Tectonic shift rocks India’s mobile market as Tata has introduced the country’s first per-second pulse followed by launching a pay-per-call pricing model. The market had to follow although ARPU margins eroded. Welcome to the new world order of BOP.
The Indian mobile market continues to experience high subscriber growth. With urban markets already approaching saturation, most of the new subscribers are coming from highly price-sensitive rural and low-income urban segments. In addition, new operators in the market are further increasing competition, putting more downward pressure on prices.
2 Comments
SLCDMA
India is no better when compared to imposing laws to control telephony. This more or less similar to what SL introduced on CDMA phones some time back.
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/protests_against_ban_on_pre-paid_phones_in_jk.php
People in Kashmir are unhappy and protesting the government’s decision to ban pre-paid mobile telephone connections in the state. The home ministry has decided not to issue fresh pre-paid mobile connections and the existing pre-paid SIM cards will not be renewed in the state after November 1.
Most of the residents in Kashmir have pre-paid connections and a ban will cause difficulties they say. People from other states having prepaid connections will not be provided roaming facilities while visiting the state.
Mobile services were started in the Kashmir valley a few years ago after the then government took the decision despite apprehensions by security agencies that militants would use the technology.
Abu Saeed Khan
@ SLCDMA
You are right – the decree has caused the BOP’s suffering. One should not be surprised if the militants keep communicating. They are never short of cash. No decree can control roaming (both domestic and international) in a live network. It requires total shutdown of all networks to mute the voices in a networked society.
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