Lack of local language Products and the Telecom sector
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 28th Apr.2015
Lack of Local Language software product development to shore 'net usage' over mobiles is likely to snowball into a major relationship upset in the industry including possibly its relations with the ruling durbar. This is because, local language Apps were 'expected' to shore up 'net usage' through mobiles and be a revenue spinner for the telcos in terms of data usage which is how the major telecom service providers draw their revenues. However, little has been done to push such services in local language and as a result, the data revenue is not showing growth to the extent expected of them. This is not counting the lip syncing by some 'private individuals' with these articles in Management Paradise. We still do not have Apps in Local languages for popular domestic sites like say IRCTC including people ability to 'input data' and 'generate output' in languages understood by them. While one may opt to go through local language news or through Shopping Apps which support selection of items and generate local language data basis item selection and associated numeric figures for payments.
However, engaging Apps in local language have largely not made their presence on the horizon. This is besides that the 'net search' in local language remains cumbersome where the language option is to be selected from mobile phone's widget rather than in case of computers where search engine itself throws such an option (this may not make a difference for the first time users though). We still do not have local language App for SOHO account keeping or emails with addresses or identifiers in local languages which pose challenges in adoption but solutions have generally not been available. Whatever web based services are available generally require people to toggle keyboards on mobiles since names or other inputs would still be in English and this make surfing difficult. A lack of B2C solutions in local language like 'temporary staff recruitments' by Fast Food Joints or Security companies or E-learning materials of interest to users (say B2C or C2C material hosted on some freeware). Similarly B2B solutions like Wholesalers to Retailers or Industrial/Consumer products suppliers to Dealers/Service providers/ mechanics etc. or banking/insurance etc. have not taken off and our industry domestic as well as MNCs has not been keen to push a bit of comfort for the lowest rung or to enjoy fruits of 'real' connectivity. There is also a dearth of Free games/comics to be reached out to children in local language to get them play with the technology as service providers view such 'clients' as low value and do not see the need for investing on such clients for the long term. The same is again true for city/location directory services as not only revenue models do not exist, but also reaching out to people so the services are adopted in some significant way is also a problem. That Government services in vernacular other than Hindi (for most of the central as well as state or municipal services) are not available in local languages has not helped much either.
A combination of these factors like lack of enough engaging material coupled with expectations of faster bucks is likely to lead to industry especially the telcos getting impatient, so much so that it is ready to even the nip the model in its bud. So the noises are veering around options for a 'revenue model' on the back of cash outflows that have been on account of spectrum and movement to next gen technologies. Instead of offering lean time bandwidth for 'free or lower charges' to push up the sector, we have the industry looking to milch service companies and compromise on neutrality which would push innovation. This is even as people realize that if the ideas take off then its potential for transformation is humungous. There seems to be a dearth of people with ideas to push things in manner that would make it work and the established industry's choice is veering towards finding 'revenue models' even if it is to be done on cemetery of the nascent sector instead of finding solutions that would support the nascent sector to flourish (read: funds/risk capital for longer gestation that supports behaviour change).
The industry is too keen to dump the envisaged latent demand for local language net as a non-starter and that has been led by telcos to demand newer revenue models often against net neutrality. The other industries on there part have played role of a neutral player whereby they would support 'independent service providers' to come up with a viable model often in challenge with existing English web-based service which might already be in use or even generating revenue. The new service provider knows that he may get initial eyeballs but a 'positive cash flow' remains some distance away and sustaining that independently may not be an option under circumstances where users are already feeling challenged for with reference to technology/services as well as cost of surfing. Only innovative offerings for first time users which do not have a parallel in English would have some chance; however such ideas either do not seem to be in ample or catching on in a big way currently.
Perhaps how this can start presently is Industry/SMEs to encourage Local language website development as a College project which should not be difficult since much of the content is already available with the industry in form such as English language website or other supporting literature. This can help 'one-to-many information' business on the net to grow and the maintenance of such sites can also be school projects supported by current technical staff for hosting such sites. Services can be added as the traffic grows.
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 28th Apr.2015
Lack of Local Language software product development to shore 'net usage' over mobiles is likely to snowball into a major relationship upset in the industry including possibly its relations with the ruling durbar. This is because, local language Apps were 'expected' to shore up 'net usage' through mobiles and be a revenue spinner for the telcos in terms of data usage which is how the major telecom service providers draw their revenues. However, little has been done to push such services in local language and as a result, the data revenue is not showing growth to the extent expected of them. This is not counting the lip syncing by some 'private individuals' with these articles in Management Paradise. We still do not have Apps in Local languages for popular domestic sites like say IRCTC including people ability to 'input data' and 'generate output' in languages understood by them. While one may opt to go through local language news or through Shopping Apps which support selection of items and generate local language data basis item selection and associated numeric figures for payments.
However, engaging Apps in local language have largely not made their presence on the horizon. This is besides that the 'net search' in local language remains cumbersome where the language option is to be selected from mobile phone's widget rather than in case of computers where search engine itself throws such an option (this may not make a difference for the first time users though). We still do not have local language App for SOHO account keeping or emails with addresses or identifiers in local languages which pose challenges in adoption but solutions have generally not been available. Whatever web based services are available generally require people to toggle keyboards on mobiles since names or other inputs would still be in English and this make surfing difficult. A lack of B2C solutions in local language like 'temporary staff recruitments' by Fast Food Joints or Security companies or E-learning materials of interest to users (say B2C or C2C material hosted on some freeware). Similarly B2B solutions like Wholesalers to Retailers or Industrial/Consumer products suppliers to Dealers/Service providers/ mechanics etc. or banking/insurance etc. have not taken off and our industry domestic as well as MNCs has not been keen to push a bit of comfort for the lowest rung or to enjoy fruits of 'real' connectivity. There is also a dearth of Free games/comics to be reached out to children in local language to get them play with the technology as service providers view such 'clients' as low value and do not see the need for investing on such clients for the long term. The same is again true for city/location directory services as not only revenue models do not exist, but also reaching out to people so the services are adopted in some significant way is also a problem. That Government services in vernacular other than Hindi (for most of the central as well as state or municipal services) are not available in local languages has not helped much either.
A combination of these factors like lack of enough engaging material coupled with expectations of faster bucks is likely to lead to industry especially the telcos getting impatient, so much so that it is ready to even the nip the model in its bud. So the noises are veering around options for a 'revenue model' on the back of cash outflows that have been on account of spectrum and movement to next gen technologies. Instead of offering lean time bandwidth for 'free or lower charges' to push up the sector, we have the industry looking to milch service companies and compromise on neutrality which would push innovation. This is even as people realize that if the ideas take off then its potential for transformation is humungous. There seems to be a dearth of people with ideas to push things in manner that would make it work and the established industry's choice is veering towards finding 'revenue models' even if it is to be done on cemetery of the nascent sector instead of finding solutions that would support the nascent sector to flourish (read: funds/risk capital for longer gestation that supports behaviour change).
The industry is too keen to dump the envisaged latent demand for local language net as a non-starter and that has been led by telcos to demand newer revenue models often against net neutrality. The other industries on there part have played role of a neutral player whereby they would support 'independent service providers' to come up with a viable model often in challenge with existing English web-based service which might already be in use or even generating revenue. The new service provider knows that he may get initial eyeballs but a 'positive cash flow' remains some distance away and sustaining that independently may not be an option under circumstances where users are already feeling challenged for with reference to technology/services as well as cost of surfing. Only innovative offerings for first time users which do not have a parallel in English would have some chance; however such ideas either do not seem to be in ample or catching on in a big way currently.
Perhaps how this can start presently is Industry/SMEs to encourage Local language website development as a College project which should not be difficult since much of the content is already available with the industry in form such as English language website or other supporting literature. This can help 'one-to-many information' business on the net to grow and the maintenance of such sites can also be school projects supported by current technical staff for hosting such sites. Services can be added as the traffic grows.