Here’s from the BBC News where Ofcom wants the ISP’s to stop misleading news about Broadband.

Currently most ISPs advertise services as ‘up to’ a certain speed – for instance, 20Mbps (megabits per second).

But Ofcom’s latest research finds that very few consumers actually get these headline speeds.

“There is a substantial gap between advertised speeds and the actual speeds people get in their homes,” Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards told the BBC.

“The chances of someone receiving the advertised headline speed are fairly remote,” he said.

“We would like to see clearer information provided to consumers which more accurately reflects the likely speeds they will actually receive,” he added.

For those who are blissfully unaware, Ofcom is British Telecom Regulatory Agency.

Here’s the proposal:

“We have been pushing for ‘typical speeds’ to be made the gold standard for speed measurement since 2007 – in the same way that banks use ‘typical’ APR percentages.”

The Advertising Standards Authority is looking into the issue.

Ofcom is recommending that ISPs use Typical Speed Rates (TSR) to avoid confusing consumers.

Here’s a stinker:

Virgin Media, which fared the best in the speed tests, welcomed the news: “Ofcom’s latest report is yet another damning indictment that consumers continue to be treated like mugs and misled by ISPs that simply cannot deliver on their advertised speed claims,” said Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media

We in India, are stuck at 256 kbps. What the fuck is TRAI‘s problem? Why can’t we have someone who can actually deliver?

Related articles

• Ofcom demands ISPs close ‘upto’ gap (go.theregister.com)
• Concern at broadband speed claims (bbc.co.uk)
• Broadband providers’ ‘misleading’ ads exposed (independent.co.uk)
• Broadband ‘half advertised speed’ (mirror.co.uk)
• Firms Rapped Over Broadband Speed Ads (news.sky.com)
• Ofcom told to bring down ‘up to’ broadband speeds (go.theregister.com)
• TalkTalk and Tiscali could still face a fine, warns Ofcom (guardian.co.uk)
• Consumer group calls for end of ‘up to’ broadband advertising (v3.co.uk)
• Broadband advertising shake-up could end ‘up to’ packages (telegraph.co.uk)
• Broadband speeds misleading – Ofcom (asounddesign.wordpress.com)
• Ofcom told it must improve (lv.com)

Tags: Advertising, author, Broadband, DTH, Google, India, Internet, ISP's, Media, Ofcom, Telecommunications India, TRAI, Twitter, Virgin

Ratan Tata got a lot of flak for his association with the corporate PR specialist; per se the association is not illegal but motivated agendas are. He’s the head of Tatas who had earned a good corporate reputation over the years with the tag line, “We also make Steel”.

Over the past few years, they entered into Telecom; bought over VSNL for their broadband and international telephony needs, misread the market, entered into CDMA and then forked into GSM with two competing brands- Virgin Mobile and Tata DoCoMo. While Virgin Mobile had it’s CDMA avatar (now in GSM), Docomo is spearheading it’s 3G foray.

In all the hoopla, it has carved a niche for itself by being an idiot and super idiot at the same time. There is no parallel in the world (not to my knowledge) where a same company would fight for the same customer pool. Leave aside it’s mobile business (which is opaque as far as the revenues are concerned), it’s broadband strategy is in tatters.

Hence when Forbes India came up with the cover story on Tata’s Telecom strategy, I was eagerly awaiting the web version because this crap is not worth the paper it is printed on (and hence not worth the money spent on this tattered crap rag). I was proved right when the “journalist” in question hammed on the same issue time and again; perhaps without even realizing that one needs to have an in-depth understanding of the sector. The title says a lot about the “telecom strategy” but sadly these morons on Forbes have restricted themselves to “mobile segment” alone.

I refuse to account for the sector changes or even track the people involved in decision making. This is not my specialty or my interest. My only interest is to get a better deal as a customer; see it through the prism of my own understanding and spout out my “wisdom”.

The whole article talks about the sectoral changes due to Mobile Number Portability or Spectrum charges being traded in “business publications” elsewhere. It does not make even one fucking cursory mention about it’s strategy elsewhere; where it has met it’s waterloo and has been drubbed by customers square- Broadband.

I don’t understand; really don’t understand as to why these idiots cant scale up the platform. They have DTH; they make tonnes in carriage fees (as per the media reports) and burning huge amount of cash in customer acquisition. A proper broadband access (and a portal) with content cross ported from DTH (if you take care of the license issues- what the fuck is their army of lawyers doing?) and you have a sure fire recipe for success.

Of course, this has to come with a balance of right targets and marketing. Last mile access alone is a major issue but not for the class B and class C cities and towns where they could have become the default broadband service providers. But because it needs funds, long term vision and skill of execution, Tatas are found wanting.

Forbes India disappoints me. Not that I had expected a stellar reporting from them but at least SOME bloody semblance of balance in the story. It only points towards the idea bankruptcy, lack of sectoral understanding and oodles of stupidity.

Tags: 3G, Broadband, Broadband access, CDMA, DTH, EDGE, GSM, Idiots, India, journalist, Media, Mobile, Mobile Number Portability, Spectrum, Tata, Tatas, Telecommunications India, Virgin, virgin mobile, VSNL

Just like Reliance Netconnect, you must exercise extreme caution before you sign up for Tata. I am wary of their claims ever since a certain guy fought the company in the media. It is probably run by the same bunch of people who were behind the Tata’s wireline debacle.

I do fail to understand as to how the wireless would address the “broadband” issues for this country. I am not sure about the latency periods or the ping times and whether or not adding more subscribers would strech this service. But keeping high initial costs means that the early bunch of adopters would be subsidising for the people signing up later.

I find this idea stupid, so as to say, because the morons are trying to cash on in the desperation of the early few in order to milk their set up costs. But, as I understand, the incremental cost of setting up new infrastructure would be minimal in case they have to “re-jig” their existing towers. Plus, these companies should be able to get the brand new equipment over comfortable cost without adding much to the overheads by long term negotiations.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the useless Chinese crap gets a back door entry in the country.

Tatas are not known for their exemplary workmanship nor customer care. I feel that it is the “mill mentality” which pervades; their steel plant would get customers anyway. It is the take it or leave it attitude that pervades and till the time they are hauled over the coals by squeezing their balls black and blue, I doubt whether anyone would be constrained to deliver.

They make the worst Indian cars and trucks; Tata tea addresses majorly the lower end of the market with their “pataka chai” and Tata Indicom needed Virgin mobile because their claims have been deflowered by the prevailing situation. I don’t trust their claims verbatim because there is nothing in black and white in their account books or independent verification for their tall claims about the network superiority.

Photon plus remains another empty promise with awkward tariff plans. Beware, as usual!

Tags: Broadband, Chinese, India, Media, Mobile, Reliance, Tata, Tata Indicom, Tata Photon Plus, Tatas, Telecommunications India, TRAI, Virgin, virgin mobile, Wireless