Friday, July 31, 2009

For the attention of: Indian Operators

Wouldn't it be nice if Indian operators could also report their quarterly performance with the same level of detail as DoCoMo? I am rather impressed by the presentation. BTW, they slides include the LTE rollout plan and also mention the Tata-DoCoMo joint venture.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Re-defining Broadband?

The new TRAI Chairman, Dr J. S. Sarma, has been quoted as saying that "the target set for roll out of broadband by the Government can be achieved only if the definition of broadband is redefined and resources from USO fund are utilised." As per these reports, the minimum broadband speed will be increased to 2 Mbps instead of the current 256 Kpbs limit.

It's debatable whether re-defining broadband service characteristics can increase penetration. If the TRAI and DoT are really serious about achieving government targets, then a better idea would be to expedite spectrum auctions for 3G and BWA services. Both HSPA and WiMAX are very much capable for providing wireless broadband access to a large part of the country, especially where it's difficult to provide DSL and cable.

I have the feeling that we are going back in time as far as wireless technologies are concerned. Just like the CDMA vs GSM war a few years back, the government is again getting caught up in the war between HSPA/LTE and WiMAX proponents. What really matters is that India gets access to broadband services just like everyone else does in other countries. What technology/technologies are used to do so should be left to the market.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

No 'Spectrum Regulator' says DoT

DoT has now clarified that it does intend to create a new regulator for handling spectrum-related issues. More details in this article.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

EGoM for 3G

The 3G spectrum auctions are set to be delayed even further with the government announcing the formation of an empowered group of ministers (EGoM), led by the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee. The EGoM also includes the IT & Telecom minister, Mr. A. Raja and a number of senior cabinet ministers. It is expected to take a final decision on the reserve price for 3G and BWA spectrum and also set the number of players to be allowed in each circle.Although Mr Raja had earlier said that auctions will be completed by October 2009, the latest development clearly means that there's no early end in sight. At a time when the operators in Western Europe, North America and the Far-East are getting ready to deploy LTE, India is still struggling to formulate a policy on spectrum auctions.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Another regulator?

Recently, DoT floated the idea of having a separate regulator for spectrum. Prof. Rekha Jain (IIM-A) has put up a strong case against the proposal in an Economic Times article. What India really needs is a consistent and forward-looking spectrum policy, which takes into our current and future needs. The ad-hoc approach adopted so far has resulted in unnecessay confusion and to some extent, stifled growth.