Airtel has been pulled up by ASCI for its midleading 4G connection advertisements.
If I was Reliance Jio or any other telecom player for that matter, I would be extremely happy to see Airtel’s ‘Lifetime mobile bills free’ ad. I’d have to deliver a network that is faster the claimed speeds of Airtel 4G, purchase a large number of 4G handsets, and distribute them around. Rest assured, many will join the party as Airtel will end up paying their bills for a lifetime (of the company or the subscriber, we are unsure). That is, of course, if Airtel meant what they have been brazenly claiming in their ads.
Also, only if it is humanly possible to counter that and get the deal they have been claiming. As per the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) which banned the ad, the promise has a lot of riders and the speed is promised only if all the favourable conditions come into play, the odds of which are against the consumers.
It is, however, a common practice amongst all the internet service providers to advertise the highest possible speed, which only a few, with the exceptions of post-midnight owls, manage to enjoy and use for downloading.
ALSO READ: Airtel justifies 4G advertisement claims after ASCI rap
The claim of being the fastest network possible might be wrong in many ways. Being the best network depends on many factors, like network availability and the number of users on the network. For example, if fewer people were using a mobile internet service in an area, the speeds might be better for home connections. The odds of mobile connections exhibiting consistent speeds are even fewer, hence, bringing you back to the first advertisement in the 4G connection series, where the contest for the fastest network takes place on a terrace, the best place to get the best out of networks!
Last year, Airtel had around 1,00,000 4G customers which might have risen considerably since. Yet, it still is a small percentage of the number of 3G subscribers, thereby outdoing the competing 4G networks with comparatively low congestion of 4G. Airtel offers 4G services in 11 markets and 45 towns. In the larger markets of New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, Airtel 4G is still doing trials as per its latest quarterly reports in August this year.
Vodafone and Idea are all set to launch 4G services, along with the much-awaited launch by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, which is presumed to be the toughest challenger in the series, which is making a telecom comeback and also has pan-India 4G or BWA spectrum. Airtel and Aircel are the only players who are currently offering 4G services in the country, and there are few 4G challengers in the fray.
Airtel’s 4G might have an upper edge but it is still competing with its own and others’ 3G networks. To see the right kind of test to the service, we will have to wait for all the players to offer the service before we judge the fastest of all the 4G networks.
Godspeed!
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Airtel logo")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}