3G mobile broadband for all

BANGALORE, INDIA: According to T.V. Ramachandran, Director General, COAI, "India represented the finest example of public-private partnership and how telecom has benefited society."

He was speaking at "3G Mobile Broadband for All.” In a first of its kind, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), and the GSMA (GSM Association), the global trade group for the mobile industry, partnered to present this seminar on 3G mobile broadband.

Ramachandran added, "It was time now for the industry to crack the code of mobile broadband and that in India, mobile broadband was required in the rural areas."

Ramachandran reiterated that the industry had been able to achieve much due to the initiatives of the government, by providing a very competitive scenario, emphasis on affordability, and a conducive regulatory / policy environment for the Industry to grow at a stupendous pace.

He shared with the audience very relevant quotes of the Hon’ble Minister Thiru A Raja from his inaugural address given during the mirror seminar held at New Delhi on April 25, 2008. The Hon’ble Minister, in his address, lauded the growth of the GSM industry and noted the many milestones that the industry had crossed in the last one year alone, including the latest landmark of April 2008 which saw India become the second largest wireless market in the world.

The Hon’ble Minister emphasized on the need for the industry to now focus on improved rural penetration. He remarked that “mobile broadband will be the most desirable and preferred way to increase broadband penetration”. The Hon’ble Minister had announced that the government would very shortly come out with its detailed guidelines in respect of 3G as also mobile broadband access.

Jaikishan Rajaraman, GSMA, commented: “Users can enjoy myriad of benefits derived from mobile broadband services, which are live today in more than 73 countries. India's mobile industry, its technology eco-system and ultimately its economy can take advantage of tremendous economies of scale to bring affordable mobile broadband services, including internet access and rich media services, to millions of people in India."

The seminar included a presentation on mobile broadband applications by Ericsson, which showcased its Gramjyoti Project, harping on how 3G mobile broadband could change and enhance the lives of people and communities. The presentation included clips on mobile education, e-governance, telemedicine, etc., and how the eco-system can be harnessed to deliver these applications on a sustainable basis.

Bo Ribbing, Ericsson’s Head of Core Networks and System Solutions and General Manager – 3G Program for Market Unit India and Sri Lanka, said that the project could be scaled up to cover 200,000 villages where GSM towers already existed and that there was a very viable model for using mobile communications to bridge the digital divide.

The event also included a Workshop conducted by Microsoft on “Connecting Customers & Communities”. Amajit Gupta, Director, Communications & Media, Microsoft India gave the delegates an overview of Mobile Broadband applications with Microsoft and also gave a demonstration of services.

The seminar was inaugurated by J. Parthasarathy, director, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bangalore, Ministry of Communication & IT.

A host of industry leaders from the mobile eco-system and India’ IT industry participated at the event. Jaikishan Rajaraman, Senior Director – Services, GSMA, gave keynote perspectives on the international 3G landscape and the potential for mobile broadband, with particular emphasis on the social and economic advantages it will bring for India.

The agenda boasted a number of expert speakers providing insights on the benefits of mobile broadband, from India and the overseas, sharing their experiences and expertise in mobile broadband deployment. These included Neil Gough, Director, Group Public Policy, Vodafone, Navdeep Manaktala, Head – Go to Market Software & Services, Context & Advertising, Nokia India Ltd, Balachandar Santhanam, Principal, Concept Engineering, Infineon Technologies India Pvt. Ltd, Supun Weerasinghe, Chief Operating Officer, Dialog Mobile – Sri Lanka, Mohit Bhushan Senior Director, QCT, Qualcomm Inc, David O’Byrne, Director, Mobile Operator Business Development, Microsoft, and Naresh Singh, Principal Analyst, Gartner Inc.

Around 150 delegates comprising of members of the GSM operator community, the software and IT community, global infrastructure and handset vendors, media and various other industry stakeholders participated in the Seminar.

Fast facts on 3G mobile broadband

* 3G mobile broadband services are taking off exponentially in the rest of the world.
* As of April 2008, there are over 168 networks in 73 countries that have opted for mobile broadband (HSPA).
* As of March 2008, there are more than 32 million mobile broadband (HSPA) connections worldwide, a ten-fold increase in the last one-year alone. This is forecast to grow to 700 million by 2012.
* There is also a vast selection of 3G Mobile Broadband devices available in the market today. It is estimated that more than 470 devices had been commercialized by 102 vendors by April 2008. These devices include handsets, notebooks, USB modems, PC cards and wireless routers.
* In the last four years, the prices of W-CDMA handsets have dropped by almost 80 percent signaling the ever-improving affordability of the service. It is estimated that the sale of 3G mobile broadband devices will increase from around 170 million in 2007 to nearly 800 million in 2013.