Africa-Press – Mauritius. Don?t snigger. Surfing the web at neck-breaking speed in Mauritius will soon be possible thanks to the marvels of new technology. Local providers have been catching up with the rest of the world and will be fleshing out their range of services while trimming their prices.
A glance behind the curtains, which fell on Infotech last Saturday, reveals a brave new world. The broadband revolution gathered pace at the very opening of Infotech when Clickpost launched itself in the high speed Internet arena.
Sticking to its motto of Internet for the People, the Mauritius Post subsidiary broke the Telecom Plus monopoly on Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL).
It revealed new subscriber packages, which put the heat on Telecom Plus even if they were not exactly groundbreaking. Clickpost?s main selling asset is always-on connectivity.
Its eye-catching package is the 512 Kbps at Rs 1,900 monthly. Telecom Plus reacted by proposing free modem and line conversion until the end of January.
While the two providers push and shove over the lucrative Christmas period, a third one is waiting to pounce. Network Plus plans to launch Nomad, a wireless access for desktops and laptops, in February.
The technology will be available in Ebène, Réduit and Port-Louis before being rolled out across the country. The price war is due to hot up even further during the first semester of 2005.
Both Telecom Plus and Clickpost will reveal new 1 Mbps services, which will push entry- level ADSL prices further down. Telecom Plus will also unveil Internet TV in February.
Insiders reveal that the package will include a 128 Kbps connection at a mouth-watering price. Consumers should be the net winner. . . except that new technology always has a high cost in Mauritius.
The broadband wave hitting Mauritius will not be limited to desktops and laptops. The introduction of the third generation of mobile phones (3G) is set to dramatically change the landscape.
This technology is capable of offering high speed Internet on a mobile, allowing full web surfing, video calls and multimedia possibilities. The good news is that Cellplus has confirmed plans to introduce 3G in 2005.
Competition will only help to increase affordability of handsets and tariffs. The whole broadband market will be bubbling next year. Technologies and providers will be competing with each other.
Consumers should be the net winner? except that new technology always has a high cost in Mauritius. Infotech blatantly wanted to be a showcase for new information and communication technologies.
While some observers complained that most technologies presented were not so revolutionary, the show highlighted a basic problem. The issue with showcasing is that it often leads to a window-shopping-in-Harrods syndrome: languorous gazes at mouthwatering products you can touch but not afford.
While government embarks on an election year, it will most probably flaunt Mauritius as a cyber island. The only problem is that access to information technology is still a dream for thousands of families.
The cost of hardware has fallen due to international market conditions, but not enough for many Mauritians. The levy of the Value Added Tax on ICT products is ridiculous at a time when the country is changing gear to become a cyber island.
The waiving of VAT would equal a 15% discount, equalling Rs 4,500 on an average desktop ? three quarters of the average monthly salary in the Export Processing Zone.
Last Friday, President Bush signed a bill prohibiting taxes on broadband. An example, which Mauritius, as a poodle of the US, should follow. Infotech was to be a show and not a fair. Whichever recipe the organisers chose, the end result was pretty insipid, except for the trained eye. It did give a glimpse of the new ICT landscape.
However, Broadband Mauritius will still be lagging behind the developed world where connections of 8 Mbps ? sixteen times faster than the most speedy of local packages – are being offered to households for Rs 2,000 monthly.
In the Netherlands, trials are starting on a 30 Mbps link. Broadband is not just about technology but also a new way of life. Fast net access is changing the way people access music and is eating into TV viewing habits. It is encouraging more people to express themselves online. Welcome to the interactive world? if the price is right.
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