Archive for the 'Mobiles' Category

Mobile number portability and TRAI: Suckers

Published on 29th Dec 2009 in Airtel, Digital Divide, General Thoughts, Indian Telecom and Mobiles. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

As per the media reports, the mobile number portability is delayed because BSNL and MTNL were not ready for it.

In any case, I am toying with the idea of filing a second RTI application but my attention is fixated on academics and it would be impossible to keep a track of the same. In case anyone among the readers feels motivated enough, please let me know through feedback on drapuri (at) gmail (dot) com and I would happily guide the way out including help with drafting of the application.

Trust me, you’d feel very happy with the process to move the sarkari machinery in motion to respond to you. The idea is to inundate these idiots with RTI applications and make them realize that their own regulations are being flouted.

The context of the RTI application should include pointed questions towards mobile number portability, relevant orders to the same, procedure outlined, whether the telecom operators are filing compliance reports, copies of those reports, penalties to be imposed on operators who delay, cause of delays and what action has TRAI taken to ensure compliance with the erring operators.

This is important because TRAI’s own rules are being flouted, mobile number portability would have benefited the incumbent operators and the biggest losers would have been the Government Operators. With delays in capacity expansion, BSNL is already loosing market share. But then, who cares?

The entry of private operators hasn’t really shaken up the market. With perhaps per second billing as the highlight of the year, there is nothing else to speak of. In any case, it would not result in “drastic savings” because of the complex interconnect and termination charges. We don’t really know how we are being scammed.

A further highlight of the proposed RTI application can be the break up of the call rates and the scope for reduction of the same. The operators are dependent on voice revenues to a large extent; data and VAS accounts for a growing percentage of revenues, but as per media reports, not good enough to impact the bottomline in any significant manner. Therefore, the scramble is on to protect the cash cow; at any cost because the customers can be MILKED.

The big question really is: How much profit is really profitable?

Indian Telecom: End of the boom?

Published on 08th Nov 2009 in Airtel, General Thoughts, Indian Telecom, Mobiles, Reliance, TRAI, Tata Communications, Telecom News, Vodafone India and Vodafone Sucks. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

This is what the headlines in Business Standard say. Let me highlight the relevant portions of the report for your eyes only:

Rising competition (13 licences for each circle), falling tariffs (lowest in the world, falling further because of per-second billing), rapidly declining average revenue per user (ARPU) because the newer subscribers are the low spenders in semi-urban and rural areas, and high taxes (about 30 per cent in all) ……….have put paid to the aspirations of not only the new entrants but also incumbents……..deleted.

Forget about fancy valuations. I have always contested the claim about the “lowest tariff in the world” because it is not in consonance with the actual “gini coefficient”; which means that we pay more than we can actually spend. It is a bitter truth but then the newspapers need a lifeline of their advertising spends, so rest assured, this truth will NEVER be out.

……Nearly 15 million more users came on board in September….. It has also brought into focus the phenomenon of dual SIMs — existing subscribers are acquiring additional connections, resulting in a seeming increase in subscribers but in fact merely leading to a bill being split between two or more service providers….Deleted.

For the first time, to my knowledge, a newspaper daily has mentioned this in black and white. Let me also repeat. The operators keep the discarded number for a period of atleast 3 months before it is “terminated”. So even though, a customer has left in the middle of month, the disconnection would not be reported for another 3 months (which, I believe is an industry practise). The same customer may acquire multiple connections or dual SIMS; so it is the growth of the SIM cards and perhaps not the customers which is reported. In any case, the simple headcount may not be feasible.

Industry executives blamed much of the ills on the government and the regulator. With falling tariffs, they need to cut costs, but their hands are tied because 35-40 per cent of their costs are taxes and other regulatory expenses. They have to pay 5 per cent of their revenue even from rural areas towards the universal service obligation fund which is meant to promote rural telephony. They said there was no need for the regulator to push for pay-per-second billing by all…… Deleted.

Now this is something that industry officials would always bleat about. Let them come out openly against the said “policies”…shadow fighting the Government wouldn’t help. For one simple reason. If these morons had any iota of service towards customers, I would have sympathized with them. But, they treat their customers like dirt; more so like crap cash cows who feeds in their kitties with little change so that likes of Mittal and his ilk can reap in obscene profits. In any case, let them prove their worth with their commitment to service, their willingness to be transparent, their approachability and customer care in the true sense of the term. People need their money’s worth but alas! My countrymen are basically lazy bastards who wish to have everything on platter without fighting for it.

…….the incumbents said they remain committed and focused on growth. “We will continue to enhance our market leadership and simultaneously open new revenue streams like m-commerce, m-entertainment, digital media and many other products……Deleted.

They have no real option but to focus on Value Added Services which is “babes, bikinis and bollywood”. Unless these people want to “focus” on phone sex services which would be a “high revenue earner” for them.

Rest of the write up seems to sum up the gloom and “brave words” just to reassure the shareholders that “we are up to it”. That we would weave our small little web of deceit, of lies and pull wool over the regulators and leave no stone unturned to defraud our customers because they are basically bunch of idiots and nincompoops. No one knows how much unaccounted for wealth flows in and out of system or whether this elaborate system allows them to launder their money in more effective way. There is no accountability to the customers because they are using a PUBLIC resource and merely by adding value to it doesn’t entitle them to the ownership of it.

Sadly, this isn’t mentioned anywhere. This of course, would be mentioned at all.

Vodafone India: Congenital idiots!!

Published on 25th Sep 2009 in General Thoughts, Indian Telecom, Mobiles, Other Frustrated Customers, TRAI and Vodafone India. 0 Comments

It has been a long long wait for the whole issue to be addressed. As mentioned in the earlier posts, it has been a long roller coaster ride and I wish to share my experiences via this blog.

Since the last email (and the last blog post),over a month has elapsed. I heard nothing from them. I had emailed to TRAI and came to know that indeed some action was taken on the complaint which addressed the issue of the violation of their own orders. I managed to get hold of a person in the network “team”- different from the usual nodal/ appellate authority crap. I pressed on the charges and suddenly some sense dawned on them.

It was a stinker of an email sent to their office which specifically mentioned the insults as well as the violation of various TRAI’s regulations. Surprise surprise. In the evening, I got a call from the network in charge as well their commercial office via a conference call. The nodal officer was a party to the same.

It was a free flow of the exchange of the ideas. I told them specifically that any of the concern needs to be given to me in writing. This in turn, would be proof of their inadequacy to service the customer. It appears that they had been well informed about the case; more so when they dropped names. It was worthwhile to name the nodal officer and their ilk about their utter incompetency and to make them work as well as see reason to ensure seamless coverage.

The big news was the mobile number portability which would kick in from this year end. In that case, we can always hold this as a bargaining chip to negotiate better contracts or better service levels.

In all this brouhaha, I learnt that the telecom operators are supposed to file in reports every quarter with TRAI regarding the status of complaints. Although TRAI doesn’t entertain the individual complaints directly, they do write in to the operators when their own regulations are flouted. Most of the operators who don’t respond or address the consumers in the given time frame, do so. Fact of the matter is that there is no point in cursing the idiots because the inherent system is not going to change overnight. The wheels of the Indian Government move slowly at a glacial pace. Hence a bit of patience is required at the same time.

I am toying with the idea of filing a RTI application regarding making those compliance reports as regards to the benchmarks public. Those compliance reports need to be put online; the same should be available on the website of each individual operator so that the status of a given complaint can be tracked. Further, the customer should be informed periodically through SMS regarding the pendency as well as the action taken through written or electronic means.

I threatened Vodafone’s bosses regarding filing of those reports through RTI as well as making these telecom operators little more answerable to their paying customers. I am sure that a strong message has gone and I waiting for the next week when something is promised to happen.

It’s high time something is done on an urgent basis to clean the augean stables.

Vodafone Essar: Ball in TRAI’s court

Published on 03rd Aug 2009 in Airtel Broadband, Broadband in India, Digital Divide, General Thoughts, India Broadband News, Mobiles, Other Frustrated Customers, Personal Experiences, TRAI and Vodafone India. 2 Comments

Vodafone Essar finds itself on sticky wicket or so much as I would like to believe. Over the past two years, I have been a customer of Vodafone in the place where I work; I have been facing a network issue by virtue of incomplete signal bars or call drops.

As usual, frequent call drops and inaccessibility has made my life miserable inside the campus. At first, they were “happy” to claim that an in building solution would be provided to address the issue. This was put down on some pretext or the other. I had no option except to grit my teeth and accept the status quo. It was then that Airtel installed it’s “boosters” and I sent a formal request to Vodafone to tie up with Airtel to share their infrastructure.

I understand that this is done on a revenue sharing basis; the company doesn’t want to incur on this cost for very obvious reasons.

It is from this time that the tug of war started. The first problem was the emphatic denial of the company that their network had no issues; which they claimed in writing. Unfortunately, a few hired dingbats from their company called in to narrate different versions of sob stories. One claimed that they needed permission from the Government to set up a cell site. Other bugger insisted that he’d be contend to “sweet talk” my pants off; for which I wasn’t forthcoming for very obvious reasons.

Finally, on a hot Sunday afternoon, I got a call from the Vodafone’s Nodal Office. It was supposed to be an official call but the idiot had it from me; specially when I quoted specific provisions of TRAI act which made it mandatory to ensure that there was no disruption of services.

Anyway, I mailed in to the Secretary of TRAI who, as per the information on the website, is supposed to ensure that the various regulations as passed by TRAI are enforced. On expected lines, the bloody leechy babu didnot even acknowledge my email. I mailed them on other occasions and specifically told that I’d be seeking the information through other means; to no avail.

I have now sought information under Right to Information Act, 2005 which is an amazing piece of legislation and perhaps truly empowers the citizens of India.

How are these two incidents related to each other? I want to exert pressure on Vodafone Essar to act; to get TRAI in the loop because these bunch of morons are good for nothing and to force them to act on my behalf.

It does take time for information to filter out but emboldened by this, I plan to seek information about the Broadband pricing; the various heads under which it is charged and why the official definition has not been revised in as many years.

Watch this space.

It’s high time we act in unison. I remember the time when we had forced BSNL (and it’s lethargic army of frigging idiots) to implement unlimited Broadband. At that point of time, I was totally convinced that a concerted public action can achieve wonders. At this point of time, it’s me who is alone in fight against the big bad corporate telecom company and I intend to take the battle in their court till the time I am assured of a decent network coverage; something that I pay for.

Oh by the way, it reminds me that so far, Vodafone Essar would qualify easily for the “COVETED” asshole of the year award!!

Tata Photon Plus: Open Letter to Tata Executive

Published on 16th Jul 2009 in General Thoughts, Indian Telecom, Mobiles, Other Frustrated Customers, Tata Communications and Tata Indicom. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

This is in response to Tata Teleservices “executive” commenting on my blog on the previous post.

Dear Ms Sangeeta,

Thanks for not “influencing” my thoughts.

I understand that you work for the company that is part of the established oligopoly. I do accept your offer to show me a “demo” which in the real world conditions has no relevance per se.

A one time “burst” of speed or “lightening” fast downloads has no meaning unless your product throws up a consistent performance in real time. I should be aware of the customer service as well as the time taken for any complaint resolution. You should back it up with a responsive team to address the billing issues that may arise during the course of usage.

I find no indication that your Photon Plus would work on my Ubuntu Desktop since I don’t use Windows platform. Even if I have to get a demo, I have no clue whether it would work or not. Your company doesn’t bother to address the Linux users and I couldn’t find any information about the drivers that might be needed to “dial” in your network.

The average user has experienced speeds ranging from 3-70 kbps which is slower than a dial up. While this may depend on “various factors”, I don’t have reason to contest this claim. Reason is that it’s easier for you to claim the “network conditions” and if any one is signing up for the contract, then he/she is at your mercy.

The pre sales is usually very strong with a huge amount of advertisements and tall claims. The after sales, usually, drops to zilch. Nada. There is a resounding and deafening silence.

Interestingly, you chose to leave a comment; you should have emailed me your concern. But then, on a public forum, your company becomes the object of ridicule.

Last but not the least. What is the meaning of “fair usage policy” for “unlimited downloads”. Where the F*** has it come from? What is the meaning of unlimited downloads? If your company is charging a customer for the same, it is at the customers discretion to use the way he/she deems fit. If you feel that your network is liable to be “abused”, why not stick on to metered net access alone?

It is the “considered” decision of almost all the ISP’s to stick on to “fair usage” policies which flies in the face of fair access. Tomorrow, you would be happy to police the Internet to snoop on the websites a customer wishes, all in the name of state security! What gives you the moral right?

The spectrum is public property and you are just adding value to it. You don’t effectively own the spectrum in the sense that till the time your licensce expires, you are most welcome to make profits resulting thereof.

You too are most welcome to your opinion, hence.

RCom India: Soft launch

Published on 04th Aug 2008 in Indian Telecom and Mobiles. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Media reports are rife about speculation that Reliance Communications (RCom) has had a soft launch of their GSM mobile business. They have awarded a huge contract to Huawei (stupidity) and is being financed with Chinese money to expand their services. Incidentally, they own the company to lease out the towers for both the CDMA as well as the GSM services. It all remains in the “family”, so as to say. It’s pretty incestous.

I am eager to know about their service levels as well as their plans. They had shaken up the mobile industry earlier in their avatar and the space is all set to grow. Lets see how this unfolds.

Spice Telecom: Snapped up by Idea

Published on 27th Jun 2008 in Indian Telecom, Mobiles, TRAI and Telecom News. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Birla’s group Idea snapped up Spice, one of the last stand alone players in the market. Idea cellular is no angel in white. Spice isn’t the best thing to have happened to mobile industry ever although, they were among the initial telecom players to have 900 Mhz spectrum and were the only big players having a huge monopoly for over 3 years. The promoters, Modi group, made huge amount of money. I remember my time in Karnataka when Spice was hell bent on promoting itself as “Southern Spice” and pioneered the use of minimalist advertising.

It isnt a bad deal for Idea. For the intellectually inclined, here is a spiel from Business Standard (although the link is guranteed to go dead soon):

At Rs 77 per share that Idea is shelling out for the loss-making Spice, the latter is valued at nearly 20 times forward enterprise value /ebitda (EV/ebitda) while at Rs 157, TMIL is valuing Idea around 15 times FY09 EV/ebitda. That’s possibly because at the end of the day Idea is a gainer from the buyout; it will be left with cash, which for a telco that’s planning to become a pan-Indian player and is now present in 13 out of 22 circles, can come in handy. So while Idea will pay Rs 2,700 crore for the stake in Spice, it will get Rs 7,200 crore from Telekom Malaysia, leaving it with a net Rs 4,500 crore.

I am jittery about the Telekom Malaysia investing here in India because they are known to be thugs in the big league. Remember the Salim Group which cosied up with the Left Government in Bengal? They paid a pittiance and got prime land at throwaway prices in order to set up “housing colonies” and malls.

This marks the formation of oligopolies although I am surprised that no other company offered better money for Spice considering the fact that mobile portability is not feasible in present times; most of the original subscribers are loyal to Spice irrespective of their services. It would have been a ready pool of subscribers with an efficient spectrum. There is something fishy on for sure.

Did anyone make any noise about the regulatory approval? Would we ever see anti competitive clauses?