Spendthrift Punjab is game for 3G telephony

As new players announce their entry,they already know where the money lies in Punjab. “Through the GSM mapping technology,we can reach the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers of cellphones and collect data on models being used by our users. So in Punjab,Patiala tops our list of 2G users who have 3G compatible handsets. As many as 55 per cent of our users in Patiala already have 3G compatible handsets and are likely to shift to 3G. Amritsar,Ludhiana and Jalandhar follow next. But in terms of our subscriber base,we are launching the service first in Chandigarh while Jalandhar and Ludhiana will be covered by December 2010,” RCom,regional head (north and west),Nilanjan Mukherjee,said.

While RCom,which has 13 per cent of 2G market share in Punjab,intends a phased launch in 200 cities of the country across 13 circles,including some from the state,Tata Docomo,the second player to have launched its 3G service last month in both Punjab and Haryana,says they have cherry-picked the best telecom circles in the country from the perspective of cumulative market potential for 3G services and the two states rank high in their list. “Overall,we will cover 51 per cent of Indian towns with a population of over a million and 60 per cent of towns that have over half-a-million people. Our footprint covers 55 per cent of households with an annual income of over Rs 3 lakh and 49 per cent of households,” Deepak Gulati,Executive President,Mobility Business Division,Tata Teleservices Limited ,said.

But the companies expect these figures to change sharply in the coming weeks as the service rolls out in more cities and towns. “With more people buying 3G-enabled handsets,their prices will fall and the service will become more price-competitive. In three months from now,there will be a huge number of people using 3G service and the subscriber base will see a major jump,” RCom’s Nilanjan Mukherjee said.

Aircel is the fourth player to be allotted 3G spectrum in Punjab and will be the next to launch the service. As for the biggest and oldest player in the state,BSNL says its subscriber base for 3G is increasing every month. “The figures are progressive and the state is a good market for 3G. There is potential for many more users and the numbers will jump up sharply in the months to come,” Paul said.