High Speed Internet Connectivity in India might as well be called an Oxymoron.Despite the larger than life claims from the Service providers, the broadband speeds have been rather sub standard or even if they deliver on the speed , the uptime and the pricing negate the effect.
We keep pondering over why E-Commerce has not taken off in India , and one basic answer lies in the below par connectivity.The service providers are upbeat about their plans and they market their seemingly Fastest Broadband connections like there’s no tomorrow.Risking generalization, i think its safe to assume that most of us have complains from our Internet Service Provider.
So, when MTNL announces a whopping 20 Mbps broadband speed , one wonders if someone out there is actually doing something about it.Before we get into the details, here is the new plan as proposed by MTNL for its new broadband connection.
MTNL VDSL Broadband combo will be Mumbai’s first 20 mbps the fastest Broadband service connection which is specially tailored for corporate houses and it comes at monthly rental of Rs.9000 with Free Downloads of 18 Gb per month
Fastest alright but then isn’t it targeted specifically for the enterprise sector.Now, when you compare a 20 Mbs line with a company Internet Leased line, there is actually no comparison at all.Moreover , the plan does not actually make a lot of sense for the retail customer like you and me.The price is too high and the download limit of 18 Gb though pleasing at first sight again is no good. With a promised 20 Mbs speed , how soon will i consume my 18 GB download limit? Yes, you are right. In no time at all. To be specific , in around 16 minutes. This is funny and embarrassing at the same time much like all other broadband plans thrown at the consumer.
It make me wonder , if a reasonably priced high speed broadband is too much to ask for.I want to put this high in my list of must haves for the year 2010 :-)
What do you think are the barriers to providing a reasonably priced uninterrupted broadband connectivity in India? Is it due to lack of technology/ infrastructure or is it an operational issue on the part of service providers.Share your thoughts and let’s hope that the new year brings with it hopes of a REAL high speed broadband.