Mobile Internet Goes Sachet Pack Mode - Will It Revolutionize Mobile Internet?
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The sachet is one product in India thats done wonders for the shampoo business. I guess when it comes to India small is powerful. Even the cola guys built their sales on the chota cola/coke/pepsi. Now the same funda is being applied to the mobile internet. Most people would agree the future of internet is mobile and adoption of the same is key. The validation would be the fact that mobile advertising startups are getting funded in India and international players are launching their mobile advertising products here.
So what is this chota or sachet size mobile internet?
According to this article July Systems, a provider of ‘Mi’ branded live mobile internet channels, has partnered with NDTV Convergence to launch Mi SMS, which is a mobile internet information service specifically created for the Indian market. What happens is a user sends an sms say ‘MiNEWS’, ‘MiCRI’, or ‘MiSTO’ to the NDTV short code 56388. They will receive a link that connects to the mobile internet for detailed multimedia content. News with images and video, cricket scores with auto refreshing ball-by-ball commentary, stock quotes with symbols, graphs and company news can be browsed.
So ineffect one doesn’t need to go online and surf and search and can send an sms and get related content! The above service has been termed as sachet mobile internet though Id beg to disagree.. Here’s why..
Whats lacking in this?
Well whats lacking in the above model is the fine print.. The service requires mobile internet (also known as WAP, GPRS, Data, etc) service to be activated on a mobile phone. Well sachet mobile internet would be really sachet when I get a link on for that link I can browse the internet on my mobile for that moment and im charged for the access only and not an activation charge! So gprs activation for day or for specific information and a nominal cost for the same. Im pretty sure its possible if tied in with the operators. What it would also do is increase adoption to mobile internet in a big way. Im sure someone out there would be working on such a model and will be waiting for the mobile internet to go reall sachet in the real sense as I believe it would revolutionize.
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Hi Rajiv
Mobile internet is currently sachet based only esp for the prepaid subscribers which form 85% of the base. The operator charges 10p/10kb and there are no activation charges.
In the above model, a user has to pay an upfront fee of Rs 3 (sms to 56388) for information that can be searched for free. Now how many Indians would pay a “search” cost for “free” information is a question that they need to answer.
Hi Sameer,
Beg to disagree with you. Its essentially a ‘pricing option’ that you are talking about for consuming services.
Rajiv: I will take the thought on ’sachet mobile internet’ to the other level and ask - is it possible to get sorta ‘pre-paid’ cards from the market, which will have a code. I dial on that code to get access to internet for a specific time / download (unrestricted - not specific to any site / content). That to my mind will be sachet mobile internet.
And interesting thought there when you say - ’small is powerful’. India is on the cusp of evolving from a ‘price sensitive’ market to a ‘value conscious market’. Going forward any ’size / volume’ in India is going to be powerful if it clearly shows and delivers ‘value’