US Broadband Hit With Indian ISP Madbug

While reading this article about AT&T decision to introduce usage-based pricing, I couldn’t stop thinking if the American ISPs were hit by the same bug which Indian ISPs have been infected with. And its not just AT&T, previously Time Warner and then Comcast made similar claims that charging customer who use more bandwidth will help ease pressure on other customers. And for the record, we in India never know what “real” unlimited broadband means.

If you think like a communist, probably what the US ISPs are doing is correct. Obviously due to a lot of usage from some users, the network feels the pinch and congestion results in low speeds for a few users. You would think that these customers should be charged more because they are using more than others. But the deal in the first place suggests “unlimited” broadband access. You opted for a service that meant you can use the internet as much as you want. Why would you suffer if someone else is using less, its not your problem!!

We have had a similar issue in India with ISPs not offering such “unlimited” broadband services. There is always a data cap, above which more bucks have to put on the table depending on how much you’ve used. The point of such “caps” is to make users use less of the network. But then shouldn’t the ISPs improve the network first before getting more subscribers. Shouldn’t they first upgrade the networks, provide good service and then increase their charges. Wolfang Gruener (TGDaily) puts forth his experience with broadband in the US and his opinion on this usage-based pricing. I have to say, its the Indian ISP bug which has hit the American ISPs. I have received letters from my ISP (Hathway Broadband) twice earlier that I’ve been downloading too much on my 256Kbps unlimited broadband connection. How much more can you download on a connection that works at 150Kbps, when the advertised speed is 256Kbps??

AT&T today said, “a form of usage-based pricing for those customers who have abnormally high usage patterns is inevitable…” I had received nearly the same quote from my ISP. Comcast on the other hand said that it will give “delayed response times for Internet traffic only for those customers who are using more than their fair share of available Internet resources at the time.” Comcast then added that “most customers will notice little to no change in their Internet experience when the new network management technique is working”… Its interesting to note, how the ISPs are playing with words to say that they don’t want to provide good service.

India and US are big markets and both the countries have great software/services sector. India is growing into a big online market and online services and applications require good broadband connections. Democracies are good places where government can get in and listen to the customer needs… Hope some politician can medicate the ISPs from this madbug!!

Microsoft Wants Testers For Games

Microsoft is announcing to its current group of testers on Microsoft Connect that it wants people who will be able to test games from Microsoft Games Studio. And they are not just wanting hardcore gamers, but everyone and anyone who is interested in gaming. Microsoft Games Studio is looking for testers on a wide variety of plaforms like XBox 360, PC, Zunes and even mobile phones.

Microsoft's email states:

Dear Microsoft Game Studios Beta Tester,
We are gearing up for a year of great betas. To prepare for these upcoming betas we have a new survey on the beta website. Please follow this link to access the new survey: Survey. We will be using this new survey to select participants for our betas. If you do not complete this new survey, you will not be able to participate! But don't worry, the survey is quick and painless.

Remember, we are always looking for all types of game players. Whether you play once a year or every day, whether you pre-order the latest consoles or wouldn't think of paying for a game - we want feedback from you! If you know of someone who would be interested in participating in the Microsoft Game Studios Beta program, please feel free to forward this mail or direct them to: http://connect.microsoft.com/mgsbetas.

Questions? Please contact: Microsoft Games Studios Beta Program Administrator
Thanks!

This is an opporunity for a lot of people who like playing games and want to make some contribution by giving their views to games in the future from Microsoft. It will also give a sneek peek on Microsoft Games. Good for guys who have a XBOX 360 Live account!!

Tata Indicom Launches 1Mbps Unlimited Plan

A few days back saw a CNN/IBN report, about the woes of a Tata Indicom customer. Big downtimes, slow browsing speed, bad customer suppor etc... I have found their service pretty good at a few places and their wireless datacard seems to be pretty good in Mumbai.

Just found out just now that Tata Indicom have launched their 1Mbps Unlimited Plan. In India, broadband is just about high-speeds with data caps and you have 2Mbps plans with a download limit of 1Gb a month. Its like giving someone a F1 car, but then limiting the speed to 20km/hr.

But Tata Indicom plans to change that. They have started something which other ISP have not even thought of. 512Kbps plans are also such a rare thing in India, that giving a 1Mbps unlimited connection is unthinkable. They will be charging Rs. 3600/- a month, which seems to be quite a lot, but atleast its a start. As time goes on, I think we will have other companies with similar plans and the price will go down then!! Good work Tata Indicom/VSNL... Just take care of the service now...

Wimax May Not Be The Future Broadband For India

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of India declared 2007 as the year of broadband internet and promised broadband access to majority of Indians. BSNL played a major role as a government company to fulfill this promise. It started 2Mbps plans at a value price and this led private players to become more competitive. But all this is history!!

Scenario:
India has cleared the spectrum for Wimax (read more on Wimax) and it seems India is banking on Wimax to reach its 20million target by 2010. But the problem is not in the technology for Wimax. Its an excellent long range and efficient wireless internet technology. It has coverage of 30miles from the tower and offers speed as much as ADSL modems provide.

The problem:
Broadband in India is very different from countries like US, U.K, Japan. In these countries, broadband access means unlimited downloads and faster access needed for video streaming and conferencing. But in India, unlimited data usage is something that's unavailable at higher speeds. No ISP provides unlimited access at speeds of 512Kbps at an acceptable price. There are night unlimited plans (8-10hrs), but then what about the day time?? Hathway's (a DOCSIS cable ISP) in Mumbai provides night unlimited at 512Kbps, but with a lot of users using this plan, speeds have dropped to less than 128Kbps during the night hours. Its been close to 2 months now that the speeds have dropped, so it seems unless someone sues Hathway for slow speeds, they are not going to buy some more bandwidth for its users.

Without unlimited data connection does broadband make sense?? Yes, it does for people who access in the internet for a short duration and want quick work done. But for the majority, the speed improvement means more work can be done. So any broadband connection should mean unlimited data usage atleast at 512Kbps speeds. If you don't think its required, try viewing 10 youtube videos per day, and you'll realize how much data access you need.

Even if Wimax is deployed by major ISPs, the biggest hinderance is going to be price and data usage. There are very less chances that Wimax will be cheaper in cities where already the ISPs have invested in wired networks. The major application for Wimax should be in places where wired network hasn't been laid down or where its costlier to maintain wired networks. But, for its success UNLIMITED DATA access is of utmost importance!!