The devil in the detail

 

 

In the year gone by, there has not been a single day when one would not have heard the word '3G' (used to denote third generation spectrum) rattling on the news channels. From its delay to its pricing to its allotments – almost everything has become a matter of controversy. And this controversy, coupled with the hype, is ensuring that everyone in India is aware that we are soon going to embrace this new technology, which would drastically transform our mobile experience. Well, most people are still wondering when we would exactly be able to experience the might of 3G. But then there are also others who are worried about larger issues such as, what exactly this 3G thing is all about, how it is different from WiMAX and how it has the potential to drastically enhance their mobile telephonic experience in the times to come? TSI presents a ready reckoner for the same.

As most people are aware, 3G stands for third generation spectrum. India is currently operating on a 2.5G. In layman’s language, all 3G would do is to enlarge the current pipe of spectrum, so that much more traffic and data can seamlessly pass through. “3G System represents the next step in evolution of mobile cellular communication. 2G systems in mobile cellular communications mainly focus on voice, while 3G systems support increased data communications and wireless broadband Internet access,” informs Nripendra Mishra, Chairman, TRAI . This makes us confront another big issue – how would the coming of 3G impact us as consumers? Looking from a more technical perspective, the factor that differentiates 3G and 2G networks is how quickly data can be sent and received. Industry experts state that 3G networks have the capability to send data up to 40 times the speed of earlier digital networks. And as 3G networks have markedly greater capacity along with better spectrum efficiency than 2G systems for mobile communications, it would enable the delivery of triple play converged communication services through wireless media. So subscribers of these services would have an instant access to their inbox, receive video calls, stream videos from YouTube, download music tracks and even watch live television shows on their mobile phone.

The coming of 3G in India would also be significant because of the fact that the broadband penetration in India stands at a meagre 3-4 per cent in comparison to 28 per cent for mobile phones.

According to TV Ramachandran, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India, “The majority of the Indian population would experience broadband through mobile phones rather than fixed lines.” One of the reasons for this trend is that it is virtually impossible to lay fibre cables in India to the remotest of points. So it would be more viable for both companies and users to access internet, or rather broadband internet, through their mobile phones. However, most people have the perrception that as 3G is more efficient and can handle much greater traffic, it would mean an era where there would be no calls dropping. This is not the case because the drops in the calls are caused by the congestion in the network. Although the introduction of 3G would lead to some improvement on this count and a better voice clarity, subscribers would continue to be bugged by call drops!

Another question that plagues the junta about 3G is whether they will be able to use their existing phones when 3G comes into play. If the customers want to use just voice based services, then there would be no need for them to look in to their existing handset or even think about getting a new one. However, if the subscribers are looking forward to try out this much hyped (you bet!) 3G, and want their pocket gadgets to be as competent as their computers, then in that case one would have to pick up a handset that is 3G enabled. But this does not necessarily mean that one would have to buy a new handset as there are plenty of 3G-enabled handsets already available in the market and for all you know you might be using one already. Factor this, the market leader in the handset category Nokia is ready as ever for 3G. “We at Nokia are a future ready company and so we already have as many as 40 handsets that are capable of offering latest 3G services and as soon as 3G get introduced, we would be looking at getting more handsets in this category," informs Divender Kishore, Director-Marketing, Nokia India. However, not all handset companies feel the same. HTC is one such handset maker. This Taiwanese handset maker is known the world over for 3G devices, but for the Indian market the company currently does not have such a sound 3G portfolio. Ajay Sharma, Country Head, HTC (India) states, “We would be looking at getting more 3G phones only when the government makes provision for these services.” Apart from these two, there are many others that offer 3G services; all Blackberry handsets are 3G enabled and the same goes for Apple iPhone. Interestingly, most 3G compatible handsets are in the high end category right now. However, for these services to gain ground in India, these handsets makers would have to dish out more affordable handsets. Because unlike the west, the concept of bundling has not been very successful in India. “Research on the Indian market shows that they would be more willing to make a committed monthly payment to use something like internet on their mobiles, rather than pay on a daily or per download/usage basis,” enlightens a leading telecom analyst who does not wish to be named. Also, pricing should be such that it entices the Indian consumer to use more data services and on a regular basis. “The data usage should become such an integral part of your daily life that one should consume it without even knowing it,” exclaims Ramachandran of COAI.

Another question that pops up in the minds of the people is that what exactly is the difference between WiMAX and 3G? These are actually two different technologies aimed at offering similar solutions to the customer. There is a lot of debate happening in terms of which is better, but their is no clear consensus on this count as of now. "The only issue is that right now there aren't many standardised WiMAX products in the market, so for the time being 3G would be popular," explains Neha Gupta, telecom analyst from Gartner. Interestingly, while most people are going wild contemplating what services 3G can offer, voice remains the most used service globally even on 3G. “The stickiest service on 3G in the developed countries still constitutes to be voice and we see no reason why this would not happen in India,” exclaims Sanjay Kapoor, President, Mobile services. More importantly, Indian consumers should also know that 3G is no magic formula that the instant it's launched, one would be able to make video calls and stream videos on YouTube. In fact, 3G was launched in early part of 2002 in US but it was only by the late 2004 that subscribers were able to have sufficient transmission speeds to handle all the promised services. So, first you have the long wait for the launch and then a possibly longer wait to hit the '3G' expressway. Looks like we will have to stick to our personal computers and laptops for quite a while.