to Alcatel-Lucent’s Open CPE Program, the company’s radio access infrastructure supports a wide range of attractively priced terminals in all form factors and from various equipment partners.

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions that deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris.

Courtesy: Alcatel-Lucent http://www.alcatel-lucent.com