3G: Penetration and right content are the true enablers

Lack of knowledge of 3G and the perception about it being an expensive service are the reasons that are hampering the growth of 3G in India

Columnists | by Kadhiravan K

The Indian telecom industry, which had heavily relied on voice, is witnessing a paradigm shift with data poised as the next big wave of growth. India now has the third-largest Internet market in the world with over 137 million users and is projected to be the No.1 with 300 million users by 2015.

Last year, in India, the Mobile Internet usage surpassed Desktop Internet usage and hence Mobile phones are the largest point of Internet access. As of October 2012, there were 87.1 million users who had accessed Internet using their mobile devices, which include Laptop with dongles, tablet, dongles that connects to Internet. Currently, India has 27 million smartphone users, and is sixth largest globally.

The growing dependence on data has also been triggered by the proliferation of social media and communication applications, especially because the nation's swelling tide of young people are ‘always on the move' and ‘always online'. With the increase in demand for data led mobile services like m- banking, m-education, m-health, m-commerce, and a huge thrust on internet on mobile, data has already started to contribute an important share to the revenue stream of the telecom industry.

In India, where the fixed line network is scarce, 3G technology marks a huge connectivity leap in bringing Internet connectivity to all.3G penetration and right content are the true enablers which will drive the exponential growth of internet consumption in India. 3G enhances the service experience as it provides high speed internet up to 7.2 Mbps (approximately 15 seconds to download a 3 minute mp3 song as compared to 2G which takes at least 8 minutes). This allows real time streaming videos for music, movies and sports, enhances your calling experience with the power of video conferencing, supports high-definition gaming and also allows heavy download/upload.

Lack of knowledge of 3G and the perception about it being an expensive service are the reasons that are hampering the growth of 3G in India. Another problem that a mobile internet user faces is the hassle of using multiple services on multiple devices.

Therefore, single service across multiple devices and different modes of Internet usage will become the next paradigm shift. Now, there are services that make it possible for data and voice sharing across multiple devices. The prices of 3G have been also slashed drastically. In fact today there are affordable unlimited 3G data at a lesser price, offering higher speed and longer validity to ensure ample time for the customers to learn and understand the usage of internet on mobile.

3G can really help in making your life quicker, exciting and efficient so you can do more on the go. So go live a 3G enabled life!

(The author is Circle Business Head, Karnataka, Aircel. The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CIOL)