Why does India have GPRS and we don't?

When I went to India, I noticed that people could whip out their laptops in the middle of nowhere and check their email with their cellphone. Cellphone service is very cheap there also, about $40 cheaper than what I pay for just plain old talking service. Why don't we get anything like that?

 

Wireless infrastructure in India is being built since recently, that gave chance to engineers to select the best possible options. IMO, in US it was built gradually on top of what was available.

The cellphone market is THE hottest market in India. One can get going with cellphone by paying 100-200 Rs (~4-6USD). Cellphone recharge coupens are available on street shops, hawkers, pawnshops, general stores and what not.

Everytime I go to India, I ask my relatives to bring new SIM card, put it in tri-band phone from US and I am on phone free to call anyone.

In US wireless companies are charging hell lot than it costs them, IMO (again) its pure game of price fixing. No carier will lower costs even if they can.

 

Yepp, I personally use T-Mobile GSM based plan. I meant GSM has started to come along recently in US, say 1-2 years. I think cingular was the first one to bring it in.

 

I don’t believe that in the US you don’t have mobile internet yet, the one that uses mobile network??? I can’t remember seeing anyone using an actual cellphone but they do use a special card that enables them to surf the net at something like 1.8MB.

 

I have seen at least 2 people (so far) using Sprint/Verizon wireless card and surf internet while commuting in BART (SF Bay area)

 

I checked my phone provider (Sprint) and it costs ALOT of money for monthly data services. Even then, it is limited to 20 or so MB. Blech.

Man that's cheap...Mostly everything in India is pretty cheap then. At the airport I saw billboards for "flights starting at Rs. 500" (about $11 USD).

 

Its the new breed of low-fair airlines killing big old guys there.

 

Ryanair was giving flights for free a few weeks ago!!! If you buy in advanced you pay something like 30 euros one way. If you take into consideration the wages here in Europe I have to say it’s very cheap.

 

tmobile recently launched their EDGE service, which I've heard is pretty good. I have their Hotspot service, so pretty much any starbucks you can have wifi, (which is where I'm at now), plus, you can always go freeriding....

 

I don't know how they can afford to run a plane that cheap. They even give really nice meals (well I thought so) on a 2 hour flight, as opposed to a tiny bag of peanuts like we have here.

 

I only use my cell phone, even in my office, at my place, no fixed phone. My bill comes around Rs. 1400 - 1500 ($30) which includes unltd EDGE connection.

I am waiting for 3G, which is yet to be launched here, its super fast.