Non-metros enjoy 3 times better broadband service

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 15:58 IST   |    2 Comments
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Non-metros enjoy 3 times better broadband service
Chennai: The non-metro areas enjoy better broadband services than their metro counterparts. As per a study, the broadband service in the hinterlands of Tamil Nadu three times better than in the metro circles of Chennai and Bangalore. "This means that the existing infrastructure in the rest of Tamil Nadu (RoTN) circle can accommodate three times the number of broadband connections that they presently serve," said Prof Timothy A Gonsalves, IIT-Madras (IIT-M) told The Economic Times. The study conducted by the Telecommunications and computer Networks group (TeNeT) of IIT-M, revealed that broadband speeds in RoTN are nearly three times the advertised speeds. "In India, telecom regulation specifies that only minimum speeds can be advertised, as opposed to neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka where it is possible for ISPs to advertise maximum speeds," Prof Gonsalves said. The areas deliver quality better service for both national as well as international servers. The study was conducted to test on broadband quality of service in Chennai and RoTN circles as part of a project by Asian telecom policy thinktank LIRNEasia. The tests were carried out at various timings during the day, on different days of the week, thereby eliminating any speed discrepancies based on time. The study also nullified the common perception that poor broadband penetration in non-metros is due to the lack of economic viability for building infrastructure. The existing infrastructure, rather, can accommodate thrice as many current subscribers in the circle.