3G Auctions finally done (India)

4G became a reality in Norway in  December of 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway. But India is just about to see the face of 3G exciting to say the least.

3G auctions concluded in India with the Government selling radio-waves to telecom companies for a colossal sum. The Government is to earn over Rs. 67, 700 crore. Phew! That’s a big amount! The amount raised will help the Government pay nearly 15% deficits though that is important; the more prominent part for us is the rates!

What does this mean for the consumer? Higher the Government earns more will be the tariff rates? As of now the tariff rates are speculative, and no official word has been received on the same from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The distribution chart amongst the states and the spectrum

Source: – Medianama

Indian Telecomm companies have paid good money for the spectrum and will be paid (amortized) over the period of 20 years. It will be fascinating to see the way these companies treat the available options. There are two strong opinions that are floating around the first being that the charges will be higher which I highly doubt.

The companies according to many industry insiders and technological enthusiast will take the penetration road which essentially means creating a larger consumer base. Bharti Airtel which has bought the spectrum in Mumbai has played the penetration card before during the cut throat competition and of the once dominated Orange network in India.

The Current Scenario:

But one can expect the rates to be competitive to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) is offering 3G service in its Jadoo Scheme with Rs. 149 as activation fee and a Sim Kit for Rs. 80. The data planned offered is as Rs 2/MB. MTNL with its Jadoo service has been around for a long period of time, but the consumer base of MTNL was never the one to exploit 3G services. And it received only a meek response.

Airtel during those days had launched various schemes which were cheaper call rates, longer validity etc. which captured a huge cache of the market. And with the top competitive players of India with their diverse base launching its service it will be a tariff and data rate battlefield (Hopefully!). But even with the speculation one can hope to see the rates to be around rather less than that of MTNL.

Finally, we will get 3G

Long have our phones with 3G capability lied dormant using the 2G network. EDGE is just too slow, and it’s about time we get our hands on 3G networks. Edge just doesn’t suffice our needs. Aren’t you tired of the two half arrows stating you are connected, but data is just not being transferred.

Remember the camera your phone has in  front? Which always made you wonder, what does that do? Some took it as a mirror to click pictures, but the time will be soon when tele-conferencing will be a reality. Watching Television on the move and everything that comes with high-internet speed!

Everything that comes with 3G (Box)

• Mobile TV – a provider redirects a TV channel directly to the subscriber’s phone where it can be watched.
• Video on demand – a provider sends a movie to the subscriber’s phone.
• Video conferencing – subscribers can see as well as talk to each other.
• Tele-medicine – a medical provider monitors or provides advice to the potentially isolated subscriber.
• Location-based services – a provider sends localized weather or traffic conditions to the phone, or the phone allows the subscriber to find nearby businesses or friends.

I personally have been looking forward to 3G for long, to try so many applications on my Android phone. There are so many applications which have practical uses but required a good internet speed and the current data plans are too slow for any use. But with 3G launching in the coming months with 3G, I will be an explorer on the enchanted radio-waves!