Thursday, February 3, 2011
"Black beauties" fire up railway tourism
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The pounding of pistons, the rhythmic chuff of a locomotive and storybook names such as "Fairy Queen" are all part of the allure of India's old-fashioned steam railways, which once tied together this vast nation.
Now, heritage train aficionados are turning their passion towards the foreign tourist market, hoping for even more attention -- and preservation -- for the "Iron Ladies" they love.
"Steam heritage tourism is a potential tourism sector for the country," said Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi, Indian Railways.
"The presence of raw fire that fires raw power in the belly of steam locomotives attracts tourists, and the unique sound, the rocking gait, the shrill whistle, the throbbing body and an open design... are features that impart an irresistible charm to these black beauties," he added.
Lohani, once director of India's National Rail Museum and who piloted the historic run of the Fairy Queen, an 1855 steam locomotive recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest working locomotive, is hardly alone in his passion.
There are several fan clubs on social networking websites, as well as magazines and blogs about travel to unusual places.
Others pour their hearts into fashioning model trains or dreaming about doing so. A museum dedicated to train miniatures in Pune has over 400 working model trains which draw more than 500 people every week.
"There are people who come to purchase these models and stock them in their drawing rooms and there are those who just admire them but can't afford to buy them because of their price, which vary from $100 to $300," said Ravi Joshi, who runs the museum.
Now, with a growing number of foreign visitors coming for vacations and even weddings in India, tour operators are hoping to cash in on increasingly broad interest.
TOURISM STEAMING AHEAD
"There was a time when foreign travellers will be interested to travel only by luxury tourist trains of India such as Palace on Wheels," said Ashok Sharma at travel firm Real India Journeys.
"Now there are hard-line steam railway travellers and photographers who come in huge groups every week. We refer to them as 'narrow-gauged' or 'single-tracked.'"
Some 80 foreign tourists rode the Fairy Queen during its last season of roughly 12 to 14 runs, while more than 1,200 visited the National Rail Museum from October to December last year.
Yet despite growing interest, train enthusiasts feel efforts towards preservation have been few and far between after a noticeable decline in the number of steam trains two decades ago.
"Many countries, especially the UK, retained a sizable number of steam locomotives, primarily for the twin causes of heritage and tourism. India also could have retained more of steam than what it has," said Lohani from Indian Railways.
Looking to the future, the Indian Steam Railway Society, established in 1999, has earmarked 53 routes for steam heritage train journeys in India. Many of the journeys include scenic train routes such as Darjeeling, Niligiri and India's erstwhile hill capital of Shimla, all likely to be popular with tourists.
Enthusiasts notched one victory last year when the sprawling Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed, India's only remaining locomotive shed, was transformed into a tourist spot with attractions that include nine working locomotives.
Fans, of course, are thrilled.
"We were surprised when an engineer in the shed came to us and said, 'let me fire up a steam loco for you guys.' The placard on the train said 'Rewari Queen''" said Parthajit Dasgupta, a wildlife photographer.
"There was a feeling of awe that rocked me as I watched the Iron Lady take her mighty steps."
Now, heritage train aficionados are turning their passion towards the foreign tourist market, hoping for even more attention -- and preservation -- for the "Iron Ladies" they love.
"Steam heritage tourism is a potential tourism sector for the country," said Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi, Indian Railways.
"The presence of raw fire that fires raw power in the belly of steam locomotives attracts tourists, and the unique sound, the rocking gait, the shrill whistle, the throbbing body and an open design... are features that impart an irresistible charm to these black beauties," he added.
Lohani, once director of India's National Rail Museum and who piloted the historic run of the Fairy Queen, an 1855 steam locomotive recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest working locomotive, is hardly alone in his passion.
There are several fan clubs on social networking websites, as well as magazines and blogs about travel to unusual places.
Others pour their hearts into fashioning model trains or dreaming about doing so. A museum dedicated to train miniatures in Pune has over 400 working model trains which draw more than 500 people every week.
"There are people who come to purchase these models and stock them in their drawing rooms and there are those who just admire them but can't afford to buy them because of their price, which vary from $100 to $300," said Ravi Joshi, who runs the museum.
Now, with a growing number of foreign visitors coming for vacations and even weddings in India, tour operators are hoping to cash in on increasingly broad interest.
TOURISM STEAMING AHEAD
"There was a time when foreign travellers will be interested to travel only by luxury tourist trains of India such as Palace on Wheels," said Ashok Sharma at travel firm Real India Journeys.
"Now there are hard-line steam railway travellers and photographers who come in huge groups every week. We refer to them as 'narrow-gauged' or 'single-tracked.'"
Some 80 foreign tourists rode the Fairy Queen during its last season of roughly 12 to 14 runs, while more than 1,200 visited the National Rail Museum from October to December last year.
Yet despite growing interest, train enthusiasts feel efforts towards preservation have been few and far between after a noticeable decline in the number of steam trains two decades ago.
"Many countries, especially the UK, retained a sizable number of steam locomotives, primarily for the twin causes of heritage and tourism. India also could have retained more of steam than what it has," said Lohani from Indian Railways.
Looking to the future, the Indian Steam Railway Society, established in 1999, has earmarked 53 routes for steam heritage train journeys in India. Many of the journeys include scenic train routes such as Darjeeling, Niligiri and India's erstwhile hill capital of Shimla, all likely to be popular with tourists.
Enthusiasts notched one victory last year when the sprawling Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed, India's only remaining locomotive shed, was transformed into a tourist spot with attractions that include nine working locomotives.
Fans, of course, are thrilled.
"We were surprised when an engineer in the shed came to us and said, 'let me fire up a steam loco for you guys.' The placard on the train said 'Rewari Queen''" said Parthajit Dasgupta, a wildlife photographer.
"There was a feeling of awe that rocked me as I watched the Iron Lady take her mighty steps."
Ericsson launches mobile banking system
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ericsson will launch mobile phone banking services, it said on Wednesday, hoping to capture a big chunk of a market it estimates will be worth an annual 20 billion euros ($27.7 billion) by 2015.
Ericsson, the world's biggest mobile telecom equipment maker, said up to 1 billion people worldwide had mobile phones, but no bank account and would benefit from services such as money transfers.
"Different estimates we have done ... indicate that the value of revenues from financial services over mobile channel will be around 20 billion euros in 2015," Semir Mahjoub, Head of Ericsson Money Services, said.
"We expect to have a reasonable share of this market."
The service will be a rival to traditional money transfer operators like Western Union and MoneyGram initially, but could replace credit cards in the future.
Ericsson said mobile payments and person-to-person money transfers are likely to become some of the most-used mobile applications in many countries in the next two or three years.
Mahjoub said that Ericsson saw such transactions totalling around 600 billion euros by 2015.
While Ericsson has initially partnered with a bank to provide the service in Europe, it hopes its global presence will mean it can sell the service to telecoms operators internationally and connect them in a cross-border system.
"Given our global presence, which is our main asset in this case, we are working with mobile operators and delivering similiar systems to them already, we hope to be able to capture a reasonable share of this market," Mahjoub said.
"There are not many other companies that will be able to do this on a global scale. There will be others, but not many."
Ericsson, the world's biggest mobile telecom equipment maker, said up to 1 billion people worldwide had mobile phones, but no bank account and would benefit from services such as money transfers.
"Different estimates we have done ... indicate that the value of revenues from financial services over mobile channel will be around 20 billion euros in 2015," Semir Mahjoub, Head of Ericsson Money Services, said.
"We expect to have a reasonable share of this market."
The service will be a rival to traditional money transfer operators like Western Union and MoneyGram initially, but could replace credit cards in the future.
Ericsson said mobile payments and person-to-person money transfers are likely to become some of the most-used mobile applications in many countries in the next two or three years.
Mahjoub said that Ericsson saw such transactions totalling around 600 billion euros by 2015.
While Ericsson has initially partnered with a bank to provide the service in Europe, it hopes its global presence will mean it can sell the service to telecoms operators internationally and connect them in a cross-border system.
"Given our global presence, which is our main asset in this case, we are working with mobile operators and delivering similiar systems to them already, we hope to be able to capture a reasonable share of this market," Mahjoub said.
"There are not many other companies that will be able to do this on a global scale. There will be others, but not many."
Verizon may restrict heavy iPhone data users
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless warned customers it may clamp down on heavy users of its wireless data services before an anticipated deluge of Apple Inc iPhone customers.
During the first day of online sales of its new iPhone, the company appeared to be facing heavy demand for the phone on its website, as some customers who tried to buy the iPhone were instead presented with error messages.
Verizon wireless is expected to benefit from strong pent-up demand for the device as AT&T Inc's more than three-year hold on U.S. sales ends.
One perceived advantage of buying the Verizon Wireless iPhone was its offer, at least initially, of unlimited data services for a flat monthly fee of $30. AT&T eliminated its unlimited data plan last year.
But some consumers may be less excited about this if Verizon Wireless starts slowing Web download speeds for the heaviest 5 percent of its smartphone data users, as a document on its website suggests, analysts said.
"Neither one is rolling out the red carpet for heavy data users," said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. "It makes Verizon Wireless equally unattractive."
Verizon Wireless did not respond to requests for comment on the restriction. The No. 1 U.S. mobile service started taking online orders for its Apple Inc iPhone at 3 a.m. EST on Thursday, a week before it is due to hit store shelves.
SOME WEB ORDER PROBLEMS
Verizon Wireless said sales were mostly running smoothly on the first day of pre-orders, despite problems some customers encountered.
Spokeswoman Brenda Raney said the company was pleased with how the online system performed and that "the majority of customers have been able to process their orders with no problems."
But this was not the case for everybody.
"We are aware that some customers have received error messages and we are working through the issues with the individuals to ensure they get their order placed," Raney said.
When AT&T and Apple launched pre-orders of the iPhone 4 in June last year, heavy demand caused technical problems on both companies' websites.
Some analysts said Verizon Wireless could sell as many as 13 million iPhones this year. Verizon's earnings guidance for the year assumed sales of 11 million iPhones, as this was in line with the average analyst estimate.
While Verizon Wireless said it would have a limited stock of phones for its first day of sales, Raney said the company was still selling iPhones by mid-afternoon. But the error messages were still showing up for at least some customers.
GOOD BUT WITH TRADE-OFFS
While many of AT&T customers are tied into contracts, analysts still expect some to leave for Verizon due to AT&T's reputation for poor network performance, particularly in cities such as New York and San Francisco.
The first reviews of the new device said the Verizon Wireless iPhone voice service worked better than the AT&T iPhone service. But they noted that switching from AT&T would come with some trade-offs.
Wall Street Journal reviewer Walt Mossberg said that, while the Verizon Wireless iPhone had fewer dropped calls than AT&T's, the Verizon Wireless Web surfing speeds were slower than those on the AT&T iPhone.
New York Times reviewer David Pogue was impressed the Verizon Wireless iPhone made calls in his house, which he described as "The Cellphone Signal Torture Chamber of Doom."
But unlike AT&T's iPhone, the Verizon Wireless phone does not allow simultaneous Web surfing and voice calls.
If you receive a call while Web surfing in Verizon's 3G network coverage area, the online session is interrupted so you can answer the phone, but if you are in an area with a slower 2G connection, the call goes directly to voicemail, Pogue said.
The Verizon iPhone may also frustrate some business travelers because it works in far fewer countries than the AT&T iPhone, which supports a more widely used network technology.
Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
AT&T shares closed up 32 cents, or 1 percent, at $27.99 on New York Stock Exchange, where Verizon stock was up 22 cents or 0.6 percent at $36.38.
Verizon also said on Thursday it had authorization to buy back up to 100 million shares of its stock out of the 2.8 billion shares it has outstanding.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Oatis; editing by Dave Zimmerman, Maureen Bavdek and Andre Grenon)
During the first day of online sales of its new iPhone, the company appeared to be facing heavy demand for the phone on its website, as some customers who tried to buy the iPhone were instead presented with error messages.
One perceived advantage of buying the Verizon Wireless iPhone was its offer, at least initially, of unlimited data services for a flat monthly fee of $30. AT&T eliminated its unlimited data plan last year.
But some consumers may be less excited about this if Verizon Wireless starts slowing Web download speeds for the heaviest 5 percent of its smartphone data users, as a document on its website suggests, analysts said.
"Neither one is rolling out the red carpet for heavy data users," said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. "It makes Verizon Wireless equally unattractive."
Verizon Wireless did not respond to requests for comment on the restriction. The No. 1 U.S. mobile service started taking online orders for its Apple Inc iPhone at 3 a.m. EST on Thursday, a week before it is due to hit store shelves.
SOME WEB ORDER PROBLEMS
Verizon Wireless said sales were mostly running smoothly on the first day of pre-orders, despite problems some customers encountered.
Spokeswoman Brenda Raney said the company was pleased with how the online system performed and that "the majority of customers have been able to process their orders with no problems."
But this was not the case for everybody.
"We are aware that some customers have received error messages and we are working through the issues with the individuals to ensure they get their order placed," Raney said.
When AT&T and Apple launched pre-orders of the iPhone 4 in June last year, heavy demand caused technical problems on both companies' websites.
Some analysts said Verizon Wireless could sell as many as 13 million iPhones this year. Verizon's earnings guidance for the year assumed sales of 11 million iPhones, as this was in line with the average analyst estimate.
While Verizon Wireless said it would have a limited stock of phones for its first day of sales, Raney said the company was still selling iPhones by mid-afternoon. But the error messages were still showing up for at least some customers.
GOOD BUT WITH TRADE-OFFS
While many of AT&T customers are tied into contracts, analysts still expect some to leave for Verizon due to AT&T's reputation for poor network performance, particularly in cities such as New York and San Francisco.
The first reviews of the new device said the Verizon Wireless iPhone voice service worked better than the AT&T iPhone service. But they noted that switching from AT&T would come with some trade-offs.
Wall Street Journal reviewer Walt Mossberg said that, while the Verizon Wireless iPhone had fewer dropped calls than AT&T's, the Verizon Wireless Web surfing speeds were slower than those on the AT&T iPhone.
New York Times reviewer David Pogue was impressed the Verizon Wireless iPhone made calls in his house, which he described as "The Cellphone Signal Torture Chamber of Doom."
But unlike AT&T's iPhone, the Verizon Wireless phone does not allow simultaneous Web surfing and voice calls.
If you receive a call while Web surfing in Verizon's 3G network coverage area, the online session is interrupted so you can answer the phone, but if you are in an area with a slower 2G connection, the call goes directly to voicemail, Pogue said.
The Verizon iPhone may also frustrate some business travelers because it works in far fewer countries than the AT&T iPhone, which supports a more widely used network technology.
Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
AT&T shares closed up 32 cents, or 1 percent, at $27.99 on New York Stock Exchange, where Verizon stock was up 22 cents or 0.6 percent at $36.38.
Verizon also said on Thursday it had authorization to buy back up to 100 million shares of its stock out of the 2.8 billion shares it has outstanding.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Oatis; editing by Dave Zimmerman, Maureen Bavdek and Andre Grenon)
CORRECTED - Internet addresses depletion reflects wired world
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thirty years after the first Internet addresses were created, the supply of addresses officially ran dry on Thursday.
But don't panic. The transition to a new version of addresses is already well under way and, for most people, should occur without even being noticed.
At a special ceremony in Miami on Thursday, the organization that oversees the global allocation of Internet addresses distributed the last batch of so-called IPv4 addresses, underscoring the extent to which the Web has become an integral and pervasive part of modern life.
Every computer, smartphone and back-end Web server requires an IP address -- a unique string of numbers identifying a particular device -- in order to be connected to the Internet. The explosion of Web-connected gadgets, and the popularity of websites from Google Inc to Facebook, means that the world has now bumped up against the limit of roughly 4 billion IP addresses that are possible with the IPv4 standard introduced in 1981.
The solution is IPv6, a new standard for Internet addresses that should provide a lot more room for growth: There are 340 undecillion IPv6 addresses available. That's 340 trillion, trillion, trillion addresses.
"If all the space of IPv4 were to be sized and compared to a golf ball, a similar-sized comparison for IPv6 would be the size of the sun," said John Curran, the chief executive officer of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, one of five nonprofit organizations that manage Internet addresses for particular regions of the world.
Just in case you're worried, Curran added that "we don't ever intend to see another transition."
For companies with websites, the transition to IPv6 means configuring their computer equipment to support the new standard rather than upgrading hardware, Curran said. Those that don't could see the performance of their sites slowed down, and potentially cut off to some users in the future.
Laptops, smartphones and other Web-connected gadgets, as well as Web browsers, already support IPv6, though Curran notes that according to some estimates less than 1 percent of Internet users may not have their equipment configured properly and will need to adjust their settings in the months ahead, as websites increasingly adopt the new standard.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Carol Bishopric)
U.S. in talks over possible Mubarak departure
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Thursday they were discussing with Egyptians different scenarios for a transition of power, including one in which President Hosni Mubarak leaves office immediately.
"That's one scenario," said a senior Obama administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There are a number of scenarios, but (it is) wrong to suggest we have discussed only one with the Egyptians."
The New York Times reported on Thursday the Obama administration was talking with Egyptian officials about a proposal for Mubarak to resign immediately.
The White House would not confirm the Times report but said discussions have been under way with Egyptians in an attempt to resolve the 10-day crisis in Egypt.
Violence has raged between pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators after Mubarak declared he would resist demands to leave now and would remain in power until September.
Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said President Barack Obama has said now is the time to begin "a peaceful, orderly and meaningful transition, with credible, inclusive negotiations."
"We have discussed with the Egyptians a variety of different ways to move that process forward, but all of those decisions must be made by the Egyptian people," Vietor said.
More than one option was under discussion, a senior administration official said.
Obama and his top aides have carefully avoided calling for Mubarak's resignation, instead insisting that an orderly transition "must begin now" and raising doubts about Mubarak's plans to stay in power until September.
The Times reported that under a proposal discussed with high-level Egyptian officials, Mubarak would turn power over to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military.
Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Suleiman on Thursday and urged that "credible, inclusive negotiations begin immediately in order for Egypt to transition to a democratic government."
Biden urged the Egyptian government to ensure no violence breaks out and appealed for the release of detained journalists and human rights advocates as the possibility of a new round of rioting loomed on Friday.
SENATE CALLS FOR TURNOVER
U.S. lawmakers applied pressure on the long-time U.S. ally, calling on Mubarak to transfer power to an inclusive caretaker government in a Senate resolution that went slightly beyond Obama's public position.
Two influential senators, Republican John McCain and Democrat John Kerry, pushed the proposal, which expanded on Obama's demand for a transition in Egypt to begin now. It was approved by the Senate on a voice vote.
The document calls for Mubarak to immediately begin an "orderly and peaceful transition to a democratic political system."
This should include "the transfer of power to an inclusive interim government in coordination with leaders from Egypt's opposition, civil society and military" to enact reforms needed to hold free and fair elections this year.
Kerry said on the Senate floor that the Egyptian government should move to an interim government "over these next days."
McCain expressed fears of a bloodbath and emphasized that Egypt's military was the most respected institution there but it risked turning people against it unless it acted "as a genuine peacemaker."
Amid concerns that a wave of protests that erupted in Tunisia and then Egypt could spread to other Middle Eastern capitals, Obama phoned Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete actions.
The White House said Obama also told Saleh it is imperative that Yemen take forceful action against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Clinton spoke to Jordan's King Abdullah -- another close U.S. ally -- on Thursday to discuss Egypt and to express support for his own recent reforms, part of a wave of change by authoritarian governments across the Middle East seeking to head off Egypt-style unrest.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart; editing by Mohammad Zargham and Bill Trott)
"That's one scenario," said a senior Obama administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There are a number of scenarios, but (it is) wrong to suggest we have discussed only one with the Egyptians."
The New York Times reported on Thursday the Obama administration was talking with Egyptian officials about a proposal for Mubarak to resign immediately.
The White House would not confirm the Times report but said discussions have been under way with Egyptians in an attempt to resolve the 10-day crisis in Egypt.
Violence has raged between pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators after Mubarak declared he would resist demands to leave now and would remain in power until September.
Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said President Barack Obama has said now is the time to begin "a peaceful, orderly and meaningful transition, with credible, inclusive negotiations."
"We have discussed with the Egyptians a variety of different ways to move that process forward, but all of those decisions must be made by the Egyptian people," Vietor said.
More than one option was under discussion, a senior administration official said.
Obama and his top aides have carefully avoided calling for Mubarak's resignation, instead insisting that an orderly transition "must begin now" and raising doubts about Mubarak's plans to stay in power until September.
The Times reported that under a proposal discussed with high-level Egyptian officials, Mubarak would turn power over to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military.
Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Suleiman on Thursday and urged that "credible, inclusive negotiations begin immediately in order for Egypt to transition to a democratic government."
Biden urged the Egyptian government to ensure no violence breaks out and appealed for the release of detained journalists and human rights advocates as the possibility of a new round of rioting loomed on Friday.
SENATE CALLS FOR TURNOVER
U.S. lawmakers applied pressure on the long-time U.S. ally, calling on Mubarak to transfer power to an inclusive caretaker government in a Senate resolution that went slightly beyond Obama's public position.
Two influential senators, Republican John McCain and Democrat John Kerry, pushed the proposal, which expanded on Obama's demand for a transition in Egypt to begin now. It was approved by the Senate on a voice vote.
The document calls for Mubarak to immediately begin an "orderly and peaceful transition to a democratic political system."
This should include "the transfer of power to an inclusive interim government in coordination with leaders from Egypt's opposition, civil society and military" to enact reforms needed to hold free and fair elections this year.
Kerry said on the Senate floor that the Egyptian government should move to an interim government "over these next days."
McCain expressed fears of a bloodbath and emphasized that Egypt's military was the most respected institution there but it risked turning people against it unless it acted "as a genuine peacemaker."
Amid concerns that a wave of protests that erupted in Tunisia and then Egypt could spread to other Middle Eastern capitals, Obama phoned Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete actions.
The White House said Obama also told Saleh it is imperative that Yemen take forceful action against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Clinton spoke to Jordan's King Abdullah -- another close U.S. ally -- on Thursday to discuss Egypt and to express support for his own recent reforms, part of a wave of change by authoritarian governments across the Middle East seeking to head off Egypt-style unrest.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart; editing by Mohammad Zargham and Bill Trott)
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