திங்கள், 2 மார்ச், 2020

Part-3
More on monopoly
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During 2010-11 there were 12 to 14 service providers in every
LSA (Licenced Service Area, normally a state).
Now in 2019-2020 there are hardly 3 to 4 players due to
cut throat competition. Ultimatey this may lead to
monopoly or duopoly.

Airtel has acquired Telenor.
Vodafne and Birla's Idea had merged in 2016.
Without merger Birla cant survive.
Sivasankaran's AIRCEL and Anil Ambani;s firms 
have been declared as insolvent. Acquisition, merger,insolvency etc
are the order of the day in Telecom.

Telecom industry's debt now is Rs 4 lakh crore.
ARPU per month is Rs 113 for the year 2018-19.
(ARPU Average Revenue Per User). ARPU has fallen down
steadily.

In such a deep rooted crisis, small and medium players
have no future in the industry. Once the industry was monopolised
by Government Telecom. Now it is the turn of a private player
to monopolise it.

Mukesh Ambani has entered into the fray with his Jio on 5th Sep 2016.
(வெண்கலக் கடையில் யானை புகுந்தது போல
Jio புகுந்தது). This date has become historical today.
The recent history of the industry is to be divided as Before Jio and
After Jio.

Jio has no basic spectrum. i.e, it has no 2G or 3G SPECTRUM.
It has only 4G LTE. (LTE is in between 3G and 4G and slightly
less than original 4G. Further Jio has no exclusive voice circuits.
It uses the data circuits and offers voice over the data circuits.
This technology is called VoLTE (Voice over LTE).
Clearly this technology  is (4G LTE and VoLTE) far superior
to the basic voice circuits used by other Telcos and Jio is able
to win over others and its overall subscriber base has unbelievably risen
and estimated to be 360 million now (2020);
Vodafone idea stands next to it with 330 million, Airtel third with
320 million and BSNL with 120 million.

BSNL staff unions suspect that there was a clandestine understanding
between Jio and TRAI which has closed her eyes towards all the unfair
trade practices played by Jio. The entire market was seriously disrupted
by Jio. The hitherto existing level playing field was shattered and there
was hardly no regulatory role played by TRAI. Within no time the
market was redistributed in favour of Jio. Of course BSNL was the
least affected but the other private players have paid a heavy price.
Jio has acquired 360 million subscribers within a period of 3 years.

However this fierce competition has benefited the ordinary user
who enjoys data at the cheapest price of Rs 8 per GB, the lowest
in the world. (This price is PRIOR to the Supreme Court verdict
of Oct 2019; thereafter the price is on the increase).

Now one can imagine what would happen if Jio is armed with
5G, convergence of services etc.
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(Contd)

  

 






  

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