T he Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) ad review policy will have a devastating impact on the television news industry which is already going through a rough patch due to muted revenue growth and rise in overall costs, the News Broadcasters Association has said. The NBA is of the opinion that there should no restriction on the duration of ads that a channel can air in between a show, contending that ad revenue continues to be a key revenue source for news broadcasters and any curtailment in that revenue stream will have adverse impact on their business models.

The body also said that it was in favour of “self-regulation” on ad time rather than being regulated externally. The regulator has warned that Trai’s regulation will result in closure of small news channels and loss of jobs on a mass scale and has requested it to reconsider the issue in the larger interests of the news broadcast industry. While lauding Trai’s efforts for facilitating the process of rolling out digitisation of cable networks in the country, the NBA said that the authority should first try to address more serious issues like carriage fees and cap on channels pricing, which have bane of the news television industry in particular.

The NBA also criticised Trai for over reaching its authority by attempting to regulate TV ads by asserting that the issue is beyond its scope and authority. It also wondered how Trai could forget its own submission to the Tdsat that it had no role in advertising minutage rules.

The news broadcasters’ body also opinionated that there is inherent “self-correcting” mechanism which is efficient enough to keep a check on transgression’s by news broadcasters. Furthermore, it stated that in News Broadcasting Standards Authority it had a robust mechanism to deal with the issue, should the self correcting mechanism fail to address grievances. The NBA also highlighted the fact that the Trai’s ad review does not specify the bifurcation between time for commercial advertisements and self promotion.

“Television viewing is a function of rating, which is a function of consumer viewing experience. If the advertisements are more than what is preferred by consumers, the ratings will drop and the channel will have to reduce its advertising. This “self-correcting” mechanism ensures that Trai or anyone’s intervention in regulating advertisements is unnecessary,” NBA secretary general Annie Joseph said in response to Trai’s consultation paper on the subject.

The NBA also questioned the regulatory body if the government was willing to offer subsidies to news broadcasters should the consumers be unwilling to pay more for ad-free viewing. “If consumers are not willing to pay more, will the government, in public interest, offer subsidies/ ax subsidies in lieu thereof to make the business model economically viable for news channels,” Joseph questioned.

The news body also pointed out that no less than Supreme Court had ruled in favour of newspapers when the government had tried to curtail advertisement space. “The mere fact that the newspapers would be “exposed” to “financial loss” was held by the Supreme Court to be an infringement of right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1) (a),” NBA further added. “The importance of advertising revenue for the electronic media (especially news channels) is exactly the same, if not even more grave, as that for print. The restriction sought to be placed upon the “advertising airtime” is exactly in pari materia with the restrictions on “advertisement space” considered by the Supreme Court in the foregoing cases.”

The notion that ads are a nuisance is incorrect, the NBA said adding that advertisements play a significant role in informing and educating the public about products and services which can enhance their lives. Any reduction in ad inventory will also result in scarcity of FCT which in turn would result in rise in ad cost and would make it out of reach for small and medium enterprises.

Sportcaster’s view

In line with the stated position of their industry peers, leading sports broadcasters Neo Sports Broadcast, Taj Television, and ESPN Software have red flagged ad time review policy. All the three sports broadcasters have unequivocally objected to the regulators interference in the matter over which it has no jurisdiction.

Zee Group-owned Taj Television, which operates four sports channels, has termed the move as “untimely”. The company contends that the premise on which Trai has initiated this policy, that the country is moving towards digitisation and subscription income for broadcasters will jump multifold to become the primary source of revenue stream, is wishful thinking. It also said that any consultation on the premise of digitalisation should be done only after the system becomes fully addressable wherein income arising out of subscription revenue sees a significant gain.

“During this interim period the broadcaster would be saddled with problem of under declaration of subscriber numbers (in the non – notified areas), high cost of acquisition of content which is spiraling every year. Therefore, in our humble submission we put forth that there is no need to bring in any fresh regulatory norms for Advertisements in TV channels and let the channels self regulate the time span, format and frequency of the advertisements,” it added. In case of sporting events being telecast live, the regulator feels the ads should only be carried during the interruptions in the sporting action – for example, half time in football or hockey match, lunch/ drinks break in cricket matches, game/set change in case of lawn tennis etc.

What can adversely affect the sports genre most is that Trai is also in favour of allowing only full screen ads. In its view, part screen ads should not be permitted. Drop down ads should also not be permitted, Trai feels. Presenting its viewpoint, ESPN Software India, has argued that the consultation paper goes against Trai’s position of favouring self-regulation. It further said that the authority’s decision to single out sports and news genre will be detrimental to the business models of these two genres. That sports content has a shorter shelf life only compounds the matter.

ESI also said that the international practices cited in the consultation paper do not compare well since the frameworks within which those broadcasters operate is completely different. “The fact is that most of the jusrisdicstions covered do not operate under regimes where price ceilings prevail and thus allows broadcasters far more options even if advertisements are subject to regulation,” the ESI response read. The company in its submission has laid down that the should be on a 24 hour basis rather than than hourly basis.

“Such a proposal demonstrates the inherent deficiency where niche channels such as sports channels have not been considered. A clock hour basis measure would not suit this genre of channels where live content is seasonal, limited to a specific period and natural breaks where advertisement would be appropriate (For eg half time in Football or Hockey, lunch/drink breaks in cricket),” ESI held.

Neo Sports Broadcast asserted that the ad time review proposal would hamper the only revenue generation mode of sportscasters who are already suffering due to mandatory feed sharing with Prasar Bharti which robs them of the exclusivity that is the sole critereon for extracting premium from advertisers. Neo also bemoaned the fact the broadcasters are at the mercy of Trai when it comes to pricing, which has also been an impediment to growth.

T he kids genre has swung into big action with three new  appearances last year and the announcement of Discovery to enter the segment this quarter.The battle isn’t going to be easy as the advertising pie is pegged at Rs 2.4 billion in 2011, up from Rs 2 billion a year ago, and the licensing and merchandising market is still at its infancy in India.Broadcasters, however, are finding strategic value to occupy the space at a time when India is waking up to the government’s call of mandated digitisation.

”Discovery Kids will offer Indian children the ideal combination of learning and entertainment. In light of the massive digitisation drive in India, we believe viewers will express their demand for such distinct television networks,” says Discovery Networks International president, CEO Mark Hollinger.Expanding its bouquet in the southern region, Sun TV Network launched Malayalamkids channel Kochu in 2011 TV to complete its entire cycle of covering the four languages. Sun had launched Chutti TV in Tamil (2007), Kushi TV in Telugu and Chintu TV in Kannada (2009).

Viable Market

Turner International India GM, Entertainment Networks South Asia Monica Tata wrote that the genre not only recorded growth but also saw the entrance of new channels like Sonic. “The kids’ genre grew in regional languages as well. In Tamil, for example, the share of Kids is higher than News. The continued investments in launching new channels and content prove that the kids’ entertainment space is a very viable market.”

Maa TV Network launched Maa Junior in Telugu, its first channel in the kids space, while Viacom18 introduced Sonic to complement its other kids channel Nick. “In 2011, two regional broadcasters launched language channels to expand their networks in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Viacom18 channel was more a segment strategy to complement Nick,” says a media analyst.

Sonic targets children in the age group of 10-17 years with action, sitcoms and adventures. The movies cater mainly to teens. What is encouraging kids broadcasters is the rise in viewership. The overall genre is on a growth path due to channel launches, according to research agency TAM. The total share of the genre grew to 18% among the 4-14-year-olds (C&S, All India), largely due to the growth in the universe of kids to 48 million in 2011, from 43 million a year ago.

According to Sonic and Nick India EVP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria, the genre enjoys the loyalty of kids among the age group of 4-14 despite competition from other genres and has been growing 7-10% year-on-year. “Despite the fragmentation that has happened in the entertainment world, this is one genre which continues to garner GRPs and viewerships from kids. In 2011, we once again proved to ourselves that it is a genre that is being viewed by boys and girls in that age bracket,” she says.

Top Advertisers

Even though the kids genre commands 6-7% viewership share, the problem is on the revenue said. However, while traditional advertisers like food & beverages, personal care, and household products continue to be heavy spenders on the genre, non-traditional advertisers like automobiles, electronic devices, and insurance companies have started to take notice of the genre. “We did see a lot of non-traditional advertisers. We now have insurance companies who are talking to the 4-14 TG,” says Jaipuria.

Hindustan Unilever and Cadbury India were top advertisers on the genre for both 2010 and 2011 in a list dominated by FMCGs and personal brands, TAM AdEx data shows. Interestingly, Maa Network and Sun TV, who operate channels in the genre, were among the top 10 advertisers in 2011.

“There has been increasing awareness that kids now have a say in purchasedecision-making that extends far beyond traditional categories. Today, around 63% of parents involve their children in the decision making process. This is one of the main reasons that has attr-acted adver-tisers to kids’ channels in order to effectively target fam-ilies,” says Cartoon Network Turner Inter-national South Asia network head ad sales Juhi Ravindranath Ravindranath.

Walt Disney Television International India businesshead Vijay Subramaniam said, “Brands understand the importance of engaging this TG because this is a very loyal base. It is important to realise that the kids of today will become the consumers of tomorrow. A lot of advertisers are now including kids channels in their advertising mix.”

L&M is another revenue stream the channels are betting big on. Disney, for instance, has inked a licensing deal with Mukesh Ambani-owned IPL franchise Mumbai Indians to launch co-branded merchandise products targeted at under-14 kids segment. The merchandise will be sold in around 5,000 Reliance retail outlets and will be also be promoted through the digital medium.

Is running a kids channel a viable proposition?

Jaipuria feels it depends on the business models of the individual channels and whether or not they fill the need gap. “How the channels source content – whether it is a localised or is it sourced internationally – also plays a role in channels’ viability. Although the gestation period for a kids channel maybe longer than other genres, it’s about having an intelligent business model and having a right mix of content,” she avers. Jaipuria is also betting big on digitisation as it will make possible an increase in subscription revenues and bring down high carriage fees. Sun Group CEO Tony D’Silva believes kids channels need to become more and more segmented as their needs keep changing as they grow up.

S eason 5 the of Indian Premier League (IPL) has failed to live up to expectations of criket fans — at least that is what comes to the fore if latest TV viership ratings are to be believed. According to data released by TAM Sports, a unit of television audience measurement agency TAM Media Research, viwers are shying away from watching IPL cricket matches as its novelty value wears off and fatigue sets in.

IPL’s fifth season got off to a damp start in six matches played as averageviewership sank to the lowest since it started in 2008, the data show. IPL 5 has clocked in an average viewership of 3.76 TRPs (television rating points), measured on time spent by a viewer for a particular programme. TRPs of every show add up to constitute the overall gross rating points (GRPs) of a channel.

Viewership of the first six matches of IPL 5 declined 19% from 4.63 TRPs last year, and 33% from 5.59 TRPs in 2008. The tournament has reached 90.1 million viewers so far against 101.7 million viewers reached in 2011. Sports consultants say cricket fatigue and Team India’s poor performance in matches played overseas before the IPL began has put off many sports entusiasts.

Season 5 kicked off in a different style this year with a separate opening ceremony organised a day before the first match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, but ended up poorer compared with the ratings achieved in Season 4. The opening ceremony was a dampener with only 1.17 TRPs recorded for the event.

“IPL’s novelty value is wearing off and viewer fatigue is setting in,” said Rakesh Jariwala, leader (sports and films) at audit and consulting firm Ernst & Young. “Even Bollywood films are releasing during the IPL season, which was an absolute no-no in the first few years.” He said the orgnisers of IPL need not be alarmed yet, but the tournament has surely lost its sheen over the years. However, Multi Screen Media (MSM), the owner of SET Max, the official broadcaster, is confident that ratings will pick up as the tournament progresses. “It is too early to determine viewership trends,” said Rohit Gupta, president, MSM. “There are many matches to go and viewership will surely pick up in 15-20 days.”

T elecom regulator TRAI proposed a steep minimum price for auction of 2G telecom spectrum, setting off fears of a hike in mobile phone tariffs which are at present among the cheapest in the world. The regulator, whose recommendations are not binding on the government, valued 2G spectrum at about Rs 7 lakh crore, nearly seven times more than Rs 1.04 lakh crore that the government had received through auction of 3G spectrum in 2010. TRAI proposed a minimum or base price of Rs 3,622.18 crore for every mega Hertz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, where radio airwaves have been freed after the Supreme Court cancelled all mobile permits issued by the then Telecom Minister A Raja in 2008.

The price set is around 10 times more than what companies such as Unitech Wireless, Swan Telecom and Shyam Telecom paid for at least 4.4 MHz of all-India spectrum in 2008. A pan-India spectrum in 1800 MHz band will cost Rs 18,000 crore. The reserve price is several times the base price of Rs 3,500 crore for 3G spectrum auction. TRAI recommended that auction should be open to all companies except those having a more than prescribed limit of spectrum, potentially disqualifying incumbents like Airtel, Vodafone and BSNL. Telecom operators were naturally not happy with the recommendations with some even mulling legal action on the grounds that the regulator had exceeded its brief.

Expressing concern at TRAI recom-mendation, Vodafone said: “We believe that several of these recom-mendations are retrograde and if accepted, will do irreparable harm to the industry.” Deloitte Haskins & Sells said higher price for spectrum may ultimately lead to upward revision in tariffs. KPMG said TRAI recommendations were “appropriate steps towards efficient utilisation of spectrum” but added that the high reserve price is likely to strain resources of bidders. The reserve price for 800 MHz has been fixed at Rs 7,244 crore, TRAI said, adding that spectrum will be offered in blocks of 1.25 MHz, and at least 5 MHz will be offered in the auctions.

The auction is proposed to be open to all eligible companies holding spectrum below a prescribed cap. Also, spectrum to be assigned through auction shall be liberalised — that is spectrum in any band can be used for deploying any services in any technology. TRAI said the refarming of spectrum in the 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands should be carried out progressively at an early date but not later than the due date of renewal of the licences. Also, the spectrum available with service providers in the 900 MHz band should be replaced by spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, which should be charged at the price prevalent at the time of refarming.

The auction should be conducted using Simultaneous Multiple Round Auction (SMRA) format. As regards the auction of spectrum in 1800 MHz and 800 MHz bands to be conducted immediately following these recommendations, TRAI has said that it should be held in single stage. Auction of 1800 MHz spectrum can be done in current 2012-13 fiscal itself. “It (TRAI recommendations) will hamper the ability to connect the unconnected and goes against the objectives of National Telecom Policy of ensuring improved rural tele-density and right to broadband,” Vodafone said.

TRAI said all spectrum should not be auctioned at one go. As a start, 5 MHz of spectrum could be auctioned initially. Auctions could be phased out across three years. About 100 MHz is to be auctioned in phases per telecom circle. It recommended annual usage charge for companies for all spectrum bought via auction to be 1%. At present, the annual usage charge is 8%. TRAI recommended 25% initial payment by telecom companies, a two-year moratorium and rest of payment over 10 years. The only exception is in the auction of the 1800 MHz band, where 33% has to be paid upfront. “According to the recommendations, spectrum would not be bundled with licenses in future. This would thus enable true market value realisation of this scarce natural resources.

“Liberalisation and refarming of spectrum and its auctioning to both incumbent and new operators would lead to a level playing field between service providers in the telecom sector space. This is of utmost importance for the 900 MHz band,” Jaideep Ghosh of KPMG said. He said while the proposed auction is in blocks of 1.25 MHz, this was itself inadequate to commence or continue operations.”Higher reserve price and resultant auction price is likely to lead to an increase in tariffs by service providers,”he adde

“The guidelines on spectrum, if accepted by the government in totality, then the business models by the incumbents and new operations would have to be redrawn as operators would have to pay significantly higher price for spectrum which may ultimately lead to upward revision in tariffs,” said Hemant Joshi of Deloitte Haskins & Sells. The Indian telecom sector is reeling under hyper competition due to overcapacity and under cash strain due to high prices paid for 3G spectrum.

Mobile operators, both GSM and CDMA players, said that the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India were regressive and will deal a blow to the industry if implemented.  In a rare show of unity, the Cellular Operators’ Association of India and the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India, in a joint statement expressed their concern and disapproval of these recommendations and termed them as being arbitrary, regressive and inconsistent

“The industry was looking forward to reasonable spectrum reserve price recommendations from TRAI in the light of the Government’s own articulated policy directions on affordability, rural penetration,” the two industry associations said. “The industry has repeatedly been facing contradictory and regressive approach from the Regulator which is detrimental to the future of the sector that is often touted as the poster boy of India’s economic reforms. From deciding to link the price of 2G spectrum to 3G spectrum auctions, to its own expert committee’s inputs without the application of any logic; and unilaterally trying to interpret DoT’s own licence terms like ‘extension’ as ‘renewal’, the Regulator’s actions appear to be unfair and biased against all operators for reasons best known to it,” the operators said.

Telcos & consumers are upset

Looks like everyone from companies to consumers have reason to be disgruntled about the TRAI’s recommendations on the highly-anticipated auction for 2G spectrum after the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of all telecom permits awarded in a scandal-tainted 2008 sale and the redistribution of those permits through an open bidding process. Here are the key reasons for the discontent:

Much higher price

Companies will have to pay a minimum of Rs 3,622.18 crore for everymegahertz (MHz) in the 1,800 MHz band, which is around 10 times more than what companies such as Unitech Wireless, Swan Telecom and Shyam Telecom had paid for at least 4.4 MHz of all-India spectrum in 2008. A pan-India spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band will now cost Rs 18,000 crore. This is around five times the base price of Rs 3,500 crore for 3G spectrum auction.

For spectrum in the 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands, the regulator suggested a base price of Rs 7,244 crore per MHz, a proposal, which if accepted, would hit Sistema’s Indian unit, which is looking to bid in the 800 MHz band.The proposals could further hit foreign investor sentiment in India, already hit by policy flip-flops and controversial tax proposals.

Disallowed every telcos

While nine mobile phone companies lost their permits based on the Supreme Court orders, only one company might get back its licence in the auction this year since only 5 MHz is proposed to be auctioned this financial year. According to industry experts, five megahertz is the minimum required to provide mobile services. TRAI chairman J S Sarma said that only if incumbents (existing telecom companies) in a region managed to grab 50% of the frequencies available in the upcoming auction, then a company that lost its permit or another new entrant will be awarded 5 MHz if it emerges as the second-highest bidder. “In such a case, the total amount of 2G airwaves sold in that region will be 7.5 MHz,” Sarma said, according to press.

Vodafone, Bharti and Idea will have to shell out crores for ‘refarming’ Among its recommendations, TRAI has recommended “refarming” spectrum in the 900 MHZ band, considered the most efficient for 2G services, immediately. In the recent past, GSM operators had jointly opposed ‘equal distribution’ of the 900 Mhz spectrum band – a very strong demand from the dual-tech and CDMA lobby – because it fundamentally undermines spectrum allocated in the past. If TRAI’s proposal to ‘refarm’ the 900 MHz band is accepted, Vodafone, Bharti and Idea will have to shell out a cumulative Rs 95,000 crore to buy back the spectrum they already own, according to press.

No longer cheap tariffs to consumers

With such high reserve prices for auctions, companies will no longer be able to offer cheap tariffs to consumers. As Deloitte Haskins & Sells Partner Hemant Joshi told Business Standard, “The Indian telecom sector is reeling under hyper competition due to overcapacity and is under a cash strain due to high prices paid for 3G spectrum and the capital-intensive nature of the industry. If the guidelines are accepted by the government in totality, the business models of the incumbents and new operators would have to be redrawn, as operators would have to pay significantly higher for spectrum, which may ultimately lead to an upward revision in tariffs.”

And, in a rare show of unity, the Cellular Operators Association of India — the GSM industry body — and the Association of Unified Service Providers of India — the association of CDMA and dual-technology players — also said in a joint statement that Trai’s recommendations had the “potential to derail a sector that is a significant contributor to the national economy”. Finally, it must be noted that TRAI’s recommendations are not binding on the government, which has the final say on the auction rules.

B SNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) along with Pantel technologies has launched another cheapest tablet in India after the Aakash tablet. The better configuration at the price of aakash has worked for BSNL and they are getting a warm response from the public. Pantel is a local Indian firm which is partnering with BSNL to launch this tablet with special Data tariff from BSNL. The most attractive thing is the tiny price tag of tablet. Both BSNL and Pantel have tried hard to impress the customers by lucrative specification of the tablet. With the new BSNL Penta TPAD IS701R, India has registered another cheapest tablet in World.

Will TPAD take Cover Aakash tablet market in India?

This is the biggest doubt revolving in everyone’s mind now. Well, to be frank, the new BSNL Penta T-Pad IS701R will surely take over Aakash tablet in coming days. This new Penta Tablet will cost you Rs:3250/- may be this little expensive when compared with Aakash, but a lot better than other costly tabs. Penta will surely be a super success in coming days. Because many people who have already used the limited version of Aakash tablet are extremely disappointed with its performance. Already lakhs of people are waiting for Aakash tablet. Still there is no proper response from Aakash developers and even from Government. So people in India will definitely buy BSNL Penta T-Pad for sure. When compared to Aakash Tablet, BSNL Penta T-Pad is lot better in some areas. We will discuss about them in the below post.

Pantel and BSNL have entered into an exclusive tieup to bring an affordable and world class solution for the professional users. This offer ensures that, while paying a much lower monthly data tariff, users will be able to recover a sufficient part of the cost of the TPAD unit! All this while paying a lower monthly tariff and enjoying superior 3G speeds from India’s most versatile, widespread and high quality 3G network!

Performance

The tablet however performs okay relative to low cost tablets available in market.

Look and feel

The tablet looks decent in its pure white colour. The plastic body does not inspire much confidence and its slippery surface further makes things worse. So you have to be very careful while handling this 8 inch tablet. Further, there is unnecessary space around the display, which makes it look a lot bigger and you feel like you are handling a 10 inch tablet. Nonetheless, BSNL and Pantel have provided a number of buttons at convenient positions on the Penta Tpad. All the ports – 3.5 mm jack, USB, HDMI, reset button, OTG and charging port – are at the lower part of the tablet; the SD card slot, volume rocker and on/off button are on the lower right side while on the left, there is the SIM slot. There are two speakers on the top back side. You will find the front camera along with four capacitive buttons at the bottom of the display.

Display

Penta Tpad comes with an 8 inch capacitive multi touch screen with 800 x 600 pixel resolution and is undoubtedly one of the brightest among the low cost tablets we have seen so far. Courtesy the display, you would definitely enjoy watching your favorite movies and playing games on the tablet. Since the tablet has an Aldiko book reader, reading e-books on it is also a pleasurable experience. Moreover, the tablet has a wide viewing angle which is handy especially when two or three persons watch a movie at a time – this is perhaps the quality I liked best about the tablet. All in all, BSNL and Pantel must be credited for the display.

Processor, operating system and performance

The readers has always recommended that users check out the processor speed before buying any device as this is the brain of the device. Hence, when we saw the specifications of Penta Tpad we were delighted and were hoping for powerful performance. With a 1.2 GHz processor and 512 MB DDR III RAM, the Tpad does indeed look muscular. So it was expected to perform effortlessly from the very start. However, that was not to be. Though most of time it performed okay, on occasions it hanged badly, forcing us to do a hard reset. The under-performing processor further kills the thrill of games, which is quite a glaring issue. And, it takes a good 2-3 seconds to open most applications. The BSNL tablet runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb, a tablet specific operating system from Google. But do not expect an upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS in the coming times as for that any device should have a minimum of 1 GB RAM.

Battery

Android devices are known for their battery draining function. However, this tablet passed the battery test with flying colours. Even after watching a movie for about two hours, playing games for half-an-hour, browsing the web for a couple of minutes and reading an ebook for a bit, the tablet managed to hold some battery juice. In short, the 3000 mAh lithium-polymer battery of the Tpad can manage to run for a day with full recharge if you use the tablet properly, that is, by shutting down 3G connectivity, WiFi and apps when not in use.

Connectivity

The notable factor of this tablet is the number of connectivity options it offers. It has a SIM slot, so you can opt for any operator’s SIM for calling and net surfing. BSNL is offering additional data benefits with the tablet if you purchase it with the offer for Rs 13,500. Without the BSNL offer, Pantel is selling the tab for Rs 14,500. For internet, it has WiFi, Bluetooth and a USB dock for file transfer. Tpad has both mini and regular USB ports. Hence, you can enjoy content  from removable storages like your pen drive as well. Besides, it has an HDMI output to let you enjoy content on your television.

Let downs

Though the tablet has many positives, in a few areas it has let us down. Apart from the obvious down sides like a slippery body and slow processor, the Penta Tpad has some other issues as well. The most irritating of which is the bug in its keypad. The bug does not let you type properly. In fact, you usually end up with a different letter from what you type. For example, if you type ‘a’, the keypad some times generates ‘L’. However, we downloaded another keyboard from Android Market, which solved the problem. The bug may be limited to the particular device we reviewed, and if it is common to all Tpad then download a different keypad from Android Market. This would solve the problem. There also seems to be some issue with SIM connectivity. The tablet does not enable data connectivity through the SIM at one go. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to enable data connectivity, but many times it simply refuses to do so. Though BSNL has provided a 0.3 mega pixel camera in the front, a back camera too should have been present. But even many high end tablets do not have a rear camera.

Wrapping up

At Rs 3,250, the BSNL Penta Tpad sits pretty in the affordable tablet segment. When it was announced towards, it did create a buzz in the market. However, some-days later the fizz seems to have vanished, especially considering the slew of tablets that have been launched in the Indian market. Just some days ago, three new low cost tablets were launched, including two Android 4.0 tablets from iBerry and Zync, which are priced Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 less than the Penta Tpad. Clearly, the tablet now seems over-priced and does not have any unique design or elements vis-à-vis features that would really compel people to go for it while ignoring the clutter of tablets around them. The tablet however performs okay relative to low cost tablets available in market.

M ore channels, encompassing different mobile
technologies, are to be made operational soon for
delivering various government services through the Mobile Services Delivery Gateway (MSDG), with the Framework for Mobile Governance prepared by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) having been notified earlier this year.

The gateway started working in July 2011; now it is used for the delivery of 40 SMS-based services of 30 Central and State government departments and agencies. “At present, SMS services are being offered for a number of activities, such as tracking of the status of applications, sending alerts for transactions and for delivery of services, grievance registration and redress,” said Rajendra Kumar, Director (Projects), National e-Governance Division, DEIT.

Other services, based on such technologies as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), are to be made operational in the coming months. USSD can be used for providing interactive value-added services, while IVR can be used for automated voice-based services. GPRS facilitates data and forms-based services. “We expect them to be made operational by the end of 2012-13,” Dr. Kumar said. The creation of the gateway is a core element in the Framework, which states that various channels, such as voice, text (SMS), GPRS, USSD, SIM Toolkit (STK), Cell Broadcast (CBC), location-based services and multimedia (MMS) will be used to provide mobile users with different services. The gateway has been conceived as a piece of infrastructure to be shared by the Central and State government departments and agencies.

Since it is difficult for the State governments to leverage the resources to create local service delivery platforms, the setting up of the MSDG is a good initiative, says Sanjay Vijayakumar, Chief Executive Officer, MobME Wireless Solutions. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has nearly completed the technology platform development but the pace of implementation has to be augmented.

The MSDG will have Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for the creation of value-added services by different providers, besides mechanisms, including an Aadhaar-based one, for authentication of the users of various services. It will be equipped with an integrated mobile payment gateway. The framework suggests that government departments and agencies use the gateway for their mobile-based public service offerings to avoid duplication and save on costs. Even departments that have already created their own delivery platforms are being encouraged to use them. The framework also proposes the creation of a Mobile Governance Innovation Fund to support the development of applications by not only government departments and agencies but also by third-party developers, including start-ups.

T elecom major Bharti Airtel became the
first telecom operator to launch broadband wireless
access (BWA) services based on 4G technology in the country. The high speed service was inaugurated by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal in Kolkata on April 10.

Airtel, which had bagged BWA spectrum in four telecom circles – Kolkata, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka – for INR 3,314.36 crore in 2010, selected Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE to manage its services in Kolkata.

How is 4G different from the other Gs ?

The service promises data downloads at a blindingly fast 40 megabits (Mbps) per second. Simply put, you could download a copyright-protected movie in about 12 minutes. A grainy, pirated version via torrent streams can be snagged in about 2 minutes. A 2G network can provide data speed between 56 kilobits per second and 144 Kbps (1024 Kbps = 1Mbps). In 3G, speeds can go up to 21Mbps.

For instance, a 700MB (the normal CD size) file should take around 140 seconds in 4G to download and 266.6 seconds in 3G. In 2G, it can take more than 5 hours. Big difference : In 2G and 3G, you can make calls and send text messages. 4G is exclusively for data at the moment and can largely be accessed on laptops, notebooks, tablets, desktops and phones with the help of 4G-enabled accessories (a USB stick or a wireless modem). Caveat: Since the technology is wireless, it will depend upon network availability and congestion.

What are the devices to access 4G?

Airtel has come up with a 4G-enabled device — a USB dongle or a USB stick with which you connect the laptop now. You can also install a 4G LTE (long-term evolution) wireless modem at home or in office that will make a radius of around 30 metres a Wi-fi hotspot.A separate SIM card, different from the current SIM card in your mobile handset, has to be put inside the dongle or the modem to activate the service.

How much will 4G cost?

The modem is priced at Rs 7,750 and the dongle at Rs 7,999. The SIM card will cost Rs 49. Then, you have to choose a data plan with rentals such as Rs 999, Rs 1,399 and Rs 1,999, depending on speed.I have a Wi-fi-enabled handset, laptop, desktop and tablet. Can I access 4G on all these?Yes. The modem will help in setting up a local wireless network. Then any mobile handset, tablet or laptop that has Wi-fi will be able to connect to the 4G network. You can use the dongle on your desktop and laptop. But you cannot use the SIM card in your existing mobile handset.

Is 4G costlier than 3G?

There is not much of a cost difference in monthly outgo. By paying Rs 1,250 under 3G, the customer can get 10GB of data in Airtel and 5GB of data in Vodafone. Under Reliance 3G, the customer has to pay Rs 1,199 for 5GB of data. In Airtel 4G, the customer has to pay Rs 1,400 for 9GB of data.However, the device costs are much higher in case of 4G. While, in 3G, USB dongles cost from Rs 1,400 to Rs 3,000, the 4G devices cost over Rs 7,000.Sanjay Kapoor, CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel, pointed out that such high-speed Internet in its inception cannot be affordable because of the high device costs and limited availability of spectrum. “The ecosystem (of lowcost devices) has to build up,” he said. He added that the government had to ensure that there was no paucity of spectrum as well.

How is 4G different from 3G?

4G allows four to five times faster download of movies and music. It also enables live TV and video on-demand. 4G in India does not offer voice, that is, operators need a 2G licence to allow people to talk on phone Experts expected launch of 3G mobile services to be a game-changer. But,even after a year (3G was launched in late 2010), the uptake of 3G mobile services has been slow Research firm Evalueserve says the low demand of 3G is because Indian operators have not actively migrated 2G subscribers to 3G in order to ensure network stabilisation. Further, the limited 3G network availability has been unsuccessful in creating the desired user impact, hence hampering 3G adoption. Lastly, operators have not been aggressive in pricing 3G services. The research firm says these problems are initial hiccups rather than long-term challenges

What technology is being used?

Companies have chosen LTE (long-term evolution) technology over Wimax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access). TD-LTE (time divisionlong-term evolution) has a speed of 100 Mbps on mobile phones, as compared 40 Mbps for Wimax and 21 Mbps for 3G. Apart from this, LTE can have backward compatibility with both 2G and 3G networks.

In a report last year, Goldman Sachs says, “Bharti is the best positioned  operator in India to benefit from the LTE rollout, as it can offer complementary and bundled offerings to its existing strong subscriber base… Besides, LTE can handle the backhaul traffic load on 3G as the current backbone on 3G would not be able to handle the data load in coming years as usage increases”. Bharti’s 4G plans were not free of problems. When law enforcement agencies tested data interception in 4G service by Bharti in Kolkata, it had a lag of four-five minutes, which needed to be reduced to near real time. The Department of Telecommunications directed Bharti to resolve this.

Who is waiting in the wings?

The other companies who bagged 4G spectrum are Reliance Industries (22 circles), BSNL (20 circles), Aircel (8 circles), Tikona (5 circles), Qualcomm (4 circles), MTNL (2 circles) and Augere (1 circle). Reliance is expected to launch 4G in the first quarter of this financial year. Other players will follow, but US-based Qualcomm, which got a licence after a two-year delay, is yet to get spectrum.

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