On 09/07/06 15:35 +0530, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote: <snip>
VOIP market is already open and available to you to use. The reason why
False. I still can't VoIP to my parents.
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You are already allowed to sell voip minutes and voip services in India. There are many VOIP providers here and you can call US, Canada and some European numbers through VOIP. What is not alllowed stilll is to connect the VOIP connection through your EPBX board to another external phone line. In fact, you are even allowed to connect a voip line to your internetal intercom network in the office. But the same network can not connect to a land line network in India.
Unless you are a telco. Hence, the VoIP market is not open. If you have seen the Skype call charges, they aren't dependent on distance at all. Only to where you call.
The reason for this restriction is that the landline and cell operators in India have to pay a license fees, ADC and ESO fees which the VOIP operators naturally do not have to pay. If you allow these VOIP players to interconnect freely into the local landline and cell network, it removes the playing field. That is not correct.
Sucks. They could always refund/reduce the license and ADC costs.
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10 years from 1996. The line is open from 2006 end.
directly to Reliance and Bharati. The matter is in court, but unfortunately by the time the court decides the matter, the agreement will not longer be valid.
The matter in court is wrt Reliance getting bandwidth *now*. VSNL is simply not granting them access till year end.
Reliance is smart. They got the fiber at throw-away prices. With that pricing, they can wait for looooong time for the market and demand to rise and then benefit from it. Too much under-sea fiber was laid down due to easy funding during the internet boom and all on some really stupid and exegarated expectation of growth in video and interactive tv demand ACROSS CONTINENTS !!!.
The voice monopoly is already gone. You can now buy international voice lines (Called IPLC) from anyone who is ready to sell to you. That is how
IPLC == International Private Leased Circuit. It has nothing to do with voice.
bharti was able to set up its own landing station on the east coast. Reliance is also doing it, but is stuck on account of the old FLAG Agreement. I hear they went ahead and built the new landing station anyway assuring the court that they will pay the compensation if the decision goes against them (not sure if that is true). But voice is more profitable, they will not risk that with data.
Globally, data is becoming more profitable than voice. Oh, and voice *is* data.
Devdas Bhagat