Booths that cut browsing costs

ACCESSING INTERNET from home is considered an indicator of access to IT in advanced countries. It is an oft-repeated fact that in the U.S., only a small per cent of racial minorities like Black Americans and Hispanics access the Net from home compared to the Whites.

Chennai sets out to be different. In this IT-rich city, which triggered the Internet-kiosk revolution in the country, accessing Internet from a kiosk makes more sense than accessing from home. It is widely available, convenient and most important, much CHEAPER than doing at home.

Here are the facts: even if Internet access is absolutely free, browsing the Net from home using dial up connection will cost the user at least Rs. 24. This accounts for the telephone charge alone. If one adds Rs. 6 to Rs. 10 as Internet tariff, the total cost rises to more than Rs. 30. Add power and maintenance costs for computer equipment. But your neighbourhood kiosk offers you the same service at Rs. 15.

So, it is similar to the public transport vs private transport argument. The former is cheap and the latter, luxury.

It did not happen in a single day. In fact, it is a classic case of competition and demand in a city that knows technology and options. When the kiosk revolution in Chennai started with a handful of centres in 1997, the per hour tariff, that too over undependable dial up connection which snapped at the drop of a hat, was Rs. 90 and at some places more than Rs. 100.

But, as kiosks sprouted all over the city and suburbs, the charges started falling. Instead of dial up connections, the kiosk entrepreneurs started shifting to ISDN and leased lines. Now most of the big kiosks, with a minimum of 10 machines, use ISDN lines. Webcity in Purasawalkam is a good example. A couple of years back, it used to charge Rs. 176 per hour, but now charges Rs. 20. According to Mr. Parthipan, who runs the kiosk, one of the reasons for the fall in prices is the fall of ISDN tariff.

``Internet World'' on T.P.Road, T-Nagar, has a screaming banner in front. This busy kiosk has one of the lowest charges, Rs. 15 per hour. At some browsing centres, in Tiruvanmiyur, there are offers of even Rs. 10. The average price in the city, except big, branded establishments, ranges from Rs. 10 to Rs. 20.

Kiosks are able to reduce the charges because they use the concept of a single connection, preferably 64 kbps, over several machines.

The cost gets divided even as browsing speed remains more or less the same because data transmission happens in bursts. With dial up connection itself offering 56.6 kbps speed, even small booth operators are able to give almost the same service at still lower charges.

Users who access the Internet from home, hence, have reasons to grumble. And all their ire is directed at the DoT which charges a hefty Rs. 24 per hour for using the telephone line for accessing the Net.

Studies by organisations like World Economic Forum have shown that per minute tariff is a major deterrent to the spread of Internet. Internet growth in countries with a flat rate had been many times higher.

But at least in Chennai, the entrepreneurs, who created this public system all by themselves, offer a solution. The Departments and Government did try to interfere, but technology helped them ignore it.

By G. Pramod Kumar

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Section  : Southern States
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