World at odds (WAO)

Indian Telecom is growing into a Hippy boy. It is Almost Famous and still waiting to be on the cover of Rolling stone.
Indian Telecom Sector is the coolest one for sure I persume,every one to be present here,the Japs,the Americans,the Europeans,you name them and they all want to be here.Big bucks are coming in and the promise is high. Indian Telecom will be the next rock star of the millennium.
But somehow I feel they are long ways to the top .We are still playing for the numbers. Lets take for e.g. TTSL the 6th largest player and NTT DoCoMo’s buy out of 23% at a price which industry feel is over evaluated.Hmm, why they are coming for? NTT states our experience with Vas will help TTSL grow stronger.TTSL say extra money pumped in will help it roll out GSM services of there. But the fact still remain the same its all about the numbers. They are very tempting 10 million subscriber being added every month.29% penetration rate,6-8 players and all still surviving.
But caution my friends Indian experience can turn out to be sour as well as sweet.
Here mobile phones are vastly becoming equivalent to the bicycle of the 70’s.Attractive services are not for the masses yet. Here things are surely going to be ugly in future.
A son who would have been a rock star ending up as a hippy.Too much of competition may lead to panic and disorder. Either cartels will be formed or buy out of the competitor is inevitable. We still are looking for numbers my friend, customer experience, desire and new age services are yet to be explored.
3G as predicted by some will solve the spectrum crunch than providing a new gamete of services and offering in large forcing players to sail in untested waters. They don’t know Indian’s as a community has always been cost conscious people. There still is not a paradigm shift where we go for good services but prefer to stay with basic one.
Broadband penetration in India is ridiculous if I have to be truthful to you don’t know if you can’t have PC penetration how can you push it I wonder.
I feel strange why it haven’t stuck to some marketing genius,PC to be provide to a user with a lock in period with a broadband connection. May be they are waiting for PC prices to come down to that of a modem.
Cable Industry this being my favorite as I am a TV addict. Cable Company being formed, huge amount of consolidation work is being done. On the other hand big corporate with taashni ads are luring to subsidized Digital TV thru DTH.
Cable guys have the numbers as of now, but the big boys have the money and the technology. I think if cable guys consolidate in few of the big city with new age networks they can be dangerous competitors. Flexibility and adaptability of Cable industry is yet to be explored. Cable lab standard even in US are at their early state, but the growth of Comcast and Turners makes you a believer in them.
Wireless Technology is something everyone is eyeing for.I feel with advancement in WIMAX this can be the solution for the broadband penetration.
Fixed mobile convergence, IPTV, mobile TV,FTTC and all such things are a distant dream. Costs are high and adaptability is still to be questioned.
East is east. Somebody by now must have asked me to shutup.People like euphoria not the cacophony sounds I make. It’s up to those, to spoil or ruin Indian Telecom into a Hippy boy and get it stoned or make it into a star which everyone feel proud of.

Labels: Telecom