So why is even 3g taking so long to get out of the cities? The reasons are many and complex but I see there being three main holdups:
Spectrum – the allocated spectrum was planned when the incredible explosion of data usage could not have been foreseen – therefore the spectrum bands are too narrow for effective deployments
Infrastructure – the costs of rolling out towers and power in particular to regional and remote areas makes little economic sense in terms of RoI and the Opex in power costs are unworkable.
Smartphones – the costs of iphones and blackberry devices is too high as it is for laptop computers with mobile broadband connectivity.
The mobile phone operators and the tower companies are doing what they can but they are basing roll-outs on this tight spectrum and also on outdated vertical infrastructure designs and even site layouts.
So what is the solution? OK let’s just for a minute “park” any political or commercial elements and look at pure solutions for these issues.
1. Spectrum – each operator has narrow spectrum availability and when the spectrum was first planned it was a different market – what would work is all the spectrum being handed back and re-farmed into decent options that allow high speed mobile data to be accommodated in sensible network planning. Spectrum collaboration will allow better networks all round.
2. Infrastructure – the issue here is the cost and speed that network infrastructure is needed even to keep up with growing 2g (voice) subscribers. Newer, faster and more cost effective means of site roll-outs need to be adopted and in rural areas perhaps a government/ private partnership for the infrastructure would be the only way to make this work. New materials, designs and renewable / hybrid power systems need to be adopted.
3. Handsets – It must surely only be a matter of time before a really affordable smartphone type product emerges from within India – maybe some manufacturers need to work together on this idea?
How could all of these things be achieved – well this is the biggest step – the current mobile operators and any new entrant would become Mobile Virtual Network Operators on a network that is rolled out as a single Government / Private (PPP) type model. Spectrum would be amassed and used effectively in a single roll-out along with a single network build out. Differing vendors could supply to different circles etc but with interoperability of standards this should be fine. The tower companies would still be needed to roll-out sites of course and indeed would perhaps play a more pivotal role in this deployments model. The operators would see savings in capex and opex and achieve their coverage quicker – and they would then be competing more openly on call rates as well.
Throw an Indian made, affordable, smartphone into the mix and you would have more people connected to advanced networks faster than using the current methods.
If there was an appetite for this kind of solution (and I by no means think my ideas are the perfect solution – far from it!!) the time to start moving toward it will have to be sooner rather than later.
Anyway – closer to my Australian home – I’m speaking at the Smart Power for Smart Telco Networks in Sydney in September. Ticket sales are now open and there are some pretty good speakers lined up and I understand tickets are selling well so I would get in quick!! Details can be found at
The Mobile Carriers Forum, a division of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association are also doing their worldwide launch of the “Mobile Networks Energy Efficiency Training Programme” at the event and I, for one, can’t wait to see and hear details of that at the event
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