3G, opening a window of possibilities

BANGALORE, INDIA: As the country is passing through an era of telecom revolution, it is expected that voice will take back seat and video traffic and data services will come to the forefront, thus providing anytime, anywhere connectivity and rich user experience.

And it was this aspect of the telecom revolution that Prasad Routray, business head, Sales and Operation, Airtel, brought to the front, when he addressed an august gathering at the recent C-change 2011 here.

“The adoption of 3G has changed the way people lived; it promises endless possibilities to individuals, from Web browsing, application downloads, mobile TV to social networking sites. The rich video experience allows users to download streaming videos thus enabling them to enjoy music videos, watch full-length movies or even watch live cricket while on the move,” he said.

The broad use of 3G is influencing the society in many ways. M-governance improved the quality and speed of governance. The facilities like GPS helps the police as well as traffic force to reduce the traffic congestions.

Studies reveal that 3G mobile subscribers in India will reach 90 million and the annual 3G device sales will reach 81.3 million by 2013. The rural market is adding 3 million subscribers each month, thus helping the farmers to sell their product for a better price.

Business sector is enjoying more benefit of the 3G revolution. Mobile banking, mobile verification, stock market, online trading, video conferencing, corporate VPN are some of the key features that firms are enjoying very much.

With the wide spread of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, companies are using these platforms for their product awareness, brand building, and even for the customer support. And with the roll out of 3G phones this trend appeared more effective and attractive.

The 3G also offers firms to ensure their employees safety by using facilities like track mate, GPS etc.

Another revolution that is happening with the emergence of 3G is in the media. By using 3G phone facilities like media exchange by Airtel, reporters can directly send the visuals to the news rooms and they even can do necessary editing with their mobile phones.

Now what is up in the store is nothing but 4G; telecom operators are awaiting to hear from the telecommunication department about the roll out of 4G and hopefully that too would change the Indian telecommunication sector in a better way.