Reflections

Digital divide: World gets 4G iPad, India still struggling for broadband - The Economic Times : 'via Blog this' While the west moves to 4G, we are still trying to get Broadband. Nothing surprising with that - we have been late movers in communication technology and therefore, it is only to be expected. But if you look at the Broadband scenario in India, the statement that we are struggling is simplifying the state of the market in this space. In India, Broadband solutions in the B2C space are given by Wired and Wireless technology platforms and at speeds ranging from the basic 256/512 kbps to 4 mbps and above. What has been their experience? Have they managed to cover costs? Is there a market for 4G services that is big enough to justify investments? My take on this is that it might just be premature to roll-out 4G services in a market that has yet to fully experience 3G and broadband. First, the market needs to mature and second, the current hypercompetitive phase of th...

A brand new configuration : 'via Blog this' It is nice to see a semblance of balance echoing through the Tablet Device majors now... a sense of sanity if you will. There seems to be an increasing realisation that the Indian market is based on different factors, and requires almost a paradigm shift in approach. This can only augur well for the entire trade - customers and employees alike, companies and stakeholders alike.  History has proven that India's telecom market has grown along an entirely different path in comparison to the established markets of the west. For example, here the advent of pagers and mobiles happened almost simultaneously. Further, within the mobile space, there was heavy - almost cutthroat - competition, which placed intense pressure on pricing. The combination of the 2 factors drove the pager industry into the ground. The intense competition has forced the players to innovate constantly, which resulted in lower prices at the customer le...

https://apps.facebook.com/wpsocialreader/100001310925826/channels/trending/content/ePpMw?p=3&e=title&via=side_activity The Aakash... coming after the Nano, is already making waves across the world. It seems we are getting a reputation for creating affordable technology solutions. Another example is the connection of rural hinterlands through the computer kiosk that provides farming, fishing and market information. A tablet at that price is certainly going to make an impact. But care needs to be taken that the primary focus and positioning is not lost. Consider the Nano - it has become a second or even third car for families, while the original target segment of families who could not afford a car remains untapped. The Nano is still delivering decent numbers of 5000 - 10000 per month - but these are nowhere near the targeted numbers or the potential of the original target market Similar is the situation with the Aakash - it might just become a second device of professio...