Simply MTS Can Not Leave Voice Market

Recently I posted a story on Telecomtalk.info with a title of MTS Plans to Shut Down Voice Services, Our Take, as it was hinted by Cheenu Seshadri, Chief Operating Officer-South & West Region at MTS in an interview with Light Reading.

Last year he also had another interview with the Hindu, where he expressed his love for data, as he quotes: 'Our strategy is data, data and data'. 


Whoops! we know that data is the future, but right now you can not ignore voice. Though I explained on the post why, I am making it here simple and point wise to better understanding.


1. Even 4G player Reliance Infotel is looking for voice partners, so leaving voice can be suicidal. Even in rural areas there are hugh scope of market tapping, with CDMA 800 MHz spectrum MTS can reach the rural masses with cheapest handsets and special rural plans.


2. Data services from MTS (MBlaze) is still costly, so they can not have more users like they have on voice segment.

3. With less subscribers they can not have more spectrum. Currently they have only 2.5 MHz spectrum. With more subscribers they can have upto 5 MHz spectrum without any pay. Read more Economics Times that SSTL asks for more spectrum in certain circles.

4. With 2.5 MHz spectrum, they can offer maximum 9.8 Mbit/s downlink with EVDO Revision B- Phase II rollout. But if they can have 5 MHz (= 4 x 1.25 MHz carrier) spectrum they can offer 19.6 Mbit/s (4.9Mbit/s x 4) which can beat the 3G GSM players very very badly as their advertisement of 21 Mbit/s is just a bullshit!

5. India favours GSM for voice and CDMA for data - that is why CDMA is eroding. In some circles MTS can go for no-voice & only-data services. But frankly it simply harms the users. And it also hits the fact that CDMA does not offer much freedom like GSM does. One RUIM of MTS if can be used on mobile or modem or tablet/laptop for voice/sms/data will be the best thing!

So to turn into a data-only provider is not just distant future, it is distant dream! The thoughts of Cheenu can be very personal which is ground-&-sky different from company's policy!

Later on Telecomtalk the story had been edited few times, and final title ends in - 'MTS Remains Committed To Its Data Focused Voice Enabled Strategy' as I got the mail from MTS Team with some quick facts supporting company's vision of data-focused, voice-enabled servcies.