Paid Media Exposure by So-Called Broadband Giants

I came across this write up in Financial Express today on Sify. I was wondering about the motive behind the same. Then I realized that this was nothing but paid media exposure. For all what Sify has done in the name of “broadband access”, it cannot be excused. I really wish that the journalist had some idea to Google search for Sify and it would lead him/her to this web site. Unfortunate that some people retain their jobs with minimal application of mind.

Everyone is eyeing BSNL now for the huge amount of local loop it has. Admittedly, it should open up it's infrastructure on a revenue sharing basis. However, in places where one would have a choice, it would get BSNL in direct competition with other service providers on its own network. If that sounds asinine, well it is. Of course, BSNL would never ever want comparison with its own lame duck broadband services. In the clash of the egos and corporate wars, the ordinary customer like you and me has to suffer.

A low down of the situation here and judging the same realistically. 6 years back I was on dial up. 6 years hence, I still am on one. The only frustration stems from this fact that prices remain high as ever; the final outgo in monthly payments is marginally less than 6 years though. As the world accelerates towards Open Access and free form entertainment, I have to contend to use my dial up sparingly. Why would the corporate honchos listen to us and for what? The nation suffers and so do we all. One thing is for sure. You would never ever find such Blogs in the mainstream media. Ever think that a newspaper like Times of India feature the insanities that we have to face to access electronic resources? Well not.

Another factor that triggered this post was the Tata advertisement asking for salesmen on job in the eight cities where they are planning to launch. Apart from the metros, it is Chandigarh and Lucknow included. Well in my earlier posts, I had clearly mentioned about the first mover advantage. Under the aegis of Tata Broadband, erstwhile VSNL is planning to have a changeover. So what, if their tariffs remain as expensive as ever? Who cares? There might be enough people (who do not read these posts!) to sign up for the Tata brand name. Personally, I have nothing against them. It is those marketing idiots that they have hired who would be chasing the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So what if these markets are saturated? They have a reason to believe that people would be falling over each other to sign up. Alternatively, they have conjured up hallucinations that there would be riots for their broadband connections or whatever they choose to call it? Again, I see a lost opportunity to wire up my hometown and numerous others dotting the landscape that is India.

Why do these companies shy from investments in small towns? The answer can be found by going a bit back in the history. When mobile phones were introduced, they were considered to be elitist. There were numerous arguments that mobile phones were a show off. I remember the first Nokia's I ever saw. They were big bulky and ugly and looked like bricks. However, within 5 years the whole scenario changed for the better. Mobile phones have become fashion statements and essential part of the way we conduct our economy. The underlying factor was the change in the attitudes that was brought about by advertising. The companies have to get down to the basics and communicate the fact that Internet has the potential to change the way we access resources and conduct transactions. I had written a post earlier on the way broadband can effectively transform the nation.

Herein lies the rub. Companies want to scale up “profits” as quickly as possible. Their main thrust in the cities they believe that would have paying capacity. Agreeable to an extent. With the current emphasis on e-governance and computers being introduced in schools, it would make it imperative to connect them on line, which would be beneficial to all. I really wish that there were some way out that we did not have to depend on these companies to access Internet.

Again, given the promised revolution in broadband access by Reliance, I am seriously hoping that these very people would be forced to eat crow. Some ISP s like Sify Broadband should be wiped out, given the current hoopla that they have been able to generate on these forums. We are fighting against a super structure that takes its customers (all of them) to be incapable of taking decisions on their own. They believe that they can get away with the lousy support that they provide. Well, with an army of morons that most of these companies have hired, I am pessimistic about the state of affairs changing in the near future. When it does, I shall stop complaining about the same!

Discuss on: Sify Broadband, Tata Indicom, Airtel Broadband, Reliance Broadband, MTNL - BSNL Broadband, Dial Up, Others

This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on the Broadband Blog on Techwhack.