Airtel FB pack live now.. cheers?

Spacescreamer

Spacescreamer

ex-Mod
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http://www.airtel.in/forme/whats-new/facebook-pack

'Free' data.. Pay Rs 7/-
Validity - 7 days
Max Limit - 21 Mb
 
Last edited:
7 days ?

the cheapest 3g pack is Rs.9 and its only valid for 24 hrs with 25MB.

Saw similar pricing with whatsapp pack too.

Much cheaper isn't it. If that's all you need on your mobile :)
 
To stretch an argument further, even this technically violates the net neutrality principle, doesn't it?
So how come no one complaining about this?
 
superczar said:
To stretch an argument further, even this technically violates the net neutrality principle, doesn't it? So how come no one complaining about this?
Click to expand...

1) Pls shed some light here.. Where have i even hinted that this is violating net neutrality?
The point of this thread is that this is just the harbinger. Slicing up the internet like a melon and offering it to the consumer.

Take a look at the language used. Free data and browsing.
Now, true to Airtel's way, 'Free' data is available after paying for.
Then, the data is not unlimited either, you have a cap on it.

Using words like free data, free browsing.. pay for it and then browse. Purchase o when the pack expires.
What exactly is free here? It is just something which ll only be light on the pocket.


2) Since you are willing to go the way to needle out a reply, i ll stick my neck out and say that yes this is going to violate net neutrality.

Let's say you are on a data plan already, and activate this facebook pack as well. The data while accessing the FB content will be counted from this pack. Any other data will be deducted from the regular internet pack of yours. This in itself is going against the principal of net neutrality: Treating data differently.

3) Lastly, how come you are so sure people are not protesting it?
 
Spacescreamer said:
1) Pls shed some light here.. Where have i even hinted that this is violating net neutrality?
The point of this thread is that this is just the harbinger. Slicing up the internet like a melon and offering it to the consumer.
Click to expand...
You aren't and that exactly what my point was
Offering FB access at a lower rate than regular net technically violates NN the same way as offering free access (zero rate) to select portals

The point I was trying to make was that while I fully support NN if and when a Telco tries to throttle/charges more than regular rates for a particular service/traffic class (negative discrimination )
However, cases such as airtel zero (or this for that matter) while still falling in theory as a violation of NN, I personally have no issues with that

Take a look at the language used. Free data and browsing.
Now, true to Airtel's way, 'Free' data is available after paying for.
Then, the data is not unlimited either, you have a cap on it.
Click to expand...
That's just marketing speak man written by copywriters
 
superczar said:
You aren't and that exactly what my point was
Offering FB access at a lower rate than regular net technically violates NN the same way as offering free access (zero rate) to select portals

The point I was trying to make was that while I fully support NN if and when a Telco tries to throttle/charges more than regular rates for a particular service/traffic class (negative discrimination )
However, cases such as airtel zero (or this for that matter) while still falling in theory as a violation of NN, I personally have no issues with that


That's just marketing speak man written by copywriters
Click to expand...

You need to have a long term view of the situation. Right now your point of view is very skewed to short term gains. Airtel will use it to it's advantage to force other big companies to follow suit.

And no this pack is not the cheapest. There are many 3g packs available at varying price points along with combo packs that would get much cheaper as you go higher up in the plan.

Secondly, marketing doesn't mean that you spread rumours or tell lies. This is pure fraud as representing facts wrongly. You can be sued for that kind of language in your advertisement. Unfortunately, in India these kind of litigation are limited.
In other contries like USA. You can not say anything like that. Because you would definitely get sued for huge sum of money.
 
Ideally they should not be "seeing" and categorizing on a singular consumer's quantum usage. The forerunner to this will be, obviously:

Unbundling and charging for (some example):

1. P2p.
2. Mails.
3. FB.
4. Twitter.
5. FK.
6. Amazon.
7. WhatsApp

They are basically going to break the usage into various components and monetize this. Like how it is done for: SMS/caller tunes/voice. They are can takeing end-point and tax the data lanes as they deem fit. This is exactly what this package is doing. I do not care if it is NN compatible or not, but it is a bad trend. FUP-TEL is a rogue organization, and has a habit of standardizing bad-practices, to industrial norms.
 
superczar said:
You aren't and that exactly what my point was
Offering FB access at a lower rate than regular net technically violates NN the same way as offering free access (zero rate) to select portals

The point I was trying to make was that while I fully support NN if and when a Telco tries to throttle/charges more than regular rates for a particular service/traffic class (negative discrimination )
However, cases such as airtel zero (or this for that matter) while still falling in theory as a violation of NN, I personally have no issues with that
Click to expand...

I don't really think most people even care about net neutrality in its true sense. What they actually care about is the long term impact that its absence may have on their own purse strings. Every group out there is looking for a version of net neutrality that is favorable to them. This is why companies which lobbied so hard for net neutrality in the west refuse to support it in India when its favorable for them not to have it. The same goes for the common public as well.

Today people are making a noise because the services they use may incur more expense for them without net neutrality, but If one fine day, the govt says that it is mandatory for ISPs to provide to access to specific set pf popular Social networking sites and e-com sites for free, would anybody give a damn? Would the people who only use internet only for accessing those sites still make so much noise about being fair and fight against it?
 
Lord Nemesis said:
I don't really think most people even care about net neutrality in its true sense. What they actually care about is the long term impact that its absence may have on their own purse strings. Every group out there is looking for a version of net neutrality that is favorable to them. This is why companies which lobbied so hard for net neutrality in the west refuse to support it in India when its favorable for them not to have it. The same goes for the common public as well.
Click to expand...
Haha, couldn't have put it more aptly
 
Lord Nemesis said:
... but If one fine day, the govt says that it is mandatory for ISPs to provide to access to specific set pf popular Social networking sites and e-com sites for free, would anybody give a damn? Would the people who only use internet only for accessing those sites still make so much noise about being fair and fight against it?
Click to expand...

You are trying to support your point with an impossible scenario.
 
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