Customer satisfaction goes for a toss in rural areas as availability of
trained manpower for guiding mobile users is very limited. My experience from a
Reliance Communications' outlet during my recent visit to Kerala was not
exciting enough to experiment with new things in God's own country. I bought a
Reliance data card to ensure smooth online connectivity with the industry by
connecting it on a Mac laptop which I sourced from office. On day one, I failed
to access the Internet. To my queries on the phone, Reliance outlet executives
said Reliance data card cannot be used on Mac. In the absence of a functional
data card, I used my Vodafone Internet connection on the mobile phone.
Next day, I revisited the shop. They wanted me to download an application so
that I could use the data card which I bought for around Rs 1,500. I looked
around for a computer with Internet connection. This shop, which sells phones,
SIM cards and data cards, was not equipped to offer Internet access to its
users. The shop owner said they can only access office mails. I Then I went to a
cybercafe to download the stuff.
My phone calls and the agony continued for four more days. My consultation
with our IT team in Delhi office gave me answers to the problem. But I gave up
my dream to connect, and settled for Vodafone Connect. Currently, I am waiting
for a bill shock as I used Vodafone Internet connection while on roaming. During
my vacation, whenever I downloaded mails, I got a message-you are on roaming.
You will be charged extra. Good. Vodafone is happy to help me!
I urge operators to spend funds to train their managers in retail outlets in
rural areas. The manpower in the retail outlet was not trained enough to
understand the difference between a Mac laptop and other branded laptops, and
the operating system. Wireless Internet using 3G will be an instant hit. But
rural push is yet to find a place on the radar of many operators.
Look at the ongoing 3G auctions. The prospective 3G operators are not
expecting substantial revenues from rural folk considering the initial bid value
for some of the states. On day nine of the 3G auctions, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar,
Orissa, Assam, The Northeast, and Jammu & Kashmir attracted bids worth less than
Rs 31 crore each. But there may be some interest at a later stage. Besides three
metros, 3G bidders are focusing on Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), Haryana, Uttar Pradesh E & W,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The bid price is between Rs 200-600 crore for
these states. Kolkata, Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal got bids worth Rs 100-200
crore. Only Delhi attracted bids worth more than Rs 700 crore. India's business
hub, Mumbai, is worth Rs 668 crore for 3G operators.
The rollout will tell about the real rural thrust. Operators are looking at
tapping the top 200 towns in the initial phase. This strategy will avoid their
presence in most rural areas.
Telecom service providers should spend more funds to connect the masses using
Internet. Masses will bring cheers to the country. It will push economy, and
remove imbalances.
Baburajan K
baburajank@cybermedia.co.in