The Great Indian Telecom Tamasha

Indias telecom sector is perhaps the only industry, which closely resembles the overly dramatic soap operas that kept on running on our own idiot box. The evolving industry has all the ingredients of a daily drama be it romance, hatred, comedy, compromises, distrust and uncertainty. Just like the real soap operas, the telecom landscape is ever changing with numerous twists and turns keeping the thrill alive. (See IndiaWatch: Vodafone Challenges DoT, Readers' Survey: Telcos Disapprove Govt Interference, TRAI's Misplaced Data Revenue Theory, Rumor: Augere India In Trouble, 2G Verdict: An Easy Exit Route or Fresh Troubles? and A Disappointing Year!.)

It has all the makings of a national blockbuster saga with some key episodes ensuring constant viewer interest. The cancellation of 122 licenses by the Apex Court was one such twist in the tale which grabbed the attention of one and all. Then, the constant passing of buck in the spectrum auction saga added the much needed humour in the story. Not to forget the spectacular rise and fall of Aakash tablet controversy which would now be counted as one more failed venture of the Government. (See Aakash: This Sky Has Limits and DataWind Adds New Twist to Aakash Saga).

If you look closely, just like a daily sitcom, there is no end to any controversy. For instance, its hard to understand the way both Department of Telecommunications and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) functions. Given by the history of differences these bodies share, they can easily be described as the official Saas-Bahu of the industry with the industry being the proverbial suffering son as a result of the constant differences between the two. There is always a spat between these two important bodies whether its related to the cancellation of telecom licenses or imposing the controversial SMS limit for the subscribers.

Going by the history of scams and corrupt bureaucratic practices, the government clearly falls in the category of chief offender. The government has been consistently inconsistent in dilly dallying to resolve the issues being faced by the industry. Thanks to the typical way of bureaucratic think-tank, the focus is always more on setting up a new deadline instead of addressing the key challenges. It might be assumed that handling the enormous number of issues [whether its 2G, 3G or Raja Ji ] is not a cakewalk and hence requires a thorough consultation and debate.

Then there are some saviours who provided us few reasons to cheer! Several low cost device manufacturers launched their devices, giving a ray of hope to India's broadband dreams. Even though Mr Sibal's much hyped pet project Aakash only ended up as the joke of the town.(See Micromax Launches $128-Tablet In India, Tablets Get Hotter, Competition Intense and War Amongst the Locals?).

The days of hilarious and interesting sequences are far from over and there is enough meat to keep the audience hooked on to their seats. We, however are, still trying to figure out the director of this legendary epic. All suggestions are welcome.

Jatinder Singh, Principal Correspondent, Light Reading India