Archive for April, 2011
3G Data Vs EVDO Based Services [Photon, Reliance NetConnect, etc]
We conducted a field survey in Bangalore City to ascertain consumer and channel partner behavior post 3G launch. The main aim of this study was to find if there is any shift from CDMA 1x data to 3G ?
CDMA operators’ EVDO offerings – Tata Photon+, Reliance NetConnect Broadband+, BSNL EVDO, MTS MBlaze gave the power of super fast internet for executives and people on the move. We are not witnessing any shift to 3G technology from CDMA 1x technology, as users prefer unlimited data usage plans which are not available in 3G yet. Also, 3G dongle/modems are priced at CDMA 1x price points without any articulation of extra benefits to compensate for switching cost. Coverage of 3G is limited to handful of Cities while Reliance NetConnect Read the rest of this entry »
Social Network – Will Facebook do a Separate entity in India like China ?
Facebook the Social Networking Platform is likely to sign an agreement with a local Chinese internet company to build a new social network exclusively for China and it is believed that the new website will not be integrated with Facebook.com.
Until now, Data suggests that Social networking is highly monopolistic- as in each country there is one dominant social networking site (QQ has approximately 80% market share in China). The switching cost for any user is quite high as they have all their contacts and data [comments, interactions, groups, photos, gaming, vidoes, etc]
Why is Facebook starting a new China Specific Venture ?
China is quite stringent on Global Companies operating in their mainland as they enforce strict regulations and anything against their national interest is dealt with severely. If Facebook were to enter China, the amount of content on that site would be minimal Read the rest of this entry »
Good + Bad of New Telecom Policy 2011
The India telcos minister provided further updates on NTP-11 today. These are just the drops from Mr. Kapil Sibal to get a feeling of Analysts and Industry on his new proposals and may be changed before the final draft is presented for approval.
The Good in New Telecom Policy 2011:
Relaxation of M&A guidelines may not lead to immediate consolidation, in our view, as most new operators still intend to grow organically. The spectrum of new operators (1800 MHz) may not be as lucrative for incumbents; Spectrum sharing may also not be positive for incumbents, as we believe Read the rest of this entry »
3G Data Pricing + Review – No Disruption Yet
Incumbent Telecom Operators who won 3G spectrum have begun to roll out 3G services across major towns and cities. Tata Docomo and Reliance Communications (RCOM) were the first off the mark, followed by Bharti Airtel which has launched services in 16 cities so far while Idea Cellular rolled out 3G in 10 cities last week.
A quick look at the pricing plan indicates 2GB data plan as the current standard and costs the same across all the players, Tata DoCoMo is the cheapest provider. Also Bharti Airtel /Idea Cellular /Reliance communications have priced the data plans less than 2GB at a significant premium to the 2GB plan. Airtel has steep charges for usage over 2 GB of Data. The following Chart shows Comparison of 3G Data Plan pricing in Mumbai Circle and is almost the same by respective operators Read the rest of this entry »
