Re: "Free" WiFi in Delhi

Dear all,

I was really sad to notice that this e-mail thread and the previous one as
well were full of personal attacks, innuendos, etc. and attempts to
discredit persons rather than discussing issues.

I think we all need to recognise the following truths:

- there is no "free lunch":
       - so in India, there will be lobbyist and they do play a role in the
society.
       - the "free" wifi will not be free; there has to be some revenue
generation from somewhere (even government has to raise money via tax); so
a business model is required and regulatory oversight as to who can use the
infrastructure and provide what service; at the end of the day someone pays
be that be advertisers or whoever.

- technically/politically I do not see "free wifi" in any licensed bands,
specially if it is off-the-shelf technology for wireless interface which
will needs to be 802.11n (?) since most devices (laptops/smartphones/... )
the users will have will be using this standard

- the issue then become that of totaltraffic and Delhi (most metros in
India) are highly densely populated and so you need either many micro/pico
cells or limit what user can have

- the backhaul in delhi will be a problem; I do not see anybody digging up
roads to put in optical fibres for "free wifi" so that is being used? The
legacy copper cables? ie experiences of USA or other countries will not
help in India, specially Delhi which has its unique challenges!

- I do not believe 4G (LTE) roll out will be impacted by this "free wifi".
$G provides bigger pipe (and so more traffic capacity) and this is needed
in Delhi regardless of "free wifi". The mobile subscribers will need more
data throughputs and 4G does not necessarily require new spectrum - it can
operate on 2G/3G spectrum - the issue will be regulatory/political and not
technical.

- Again, IMHO, there is lot of confusion about "net neutrality" and "OTT"
services (incl. OTT on "free wifi").

May I hope that we would discuss issues rather than personalities and how
India is being hijacked by dark evil forces?

Thanks and with best wishes,
Kirit

Per



On 27 April 2015 at 08:31, Nikhil Pahwa <[email protected]> wrote:

> Udhay: that is correct. As far as I am concerned, that limit has already
> been crossed. I don't need to defend myself, and I won't. I have enough to
> deal with as it is, without random unsubstantiated allegations being
> consistently hurled at me, and my integrity being questioned. I will
> address a few points made, though:
>
> 1. On the post: On the point about my writing that post on what the model
> should be: it was written before I was asked to become a part of the task
> force. The discussions on the task force are many levels deeper, and there
> is nothing for me to write until a decision is taken. I've also asked my
> team at medianama to write independently, should they choose to, and they
> have the freedom to criticise me or the committee's decisions. That's how
> we operate at medianama.
> 2. On political affiliations: I'm not affiliated with the AAP, and I
> prefer not to associate myself with any political party or entity because I
> value the freedom I have to comment and criticise, without any affiliation.
> I'm open to any government that asks me to help formulate better policy,
> and I'll do my best.
> 3. On savetheinternet.in: Some of those here might not agree with what
> we're doing with savetheinternet.in, and that is fine. We're doing what
> we can because of a point of view that we have. We've created an abridged
> version of the TRAI paper, put up FAQs, answered questions, participated in
> debates. We've educated people, and created tools for participation. You
> may disagree with the methods, the stand we've taken, who has been a part
> of it and who hasn't, but don't get personal or hurl random accusations
> without substantiation. If you're looking to find a conspiracy theory in
> everything everyone does, you will find one, but it will remain just a
> conspiracy theory when it comes to whatever I do, because there is no
> ulterior motive.
>
> I'm happy to learn from the discussions here, but I'm no longer interested
> in adding to the discussions, and am going back into lurker mode, which I
> have been in for many years. If there are any more accusations and personal
> attacks, then I'm out. Some on this list can hurl all the weird accusations
> they want. I'd prefer to spend my energy moving forward and getting things
> done, rather than keep defending and clarifying unsubstantiated (and
> unsubstantiable) accusations.
>
> Sarbajit,
> in case you have any questions regarding the committee, its members, its
> appointment or its functioning, please take it up with the government when
> you attend the Dept of IT meetings. I joined because they asked me to join.
>
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 6:55 AM, Udhay Shankar N <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 10:56 PM, sarbajit roy <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> BTW, if this is the monopolistic model AAP proposes to accept, and
>>> since I can't find anything different from Nikhil Pahwa in Medianama
>>> subsequent to this article,  I wonder how ethical it is a) for GoNCTD
>>> to hold consultations? b) for Nikhil to be a part of the task force ?
>>>
>>> The silence is deafening.
>>>
>>
>> ​Although I cannot speak for the people you are attempting to browbeat, I
>> would suspect it is because of your hectoring and accusatory tone that
>> you're being lumped into the 'random troll' bucket and being ignored.​
>>
>> ​As Suresh said earlier, this is in the "have you stopped beating your
>> wife?" category of question.​
>>
>> ​I would also point out that you're skating quite close to the limits of
>> what is an acceptable​ mode of interaction on this list. A word to the wise.
>>
>> Udhay, wearing the admin hat.
>>
>> --
>>
>> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
>>
>>
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>
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