As an American, I’m used to getting most everything in the consumer electronic field first and relatively cheap. Seeing other countries (even you, Canada) deal with inferior versions of the same product for a steep price really bums me out. Despite some pretty nutty pricing announced a few days ago from the Indian telco Aircel, it looks like more affordable plans are already being announced by the competing GSM carrier Airtel.
I’m not an expert in Indian telcos, but the fact that it will cost roughly $850 USD just to get the phone itself in India seems pretty crazy. At least there is already a pricing war going on as the telcos vie for your hard earned rupees.
Given that you are going to be spending upwards of [INR] 44,000 to grab an iPhone 4S in India, we think it’s only fair that carriers offer such tariff plans to help you make the most of it without burning a hole in your pockets.
Reading about the ordeal some other countries have to go through for their phones makes me hate American telcos slightly less. It does, however, make bring up an interesting change in the way that phones are being sold and marketed. Traditionally, the service was what you really wanted, and the phone was more or less an afterthought. More and more, the service is just a commodity, and it’s the phone itself that people care about. I’m pretty sure that scares the telcos shitless. Frankly, I think I like it.
Source: PhoneMantra
