ITV

Tag: 3G

  • Trai effect: Vodafone falls in line with Jio

    Trai effect: Vodafone falls in line with Jio

    Vodafone telecom service provider is committed to continue playing its responsible role in further developing the Indian telecom sector and in creating value for the consumer.

    Vodafone India has always provided Points of Interconnect (PoI) to other operators for all their fair, reasonable and legitimate requirements and will continue to do so.

    Following guidance from Trai and clarifications from Jio regarding its commercial launch, Vodafone India has decided to increase the Points of Interconnect (POIs) between the two operators by three times.
    Accordingly, it will increase the capacity to connect.

    Vodafone is hopeful that all issues that it has raised with Trai and Jio will be duly considered and resolved at the earliest.

    To create a truly connected, inclusive and Digital India, it is vital to have a level playing field between providers offering the same service, encourage innovations and judiciously use a portfolio of technologies – 2G, 3G & 4G to service the evolving needs of consumers across the country.

    Vodafone is one of India’s leading telecom service providers, a co-creator of the telecom ecosystem, and a catalyst of the telecom revolution in India.

  • Trai effect: Vodafone falls in line with Jio

    Trai effect: Vodafone falls in line with Jio

    Vodafone telecom service provider is committed to continue playing its responsible role in further developing the Indian telecom sector and in creating value for the consumer.

    Vodafone India has always provided Points of Interconnect (PoI) to other operators for all their fair, reasonable and legitimate requirements and will continue to do so.

    Following guidance from Trai and clarifications from Jio regarding its commercial launch, Vodafone India has decided to increase the Points of Interconnect (POIs) between the two operators by three times.
    Accordingly, it will increase the capacity to connect.

    Vodafone is hopeful that all issues that it has raised with Trai and Jio will be duly considered and resolved at the earliest.

    To create a truly connected, inclusive and Digital India, it is vital to have a level playing field between providers offering the same service, encourage innovations and judiciously use a portfolio of technologies – 2G, 3G & 4G to service the evolving needs of consumers across the country.

    Vodafone is one of India’s leading telecom service providers, a co-creator of the telecom ecosystem, and a catalyst of the telecom revolution in India.

  • How will Jio’s launch impact the digital ecosystem?

    How will Jio’s launch impact the digital ecosystem?

    MUMBAI: Jio’s launch last week has caused a stir in the telecommunications industry. Calls and messages on the new network are free while mobile data is 3 to 5 times cheaper compared to competitors. For Jio as a disruptor this is a reasonable strategy: Silicon Valley’s leading VC Peter Thiel has said that “[start-ups] have to be 10 times better than second best”.

    But in addition to rattling up the stock market, Jio’s strategy is likely to have a longer and beneficial impact on India’s digital ecosystem.

    Jio has thrown a glove to other mobile operators by slashing service costs for consumers. While Jio’s offering is only available to LTE customers, that is not relevant: consumers on 2G or 3G will ask their carrier, why do they need to pay 3x to 5x more for slower internet speeds? This is likely to create a pricing war between India’s mobile operators. Such price wars have been commonplace across the world, latest example being Singapore just a few months ago.

    As prices go down, more people will switch on their mobile data services for the first time. GSMA Intelligence estimates only 15% of people in India used mobile broadband in Q4 2015, while smartphone ownership would allow much higher rates already today. Cheaper data increases the share of smartphone users who use mobile data but also incentivizes feature phone owners to upgrade to a smartphone as the main benefit (online access) becomes affordable.

    It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this would accelerate the progress of digital democracy or the vision of digital India by breaking the perception barrier among the bottom of the pyramid. “Data is for everybody” would be the new mantra.

    This will also spur the growth of affordable 4G devices and a multi-SIM environment; further reducing the customer loyalty towards the network. Customers will keep on switching for better price or data bandwidth.

    This in turn helps the digital ecosystem grow. While India’s own services like Ditto TV, Hooq and Gaana are already present in the market, a majority of global digital merchants do not have India in their sights yet. Beside few smartphone owners and lack of access to online payment methods, low mobile data penetration has been one of the key roadblocks.

    Globally, average Netflix users watch 133 hours of video per month which translates into roughly 133 gigabytes (GB)  of data consumed. The average Spotify user listens to 28 hours of music (34-35 GB data) per month. In Western markets a large portion of this content is consumed through landline internet, so such data volumes are not an issue. But for a mobile-first market like India, they have so far made such digital services inaccessible to a large part of the population.

    Reduced cost of data will then result in a bigger uptake of digital content services as users can consume more for less. Local providers will be able to increase their audience while international merchants like Netflix, Spotify, Apple and Amazon are going to reconsider their strategy for India in light of the changing ecosystem.

    With the challenges of mobile data considerably reduced, all other factors point to growth and make India one of the most attractive markets for global merchants.

    Another consequence of the data revolution is voice over IP services like Skype, Viber, and others will get more acceptance in the eco-system from the telecom operators; while this will create more opportunities for them we can see many home-grown companies ready to challenge their hegemonies. Obviously, for customers the more means the merrier.

    While the pricing war will create a temporary setback for carriers, in the long run everyone will benefit. Consumers get affordable internet and access to more digital content. Carriers will be able to increase user stickiness (by negotiating and offering exclusive deals and co-promotions with digital service providers) and average revenue per user (from both increased data consumption and from providing carrier billing for these services).

    (The author is the general manager of Fortumo India Mobile Payments. The views expressed are entirely his own and Indiantelevision.com does not subscribe to them)

  • How will Jio’s launch impact the digital ecosystem?

    How will Jio’s launch impact the digital ecosystem?

    MUMBAI: Jio’s launch last week has caused a stir in the telecommunications industry. Calls and messages on the new network are free while mobile data is 3 to 5 times cheaper compared to competitors. For Jio as a disruptor this is a reasonable strategy: Silicon Valley’s leading VC Peter Thiel has said that “[start-ups] have to be 10 times better than second best”.

    But in addition to rattling up the stock market, Jio’s strategy is likely to have a longer and beneficial impact on India’s digital ecosystem.

    Jio has thrown a glove to other mobile operators by slashing service costs for consumers. While Jio’s offering is only available to LTE customers, that is not relevant: consumers on 2G or 3G will ask their carrier, why do they need to pay 3x to 5x more for slower internet speeds? This is likely to create a pricing war between India’s mobile operators. Such price wars have been commonplace across the world, latest example being Singapore just a few months ago.

    As prices go down, more people will switch on their mobile data services for the first time. GSMA Intelligence estimates only 15% of people in India used mobile broadband in Q4 2015, while smartphone ownership would allow much higher rates already today. Cheaper data increases the share of smartphone users who use mobile data but also incentivizes feature phone owners to upgrade to a smartphone as the main benefit (online access) becomes affordable.

    It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this would accelerate the progress of digital democracy or the vision of digital India by breaking the perception barrier among the bottom of the pyramid. “Data is for everybody” would be the new mantra.

    This will also spur the growth of affordable 4G devices and a multi-SIM environment; further reducing the customer loyalty towards the network. Customers will keep on switching for better price or data bandwidth.

    This in turn helps the digital ecosystem grow. While India’s own services like Ditto TV, Hooq and Gaana are already present in the market, a majority of global digital merchants do not have India in their sights yet. Beside few smartphone owners and lack of access to online payment methods, low mobile data penetration has been one of the key roadblocks.

    Globally, average Netflix users watch 133 hours of video per month which translates into roughly 133 gigabytes (GB)  of data consumed. The average Spotify user listens to 28 hours of music (34-35 GB data) per month. In Western markets a large portion of this content is consumed through landline internet, so such data volumes are not an issue. But for a mobile-first market like India, they have so far made such digital services inaccessible to a large part of the population.

    Reduced cost of data will then result in a bigger uptake of digital content services as users can consume more for less. Local providers will be able to increase their audience while international merchants like Netflix, Spotify, Apple and Amazon are going to reconsider their strategy for India in light of the changing ecosystem.

    With the challenges of mobile data considerably reduced, all other factors point to growth and make India one of the most attractive markets for global merchants.

    Another consequence of the data revolution is voice over IP services like Skype, Viber, and others will get more acceptance in the eco-system from the telecom operators; while this will create more opportunities for them we can see many home-grown companies ready to challenge their hegemonies. Obviously, for customers the more means the merrier.

    While the pricing war will create a temporary setback for carriers, in the long run everyone will benefit. Consumers get affordable internet and access to more digital content. Carriers will be able to increase user stickiness (by negotiating and offering exclusive deals and co-promotions with digital service providers) and average revenue per user (from both increased data consumption and from providing carrier billing for these services).

    (The author is the general manager of Fortumo India Mobile Payments. The views expressed are entirely his own and Indiantelevision.com does not subscribe to them)

  • TRAI commences exercise to explore growth of internet through Wi-fi networks

    TRAI commences exercise to explore growth of internet through Wi-fi networks

    NEW DELHI: Noting that Wi-Fi networks offer affordable, scalable and versatile technologies that can facilitate the spread of Internet access in rural and urban areas alike, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today issued a consultation paper on Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks.

    Through a set of twelve questions, the Authority has sought to get the opinion of stakeholders including internet and telecom service providers on how best Wi-fi (an acronym for Wireless Fidelity) can grow in the country. Comments have been invited by 10 August with counter-comments by 24 August.

    At the outset, the regulator has noted that the growth of Internet penetration in India and realisation of its full potential is closely tied to the proliferation of broadband services. “Broadband” is currently defined to mean a data connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access, with the capability of a minimum download speed of 512 kbps. It therefore refers to a means of delivering high-speed Internet access services.

    Broadband services can be delivered through a number of different access technologies, both wired and wireless, including Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), optical fibre technology, cable TV networks and mobile broadband services like 2G/3G/4G. In addition to these, radio frequency signals (or spectrum) can also be used for the creation of “wireless local area networks” (WLANs), offering an effective mechanism for extending the “last-mile connectivity” of broadband connections to a wider segment of users.

    Trai says Modern technology makes it possible to integrate a server with high storage capacity with the Wi-Fi hotspot equipment. As the cost of such servers has come down significantly, along with the cost of storage, and the form factors of such devices are very small, it should be possible to cache or download content for easy browsing even when the backhaul connectivity is not available. Such an arrangement can find great application in storing children’s study materials, educational data, agricultural and health related information, as well as movies and entertainment content, for the benefit of Wi-Fi users in areas with irregular connectivity, such as rural areas.

    The regulator said that strictly speaking, Wi-Fi is a certification provided by the Wireless Broadband Alliance1 (WBA), which owns and controls the “Wi-Fi Certified” logo that can be applied to products that satisfy certain interoperability criteria.

    WBA is a non-profit organization, formed in 1999, that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies Wi-Fi products if they conform to certain standards of interoperability.

    The questions raised by Trai are:

    Q1. Are there any regulatory issues, licensing restrictions or other factors that are hampering the growth of public Wi-Fi services in the country?

    Q2. What regulatory/licensing or policy measures are required to encourage the deployment of commercial models for ubiquitous city-wide Wi-Fi networks as well as expansion of Wi-Fi networks in remote or rural areas?

    Q3. What measures are required to encourage interoperability between the Wi-Fi networks of different service providers, both within the country and internationally?

    Q4. What measures are required to encourage interoperability between cellular and Wi-Fi networks?

    Q5. Apart from frequency bands already recommended by TRAI to DoT, are there additional bands which need to be de-licensed in order to expedite the penetration of broadband using Wi-Fi technology?

    Q6. Are there any challenges being faced in the login/authentication procedure for access to Wi-Fi hotspots? In what ways can the process be simplified to provide frictionless access to public Wi-Fi hotspots, for domestic users as well as foreign tourists?

    Q7. Are there any challenges being faced in making payments for access to Wi-Fi hotspots? Please elaborate and suggest a payment arrangement which will offer frictionless and secured payment for the access of Wi-Fi services.

    Q8. Is there a need to adopt a hub-based model along the lines suggested by the WBA, where a central third party AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) hub will facilitate interconnection,
    authentication and payments? Who should own and control the hub? Should the hub operator be subject to any regulations to ensure service standards, data protection, etc?

    Q9. Is there a need for ISPs/ the proposed hub operator to adopt the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) or other similar payment platforms for easy subscription of Wi-Fi access? Who should own and control such payment platforms?

    Q10. Is it feasible to have an architecture wherein a common grid can be created through which any small entity can become a data service provider and able to share its available data to any consumer or user?

    Q11. What regulatory/licensing measures are required to develop such architecture? Is this a right time to allow such reselling of data to ensure affordable data tariff to public, ensure ubiquitous presence of Wi-Fi Network and allow innovation in the market?

    Q12. What measures are required to promote hosting of data of community interest at local level to reduce cost of data to the consumers?

  • TRAI commences exercise to explore growth of internet through Wi-fi networks

    TRAI commences exercise to explore growth of internet through Wi-fi networks

    NEW DELHI: Noting that Wi-Fi networks offer affordable, scalable and versatile technologies that can facilitate the spread of Internet access in rural and urban areas alike, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today issued a consultation paper on Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks.

    Through a set of twelve questions, the Authority has sought to get the opinion of stakeholders including internet and telecom service providers on how best Wi-fi (an acronym for Wireless Fidelity) can grow in the country. Comments have been invited by 10 August with counter-comments by 24 August.

    At the outset, the regulator has noted that the growth of Internet penetration in India and realisation of its full potential is closely tied to the proliferation of broadband services. “Broadband” is currently defined to mean a data connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access, with the capability of a minimum download speed of 512 kbps. It therefore refers to a means of delivering high-speed Internet access services.

    Broadband services can be delivered through a number of different access technologies, both wired and wireless, including Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), optical fibre technology, cable TV networks and mobile broadband services like 2G/3G/4G. In addition to these, radio frequency signals (or spectrum) can also be used for the creation of “wireless local area networks” (WLANs), offering an effective mechanism for extending the “last-mile connectivity” of broadband connections to a wider segment of users.

    Trai says Modern technology makes it possible to integrate a server with high storage capacity with the Wi-Fi hotspot equipment. As the cost of such servers has come down significantly, along with the cost of storage, and the form factors of such devices are very small, it should be possible to cache or download content for easy browsing even when the backhaul connectivity is not available. Such an arrangement can find great application in storing children’s study materials, educational data, agricultural and health related information, as well as movies and entertainment content, for the benefit of Wi-Fi users in areas with irregular connectivity, such as rural areas.

    The regulator said that strictly speaking, Wi-Fi is a certification provided by the Wireless Broadband Alliance1 (WBA), which owns and controls the “Wi-Fi Certified” logo that can be applied to products that satisfy certain interoperability criteria.

    WBA is a non-profit organization, formed in 1999, that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies Wi-Fi products if they conform to certain standards of interoperability.

    The questions raised by Trai are:

    Q1. Are there any regulatory issues, licensing restrictions or other factors that are hampering the growth of public Wi-Fi services in the country?

    Q2. What regulatory/licensing or policy measures are required to encourage the deployment of commercial models for ubiquitous city-wide Wi-Fi networks as well as expansion of Wi-Fi networks in remote or rural areas?

    Q3. What measures are required to encourage interoperability between the Wi-Fi networks of different service providers, both within the country and internationally?

    Q4. What measures are required to encourage interoperability between cellular and Wi-Fi networks?

    Q5. Apart from frequency bands already recommended by TRAI to DoT, are there additional bands which need to be de-licensed in order to expedite the penetration of broadband using Wi-Fi technology?

    Q6. Are there any challenges being faced in the login/authentication procedure for access to Wi-Fi hotspots? In what ways can the process be simplified to provide frictionless access to public Wi-Fi hotspots, for domestic users as well as foreign tourists?

    Q7. Are there any challenges being faced in making payments for access to Wi-Fi hotspots? Please elaborate and suggest a payment arrangement which will offer frictionless and secured payment for the access of Wi-Fi services.

    Q8. Is there a need to adopt a hub-based model along the lines suggested by the WBA, where a central third party AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) hub will facilitate interconnection,
    authentication and payments? Who should own and control the hub? Should the hub operator be subject to any regulations to ensure service standards, data protection, etc?

    Q9. Is there a need for ISPs/ the proposed hub operator to adopt the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) or other similar payment platforms for easy subscription of Wi-Fi access? Who should own and control such payment platforms?

    Q10. Is it feasible to have an architecture wherein a common grid can be created through which any small entity can become a data service provider and able to share its available data to any consumer or user?

    Q11. What regulatory/licensing measures are required to develop such architecture? Is this a right time to allow such reselling of data to ensure affordable data tariff to public, ensure ubiquitous presence of Wi-Fi Network and allow innovation in the market?

    Q12. What measures are required to promote hosting of data of community interest at local level to reduce cost of data to the consumers?

  • Reliance Jio touches 70 mbps download speed during trials

    Reliance Jio touches 70 mbps download speed during trials

    NEW DELHI: The download speed on Reliance Jio’s 4G network during its beta-test phase peaked at 70 megabit per second but remained in 15-30 mbps range on most occasions, as per field trial report by brokerage firm Credit Suisse.

     

    “We experienced peak download speed of 70 mbps during our trials, and on most occasions in the 15-30 Mbps range, even on the move,” said the report by Credit Suisse Research Analysts Sunil Tirumalai and Chunky Shah.

     

    At 70 mbps download speed, a Bollywood movie size video can be downloaded in about half a minute while at 15-30 mbps, the same can be downloaded in about three minutes.

     

    The report compared the commercially launched 4G service of telecom major Airtel and beta network of Reliance Jio and found “Airtel 4G giving 10-20 mbps, often slower than Jio, and 3G network speeds of sub 2 mbps (peak 7 mbps).”

     

    Analysts found urban coverage of RJio network at par with incumbents but remarked rural coverage as “poor.”

     

    During trials analysts experienced call drop-free RJio network in Mumbai but lost signal three – four times when they entered on village roads.

     

    Analysts said that they experienced seamless phone call experience between Reliance Jio and network of other telecom operators.

     

    “Overall, our take away is that the Reliance Jio network is turning out to be as strong a threat to incumbents as we had feared. Next focus would be on pricing and marketing execution,” the report said.

     

    The conglomerate is planning to do a soft launch of the 4G services on Dhirubhai Ambani’s birth anniversary this year, which falls on 28 December.

     

    Credit Suisse analysts said that the speeds will fall once a commercial launch happens and more users get on to the network but globally 4G has delivered better speed than 3G services.

     

    The company has matched up with incumbents on coverage in urban area but there is not much rural focus.

     

    “Until the rural network is fixed, RJio could enter into roaming agreements with other operators. We suspect Jio would use sub-1GHz spectrum for rural coverage,” the report said.

     

    Commenting on handset availability for Reliance Jio’s 4G service, the report said that ZTE is making Reliance Jio’s LYF branded 4G handset and some handsets of Samsung, LG, Lenovo and ZTE also supported VoLTE calls.

     

  • Idea rolls out 3G network in Kolkata

    Idea rolls out 3G network in Kolkata

    MUMBAI:  Idea Cellular, one of the largest telecom operators in the country announces the launch of its own 3G services in Kolkata metro on 2100 MHz spectrum band that was acquired through auction earlier this year. Idea is committed to provide superior customer experience on both voice and data services and has started rolling out its own 3G network, in a phased manner, while continuing to offer 3G ICR, to give its customers a seamless and superior mobile broadband experience.

     

    As committed at the beginning of the financial year, Idea managed to launch its own 3G services in Kolkata, within a short duration of spectrum allocation.

     

    With this, Idea’s 3G network has expanded to 13 major markets in India, covering 79% of Idea’s revenue and 60% of industry revenue. Additionally, Idea offers 3G services through ICR arrangements with other telecom operators in 9 circles, providing its users seamless connectivity pan-India (except Orissa).

     

    According to  Idea Cellular COO Corporate Lakshminarayana, “Idea’s continuous investment in spectrum acquisition, network infrastructure, and brand building in the Eastern market is a testimony to our commitment to the region. With the launch of 3G services in Kolkata, it has now become the 2nd metro after Delhi where Idea has set up its own 3G network. I am confident that this will drive data usage amongst our existing users and further strengthen brand pull resulting in more customers opting for our superior network.”

     

    Idea 3G users will now experience ease of service while accessing content like mobile TV, video on demand, music downloads, online gaming, amongst many others.

     

    Idea Cellular, COO- East Anish Roy  said, “Idea has nearly 20 lakh customers in Kolkata with approximately 20% being Data users. With the launch of our own 3G network in the metro, the existing Idea 3G users will experience enhanced services, products and offerings and the new subscribers will benefit from our affordable 3G tariffs and superior network. Our strengthened 3G network will further spur our marketshare growth in Kolkata metro”.

     

    Idea has registered the highest growth in Revenue Market Share (RMS), in Kolkata and Rest of Bengal, in Q2FY16 on a YoY basis, as per the TRAI quarterly report. Its Incremental RMS for the same period was the highest amongst all players in the region, a demonstration of the faith the customers have reposed in the Idea network.  

     

    Idea has significantly bolstered its infrastructure in the state over the last few years. By the end of FY16, it will have a network of 7400 2G cell sites in the state, in addition to 1300 3G sites in Kolkata metro. The company has also increased the number of Idea service centres in the state to more than 250. With its focus on providing a world-class customer experience, Idea Cellular continues to expand and grow its presence in the state.

  • Vodafone’s new campaign aims to target IPL fan frenzy

    Vodafone’s new campaign aims to target IPL fan frenzy

    MUMBAI: As the anticipation for the next season of IPL builds up, Vodafone has put together an engaging campaign, ‘Speed Is Good,’ which aims to throw light on the benefits of faster data transfer and how it touches its consumers’ lives.

     

    The campaign is made up of short memorable stories where Vodafone customers use their fast 3G network to bring a smile on someone’s face, which is being portrayed by its recent commercials ‘Farewell’ and ‘Haircut’. Not only that, Vodafone will kick-off a series of on-ground campaigns during the matches, as well as online events for the same. 

     

    “We will amplify the concept of ‘Speed is Good’ through several on-ground and digital promotions like Vodafone Speed Quiz where winners will be gratified via the Vodafone SuperFan and Vodafone Fan Army,” said Vodafone India senior vice president –brand communications and insights Ronita Mitra.

     

    Vodafone ‘Speed Quiz’ will leverage the cricket fever and the winner with the fastest correct answer will be hailed as the Vodafone Super Fan, who will be in for a ‘money-can’t buy’ experience on the field.

     

    The remaining 20 winners will join the Vodafone Fan Army respectively. In addition, there will be Vodafone Speed Zones to host interactive activities around the core concept of ‘Speed’ to engage in-stadia crowd. 

  • Airtel launches Platinum 3G in India; Mumbai first city for launch

    Airtel launches Platinum 3G in India; Mumbai first city for launch

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel is all set to enthral Mumbaikars with the launch of its Platinum 3G service. Winning the 900 MHz band in September 2013, Airtel will be using it to complement the existing 2100 Mhz resulting into greater speed and connectivity. 

     

    Being the first telecom operator in India to launch Platinum 3G, Airtel will offer the services of Platinum 3G at existing 3G tariff. Mumbai is the primary Indian city to experience the superior connectivity. The company has further plans to extend the services to Kolkata. 

     

    Airtel Platinum 3G is India’s best 3G network offering a variety of benefits. Till date, Airtel has 50 lakh subscribers in Mumbai and claims to be the only network that works on the Platinum band. Airtel customers in Mumbai can browse the Internet 34 per cent faster, get 30 per cent better indoor coverage and enjoy 16 per cent longer extended battery life. Additionally, users can stream videos 25 per cent faster than the existing speed.

     

    Bharati Airtel India Mumbai Maharashtra, Goa Gujarat Hub CEO Ashok Ganpathy said, “As a leader in the telecommunication space it is our endeavour at Airtel to consistently innovate and provide a seamless network to our customers. The launch of Platinum 3G is an integral part of this commitment to enhance customer satisfaction by providing superior connectivity on existing 3G tariffs. Considering this we would now like to invite data savvy customers in Mumbai to enjoy this world class experience.”

     

    Airtel signed a contract with data networking and telecom equipment company, Nokia Networks to enhance its 3G network in Mumbai. As part of the deal, a dual band, dual carrier 3G network has been set up at Mumbai, reframing 900 MHz to complement the city’s existing 3G network on 2100 MHz. This is expected to enable higher throughput and thus improved 3G services for Bharti Airtel’s customers.