Mr Ashok Reddy, a Government employee, was a disappointed man because his 3G experience is no better than his 2G connection. “But for the faster access to Internet, there is not much I'm enjoying out of this new generation sim,” he says.
This, in fact, is a general opinion of the early adopters to the third generation mobiles. With only three-four service providers launching 3G services, callers are yet to feel the additional dimension it offers.
An ecosystem is slowly building up with content providers, VAS (value added service) players, basic telecom service providers and phone manufacturers getting ready with 3G-ready infrastructure and products. As they engage in talks for content, telecom firms are also discussing with handset manufacturers to launch upgrade options to their subscribers.
VAS firms are getting ready with solutions that let operators to offer and manage probable services such as pay-per-downloads, films and TV on demand and easy to use interfaces to access video portals and TV channels.
Subscriber base
According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the 3G subscriber base is expected to hit 90 million by 2013, accounting for 12 per cent of the overall wireless user base.
IMImobile, which began working with Aircel, and has provided 3G platform for their 3G experience zone in Chennai.
“Our DaVinci Evolved Service platform reduces the investments and time-to-market any 3G-based service. Rich multimedia content syndicated from multiple content providers forms an integral part of the offering eliminating content licensing complexities for Operators,” Mr A Vishwanath, Chief Executive Officer of IMImobile, said.
“Different services cater to a wide range of consumer segments – from novice users accessing 3G services for the first time to sophisticated enterprise users,” he said.
Video-on demand solution included an integrated Handset Repository that gives detailed information on not only the supported software but also the maximum quality of audio and video content supported on a given device,” Mr Vishwanath said.
Mr Debasis Chatterji, Chief Executive Officer of Netxcell, said it developed Streaming Video Server that allowed operators to offer streaming of live or recorded content over their networks. “It can deliver streaming video advertisement while the actual video is buffered enabling an uninterrupted user experience,” he said.
Quoting industry experts, Mr Chatterji felt that VAS industry would be contributing 25 per cent of operators' revenues as against the present 10 per cent.
Airtel, which bid for 3G spectrum in 13 telecom circles across the country, is in the process of deploying high-speed networks provided by Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei. It would roll-out the services in these circles in phases, including in the key markets of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad that account for 21 per cent of all data traffic in the country.
“3G will enable not only to bridge the digital divide but also help connect entire India to the world. 3G throws open several possibilities for customers,” Mr Sharlin Thayil, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel (AP), said.
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