Category Archives: Policy

3G: it doesn't really matter – does it?

About the auction to rollout 3G services in India: Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar today indicated that all the outstanding issues pertaining to the 3G spectrum auction had been resolved, however, the auction would happen at a time when maximum … Continue reading

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The problem with free wifi in the U.S. – and how not to solve it

Readers of John Dvorak’s column on MarketWatch are going to be astounded by some extremely poor reasoning this week. Dvorak talks about why municipal wifi is turning out to be a pipe dream in most American cities. Dvorak starts off … Continue reading

Posted in Insights, Policy, WiFi | Comments Off

When Telecom & IT babus just don't get the Market

For all who go to town declaring that India has an entrepreneur-friendly, liberalized Telecom sector, here’s a dampener. TRAI’s recommendations on “ Review of Internet Services“, a report dated May 10th 2007, show just how much (or little) babus in … Continue reading

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The Paradox of India's Telecom Growth Story…

… is that while the country is the world’s second-fastest growing telecom markets (an astounding 5 million new connections per month), its adoption of high-end mobile technology is far behind the rest of the world. Here are two contrasting articles … Continue reading

Posted in Editorials, internet, mobile, Policy, telecom, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Thoughts on mobile data access in India.

It’s expensive: I use the Airtel GPRS service very heavily. Because in Pune, it’s unlimited (in terms of volume and time) as long as I pay Rs. 150 per month. I use it for checking email, catching up on blogs, … Continue reading

Posted in Editorials, internet, mobile, Policy, telecom | 2 Comments

What ails unlimited Broadband in India?

Here’s something I’m unable to figure out – why are Broadband tariffs in India still metered either by time or by data transfer? What is preventing providers from launching fixed-rate plans on a monthly basis? Is it that such a … Continue reading

Posted in Broadband, Editorials, internet, Policy | Comments Off

3G v/s WiFi – Impending war between telcos and ISPs?

This announcement by Lenovo to include Cingular’s 3G implementation with its notebooks throws up some interesting questions. Right now, 3G only supports data transfer speeds of about 400-700kbps, and it is primarily used in high-end mobile smartphones. However, as this … Continue reading

Posted in internet, Policy, Predictions, telecom | Comments Off

When the state is in the business of running business.

India’s biggest problem today… … is an interventionist State. Despite a brief start at reforms between 1991-93, the Government continues to be in the business of running businesses. Inevitably, when it is also the policy-maker, protectionist policies are bound to … Continue reading

Posted in Insights, Off-Topic, Policy, telecom | Comments Off

Thoughts on wireless Internet access in India

The Indian Express has two articles today showcasing the state of wireless Internet access in India. They could not be more contrasting. One article talks about the burgeoning use of WiFi by the upper middle class, especially in Mumbai and … Continue reading

Posted in Editorials, PC, Policy, telecom, WiFi | 1 Comment

The SQL Slammer Scourge

The SQL Slammer Worm hit businesses the world over in Jan 2003, causing, yet again, losses of millions of dollars. But this worm was just one member of a steady stream of viruses and worms to attack the Internet in … Continue reading

Posted in Editorials, internet, Microsoft, OpenSource, Policy, SQL, Virus | Comments Off