3 cheers to 3G

We are very excited with the imminent adoption of 3G networks and technologies in India. For a country which is enamoured by television and films, high quality transmission of TV channels, downloading music tracks and streaming video is likely to be killer applications with availability of better bandwidth and reliable data transfer at high speed. 3G technologies have capability to support heavier downloads of multimedia files.

Mobile being such a personal product, entertainment on mobile will see phenomenal growth. Each user will make choices based on his tastes and content developers and providers can fulfill their demands on multimedia platform. Whether it is music on demand, streaming videos, video blogging, video chatting or films shot especially for small mobile screens, we wouldn’t be limited to voice or text.

Last mile connectivity being a major issue, number of Indians with internet access has been very limited. For a large number of present count of 170 million mobile subscribers, internet connectivity via 3G networks would be first brush with it dues to its faster internet browsing capability. Email functions by handheld is expected to become an essential service for mobile Indians in 3G scenario.

Rural India, which is the target for expansion of subscriber base, can be served well with applications that fulfill the lack of certain basic amenities. They include access to knowledge centres like institutes of learning or even libraries, medical facilities and others. Interactive learning can be facilitated with video conferencing or visually interactive medical aid over mobile phones or for that matter even talk to a medical representative sitting in some other location. Farming advice can be sought by sending visual images of their fields/crops to experts in government organisations.

Gaming which is on rise in India, will take off to greater heights as feature rich mobiles will offer console like gaming experience. New emerging technologies will support greater interaction among groups of users. Multiple user gaming, currently not much fun due to poor state of GPRS connection, will see phenomenal growth.

Mobile banking, payment through mobiles will be another growth dimension. Of course for telcos,  especially in current scenario of over subscribed to the point of choking networks, the most significant feature of 3G technologies is the capability to support greater number of voice and data customers. But 3G services, if priced correctly – and this is going to be the success determinant - will see mobiles evolving into an organiser, entertainment device, payment device and of course communication device :P for masses. Revenue from such value added services through 3G is the ray of light for telcos who will continue to see drop in the bottom line of voice revenue.

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Who stole my cheese?

Telecom sector in India was hoping for announcement of reduction in license fees and rationalizing of levies on the sector during Union Budget 2007 – 2008. Instead, the Budget has included development and supply of content for use in telecom and advertising, allocation of work contracts and commercial rentals, in the service tax net. This has not only disappointed the Telecom sector but will in, all probability, lead to increase in cost of telecom services to common man. 

Current business model of sharing revenue between telco, content aggregator and content owner/creator is heavily skewed in favour of telcos. With the announcement of Service Tax on development and supply of content for use in telecom, only future will tell how this additional cost will be shared between the players. Considering that it is telcos who are calling the shots at this time, likely fall out of budgetary move will be that content owners/aggregators will see further shrinking of their share of revenue. 

Service Tax on all work contracts and commercial rent will lead to higher costs to telcos. 

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Pet Mobile

A mobile phone to keep track of your pet pooch!

It is based on GPS tracking and voice communication tracking solution and allows you to set a geo-fence boundary for your pet (I mean the animal variety). More here 

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Water pumps carry cellphone now!

Much before digital homes become a reality for ‘24/7 connected’ folks, Valishetty Narendra, a farmer in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, has digitalized a vital aspect of farming. He has invented an innovative way to water his fields by dialing for it. 

Irregular power supply at his village required him to trudge to field to restart the water pump. To monitor the pump from comfort of his home, he worked out a device using two mobile phones. One phone, connected to the pump when called by the other mobile phone activated the pump. 

Just an interest in gadgets and circuits triggered Narendra’s six-month journey in perfecting the innovative device. Kudos to such practical product designers. (Report)

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SMS’ese Novel !

A novel - The Last Messages, entirely based on text messages was released in Finland. It tells the story through text messages exchanged between a fictional executive traveling through Europe and India and his friends and relative back in Finland. (News article) How about a travelogue spiced with pictures taken by mobile camera? Or an account of expedition to Antarctica perhaps?

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