Published on
08th Nov 2009 in
Indian Telecom.
Tags: 3G, Access Deficit Charge, Department of Telecom, DoT, EDGE, India, Indian Telecom, Mobiles, Spectrum, TRAI, Value Added Services, Wifi, Wireless.
The following is the text of the email sent and an edited version appeared in Business Standard on 06/11/2009.
Dear Sir,
This refers to Shyam Ponnapa’s write up on BS dated 05/110/2009 (Managing Spectrum Efficiently).
The big question. Why do we need 3G? Why not focus on the land line business alone for broadband access? Or better still. Community Wifi?
The arguments for doing away with this are many. Community Wifi is deemed to be a security risk but then countries like Singapore have implemented this on a large scale nationwide. The mobile phones required to access 3G invariably have Wifi access too. Unless, the telecom companies are expecting surefire hits like Apple iPhones or flood of other smart phones to access the Internet, it is not happening.
We don’t have accurate numbers about the likes of Reliance and Tata who are offering their 3G access. If initial reports are to be believed, they are plagued by “line of sight” hassles, ‘network congestion’ and lackluster customer support. To top it all, it has the access limitations which means that broadband access, even on the 3G spectrum would be capped for very obvious reasons.
We have enough bandwidth in the country but as anyone would testify, we have problems in implementing the “last mile access”; having a contentious set of issues like 3G is not going to solve the persistent problem of “last mile access” because no one is interested in sinking money for a long term.
We can have a fair idea from the existing companies like Airtel or Vodafone who charge exorbitant rates under the present implementation of “mobile internet”. What is the guarantee that they would lower down the prices once they pay fancy sticker prices in 3G auction?
3G, would most likely be used for carrying more voice traffic because none of the players harbours any disillusionment about the “mobile broadband” across the length and breadth of the country.
The market for value added services is locked up within the “walled garden” of the existing players; it is unlikely that 3G access would “revolutionize” the content.
This pretty much sums up what I have always alluded here and my opposition to 3G remains.
Published on
10th Oct 2008 in
Indian Telecom.
Tags: 3G, Chinese, Hutch, Hutchinson, India, INQ, iPhone, Opera, walled garden, Wireless, Wirless broadband.
I am not a fan of wireless access because it cannot support faster speeds for a wide user base. Not yet. 3G is a big disappointment wherever it has been implemented and is still facing teething issues.
No wonder, I was surprised to read about INQ phones to be launched by Hutchinson in the Indian subcontinent as the next “iPhone killer”. Businessweek has a habit of spawning up controversies or issues when none exist. These planted stories in the media usually have a smiling face of an overpriced CEO alongside with “emphasis” on his “far reaching vision”.
I have nothing against these phones but with cheap Chinese crap flooding the Indian market, they are a real terror threat. For starters, none of them have IMEI number which helps them to be tracked. Further, there is no confirmation about the degree of radiation they give off; since they dont conform to the established standards.
The Chinese are bunch of slitty eyed idiots; they need to be kept at an arms distance from India. Specially, when it concerns our national security.
I doubt whether the operators would be keen to open up their “walled gardens”. The WAP was such a lousy experience that I swore off the other methods of access except the wireline. With the 3G hoopla, I remain circumspect to the newer developments. Businessweek needs to better define their priorties in black and white though.
Published on
15th Sep 2008 in
Tata Indicom and Tats Communications.
Tags: 3G, Airtel, CDMA, GSM, India, Indian Telecom, Rediff, Tata, Tata Communications, Tata Indicom, Tata sucks, Tata Teleservices, Tatas, TRAI, Value Added Services.
Poor idiots! They had to sell to DoCoMo, a leader in the 3G services. With the policy as announced, the duds had it in them. They had to sell out to the highest bidder. Very soon, the whole landscape of the Indian telecom would change. We would not have homegrown company like Airtel but instead this would be a battle ground for the big global majors to fight it out for customers.
The size of the deal is pegged at $1.5 billion (about Rs 6,700 crore), translating into a $6-billion (Rs 26,000 crore) valuation for the company that runs networks across the country and is planning to expand into GSM mobile services in the near future. Tata Teleservices is a loss-making company. Between 2005 and 2007, its cumulative losses stood at Rs 5,604 crore
This India story has been done to death many a times. There is no real addition of the 8-9 million customers per month. It is simply not possible. Most of the metros have choked and jammed. It is saturated. In order to expand into tier B and tier C cities, telcos need funds and assured returns. For all practical purposes, I dont forsee the market “hot and happening”; although the 3G services would assure monetised returns and would ride on the value added services.
It is no secret that Tatas claim their superiority of services based on some abstract benchmarks. There are people who would swear to God not to ever think of Tatas as their service provider. Frankly, TRAI has been unable to implement its own customer friendly norms; trying to get anything out of the useless idiots manning the customer service is a herculean task in itself.
Tata is a weathered story. They have lost it and the writing on the wall is as clear as the sunlight illuminating the dark dungeons of their minds. Telecom is a failed venture and they ought to accept defeat and ship out of business.
I must admit that this blog is suffering from the neglect over the past few weeks. A lot is happening in the telecom sector; things are rapidly changing and shifting. The policy for 3G and IPTV has been announced. Multiple companies are making a beeline for the proposed 3G auction. Apple’s iPhone has been a hit with the people who can afford the fancy price tag.
Meanwhile, a lot has changed over the personal front too. I am engaged and looking forward to get married soon. This blog has been a constant companion over the past few years and given me a platform to vent out my ideas. I hope to nurture it; a challange to remain and stay focussed on shifts instead of reporting teeny weeny incident. Ultimately, it’s about you and me as the customer which matters the most. And we are on the recieving end. For all practical purposes.
DoT has allowed the global firms to try their luck for 3 G spectrum. The existing companies have a lot at stake and are crying foul for obvious reasons. This is different from TRAI’s “recommendations” that only the existing players be allowed to bid for the scarce spectrum.
It’s only going to benefit the dodos flashing their new gen Apple iPhones. Who needs a frigging wireless Internet which can work only in isolated pockets of the four metros? There are enough idiots rooting for the cause and I have a nagging feeling that the existing technologies have not been upgraded to benefit consumers instead. A big sloth, this industry relies on its own lethargy.
The auction is expected to fetch the existing Government crores of rupees which would be funneled in wasteful expenditure and of course line their own Swiss Bank accounts.
TRAI is best known as a regulator that cannot enforce it’s own recommendations. Therefore, it brings forth new regulations to replace the ones it had brought earlier. It believes them to be set in stone and believes that they are timeless. It is with this fallacy, TRAI has remained in existence.
Rediff reports about TRAI recommendations. They may portend the future of the things to come.
