Friday, October 19, 2007

The Return?

Right then - its been about a month since my last entry, and I do apologize for the hiatus - but then again, it hasn't been in vain. Reckon over the course of these 30 days, I've journeyed my way through a maze of media gaffs which have ended up in revealing the secret of being a successful business in Pakistan - "be a screwup." Hah! No - that isn't a typo, nor has someone drugged me into typing that - just to prove my point, let me reiterate - "be a screwup." Case in point, as under.

By now, or at least by my last entry, surely you've seen my affinity for Cybernet (Pakistan's leading (still trying to fill in the blank - I know they've erred in what they have here, so just to be nice to them, I won't repeat their mistake.)) That saga just doesn't seem to end - in fact, just prior to the Eid break (yes - a festive season - or that's what people say - but then again, with finals on my head, the only festivities involved have been around my textbooks) my favorite "CyberSh*t technician) paid a visit claiming that "uh yea - seems like you've filed yet another complaint."

Lol - then came one of the more amusing sentences that I've heard for a while - "we've noted that when idle, your connection is absolutely ideal. However, its when you start using it that you encounter problems." Once the laughter subsided, one couldn't help but launch a few tactically astute verbal volleys at the individual.

Despite claims such as the above, they still seem to have a greater market share. PTCL has introduced a "broadband," but the brilliant marketability of the package implies that while the first three months of the annual contract entice you with unlimited downloading, the latter part of the contract is volume based (2gigs for the 256k deal - 4 for 512k - while the incessant unlimited downloading that consumers demand is only offered w/ a ridiculously priced 1MB package.)

Alternatively, Wateen seems to be the rescuing force as far as the broadband industry is concerned - word on the streets is that they'll be launching commercially on the first of next month, but then again - given that they haven't even released their tariff structure as yet, one has to question how they're making the first of November launch date.

In the meantime though, reckon we can try to stay online with Cybersh*t - they claim they've started working on their own fiber network, while simultaneously putting up a WiMax infrastructure - though given that they've asked for a year long wait, reckon we'll celebrate England's next entry into a soccer competition with the introduction of the same (given how they taught viewers to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Moscow, here's hoping Wilko and co. can do something tonight! Imagine that then - 30 seconds to go - England trailing by 2 - Wilko steps up - kaboom! That'll show these overpaid soccer lunatics a thing or two.)

Ah I do apologize - the sporting festivities of the next 48 hours are just too much of a distraction. Reckon I should quit while I'm ahead - but then again, here's some good news - not for the Pakistani market though, given that we don't know what WiMAX is - hell - we still believe that broadband starts at 32kbps, and that a 256kbps package on copper, with a contention ratio of 1:5 is worth PKR2500 per month (40 odd USD) - anyway - the ITU is expected to declare WiMAX as a 3G IMT-2000 standard. Would be nice, given that it would allow the same to compete with other 3G occupants - wheres 4G now? Reckon once the world has that, Pakistan will move onto 2G!

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