New Delhi, India, Jan.13 - On the eve of the long expected 3G auctions, telecom experts advised ‎prospective operators to search for the high-end customers in their existing subscriber base and ‎prepare to them to shift to high speed download that the third generation spectrum would ‎facilitate. The experts view at a 3G India Mobile Operators Executive Summit was that the new ‎service would enable cheaper download of several applications like mobile TV, video clips of films ‎and sports like cricket, education network gaming and entertainment; for hi-end users voice would ‎be cheaper on 3G. Even rural audience would have a margin of users for these services, the ‎experts emphasised.‎

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) member R. N. Prabhakar advised the operators to ‎use existing 2G networks to transmit 3G service also, to reduce costs enabling them with right ‎software. HSPA enabled networks would be able to handle 3G transmission. He assured mobile ‎customers that the regulator would keep a watch on the quality of service of 2G operation even as ‎networks move on to provide 3G services. He also added that initially premium customers will be ‎using 3G services and their experience will push the spreading of the services to the masses.‎

Mr. Avner Amran, Chief Operating Officer of leading 3G network provider TTI Telecom, a ‎worldwide company with comprehensive 3G network operator service solutions experience in ‎several continents likened the explosive growth of telecom in India as ‘more a kind of revolution ‎than evolution”. “Any operator going into 3G needs to prepare for the switching by advance ‎preparation of the potential customer and lining up adequate applications”, he told a select ‎audience at the summit organised by Bharat Exhibitions. “3G about to become from a dream to ‎reality” Bharat Exhibitions MD Mr. Shashi Dharan said emphasising the context of the event. The ‎‎3G auctions are expected to conclude by February.

The two public sector operators, BSNL and MTNL who have been providing 3G services for some ‎months now, enlightened the operators assembled with their own experience in the much hyped ‎‎3G domain. MTNL chief general manager wireless services Shri A. K. Bhargava pointed out how ‎the problem was not in technology itself but in ancillary services like billing and customer ‎management. “The customer does not care whether it is 3G or 2G; we have to educate him on ‎what benefits to expect from 3G.” MTNL had few customers to begin with but once the benefits ‎were explained “we had one lakh customers in just a month”. The higher tariff at the beginning ‎restricted usage but “when tariff came down, customer base multiplied”, he added. His view was ‎that “it was too early to talk of 3G services becoming popular with bottom of the pyramid ‎customers.” But for the service to be profitable, the customer search should include middle level ‎users as well as hi-end ones. The potential customers could be preselected from the existing ‎subscriber base and told about what 3G could mean to each one of them.‎

The MTNL executive suggested that operators must project 3G as a tool for enhancing efficiency, ‎productivity and as promoting a changed life style and not as a mere upgrade on 2G.‎

According to BSNL Principal General Manager for value added services, Mr. S. S. Sirohi, 3G would ‎be most popular with those who need to use internet while on the move. “Download is quick with ‎‎3G bandwidth” he pointed out taking a leaf out of his company’s offer of 3G services in the last few ‎months. Live TV would be most popular and also network games with 3G availability. Mr. Sirohi ‎advised the prospective operators to offer a bouquet of services on 3G different from the ones ‎they were so far offering on the 2G networks. “Opportunity for network games is enormous on 3G ‎networks. Thos bouquet of services would drive the quest for rising average revenue per user”. ‎Among other services that 3G would make popular would be family services like multi-media. ‎Operators should configure services before they begin to offer the higher bandwidth. Educate the ‎customer to discover that for many of the hi-end services, 3G base would be much cheaper for ‎him.‎

The experts also wanted the cost of handsets that can enable use of 3G, to be cheaper than what ‎they are today. “A handset costing Rs 5,000 may not be cheap by our standards” Mr. Bhargava ‎pointed out. “It should come down to Rs.3000 or even less.”‎

TTI Telecom GM for Asia, Mr. Tommy Quitt cautioned the operators that because of the richness of ‎services on 3G, they should watch the functioning of the network carefully. The problems that ‎customers would face could also be outside the network like application providers. So far as the ‎customers were concerned they would always go for the network service provider when they ‎confront the problems.‎