Telecom companies may have started offering next generation mobile services but most of them still have second generation systems. Take for instance the system deployed by some of the operators for alerting subscribers when they have used up the bytes under their 3G tariff plan.

The alert is supposed to do two things. One, it tells the user that once he uses up the permitted data consumption the speeds will come down to 2G levels. Secondly, it offers the user the option to buy additional bytes to continue enjoying 3G speeds till the next bill cycle starts. However, mobile operators send this alert via an SMS which was okay in the pre-tablet world. A subscriber with an i-pad or any other 3G enabled tablet does not get these SMS alerts because tablets simply cannot receive it. Now a company which offers telecom services should know this and should either offer alerts via email or make provisions to send the SMS to the subscriber’s mobile phone. Lack of this facility means that a user with a tablet gets to know that he has used up the data plan only when the speeds drops to 2G levels.

Mobile operators have also not changed the way they sell data plans. Walk into any retail outlets managed by the telcos and the customer care executive will give you a 3G connection just like he sold 2G SIMs for all these years. The retail shop may also stock high-end smartphones but often the retail outlet will not have trained executives who can explain what one can do with a 3G service or for that matter a dual core smartphone. Unlike voice services, where there was an inherent need among users to talk, data is completely new ball game and operators will do well to invest in making the experience suitable for a next generation service.

Have you experienced any such issues with your 3G connection?.

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