[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by vigneshnr

Samsung had launched 4G variants in the US in their popular models - Galaxy note / SII few months back.
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 4G LTE available now | Android Community
I believe many other brands would have such subsidised offers.

The way network providers and mobile handset makers join hands to make the deal lucrative. The Samsung Note with Contract comes to 15k ($299) which is less than half the current price of the model in India.

Operators do such deals only with iphone.. no idea why they don't do with other brands like HTC, LG, Samsung etc. Any expert here to throw some light ?.

With the advent of 4G in India, I wonder whether we would see such deals here. This would help in popularising the service on one side. And on the other side I would be happy to upgrade

Subsidized phones are more expensive on the long run.The samsung note with contract may be 299$. but the contract also locks you to a 30-40$ per month package for two years.


MTS tried contract phones. They gave the HTC aria which is an entry level android that cost around ~8k for free with a one year contract. they locked you to a 1.5k per month package. so ultimately the phone would cost you 1.5k * 12 = 18K. Sure they bundled in free minutes and SMS but you still ended up paying waaay more than the market price for the phone

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

Subsidized phones are more expensive on the long run.The samsung note with contract may be 299$. but the contract also locks you to a 30-40$ per month package for two years.


MTS tried contract phones. They gave the HTC aria which is an entry level android that cost around ~8k for free with a one year contract. they locked you to a 1.5k per month package. so ultimately the phone would cost you 1.5k * 12 = 18K. Sure they bundled in free minutes and SMS but you still ended up paying waaay more than the market price for the phone

But I see value in taking such deals if I'm planning to buy a high-end phone. Say, If I have to shell out 30k for handset and 1.5k for monthly charges then I would be better off going for lock-ins as I would save on the handset price.
With 4G/3G I would be prepared pay for the data plans

May be in low priced phones deals don't sound lucrative - I agree to the case you quoted.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by vigneshnr

But I see value in taking such deals if I'm planning to buy a high-end phone. Say, If I have to shell out 30k for handset and 1.5k for monthly charges then I would be better off going for lock-ins as I would save on the handset price.
With 4G/3G I would be prepared pay for the data plans

May be in low priced phones deals don't sound lucrative - I agree to the case you quoted.

With high end phones your lock in period will be longer and monthly charges will also be correspondingly higher. Even in the US people prefer to buy fully unlocked phones for this one reason alone.

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

With high end phones your lock in period will be longer and monthly charges will also be correspondingly higher. Even in the US people prefer to buy fully unlocked phones for this one reason alone.

That's interesting - I was not aware.
Here in India, iphones are available with 2 year term which I think is 'acceptable length of time' to start with.
If this is the benchmark, then rest of the deals have to be 'at par' or below.

But IMHO If many operators and makers participate, the economics will benefit both the user and the providers.

[Bluengel180]

Same logic. High end phone wont be fully subsidised and will have a higher monthly rental. If you think that paying in installments works for you (and mostly will work for most people) go for it. But the cost of the handset is fully recovered during the contract period and you will end up paying much more than the market price.Telecom companies work for profit not social service.

Lets take a high end phone. the galaxy note for example and compare what you pay.

A unlocked galaxy note costs 580$

Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16GB Unlocked Android Smartphone - Dark Blue: Cell Phones & Accessories


And the "subsidized" galaxy not will costs 299$BUT it also comes with a two year contract with the minimum package adding up to 60$ per month

Get Started - from AT&T


So in two years you'll end up paying 299$ + 60$*24 = 1739$ .

So an even when you add up the usage costs a non-subsidized phone will add up to around half that amount. because on contract phones you don't have flexibility in plan costs and you have to cough up whatever they charge.


Anyway this is off topic. but i was just clarifying my statement .

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by vigneshnr

Here in India, iphones are available with 2 year term which I think is 'acceptable length of time' to start with.

See that's the thing, a 2 year term is extremely long for someone like me because I change handsets every 6 - 8 months.

Originally Posted by vigneshnr

But IMHO If many operators and makers participate, the economics will benefit both the user and the providers.

Till date I have never found a scheme which will benefit both. The operator/provider linked schemes only benefit them, not the user.

Edit: Blueangel180 has explained it well in the above post..

[itwasntme]

I would ne very very careful in blindly buying a US LTE phone and hoping to use it in India.

LTE is 'evolving' differently (pun intended) across the world and for example, US LTE is NOT compatible with OZ LTE. Apple has recently offered to refund OZ buyers of the new iPad as their 4G is not compatible with the Apple LTE chipset.

Unless India's LTE technical specs are an EXACT match with US LTE, it's far better to wait and buy in India itself.

[sgiitk]

I am not surprised that Samsung have launched their 4G models. Taking into account the caveat of US/non-US specs they should be the first. imho the real benefit of 4G will be in tablets, laptops and the like.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

imho the real benefit of 4G will be in tablets, laptops and the like.

And for media streaming on smartphones

[Rahulkool]

They should at try and improve their 3G connection first. 3G signals are really poor, at least in chennai.

[Mr_Bean]

4G phone are big & quite heavy, a good example being the samsung galaxy note. It is not a mere software change in a existing 3G phone, hence it would require new hardware to support the modulation schemes. 4G technology has removed many bottlenecks in the existing mobile networks, and from a service, architecture front it is much closer to the IP world. In the long run the 4G service has to get cheaper like the wired technology Ethernet. 4G phone will support back compatibility, it can receive signals over 3G and 2G also.


HSPA, HSPA+ is referred to as Turbo 3G. I find this more than enough for streaming & conferencing. In India, operators should look at improving the existing 3G connectivity rather than introducing 4G.

3G services are equally expensive outside India, I pay 49 euros/month here in France on a 2-year plan for HSPA connection with good speeds up to 1GB and low flow beyond that.

One may find many offers on the internet citing low cost for 3G service but their quality of service degrades after a fixed data usage of say 1-2 GB.

[Bluengel180]

That is my main grip with the so called "faster" technology.Airtel's minimum monthly plan costs 1000INR which only gives you 6GB of data at 4G speeds (if you are lucky) and after that they lower it to 128kpbs. which is lower than EDGE

[akshayasok]

Has anyone already tried the 4G connection in Kolkata yet? Apparently 4G services will launch in Bangalore within a month and I am seriously thinking about getting a dongle. They do cost about 7grand a pop though!!

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

They should at try and improve their 3G connection first. 3G signals are really poor, at least in chennai.

I have been using Airtel 3G in Chennai for almost a year now. My experience has so far been really great. Touch wood!

Here's a screen shot of the speeds I have been getting over the last couple of months on my Airtel 3G! (Save, the last entry)

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Here's a screen shot of the speeds I have been getting over the last couple of months on my Airtel 3G! (Save, the last entry)

I am also getting similar speeds, given i am in 3G network. But as soon as you go little away from city, 3G signal drops and it goes in edge mode. you go to any building basement in city and signal will drop. Thats what annoys me.