Skip to main content

Telecom Trends 2015 in India – 4G LTE 1800 MHz, Public Wi-Fi, WhatsApp VoIP

Image
By
4G – The highly anticipated launch of 4G LTE network by more telecom operators and also use of the better performing 1800 MHz frequency band for the 4G connectivity will be the top trend of telecom in India. The key player in the 4G LTE launch will be the new telecom operator led by Mukesh Ambani’s RIL – Reliance Jio , which has pan-India 4G license. Reliance Jio will be quite aggressive in its network launch as it will be the new entrant in the already competitive telecom market and also its parent company, with huge cash on hand, has shown keen interest in telecom. This will make the market more competitive and the price-war (like the previous 1-paisa per second price-war) will start in the telecom sector from which customers will benefit.
4g lte
Public Wi-Fi – With Indian governments announcement of smart-cities, public Wi-Fi hotspots will be the another hot trend in 2015. Government has already started implementing public Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas like railway stations, starting from the New Delhi railway station.
Broadband – Wired internet connectivity (wired broadband) is another area where we will see progress this year. Government has already announced in the budget to connect all the villages in the country with high-speed fibre-optics network. But we do not expect this implementation to be on-time or smooth. Government has already burned huge cash(via BSNL) in implementing WiMax which failed badly to provide any connectivity in the villages. This might be govt.’s long term goal and the govt. is no hurry to implement it.
VoIP via WhatsApp and others – This is most anticipated trend of 2015 but we are not so excited about it because the telecom operators will fight tooth and nail to stop/make-it-less-attractive app based VoIP service in India. The hugely popular cross-platform mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp will launch the VoIP telephony option in which users can make voice calls using the internet connectivity, the same way they currently use to send SMS/files to their contacts. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service was already there in the market but due to low internet connectivity and less number of smartphones it was under-used. But now with availability of sub-Rs.5,000 Android/Windows smartphones and launch of 4G/3G HSPA+ , the VoIP service is expected to be quite popular. You can still make voice calls over the Internet via apps such as Skype. Telecom operators have already lost one of their source of income (SMS) due to messaging apps like WhatsApp/Line. It will not want to lose or have dent in their main source of income – the voice calling. But I think they have to understand that they have to change and improvise with the change in technology over the years. They should concentrate more on data usage as the revenue source as more and more people will increase data consumption on smartphones (in apps/media). Recently Airtel announced separate data plans for VoIP services ! It was hugely criticised and Airtel has taken them back for the time-being.
Here are the PWC India’s predictions of the Telecom trends in 2015 in India :
#01 LTE to become mainstream in India as well: In 2015, we will witness multiple Indian players launching 4G on a more efficient 1800 MHz spectrum . Indian subscribers will adopt 4G wholeheartedly to satiate their need for mobile data. We expect 4G LTE subscribers to reach 10 million to 15 million by December 2015 driven by competitive pricing, superior network experience and affordable smartphones.
#02 Public wi-fi as a bigger phenomenon; wired broadband to remain work-in-progress: India will see a significant spurt in wi-fi hotspots driven by both the government ‘smart cities’ and ‘digital India’ as well as private sector initiatives. However, wired broadband for retail consumers is likely to remain work-in-progress by the end of 2015.
#03 Wearables in healthy lifestyle space and security apps for smartphones: In the wearables space, Indian consumers have shown most interest in buying fitness monitors (80%), smart watches (76%) and internet-enabled eyeglasses (74%). Price points are expected to go down with Chinese and local manufacturing. Increasing penetration of smartphones and their ability to carry confidential subscriber data will be a significant driver for traction in security applications for smartphones.
#04 Unconventional data monetisation options to appear: Given the steadily increasing divergence between data revenues and cost, a trend that will likely sharpen in 2015, mobile companies will start looking at unconventional monetisation options. These will strengthen internal capabilities to offer differentiated network experience (‘smart pipes’), as well as harness the extended ecosystem including OTT plays.
#05 Intense competition foreseen in the telecom industry due to delayed M&A activities: Current M&A guidelines have not been able to stimulate any consolidation in the sector despite all policymakers expressing the need for it. With new network launches expected in 2015, the rapidly growing data market will witness intense price competition and will rekindle memories of 2010 voice-led price wars

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Facebook Now Supports PGP To Send You Encrypted Emails

By
You can now instruct Facebook to encrypt every email it sends to you so nobody — not even the NSA — is likely to be able to read your messages anytime soon. All you have to do is import your public PGP key into your Facebook settings and you’re good to go. The problem here, of course, is that most people have no idea how public/private key email encryption works and how to even get started with it. In the wake of Edward Snowden’s leaks, a number of organizations, including Google, promised to completely hide the complexities of end-to-end email encryption from regular users. Very few of these products have materialized so far, however — not for lack of trying, but because this is actually a very complex problem, both from a technical and user experience perspective. Facebook uses the well-established PGP scheme (the GNU Privacy Guard implementation of  OpenPGP, to be precise) to encrypt messages and tools lik...
Post a Comment
Read more

Laser gun is deployed and operational on U.S. Navy warship

By
After several years of research and testing, the U.S. Navy has introduced a new laser gun designed to protect ships without using ammunition.   Another entry on our  timeline  is now a reality as the U.S. Navy has authorised the first operational use of a laser weapon. This new hi-tech system – known as the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) – is designed to serve as a form of defence against drones and other small flying vehicles or small-boat enemies including suicide attackers. It is highly accurate, able to hit objects moving at up to 300 mph (480 km/h). The LaWS fires a solid-state infrared beam with two modes: high output to destroy a target, and low output for optical "dazzling", warning shots or to cripple a potential attacker. Among the advantages of this device versus projectile weapons is the low cost per shot, as each firing of the weapon requires only minimal cost for generating the energetic pulse; by contrast ordnance for projectile weapons must be des...
Post a Comment
Read more

Intel announces the first 14 nanometre processor

By
At the Computex conference in Taipei, chipmaker Intel has revealed a fanless mobile PC reference design using the first of its next-generation 14nm "Broadwell" processors. The 2 in 1 pictured here is a 12.5" screen that is just 7.2 mm thick with keyboard detached and weighs 670 grams.  The Surface Pro 3  – for comparison – is 9.1 mm thick and weighs 800 grams. It includes a media dock that provides additional cooling for a burst of performance. The next-generation chip is purpose-built for 2 in 1s and will hit the market later in  2014 . Called the Intel Core M, it will be the most energy-efficient Intel Core processor in the company's history with power usage cut by up to 45 percent, resulting in 60 percent less heat. The majority of designs based on this new chip are expected to be fanless, with up to  32 hours of battery life,  offering both a lightning-fast tablet and razor-thin laptop. Intel is also delivering innovation and performance for the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Choose BitLocker Drive Encryption Method and Cipher Strength in Windows 10?

By
BitLocker is an encryption method that enables users to lock the different drives in  Windows . The drives which are protected by BitLocker are accessed by passwords. Windows has provided opportunity for users to choose and configure the  cipher  strength and algorithm used by BitLocker Drive Encryption. This can be achieved via the Local Group Policy editor. The Local Policy Editor will let you configure and select the cipher method for BitLocker encryption. By default it is not configured but you can choose your choiceable encryption method by enabling the Policy Setting. If the drive is already encrypted or if encryption is in progress, the encyption method will have no effect. If you leave the policy unconfigured, then BitLocker will use the default encryption method of AES 128-bit with Diffuser or the encryption method specified by the setup script. Steps to Choose BitLocker Drive Encryption Method and Cipher Strength in Windows 10 1.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Metaio’s Thermal Touch Gets A Little Bit Smaller At MWC 2015

By
We first reported on  Metaio’s Thermal Touch concept  for Augmented Reality interaction last spring. Still in its infancy, the concept relies on thermal imaging cameras to track residual heat your body leaves on surfaces that it touches. Metaio’s software can track these heat signatures so they act as “clicks” or “touches” in Augmented Reality interfaces that only the user sees on interactive eyewear or devices. It’s a pretty interesting concept and will undoubtedly open a new realm for User Experience and User Interface experts to ponder. The first prototype we looked at was crude and completely impractical—an iPad with a giant thermal camera attached to it. Indeed, a few people pointed out to me “why would you need to touch external surfaces, when the iPad screen is right in front of you?” However that question totally misses the point of the prototype, which was really just proving the concept was worth further exploration. This next concept for thermal touc...
Post a Comment
Read more