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.

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But the message was not delivered coz apparently the support email id had no space left on the MTNL servers.

He ended up getting this message:

Recipient address: triband.helpdesk@ims-ms-daemon
Original address: triband.helpdesk@mtnl.net.in
Reason: Over quota

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I gather that Airtel is providing an excellent service in the fixed line telephony including broadband- while they may not be able to replicate the reach of BSNL(spreading their tentacles of misery so to say)- they are surely arriving at the scene- realising the gravity of the situation that mobile telephony business cannot provide them the same obscene profits that they were making a few years ago. Data services remain the bread and butter of the operators- I remain firmly of that opinion.

Meanwhile, Huawei has been in the thick with IB and RAW clamouring for details on the deals- those guys have surely been involved in espionage in Bangalore office in 2001. The details were in Times of India recently. How and why they are allowed in this country? I shall try and elaborate on the Chinese in the coming few days. Oh well, on a parting note, certain people were gloating about the new age sunrise of Chinese- the next wave of chinese goods swamping the technological market in telecom equipment- believe me, they have a lot to prove that their intentions are not at world domination by hook or crook.

That is for the reason why there is no irrational exuberance about the multinationals. This blog would try and “expose” the scum of this earth.

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If you are not happy, feel free to leave us…

This is an actual statement from the representatives of the Airtel Broadband Customer Support! Arrogance in Bangalore IT Scenario? Quite disgusting I would say…

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I am speaking on behalf of countless number of Internet users in the small towns of India. The people in the metros have enough to complain about the “broadband service providers” who do not deliver what has been paid upfront. Yet, a larger percentage belongs to the dial up subscribers who are often at the mercy of operators like BSNL.

I have been a subscriber of BSNL for as long as I can remember. The fact is that I never had any choice. Apart from high access charges (one of the highest in the world for dial up – Is TRAI listening?), the whole thing is bundled with lousy customer support. Admittedly, I have come far from the days when it took ages to connect on to the server wasting my calls in the process. Those days I had to use my connection like a sucker because I was afraid of having huge telephone bills. Repeated complaints to the “customer care centre” brought about no resolution and it was frustrating enough to bear the insults of some dead wit moron sitting at the other end.

Things changed slightly for the better when they introduced a telephone line for exclusive Internet usage. I jumped up on the same. The initial charges for my city were Rs.399/- per month. After about 2 months, they increased to Rs.499/- per month. When I enquired about the price increase in the commercial office, the clerk (one of the damned ubiquitous species in government offices) spoke as a matter of fact. He said that the corporation reserves the right to increase prices at its own whims and fancies. Later on, I realized that it has to do something with the number of exchange lines in the city. Yet, it remains by and large very expensive to surf, especially when I need to buy separate Internet packages.

The default Internet package comes with a measly 5 MB in box. Well, since it gives POP3 support, I really do not need the same. There is no provision to increase the in box space or choose any different aliases. For that, one has to depend on the web based email service providers. This in effect defeats the very purpose of a dial up based Internet, as it remains prohibitively expensive to surf or look up information.

Currently, there is no mechanism to ensure security in the service. Anyone can use any other subscriber’s details, which include user name and password. Unlike VSNL, which in its rare far sightedness, introduced crackblok security, which restricts the access number from a particular phone line, such facility is not available with BSNL.

Security is a major lacuna with BSNL.

Spam filtering at the server level is next to nil. In fact, I have been receiving much spam of late. I brought this to the notice of node in charge. His reply was simple. He said that in case I get spam, the best way to deal with it is to delete it. Ignorance is bliss in this country. Why do these ISP’s never ever bother to look in the genuine complaints of the subscribers and have some knowledgeable people hired; instead of poor vegetables?

In my city, a majority of subscribers had to surf on the normal telephone lines. This meant that for long we had to wait endlessly to either connect or buy Internet hourly packages. At times, the desired package was never in the stock and customers were forced to upgrade to expensive hourly packages. The unlimited dial up package was available for a whopping Rs.9000/-(it is still) and valid only for 6 months. Now for that kind of money I can buy a small telephone exchange for myself!

The user experience has been pathetic. There can never be a “Dial Up Blog” for BSNL because; much of the world has gone ahead in terms of broadband, or whatever “faster than dial up” version of access is. Still, I feel extremely frustrated that I am stuck up in a time warp, much because I am forced to deal with thoroughly incompetent idiots.

Ever since BSNL introduced Net-One in my city, there have been a large number of subscribers without having increase in the bandwidth. As a result the speeds tend to crawl down to a drag by midday and tend to improve marginally only during the night. There has been no resolution of the same despite my insistence that available bandwidth is not sufficient to handle the customers. The reason is that early mornings, the web access is decent enough. The response of the “engineer” was that they have mailed to the higher ups and it is a matter of time that action would be taken. Yes Sir, do you expect the bandwidth to fall from the sky? Why is that these people are so callous to do their duties? Why is that a higher up takes forever and ever to take a decision? You have to see them going on a strike in a flash when their demands are unmet. Well, that is another matter though. Yet, when it comes to delivery of services, most of them are comatose with no sense of duty towards their profession.

Realizing this early on, I was extremely happy to hear that VSNL had put up shop there. Since my number was restricted to 172xxx, I was surprised that VSNL was barred from my telephone. Howsoever I tried to contact VSNL customer Care, it was a frustrating response. I had to depend on HFCL Connect to provide me service in my area. Strange ways these people work out. Despite an assured customer, they refused to entertain any queries on my behalf. More on that later though.

Even if I want to complain to the “engineers” about the slow dial up speed, I cannot. Either their complaint number goes unanswered or the person at the other end cannot offer more than anything apart from assurances. Calling up the toll free number would only lead to more frustration since most of the complaints get resolved only on the working days. God forbid if the employees go on a flash strike. It is a possibility that cannot be ignored.

Given my own “proactive” approach, I complained to the top heads of BSNL. No one bothered to reply or at times the mail simply bounced back.

This is the state of affairs in the IT nation of the world where gross idiocies coexist with small islands of excellence. There have been enough problems with the telephone line too. Running after the lineman who would make himself scarce gave me enough insight in the working of this organization. There could be reason enough to sue the company for not providing adequate services, though I believe that this would have been a weak case. As far as I know, the company is responsible for providing connectivity. Quality of services be damned. The Internet is working as of now and this is what they wish to hear. Nothing more than that. So much for the user experiences.

In this backdrop, there is no way we as consumers could make our voice heard. It is a sad reflection of the time gone by when telephone was given out as a dole. Indian telecom revolution may be happening. Whatever the media might report the increase in numbers (which is a suspect anyway); those idiots fail to realize that quality of services has gone from bad to worse. Maybe I belong to “power users” who wish to have the services as I paid out for given to realization that my genuine complaints would be looked into. As someone said so recently, why do you complain so much Abhishek? This is India stupid.

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This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on the Broadband Blog on Techwhack.

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Tata are one of the oldest business houses in this country. As the ad line went, “We Also Make Steel” encapsulated what Tata’s stood for. Hence, it gave them unparalleled advantage as far as brand name recall is concerned. Tata’s acquired Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL). Their foray in the GSM business was partnership with other operators branded as Idea Cellular. Tata is using its own brand name to market CDMA based telephones.

After acquiring VSNL way beyond its market price, some people had expressed surprise over the excess valuation done. I felt long time back that it was a prize catch. The main reason was that VSNL had painstakingly created infrastructure, which Tata’s did not have to do. Then came the acquisition of Tyco which again was a sick unit picked for a song. How they planned to leverage the same was a mystery to all. It soon became clear after they acquired Dishnet DSL and marketed the same as VSNL Broadband. It gave me some reason to cheer that broadband OPPORTUNITY may soon be knocking at my doorstep. Arguably, Tata has replicated the same model of business as Reliance did. From international gateways to bandwidth and bringing it on to the end user premises. It could be a perfect recipe for success, until Tata spoilt their own broth.

For long, they chose to concentrate in a few southern states. As the other players spread far and wide, Tata’s were surprisingly sleeping over the same. They would claim that they were in the process of consolidation. I doubt whether funds were a problem. Given Tata’s size, it could easily muster the resources it needed for expansion. It chose to sit back and wait.

Finally, it did launch in other circles at a breakneck speed. In the meantime, frustrated consumers started complaining about the lousy services. Or the lack of customer support which failed to resolve the complaints on a timely basis. Dishnet soon screwed up its market and brand name that it had created from a scratch. As I had mentioned earlier, Tata’s chose to rely on the existing infrastructure instead of creating their own. This could be interpreted as either sensible or foolishness.

Admittedly, Tata’s have chosen to concentrate mainly in the urban areas. It goes beyond reason to sniff around in the saturated markets. In any case, according to feedback I got in my city, they have not really been up to the mark. Of course, freebies like Internet or free phone for the first 3 months have not really enthused many subscribers. The only positive factor I see is the per second pulse. This means that usage can be tracked easily.

Internet remains a major problem with most of the operators. Tata’s have missed out the bus on that too. Perhaps they are still suffering from the hangover of acquiring VSNL as their subsidiary. What they got in addition to infrastructure was massive sloth and typical bureaucratic delays. My earlier post on the same amplifies the same. However, I fail to understand the logic behind having Saurav Ganguly as their mascot. How would he be able to sell the products given his own limited appeal? Another instance of lousy effort in marketing.

The only way to shake up the moribund state of affairs is getting aggressive on Data. For example, if it could offer unlimited Internet through its dial up mode. It could collaborate with BSNL to offer its broadband offering using BSNL’s local loop. I am not aware of what goes on in the background, yet given the size of Tata’s they could achieve that.

They ought not repeat the mistakes that they are doing in the mobile telephony segment. Namely fishing in saturated markets. It is absolutely asinine to try and lure away customers from established operators. This is because they do not have any real differentiator in services. The only hope for them is to tap the lucrative corporate market, but given the aggressiveness of Reliance in the same segment, it seems unlikely that they would be able to manage to do take a sizeable share. Plus, of course, a big question mark over their own network!

The best option seems to be capturing the market share in Dial up Internet especially in the small cities. One main reason why it could be winner there is that it owns its own gateways, thanks to VSNL acquisition. Yet seeing their efforts and halfhearted attempts to make any headway, it is like shooting their own foot. As I mentioned, it is the same hangover that refuses to change.

There have been enough snide remarks over their capabilities. Some said that they are best in making salt and they ought to stick on to that. My word of advice to the highly paid morons sitting high up. Until the time you are a volume player, any attempt to narrow your product offerings is suicidal. The same comparison can be drawn from the fast moving consumer goods. Hindustan Lever is having unparalleled reach thanks to its massive grass roots distribution and product offerings in almost every segment of the paying capacity of its patrons. “We Also Make Steel” should now be replaced by “We Also Make our Customers Happy”!

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Last week I went to pay my bills for Internet phone taken from BSNL. It is the same argument I have to face repeatedly. As a customer, why do I have to suffer a lack of choice? I do feel cheated time and again. The worst is that I feel helpless each time. The telecom policy dreamt up a hope that we would be able to see a multitude of companies, each falling over each other to serve the customer who is a king. Bah. More than a pauper, I am reduced to nothing. Be it invasion of my privacy, getting those unsolicited calls or ignorant army of morons as customer support staff; I do not think so that I got what I actually deserve for my investment in the services.

The worst-case scenario is for broadband. This is indeed taking ever and ever to materialize. BSNL did launch its broadband. However, I am wary on their past record for customer care and the quality of the infrastructure. It is true that people have started complaining about the poor quality of broadband due to line disturbances. I have always maintained that it is easier to wake up a person from his deathbed than getting anything done out of the so-called customer care.

However, in advertisements I am promised the earth. Sachin Tendulkar has endorsed Airtel brand. How does he being featured in the same get me better quality of services? I remember when I was their customer couple of years back. My folks could not get through my number. Repeated complaints to the customer care made no change. Finally, I had to shoot a letter all the way to their head office. Belatedly after about a month, some dingbat chose to reply in the usual corporate tone. The same kind of language that they choose to advertise. World-class infrastructure? After much haggling and repeated calls, the fault was traced in their switch! So much for their intelligence. This gave me an insight in the way call centers worked. After making repeated calls, I was on friendly terms with some sensible people. Admittedly, not all are dumb. Some are bit more professional in their jobs. I have to know their problems and the way companies chose to deal with their customers. Dude, they said. Prepaid card? Forget it.

Internet remains a bugbear. I need Internet to keep myself abreast of what is the latest in my field. However, the high cost deters me to surf with peace of mind. If at times I am able to get a decent connection speed, the line drops in the middle of a download. Things have changed for the better in the past one year. Earlier it was a harrowing time to connect to the exchange. Often it took me a dedicated patience of about an hour or so before I chose to give up. What of the wasted calls? It profited BSNL in any case.

The other day I went to pay mobile phone bill for someone. I was astonished to see the various kinds of charges that they had levied. This was a GSM phone and the company had charged astronomically for roaming charges. It seemed strange that how can Reliance charge a pittance for the same. Having ones own network is imperative if you have to succeed in the telecom market. It also hinted at the way the GSM operators have ganged up to charge excessively from the customers. Any “arguments” with the bill collection agencies is futile.

The worst-case scenario is the invasion of privacy when GSM customers get unsolicited calls. There have been reports of people buying a brand new number and within a few hours, some moron is offering a credit card from a bank. This only exposes the fact the companies sell the numbers. In this case, they could have alerted the calling agency that the given number is activated. This is not a confirmed fact but it is possible, given the trend here in India. I would suggest that one should avoid handing out numbers in public places. Invariably it finds its way in the databases that can be had for a song.

I really wish that things improve. TRAI is supposed to be a regulator. Why hasn’t it stepped in and said that enough is enough? The recent Gartner report has mentioned that telecom has grown from strength to strength but the last mile connectivity remains pathetic. What of the last mile Sir? Come on in and you would realize that getting a telephone line from government provider is an exercise in patience. If you are willing to swallow your pride and ready to be insulted, well then you can have a look at what broadband means here. One thing that they were absolutely right about. The report mentions clearly that quality of services remains much to be desired. This is what I had mentioned in my earlier posts too.

Established players like Sify call their pathetic lines as broadband. With the absurd data limits of 300 MB, Airtel is offering the “lowest priced” broadband. 300 MB for what Mr.Mittal? Opening up my browser and closing it down? What possible Internet surfing could I do in 300 MB without you ripping me off in the process? Why be so absurd, guys?

I believe that it is the hangover of the past when the powers that be handed out favors because they wanted it to be that way. These people have created artificial scarcity when there is none. Plan a decent connection and sell the product. We customers are ready to pay for something good, Sir! Provided it is reasonably priced, assured services in the event of downtime and go that extra mile in ensuring that your customers remain happy. Does that take too much? Nope. It takes only a little effort on your behalf.

Discuss on: Sify Broadband, Tata Indicom, Airtel Broadband, Reliance Broadband, MTNL – BSNL Broadband, Dial Up, Others

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Sunil Bharti Mittal must be a happy man by now. Hailing from a small town in Punjab, Ludhiana, he has achieved in life what some people dream of. He was a push button telephone manufacturer until recently. It was the winds of change in the telecom sector, which really propelled him in the national limelight. However, Airtel has its own share of bloopers, which are clearly not in the public domain. I shall try and lay out a case as to why their practices are not in the national interest.

There was a cover page in Business World magazine recently whose title said “The man who gave up his network away”. It was clearly unprecedented step in the telecom sector anywhere in the world. Network is one thing that is sacrosanct to any owner. However, in a smart and clever move he did that which could fetch him a lot of savings. I am not going in the details of the dealings or the pros and cons. This is clearly a business move, which he knows best. My only concern is the overwhelming presence of the multinational corporations in the sector and such crucial as this one.

There are two main issues here. In my earlier post here, I had mentioned as to why FDI has not really changed the telecom scenario. More money for expansion invariably comes at the cost of risk to other operators. I shall go in that detail a little later. The overriding concern is the technology that would be used for the switches and telecom equipment. I read in Rediff article recently that low cost equipment is feasible as of now. If we talk of partnership between the academia and the industry, then this would have been a golden opportunity to reclaim our investments in IITs across the country. I am sure that spurred on by the demand they would have come out with some solution. Thus, save the precious foreign exchange. It is clear that overwhelming presence of the MNCs in the sector would clearly benefit their host nations. A poorly thought of strategy indeed, to increase the FDI.

The second crucial aspect is the security. I have a reason to believe that Singapore based companies are actually a front for the Chinese government. Thus, surreptitiously they are entering this sector. Why the mandarins sitting high up haven’t really thought of this at all? This is beyond any logical conclusion. I have opposed FDI on this very ground because these are ill prescribed prescriptions of the donor agencies. The so-called security measures announced were good enough to keep the Left shut up their mouths. Not that these people are not nationalists. The very idea or the foundation of their beliefs is flawed and outdated.

However, the biggest beneficiary has been Airtel after the increase in the FDI. They have realized, although belatedly, that value added services is the way to go. There was one major flaw in the roll out of the subscribers. To ramp up the numbers they concentrated mainly on the prepaid subscribers. The health of any telecom network is determined by the number of post-paid subscribers it has. To correct this they have started resorting to monopolistic tactics. The GPRS subscribers on the prepaid networks can only access the Airtel Live portal. In case they wish to download anything, a hefty charge of Rs 10 is charged per request. This is clearly anti competitive and goes against the established logic. Of course, a better way could have been to introduce a recharge voucher for a fixed monthly fee in case one wishes to access the GPRS and thence Internet. This forces the people to shift to post paid segment where the ownership costs are much higher.

Airtel has invested heavily in building up its brand. However, despite the greatest cricketer of our times, their advertising pitch does not enamor me. I believe that Airtel had consistently fallen behind the TRAI’s parameters in terms of quality of offerings barring a few circles. Hence, the newer ad pitches of “stronger and clearer” network.

The fixed line business is imperative for growth. As I had mentioned, increased funding would now mean that it needs to acquire operators with fixed line business. One that comes to my mind is Connect from HFCL in Punjab. After a relative lull in the roll out of services, it has suddenly woke up to ramp up subscribers. I was surprised to see their advertisement banners recently. Perhaps it could be because of entry of TATA in the Punjab circle. I have a feeling that HFCL wants to ramp up numbers and sell out. As it is, they have a lousy service and customer support in the after sales services. Airtel would want to pick up this stake for good because it does not make any business sense to duplicate the entire infrastructure. In any case, there is not room enough for another fixed line operator given the fact that Punjab has BSNL and Connect offering their services.

It is interesting to note the recent news that was reported in the media. On the announcement of the unified licensing regime, any operator who wanted to have a fixed line license was allowed to pay the migration fee. Airtel slapped a notice on the government asking it refund the same after the second round of policy changes were announced. It was clearly pointed out that fixed line license was voluntary. Airtel could have waited for the same or forego this amount. Is Mr. Bharti keeping his idle legal department busy? I am looking forward for the judgment.

Before I end this post, as the events have unfolded I have a hunch that Mr. Bharti would want to sell out his stake in Airtel. That explains his recent diversification in selling vegetables. It is clearly an untapped market and would go a long way to improve the best agricultural practices. I wish him all the best. The main reason is that despite all his ills, his was the first network that got the mobile network in India. How he pulled it off is another story.

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If you thought that private operators have improved the availability of services, here is a personal blow-by-blow account of Tata Indicom and its idiocies. I had written a mail last year to the Customer Care centre enquiring about their Internet services in my city. At present, they have presence in the nearby city for which I would have had to pay heavy pulse charges in order to access the same since my usage is high.

I commented about the lack of digital access number for the same. I have a BSNL line, which restricts outgoing numbers only to 172xxx numbers under their promotional scheme to improve access to internet. This fact I brought to VSNL’s notice. However, the reply I got merely repeated the same issue I had raised. So much for their standard of comprehension. As the days change to weeks and weeks to months, I have a strong belief that standards of IQ are falling in the customer support across board.

Cut back to a couple of months. They tied up with a private service provider in my city for providing Internet access. However, the access to their number (172226) from BSNL was still barred. (Reflects BSNL s anti competitive policy, which denied me the right to choose).

Finally after all that happened, I chose to keep my mouth shut and waited for the assurances of their frontline staff (customer service what else) that access is being worked out. Fast-forward it to last month. VSNL had an agreement with the private operator, which was not renewed at the end of the year. The contract terminated, the existing subscribers were asked to access an alternative number, which entailed heavy pulse charges. All along the line, they promised to set up their servers that would give local access to 172226. In fact, there was an activity on the ground, but nothing came off it. The decision to set up the server never happened and they went back on their promises to provide connectivity leaving their existing customers high and dry. Last heard one of them even threatened legal action.

I was talking to the distributor concerned with the commotion, when I realized that how these people have repeatedly went on their promises. Not realizing the enormous costs to the person concerned but at the cost of the goodwill that he had earned in the market, they have almost duped him. Whatever account he gave me off VSNL was depressing to say the least. Of course, I cannot reveal my source of information in order to protect his privacy.

Tata has launched its mobile services in my city recently. I went and enquired about the Internet access. Howsoever smart these people are, it is clear that they presented themselves as sorry figures for disorganization. Heavy usage of internet is unheard off in their offices and there is no package for unlimited surfing as Reliance has. In fact, they were quite happy to deflect my queries to the same distributor for accessing the internet packs. In the course of discussion, they even did not bother to ask me about my requirements for the same. I do not expect to be pampered, but if one wants to sell a product, there is definitely a way around to do so.

The foregoing account gives me enough proof that Tata’s are best in making “Desh ka Namak”. I wish they stuck on the same. The after sales services are absolutely lousy. Despite the massive hoarding showing smiling Indian Cricket Captain, I wonder what good has it done to them. If they cannot take care of the existing customers and reneging on their commitments and promises, why would new customers ever sign up for the same?

The purpose of this post is not to trash the quality of the services because I have never used the same. Hence, I cannot comment on the same. This is something that I have experienced on a first hand basis and a personal account. I have a reason to believe that VSNL s infrastructure and the net telephony offer is excellent. A great product that is being marketed so blandly by the bosses in the saddle, it is hard to believe that they got their jobs in the first case. Or rather retained it in the first place.
VSNL is advertising itself as the pioneers in India who got Internet. It is an asinine claim because there was none other at the time. As a part of the government structure, it had to. How does this translate in being a pioneer is beyond my comprehension. If Tata after acquiring VSNL did not retrench the staff, it was their biggest mistake. I am sorry to say but they have their minds stuck in the cobwebs of inefficiency. Make the people accountable for their lapses. I am sure that despite the higher tariff structure of their plans, it is worth it to invest in the same; at least better than BSNL.

Let us hope!

Discuss on: Sify Broadband, Tata Indicom, Airtel Broadband, Reliance Broadband, MTNL – BSNL Broadband, Dial Up, Others

This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on the Broadband Blog on Techwhack.

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BSNL’s perfidy is legendary. They have monopolized the services to an extent that they resort to anti-competitive policies. More on that later. Over the past few years, Internet has played a dominating role in the way people access resources or connects to others. It is a whole new way of communication. I remember much of it was made when people talked of getting on the information superhighway. Internet access was controlled by VSNL, which remained the sole service provider way back for a number of years. High access charges remained the order of the day. Being the only service provider meant that it had no intention to improve the access. This underwent a qualitative change when the VSNL was sold off to Tata and BSNL stepped in to provide the services.

Leopards do not change their spots at all. Internet access was taxed heavily and the access charges remained all time high. In fact one of the highest in the world. This was marked by frequent disconnections and abusive “Customer Support Staff”. In fact, these idiots have these fancy names, which do no justice to the purpose with which they are hired for. Early on BSNL found out a way to manage the whole charade and signed up the customers who often were hampered by lack of choice or high cost option of other ISPs. Much of the reason was that their bandwidth was provided for by BSNL who charged them high carriage access fees. This ultimately was passed on to the consumers. Why was it so? I believe it is the scheme of the things that these government officials need to comfort themselves for shoddy services. No one has questioned them on this count at all.

This underwent a rapid change when the telecom sector was opened up for private players. Overnight BSNL’s thrust was to hold on to customers. They introduced a line exclusive for Internet access for about Rs.500/- per month. This was done in the name of the public service. However, a closer analysis revealed that BSNL’s officers were jittery about falling revenues and shift towards the other private payers who needed to woo for their own sustenance. Each of the ISP was provided for with a digital number access starting off with 172XXX and the line for exclusive internet access was restricted to that number only.

My love hate relationship with BSNL started with that connection. It was during my frequent complaints to the Internet section that shed light in the innards of this organization. Repeated complaints had no effect on the same. I had to email to the top heads of BSNL’s headquarters; some of them surprisingly responded. Indeed, barring a few honest do gooders, it is staffed with unfortunate imbeciles who cannot even type in the URL in the address bar. This was perhaps the reason that repeatedly my mails bounced back. Once the complaint landed on the table of the node in charge (insider story), he scampered off to set my connection to the desired level. Such is the power of being heard after complaining.

In my city, VSNL had happily launched their services. However, I could not access through my line for exclusive internet access because it was barred. However, in the initial clause it was clearly mentioned that all numbers starting with 172XXX would be provided for. Complaints to the relevant staff had no effect. Things took an ugly turn when the General Manager was caught in a corruption scandal. Thereafter the policies went out for a toss. It did make headlines in the local newspapers but that was that.

Ultimately, I sent across a mail to the VSNL to try to follow up on their level. However, in the reply fit for an idiot, they repeatedly mentioned that BSNL has blocked the access. This was in fact the same issue that I had highlighted. Subsequent emails went unanswered. Now I hear that by month end the connectivity would be provided for.

VSNL is spending a huge amount of money in staffing those people who do not deserve to be there anyway. I fail to understand how do these people get hired in the first case. That’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma, which has clearly no answers.

The above account is first person one. Repeatedly I have had complaints with the phone line, which only got resolved by knocking the telephones of the higher ups. Why are these people not accessible when they are supposed to be at all times? BSNL has set up a mechanism wherein each lineman has to report back the action taken report at the end of the day for resolution of customer complaints. This invariably gets faulted with no action being taken against the defaulting linemen.

Why this happens is beyond my reasoning.

The biggest fault is in the attitude that reflects the Indian society that does not reward merit and encourages inefficiency. Many a times I have faced enough hassles against those people who do not match up to the work they are expected to do. BSNL is no different. Perhaps the major reason that it is a government organization, which demotivates the staff even more. I cannot name names but in my interaction with the various levels, I have come across brilliant officers who have their hands tied because of the mediocrity around them. In fact, for the broadband launch there have been extremely efficient people working behind the scenes who have toiled day in and day out to launch the services. However, what did them in was the lousy package of prices, which seems to be beyond their control. The end mechanism has to be effected by the junior level staff, which has no clue as to how to go about. This reflects on the entire machinery anyway. I had earlier mentioned that BSNL has indeed set up a world-class infrastructure for broadband access. I have come across real people who have sought to make the best of the available resources and provide a decent service. These examples remain far and few though.

One cannot change the entire system overnight. This is not a log of my frustrations in here. However, an honest appraisal that people who are reading this ought to take initiative and question the same people who are supposed to act and make an effort. Falling customer levels and increased focus on efficiencies only would make these people wake up from their deep slumber. I shall try to rebut their claims with action on the ground. It is this way only that a change can be brought about in the same organization that has been funded by huge amounts of taxpayers money. We seek answers and soon.

Discuss on: Sify Broadband, Tata Indicom, Airtel Broadband, Reliance Broadband, MTNL – BSNL Broadband, Dial Up, Others

This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on the Broadband Blog on Techwhack.

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