re: India Ends 2009 on a Mobile High3G Shocker The numbers in this post look interesting but I will refrain from commenting on these as it will divert me from the main point which I need to make of the 3G imbroglio. But just in passing.. one needs to seek how many are active users of these listed 500 million users. Carriers have been selling lifetime plans for Rs 99 ( $2). However the users, thinking they have a lifetime number are shocked when after 6 months it is sold to someone else if there is no recharge. This goes complete with your mobile banking and all. So someone else starts getting the SMSs when you withdraw the money from your account. The balance charges on the card are pocketed by the mobile operator. Most customers do not bother to recharge and go in for a new number which can be had for less than $2 and toss the old SIM cards in trash. But coming to the main point, the 3G aucions which were scheduled in March 2008 were first rescheduled to Dec 2008. Only to be called off abruptly and rescheduled in Dec 2009. Industry observers were willing to swear on oath that this time they would not be rescheduled. This is because India could simply not afford to reschedule them. There is no major country now which has not gone ahead with 3G and the fact the it is going to commonwealth games 2010 later this year made it look imperative to have 3G so that some semblance of advanced data services couls be provided. Not that 3G is a cutting technology anymore.. carrriers have moved on to HSDPA and HSPA+. But the inevitable has happened. The 3G auctions have again been postponed. This tells the story of the sector. Do you need to say more?
The numbers in this post look interesting but I will refrain from commenting on these as it will divert me from the main point which I need to make of the 3G imbroglio. But just in passing.. one needs to seek how many are active users of these listed 500 million users. Carriers have been selling lifetime plans for Rs 99 ( $2). However the users, thinking they have a lifetime number are shocked when after 6 months it is sold to someone else if there is no recharge. This goes complete with your mobile banking and all. So someone else starts getting the SMSs when you withdraw the money from your account. The balance charges on the card are pocketed by the mobile operator. Most customers do not bother to recharge and go in for a new number which can be had for less than $2 and toss the old SIM cards in trash.
But coming to the main point, the 3G aucions which were scheduled in March 2008 were first rescheduled to Dec 2008. Only to be called off abruptly and rescheduled in Dec 2009. Industry observers were willing to swear on oath that this time they would not be rescheduled. This is because India could simply not afford to reschedule them. There is no major country now which has not gone ahead with 3G and the fact the it is going to commonwealth games 2010 later this year made it look imperative to have 3G so that some semblance of advanced data services couls be provided. Not that 3G is a cutting technology anymore.. carrriers have moved on to HSDPA and HSPA+.
But the inevitable has happened. The 3G auctions have again been postponed. This tells the story of the sector. Do you need to say more?