160 Mbps Broadband in Japan

[sashas]

Read this story in the New York Times about a Japanese company offering a 160 Mbps connection.

Apparently, the company had to invest just $20 per home to upgrade their network to 160 mbps.

They charge about $60 for the 160 mbps connection - just around Rs. 3000.


Reading things like this makes my blood boil. We try and call ourselves an IT superpower, but the most speed we can give our customers is 2 mbps, and that too with ridiculous download limits.

I currently use a 256 kbps unlimited connection. That's just 0.25 mbps. 0.25 vs 160 mbps...that is such a world of difference.



We dearly, dearly need a broadband revolution in this country. Some of us make our living working on the internet. With the kind of speeds we're offered here, no wonder there haven't been any major entrepreneurs who're actually based in India.

 

[phoenixankit]

Shit. We really need to do something about this.

 

[nuclearrambo]

we just talk, theres no action. My way --> Send letter(written), send emails, call the officers, spread the word so that more people join in.By sending letters non-stop to the TRAI and DoT will make them realise that the people in this country are not dead. Each on of us send as many postcards as they can expressing our grief and the need for good broadband. Send letters to the politicians, to ward officers. We should not give them rest until they fulfil our demands. Thats how we must act i feel.

 

[sashas]

we just talk, theres no action.

My way --> Send letter(written), send emails, call the officers, spread the word so that more people join in.
By sending letters non-stop to the TRAI and DoT will make them realise that the people in this country are not dead. Each on of us send as many postcards as they can expressing our grief and the need for good broadband. Send letters to the politicians, to ward officers.
We should not give them rest until they fulfil our demands. Thats how we must act i feel.

Exactly. If companies like Airtel could bring the mobile revolution in India, they could also certainly bring a broadband revolution.

I've already written to Airtel and MTNL once each, and plan to write more in the future.

 

[slash84]

We try and call ourselves an IT superpower

Correction! We are IT software superpower, not the whole IT. We can perhaps write the best softwares to count the bandwidth that each customer uses and keep sending them threatening emails when they supposedly abuse the system.

 

[sashas]

Correction! We are IT software superpower, not the whole IT. We can perhaps write the best softwares to count the bandwidth that each customer uses and keep sending them threatening emails when they supposedly abuse the system.

Even our "IT Superpower" status is built on shaky foundations: our superpower status is built on "them" (i.e., Americans, Europeans, etc.) asking us to build software for them.

I can't remember the last time I used a piece of software that was made by an Indian company based in India.

 

[slash84]

Even our "IT Superpower" status is built on shaky foundations: our superpower status is built on "them" (i.e., Americans, Europeans, etc.) asking us to build software for them.

I can't remember the last time I used a piece of software that was made by an Indian company based in India.

Thats the problem, no indian company advertises and claims the software to be theirs. They do that just in case they want to attract new clients. Believe it or not, many of the iPhone softwares and games are developed at a small company called Robosoft in Udupi, Karnataka. And they are making stupendous profits because of that! Do they advertise themselves? They dont need to.

And when software development is outsourced, India just codes and gets paid, doesnt get credit for it.

 

[sachins]

We could have used this recession as an advantage to build domestic trade. Were making enough FMCG for ourselves but were importing too many electronic goods from outside. We lack entrepreneurship. We need indian companies to make indigenous hi-quality motherboards, rams, lcds, mobile phones right here in india instead of approaching other countries. Demand is already there.

 

[sashas]

Thats the problem, no indian company advertises and claims the software to be theirs. They do that just in case they want to attract new clients. Believe it or not, many of the iPhone softwares and games are developed at a small company called Robosoft in Udupi, Karnataka. And they are making stupendous profits because of that! Do they advertise themselves? They dont need to.

And when software development is outsourced, India just codes and gets paid, doesnt get credit for it.

I know. That's the entire problem - we make their software, and they get the credit. I can count at least half a dozen Indian names in the opening credits of Adobe Photoshop (easily one of the finest software ever created). At least half a dozen Indians are the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world (Motorola, Citi, Pepsi, etc.). Microsoft is practically built by Indians, and the silicon valley is full of Indian entrepreneurs.

But none of them live in India. Consequently, India doesn't get the credit.

We could have used this recession as an advantage to build domestic trade. Were making enough FMCG for ourselves but were importing too many electronic goods from outside. We lack entrepreneurship. We need indian companies to make indigenous hi-quality motherboards, rams, lcds, mobile phones right here in india instead of approaching other countries. Demand is already there.

How hard do you think it would be to be an Indian entrepreneur? I make my living on the internet, and have been trying to work up a large web project. But with the kind of infrastructure we have in this country, being an entrepreneur is really, really hard. Add to that archaic laws and our bribe culture, and I can see why most entrepreneurs are turned off by India.

 

[nuclearrambo]

this is going nowhere again as usual.