The existing trends make it clear that most Indians are going to access Internet through their mobile devices.
The release of additional spectrum in the relevant bands will contribute to affordability of services and harmonisation of spectrum will allow a lower-cost of device ecosystem to evolve.
“The year 2015 will see significant growth of mobile broadband in India—both in terms of active SIMs and revenue generation. Between now and 2020, the mobility in the country will be driven primarily by 3G and 4G based data services. Perhaps the ultimate vision of ‘Digital India’ will become a reality through networks riding on 3G and 4G,” says Nishant Batra, Vice-President-Engagement Practices, Ericsson India.
“In 2015 we will have a more clear visual of the ‘Networked Society’, where everything that can benefit from the connection will be connected, becoming mainstream in near future. It has started to happen in pockets already and will pick up, considerably, in the coming year.”
According to Gartner, the amount of time consumers spend on the Internet, whether via mobile phone, tablet or PC, will continue to increase. CSPs will focus on creating new pricing with a focus on data access, such as shared plans. They will also need to refine the services they already provide, with a focus on creating richer, more immersive and more personalised experience, to increase their customer numbers.
“Newer and faster networks, a rise in the number of users of these networks, and more affordable 3G handsets will lead to a significant change in the way people communicate. There will be an increase in the use of social media platforms, IM platforms, video calls etc. This is because these provide richer communication experience, are easy to use and sometimes provide other features like gaming etc,” Neha Gupta, Senior Research Analyst at Gartner
It is still early to say whether 4G will be a game changer for the telecom market in the country. The success of 4G will depend the quality and price of the services, and also on the price at which the 4G smartphones are available.
“Today the 3G services are still struggling to provide seamless connectivity across the nation. So we can only imagine how much time the 4G penetration will take. Those who have used 4G services in the past are often complaining about not getting 4G speed on their devices, even though they are paying a premium price for the 4G services,” says Asif Gani, Senior Consultant at AMI-Partner.