With a turnover of Rs.100,000 crore annually, Value Added Services are expected to become a huge industry by 2020, emerged at a VAS conference. Â
While inaugurating the conference, the Department of Telecom Secretary, P. J. Thomas, promised that over 2.5 lakh villages would be connected to wireless broadband and 3G by 2012 enabling them to access the whole range of value-added services. The entire lot of panchayats would be connected through optical fibre and computers providing them broadband services, he revealed.
Revealing the technology of micro-charging that was emerging, OnMobile Chairman & CEO, Arvind Rao, described how it would enable customers to enjoy short clips, film reviews and entertainment, and interactivity on a scale never imagined earlier. Â Farmers could raise and find answers to immediate problems. Â However, the industry would have to resolve problems like revenue sharing between the telcos, content providers and technology vendors. There should be a close cooperation between handset makers and VAS for this scenario to unfold to its full extent.
"We have an opportunity to transform the world," said Airtel Vice-President for Marketing & Business Head Rakesh Mahajan, detailing how his company was going to use its recently acquired 3G airwaves to enrich customer experience. Â However, he suggested that telecom operators should aim at providing sustainable value in VAS and not just rich customer experience. He projected cross-industry, cross-community services to arrive on the back of 3G airwaves.
