Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications (RComm), which is planning to roll out 3G services early next year, is beefing up initiatives on the innovations front and has set up a 3G innovation lab at its headquarters in Navi Mumbai. The lab will develop 3G applications for consumers through collaboration with third party developers. The company has also formed a dedicated team to look into 3G-related offerings.
?3G-led innovation is a critical lever in our overall strategy. In order to fully exploit the 3G business opportunity, we have put together a specialised team as well as made headway in our R&D initiatives,? said Prashant Gokarn, business head, 3G. ?This lab will drive all 3G innovations for mobile as well as other platforms. It will aid in demystifying 3G technology and make it simpler for adoption among a cross-section of customer groups,? he added.
RComm is among the only three private telecom operators who won 3G spectrum in 13 circles for a license fee of Rs 8,585 crore, including the most lucrative circles of Mumbai and Delhi. Price versus the business case, regulatory value of the circles, availability of the next tranche of spectrum and the focus to have a pan India footprint were some of the reasons for RComm to bid for most these circles. ?This lab will involve a community of content developers, product innovators, technology platforms enablers, device manufactures and other equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The collaborative unit will be formed through tie ups with top local as well as global partners who will further aid in improvising the innovation quotient,? said Gokarn.
The 3G innovation lab is based on an operating expenditure (opex) model. It is a move towards the ?open platforms? architecture which encompass open systems, open networks, democratic framework for partners and consumers for availability of the best products based on the consumer?s usage.