Time and Tide wait for no man and the same goes for Technology. Amidst all the mixed trends, events and decisions post-2G scam and the slow pace of 3G adoption, India is all set to welcome 4G by the end of this year, almost at the same time when the TD-LTE mobile broadband technology is expected to be introduced in other parts of the world. Over the next five years or so, India is expected to thrive on data intensive mobile services based on high-speed 3G and 4G technologies, as the tendency for consuming big data is on the rise.
Many big names are vying to participate in the LTE game, with Bharti-Airtel looking to consolidate its market leadership in the industry, despite a lack-lustre performance in the earlier 3G rollout. Airtel still leads the pack but to gain prominence in the LTE space, it will need to have a wider reach than its limited licenses that cover only 4 circles. Airtel's tie up with Qualcomm is yet to yield results as Qualcomm's licenses have not been cleared on reportedly flimsy grounds. Without Qualcomm's spectrum Airtel will lose out on servicing Mumbai and Delhi cities that are bound to account for about 25% of 4G subscribers in the next 5 years. Based on historical data, 38% of 3G and about 35% of 4G spectrum bids last year were for these two cities, which generated about 39% higher revenues-per-subscriber when compared to other regions in the country. Meanwhile Airtel has roped in NSN to manage TD-LTE rollout in Maharashtra.
Airtel is expected to face a stiff competition from Reliance, which without RCOMs tie-up, or additional 2G spectrum, will not be able to offer competitive voice services to go with its big data plans. Reliance already has access to a pan-India 4G license through a 95% stake that it acquired in Infotel Broadband Services. Its 35% stake in Earmarks Education, a digital learning company, serves to build the content portfolio in the offing. However, given the fact that Indian subscribers may not be really keen on spending extra money for data-specific devices and services that do not include voice, Reliance may face difficult times while its video capabilities and internet-TV trials on pilot networks get ready to be consumerized.
While big players battle out business strategies, the Government is ready to hold another 4G auction to distribute additional spectrum especially in the very effective and productive 700 MHz band that will allow a cost-effective rollout and maintenance process, although the spectrum itself may be priced higher than 3G rates. With better competition ensured by these auctions, end-users may have access to high-speed and quality data services at competitive prices.
As a part of 4G rollout, subscribers may well get a combination of voice and data services at affordable prices, and at speeds over 100 mbps against 3G speeds of 21 mbps (70 mbps download speeds already achieved in lab conditions). High-speed, near real-time, quality video streaming, video conferencing, data-intensive processes are all set to rule mobile communications, with mobile data traffic expected to increase 100-fold in the next couple of years and about 600 hours of video content likely to be streamed every second. Can't help but wonder if face-to-face interactions will eventually become history.
Source !!
Many big names are vying to participate in the LTE game, with Bharti-Airtel looking to consolidate its market leadership in the industry, despite a lack-lustre performance in the earlier 3G rollout. Airtel still leads the pack but to gain prominence in the LTE space, it will need to have a wider reach than its limited licenses that cover only 4 circles. Airtel's tie up with Qualcomm is yet to yield results as Qualcomm's licenses have not been cleared on reportedly flimsy grounds. Without Qualcomm's spectrum Airtel will lose out on servicing Mumbai and Delhi cities that are bound to account for about 25% of 4G subscribers in the next 5 years. Based on historical data, 38% of 3G and about 35% of 4G spectrum bids last year were for these two cities, which generated about 39% higher revenues-per-subscriber when compared to other regions in the country. Meanwhile Airtel has roped in NSN to manage TD-LTE rollout in Maharashtra.
Airtel is expected to face a stiff competition from Reliance, which without RCOMs tie-up, or additional 2G spectrum, will not be able to offer competitive voice services to go with its big data plans. Reliance already has access to a pan-India 4G license through a 95% stake that it acquired in Infotel Broadband Services. Its 35% stake in Earmarks Education, a digital learning company, serves to build the content portfolio in the offing. However, given the fact that Indian subscribers may not be really keen on spending extra money for data-specific devices and services that do not include voice, Reliance may face difficult times while its video capabilities and internet-TV trials on pilot networks get ready to be consumerized.
While big players battle out business strategies, the Government is ready to hold another 4G auction to distribute additional spectrum especially in the very effective and productive 700 MHz band that will allow a cost-effective rollout and maintenance process, although the spectrum itself may be priced higher than 3G rates. With better competition ensured by these auctions, end-users may have access to high-speed and quality data services at competitive prices.
As a part of 4G rollout, subscribers may well get a combination of voice and data services at affordable prices, and at speeds over 100 mbps against 3G speeds of 21 mbps (70 mbps download speeds already achieved in lab conditions). High-speed, near real-time, quality video streaming, video conferencing, data-intensive processes are all set to rule mobile communications, with mobile data traffic expected to increase 100-fold in the next couple of years and about 600 hours of video content likely to be streamed every second. Can't help but wonder if face-to-face interactions will eventually become history.
Source !!