Freedom to Connect
Ameya Dalvi, Aug 07, 2008 1701 hrs IST
The Telecom sector is buzzing. Are we set to turn a new leaf?
Over the last week or so, there has been some serious buzz in our Telecom sector Now we know that the official India launch of the iPhone 3G is only days away and the countdown has already begun and can only be rivaled by that of the Olympics. But that constitutes only a very small percentage of my excitement. What I am really excited about is the go ahead for the allotment of 3G spectrum (finally) and more importantly some concrete steps towards Number Portability.
There are those who keep changing their phone numbers every now and then, and then there are those for whom their mobile number is a part of their identity or that of their business. The latter can't afford to change their number frequently and have to endure the atrocities of their network provider - be it higher call rates, lack of competitive internet packages, frequent call drops (which are at the top of their game these days; correct me if I am wrong) and the list goes on. Yes, you are always free to move on to a different service provider but then you have to leave your number behind, which is not a feasible option for many. So your freedom of choice is pseudo or at best, partial.
Once Number Portability is in effect, you would truly become the master of your phone number and the industry would transform into a service oriented one in the true sense.
Feel free to switch to another service if there is inadequate signal at your place or you experience too many call drops on your network. Lack of good GPRS/Connectivity packages and the grass seem greener on the other side? Switch! You think SRK is making a lot more sense than Irfan Khan, or you are in love with the stamp-licking dog you know what to do.
The point is that if you are not happy with the service you are getting, you are free to try other options without the fear of losing your number. This will drive the operators to get more competitive in their pricing and even better, raise the bar for the quality of service. So, for once the consumer may be somewhat close to being that proverbial King. I am very much looking forward to it.
Talking of 3G, it's about time it arrived; or should I say overdue, and it is more than welcome. I can only hope than it doesn't go the GPRS and EDGE way in terms of pricing, download limit and quality, as there is a lot more than entertainment riding on its mass availability and mass acceptance. If implemented well, it can truly be a new dawn in communication, given the amount of bandwidth at its disposal. Going by our history, it would be over-optimistic to expect speeds in Mbps from day 1 but what worries me is an official statement that says, users will get "Broadband-type" speeds to start-off with. Given the gross misuse of the word Broadband in this part of the world, I feel my qualms are justified. But let's hope it is just a false alarm and people have learnt from their past mistakes.
All said and done, I see light on the horizon and I would want to believe that it is of the rising sun.
USER COMMENTS
Wishful thinking. Remember: 3G is just the last mile. It's the backhaul that's the problem. Also, the legal definition of 'broadband' is a joke.
by Tushar Burman, Mumbai, on Aug 16, 2008 12:37 AM, Report abuse Reply
by rohit, barnala, on Aug 13, 2008 03:57 PM, Report abuse Reply
I am not as thirlled as Ameya is, when it comes to 3G servies. Earlier India never had plans to migrate to 3G. Since 3G doesnt really offer a huge advantage over 2.5G, we ha decided to skip 3G and move to 4G directly. Dont know what happened to that, but I would have preferred going to a 4G network directly, then switching to 3G and then 4G. Our country isnt exactly fast to switch over to the latest technologies. But for the number portability, its gonna be fun, coz after its implementation, we'll see cut-throat competition. As for the I-phone. Who cares? I am waiting for nVidia to roll out the Tegra series. ;-) That should kick everyone's a$$.
by Saket Iyer, Navi Mumbai, on Aug 12, 2008 11:10 PM, Report abuse Reply
I have one doubt regarding "Mobile Number Portability"... How will operators allow free on-net calls then??? (Tata to Tata 10p, reliance to reliance FREE, etc.).. Not a huge dis-advantage comparing its merits...
by Prasath, Sivakasi, on Aug 09, 2008 01:46 PM, Report abuse Reply
Dont think that would be too difficult. Everytime a user signs on to a network, his number would be added to their database and when he signs up for a different service, the new provider can intimate the old one to get that number off their database.
by Max, Mumbai, on Aug 09, 2008 02:28 PM, Report abuse
hi, yes, 3G, Number Portability, indeed i agree it is light on the horizon but these are early days and would rather wait and not get excited considering the fact that it aint there until u seen it. once again good one dude....
by Vishal_Kadakia, mumbai, on Aug 08, 2008 07:21 AM, Report abuse Reply
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OPINION POLL
COMMENTS
hai good evening for aircel cellular.
i need malayoram veesum katru from paadu ...
bashkaran | thirupur
OPINIONS
Why-Fi?
While I endorse securing home and private networks, I am totally against the suggestion of abolishing internet hotspots.
Sir, I m devraj mandi 4m kolkata n I hav SE Z550i phone n using MOBILE OFFICE plse tel me how 2use mo service in kolkata plse tel me
by Devraj Mandi, Kolkata, on Aug 25, 2008 08:16 PM, Report abuse Reply