'Racism' in the time of 3G auctions
Rice and telecommunications! Hey, what has rice to do with telecommunications? Don't jump into conclusions; nor try to compare rice with telecom in this incredible India!
In this incredible India, where odd combinations are quite usual, rice too seems to have a contextual relevance in the telecom sector. At least that's what the statement of our telecom minister makes us think.
Ok. No more beating about the bush. Though many would have already assumed what I'm implying at, for those who haven't yet, this is how our Telecom Minister A Raja compared 2G and 3G spectrum bids.
I'm quoting here a portion from a report in The Economic Times that appeared two days back: On the comparison being drawn in certain circles about revenues from sale of 2G spectrum, for which the licences were given in early 2008, and 3G, he (The Telecom Minister) shot back: “We can't compare PDS rice with Basmati rice.
Now, if you are amused at this queer comparison of our respected Telecom Minister, I'm not really. In poverty-ridden India more people use PDS rice than Basmati. Forget the 'racism' in the minister's statement and better think of the economics of what he said. Of course, it is this economics which put the minister in a hot 2G soup.
The 3G spectrum auction that began on April nine, with nine mobile operators in the fray for three pan-India slots of spectrum, rose as high as 139.4 per cent above the base price to 83.8 billion rupees ($1.9 billion) till two days back.
Not just that. Through the bid, earlier the Indian Government was eyeing Rs 35,000 crore (including BWA spectrum auction), but now, as per the latest estimates, 3G auction alone will garner Rs 50,000-55,000 crore. Huge, right!
Now, coming to the 2G bid, price of pan-India 2G spectrum is being given away at Rs 1,650 crore, whereas one block of pan-India 3G spectrum closed (on Tuesday) at Rs 8,662 crore, which is Rs 7,011 crore more than 2Gs!
Now doesn't that sound similar to the difference in the prices of Basmati and PDS (Public Distribution System) rice. On one hand the price of Basmati rice starts at Rs 100, while on the other PDS rice come as cheap as Rs 2 for the BPL Indian! Also, keep in mind that though the quality is 'very cheap' the government incurs heavy financial burden in PDS because it serves a social purpose. But in 2G there seems to be no such purpose.
Then what is that makes the comparison between PDS and 2G possible? The stink that emerges from both?! Was our Telecom Minister indirectly implying that the rice distributed through our Public departments are low of quality, and so is 2G?
Only the minister can answer the riddle. So let's stop thinking over here!
1fad5f98-2875-4af6-a003-c36498c8421d|2|4.5
Does your heart skip a beat looking at mobile bills or do you often mutter under your breath overcome with remorse and injustice for being charged for those extra minutes, when you were never on a call...? You are not alone then.
All those who have lunged for the pay-per-second opportunity too have thought on similar lines once.
Though not a novel concept, 'pay-per-second', which is being practiced in many telecom markets world over, the the latest entrant into the Indian telecom space is today all set to woo and sweep the industry off its feet.
Tata DoCoMo, the first to come up with with this concept in India has by all means actuated a new dimension to the tariff war in Indian telecom space.
Likewise, it didn't take much time for state-run BSNL and Aircel to follow the suit. Not to be left behind was MTS, who last week announced its plans to join the second's bay.
'Do the new' seems to be the latest mantra for the new international as well as domestic telecom players, in order to stay afloat in the rat race for subscribers, especially in an already congested GSM market..
However, another issue that is coming to the fore is how can India, a country that has been following the pay-per-minute scheme for a little over one-and-a-half decades now, suddenly been catapulted by the second's effect.
That too to such an extent that even Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has gone to the extent of thinking on the lines of making pay-per-second tariff plan, a mandatory for all telecos in India.
So, it's time the consumers take the call. And when life can changes in seconds, why pay in minutes. Right?
Do let's know.
14e46aef-f1b1-4872-aba4-e1a00a382bea|0|.0
Now access all your files on your iphone on the go.
Dropbox, an online free cloud-based file storage (upto 2GB) and sharing service that allows access to all your files across multiple computers and online independent of your operating system, has expanded on to the Apple's iPhone.
Users can easily share Dropbox files and folders from iPhone to any other Dropbox user by putting in their email address, just like on the web. The app allows users to upload photos for 3G users, and videos if you have an iPhone 3GS.
The iPhone app not only keeps you connected to your media, but also lets you stream music and videos to the iPhone!
It relieves you from the burden of carrying along an USB stick everytime you move and also from e-mailing files to yourself, since this could act as an online backup service for your iPhone.
The app is free and can be downloaded from the App Store now. So hurry up guys...
04f7f923-2bec-48d7-8856-7f38f213496b|1|3.0
Posted on:
10/1/2009 at 8:07 PM
Tags:
apple,
iphone,
dropbox,
online,
cloud,
file,
storage,
upto 2gb,
usb,
3g,
app store
Categories:
Telecom
Actions:
E-mail |
Kick it! |
DZone it! |
del.icio.us
Post Information:
Permalink |
Comments
(37) |
Post RSS
No, I'm not asking whether or not India should be 3G enabled? No second thought on it and it just can't be otherwise.
However, I'm only trying my bit to put a thought on the dilemma that the Indian Government and related bodies are in, with regard to the most touted technologies of our time, the Third Generation, aka 3G. India's journey to become 3G began over a decade now. More so ever, it hasn't reached its culmination point yet.
As per records, India is the second largest, as well as the most competitive, growing telecom market in the world, just behind China and much beyond the 'mighty 'US'. Recently, a telecom technologist, I'd a chance to talk with, said that India is by no way behind any of the 'advanced' telecom markets. In fact, India is in much more advanced than these 'advanced' ones.
So by no means is India lacking and nor should it be shying away from taking up a new technology. The country has the manpower, intelligence and technology in place to welcome this 3G into its thresholds.
And just like any other new technology, 3G will also have its share of initial hiccups. And like every other technology 3G will also have its takers and a rightful time, hopefully very soon...
130ebd9e-4b92-474e-8c50-a35a0b5bad71|0|.0