Attempts made by new entrants like Aircel to popularise the use of mobile internet have drawn attention to this particular communication platform. Aircel’s Pocket Internet offers mobile internet services at Rs 14 (for three days) and Rs 98 (for a month).
Other telecom players are actively considering more data packages. But why all this action when, according to data from the Internet & Mobile Association of India, only 4 per cent of the 36 million active internet users in India access the net over their cell phones once a month? The answer lies in the fact that, while these numbers are small, the usage of internet through cell phones has more than doubled from last year. But it’s only recently that serious mobile internet users began to realise that mobile data costs can get overwhelming.
One such user is Kushal Shah, the 25-year-old co-founder of Resorcetek Systems, who browses the internet on his Nokia E63. More than official mails, Shah uses mobile internet for personal mails, social networking and for booking movie tickets. Shah has opted for Vodafone’s Rs 499 monthly data plan, which does not include voice calls.
“You need a high-speed data plan on a smartphone. Now, if you exhaust your monthly data usage limit, be prepared to shell out an extra Rs 5 per MB of data exchanged,” he says. One bright side of paying a little more, according to Shah, is that he gets to use his handset as a data card when connected to a laptop. “I can connect my laptop to the internet and get connection speeds of up to 160 Kbps,” says Shah.
Still, with telecom operators launching data plans, especially for high-end devices like Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry, a consumer is forced to opt for a mobile internet service that’s expensive. Arwa Pande, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, had to opt for a data plan at Rs 499 a month to be able to use mobile internet on her iPhone.
“I was told that, with iPhone, I cannot avail any of the cheaper data plans that start at Rs 99,” she says. The result? Pande ends up paying upwards of Rs 1,500 per month, half of which goes as data charges. “Fixed data charges for specific smartphones can really inflate the bill. I end up paying something similar to the rate for a PC internet connection, where both the speed and user experience is much better,” she laments.
Telecom operator BSNL became an exception recently when it launched new data plans for existing users. It brought down its charges to 3 paise per 10 KB, even as most telcos continue to charge 10 paise per 10 KB. Dirk Lewis, a PR professional and Blackberry user, says his present enterprise plan from Airtel has made mobile internet usage costlier. Lewis pays Rs 1,000 per month (exclusive of voice calls) for the plan.
“Of this, Rs 899 is for free unlimited uploads and downloads and Rs 101 for voice services,” he says. “I use up to 25 MB in emails per month, which includes text emails as well as emails with attachments. If I calculate by the pay-per-use model of 10 paisa per 10 KB, then my bill should be around Rs 250 per month. Even after adding another Rs 250 for other data, I still end up paying an extra Rs 399,” he says.
Although telecom players like Tata DOCOMO, too, have launched GPRS-on-demand services for as low as Rs 5 per pack, they come with their own limitations. The plan allows data download of up to 10 MB and is valid for just one day.
