We continue our series on the Indian Telecom boom. In Part-I of our conversation with Atul Chitnis, who describes himself as a disruptive technologist, we talk about the mobile cell phone revolution. We continue with our quest to find out if mobile phones will be the main access device to the Internet in India.

Internet has been available in India since 1996, but the whole concept of broadband is only a year old says Atul. However the lack of broadband does not preclude people from accessing the Internet. In India cell phones and mobile devices are increasingly being used to access the Internet. In fact Atul pays Rs. 600 (about $12-14) to use his GPRS phone to access the Internet 24/7.

An interesting profile of the Indian cell phone users is that they use their phones largely for non-voice traffic like SMS and accessing the Internet. India has the fastest growing market in the mobile/cell phone segment of the international telcom industry. Every month about 4.5 million users are being added.

Atul also talks about the two Indias: the one India that consists of a small minority of power users of technology and mobile device, and the second India, where cell phones have become the main point of communication. Cell phones have become a basic necessity to both these groups, but the difference lies in the way they use and how they use them.

India is an unique position argues Atul. Indian does not have a baggage and history of using old technology and that puts the country in a unique position to implement the latest technology in the telecom space. For instance, the Indian government is actively involved in promoting open and free software, and IPV6 the next generation Internet protocal. The Indian government has put Internet technology on a fast track says Atul.

Internet is available, cell phones and mobile devices are available, but what is not available is a lack of awareness about mobile computing. Atul is on a crusade to promote the use of mobile device as an alternative to the PC to access the Internet. He points out the mobile device goes with you, and you can use when you need, and wherever you need it.

Atul is a Bangalore-based technologist. He was born and brought up in Berlin, Germany, and speaks fluent German. He relocated to India in the 1970s. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Gogte Institute of Technology. He divides his time between India and Germany.

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