sourav
In the zone
How many times have we answered mobile calls at the most inopportune of times? That too, to be subjected to some rather persistent pitches made by pushy telemarketers, busy in palming-off their wares...
The good part, however, is that mobile operators are finally sitting up and taking notice...
One such operator, Spice Telecom, has introduced its Incoming Call Block (ICB) service, designed to give the 'heebie-jeebies' to unwanted calls/callers. ICB is available exclusively to Spice Prepaid and Postpaid subscribers.
The ICB service helps subscribers screen incoming calls; they can opt to define their caller list either as White list or Black list. Those numbers that a subscriber specifically wishes to receive calls from can be added to the White list, while other numbers can be blocked. Similarly, numbers from whom the subscriber does not wish to receive any calls can be conveniently added to the Black list.
The way the Black list works is by playing back a pre-defined announcement to callers, each time they attempt to call the subscriber.
Speaking at the launch, Prakash Nanani, chief executive officer, Spice Telecom, said, "Incoming Call Block service will prove to be very useful to our subscribers, as they can block all unwanted callers such as those from telemarketers. It will help busy professionals better manage their contact list, and avoid intrusion while they are busy with important jobs. It will also be useful to subscribers while they are in roaming, since unwanted incoming calls get charged to subscribers apart from the obvious inconvenience they cause."
ICB comes along with certain value adds, including the ability to choose announcements that would be played back to Black listers, the availability of announcements in both English and Hindi, and the ability to distinguish each Black lister with a distinct announcement.
Besides, the service offers SMS alerts for Black list calls, whereby subscribers can stay abreast of the calls made to their number/s by Black list numbers.
In order to subscribe to this service, Spice customers need to first dial 555 or *555#, and then proceed to create their Black and White lists.
The monthly subscription for ICB is Rs 30. While the first three numbers can be added to the Black list free-of-charge, every subsequent number will be charged at the rate of Rs 10. Similarly, while there is no charge for choosing announcements for the first 3 Black list numbers, each subsequent announcement is chargeable at a Rs 5 rate.
Source
The good part, however, is that mobile operators are finally sitting up and taking notice...
One such operator, Spice Telecom, has introduced its Incoming Call Block (ICB) service, designed to give the 'heebie-jeebies' to unwanted calls/callers. ICB is available exclusively to Spice Prepaid and Postpaid subscribers.
The ICB service helps subscribers screen incoming calls; they can opt to define their caller list either as White list or Black list. Those numbers that a subscriber specifically wishes to receive calls from can be added to the White list, while other numbers can be blocked. Similarly, numbers from whom the subscriber does not wish to receive any calls can be conveniently added to the Black list.
The way the Black list works is by playing back a pre-defined announcement to callers, each time they attempt to call the subscriber.
Speaking at the launch, Prakash Nanani, chief executive officer, Spice Telecom, said, "Incoming Call Block service will prove to be very useful to our subscribers, as they can block all unwanted callers such as those from telemarketers. It will help busy professionals better manage their contact list, and avoid intrusion while they are busy with important jobs. It will also be useful to subscribers while they are in roaming, since unwanted incoming calls get charged to subscribers apart from the obvious inconvenience they cause."
ICB comes along with certain value adds, including the ability to choose announcements that would be played back to Black listers, the availability of announcements in both English and Hindi, and the ability to distinguish each Black lister with a distinct announcement.
Besides, the service offers SMS alerts for Black list calls, whereby subscribers can stay abreast of the calls made to their number/s by Black list numbers.
In order to subscribe to this service, Spice customers need to first dial 555 or *555#, and then proceed to create their Black and White lists.
The monthly subscription for ICB is Rs 30. While the first three numbers can be added to the Black list free-of-charge, every subsequent number will be charged at the rate of Rs 10. Similarly, while there is no charge for choosing announcements for the first 3 Black list numbers, each subsequent announcement is chargeable at a Rs 5 rate.
Source
