{balki Blog}
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Over the years, I have tried various international call providers including BigZoo, Reliance, Vonage and SargamDirect.  The prices decreased dramatically (they went from 60 cents/min to India in 1999 to almost 5 cents/min with my latest favorite RebTel) and the call quality improved significantly.  However, each of these providers had their own share of problems (issues like taxes, billing difficulties, company just folding, dialing a gazillion digits, etc).  I finally resigned to using SargamDirect (on the road) and Vonage (at home) not because they are outstanding or cheap but just because I lost the patience to try a new provider every other week.

When my nephew Kiran suggested RebTel, I was very reluctant at first but was instantly intrigued after visiting their web-site.  I think RebTel is a truly innovative product and that it offers quality at a very reasonable price (5.6 cents/min to India).

Here’s some pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
Easy registration (via credit card, PayPal or Ukash)	Currently cannot auto-recharge when using PayPal
Automatic recharge when the balance falls below a certain threshold (I think it is $1.00)
Only 5.6 cents/min for calls to India	It could have been even cheaper
*Auto-generated local number for each of your contacts in a foreign country	Currently limited to 20 contacts
Can register up to 5 phone numbers for the service (to make calls from)	Maybe limiting for a family of 5+ phones
RebTel customers can make free calls between each other	Not the most convenient way to call!
Current promotion gives you 20$ credit for new users.	I only get 5 free minutes for referrals
Very tightly integrated into SMS, email and phone so you don’t need to manage your account exclusively online.	Takes some time and effort to get used to all these features.

If you want to check out the service, let me know and I will send a referral.  Happy calling!

Ginger & Pepper: Over the last 4-5 years, we bonded really closely with Ginger and Pepper, and we just cannot imagine our lives without them. Taking them with us could be an option but we don’t want to risk their health and well-being. Plus, how the pets born and raised here might survive in the harsh tropical climates of India is still unchartered territory. Every time we talk about moving back, Maanasa keeps fixating on Ginger and Pepper. This one reason alone could be a deal-breaker for us, especially for Maanasa!

Traffic: Every year the traffic keeps increasing exponentially; the traffic conditions were quite unbearable this last trip. It takes for ever to go anywhere. Panjugutta intersection has become the city center for all practical purposes and it is the most congested. Everybody is hoping and praying that the new flyovers in that area will ease the traffic flow a little. Traffic in the Hi-tech city is not bad though. If we were to live, work and shop there and minimize our trips into the city, this should not be such a great concern.

Pollution: Pollution is glaringly evident throughout the city (most likely throughout the country also). The booming retail, automobile, construction and infrastructure industries are causing all sorts of pollution including air, noise, dust and water. I hardly saw any evidence of proactive measures to curb such pollution. When a CEO of big multi-national company visited Hyderabad, he was quite shocked with the ubiquitous pollution and warned that it could become the “single-point of failure” that could cripple the Indian economy. I agree completely.

Weather: Over 80 degrees of heat in December!! I was literally sweating in the middle of winter and had to carry a towel and water at all times to clean up my sweat. I shudder every time I imagine living in the 120 degree humid climate of Hyderabad summers. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the unforgiving Indian summers for the past 8 years but I need a hell of a lot more money to avoid the harshest of months (April and May) if we move there permanently.

Family: Too much of a good thing can sometimes be not so good. Enough said.

Freedom: I don’t have concrete examples or reasons how and why, but I feel a lot freer in the States than in India. It could be the constant pressure to please my family and relatives, or the fear that any mistakes I make will be easily caught or I am just smoking. I cannot get this thought out of my small head - “I have unlimited freedom in this country, and no where else!”

Cheap Gas: Last time I checked, gas prices in India are almost double those in the US and thats a significant difference unless I plan to use public transportation The gas saved by the smaller cars/engines in India is most definitely offset by gazillion hours spent in idling traffic, and hence gas prices are still way too high in India.

Convenience: Most routine things are still a hassle in India like bill payments, and any government related work. Corruption is still prevalent and you have to forget ethics and principles if you want to get any amount of work done in the public sector. Although I have to admit that the country made huge progress in this area after the government liberalized the economy. I think the country needs just a few more years to finally catch up with the western world in this arena.

Nature: We love the Oregon nature and the summer outdoors in the US in general. I might be ignorant in this aspect, but I seriously doubt if there is anything back in India that matches the great natural wonders of North America.

Afford-ability: Even until two years ago, India was my backup retirement secret (I used to proudly proclaim to all of my colleagues and friends - “if I cannot retire in the US at my target age of 40, I will cheat and go back to India to retire like a king”). How stupid was I? My head was reeling in disbelief looking at the rate people are earning and spending in Hyderabad during my recent visit. In the current economic climate of India, I will have no means to retire EVER, let alone retire at 40! The inflation rate is pegged under 10% according to government figures, but I am sure the number is at least > 50% in real-life.

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Best food in the world: Yes, I am talking about all the delicious varieties of Indian food available at home and outside. Especially the yummy ones that my mom cooks each morning, afternoon and evening without fail. There is absolutely no match to my mom’s hand when it comes to cooking (don’t tell my wife, though) and I would go back home to India in the blink of an eye, even if just to savor all of this home-cooked food. Also, there is no dearth of great food available in all sorts of restaurants.

Help: Abundant help is available in the form of maids, cooks, drivers, servants, etc. For example, my mom can afford the following people to help her out: a maid to clean the dishes and clothes, a maid to clean the house, a driver who also washes and cleans the car every single day and finally a full-time maid who helps her out with just about everything else. How convenient is that?

Action-filled lifestyle: There is no scarcity of fun-filled action and drama in day-to-day life. For example, I accompanied my mom to a Hindu temple on one of the auspicious nights. On the drive to the temple (which is only about half a mile away from our house), we got honked 12 times and our driver honked 14 other vehicles. Our driver also yelled and swore at a couple of pedestrians (who promptly swore back in no uncertain terms). As we reached the temple, the “Aakasha Deepam” (a ceremonial fire raised into the air supported by a gold-coated pole called the “Dwajastambha” and a rope) caught fire and started throwing sparks all over the place. The devotees instead of running away from the fire started gathering around the pole to watch the blazing fire in amazement. While at the temple, I was pushed and shoved by devout women and my mom almost called for an ambulance as I nearly lost consciousness in the hustle. On the way back home, we stopped to pick up my mom’s medical reports. As we were inside, the cops started yelling and screaming at passersby and ordered us in to strictly stay inside and not come out under any circumstances. My mom came out anyways and I cautiously came out behind her. The cops were trying to clear the road because our state’s Chief Minister was passing by in his convoy. Our driver fled in fear and I spent 15 minutes trying to locate him in the complex maze of the side streets. As I was walking on the side street, somebody spit out an ounce of chew-able tobacco from a city bus which I deftly managed to escape. If I can get this much action in just 30 minutes, imagine living my entire life in this adventurous city?

Family: Although we do not live in a joint family, not one day passes by without seeing a family member or a relative. Our house is in a central location in the city, so literally dozens of family members, friends and relatives stop by even if to just say hi. The feeling that there is somebody out there that thinks and cares for us is quite incredible.

Change and growth: I have been visiting India every year and am still amazed at how rapidly the changes happen. Huge new apartment communities constructed almost overnight, new shopping malls all over town, international brand stores at every corner, cell phones in everybody’s hands, new cars, new jobs; the only thing that is constant is change.

Variety: As more and more Indians are building wealth, they are also trying out different things which add to an incredible variety to colors, design, clothes, buildings, music etc. With all due respect to the

US , I think most Americans are pretty conventional in the way they dress, live, and drive (except for that occasional sight of a Gothic chick/dude you encounter on commuter trains). But the variety you can see in India is mind-boggling. There are unlimited combinations of patterns, colors, and styles in men’s and women’s clothes and that is only the first dimension to variety. You should really come and watch the variety yourself instead of me explaining in vain.

Ability to maintain my current (western) lifestyle: For years now, many non-resident Indians (including myself) have been delaying our permanent move back to India because we were all too certain India could not provide us with a lifestyle comparable with the western world. Not anymore. During this visit to Hyderabad , we found nearly everything that we thought was only available in the US . Everything western is readily accessible here: starting from basic groceries to luxury cars and the latest iPods. And the premium we pay to acquire these goods and services has been quickly diminishing in the last few years.

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• Cell Phones, SIM cards, accessories everywhere: All types of old stores are being converted into cell phone/accessories stores. Even other grocery stores, barbershops, pan shops, bakeries are selling SIM cards and cell phone accessories. The latest statistics released in November for new cell phone sales showed that Indians are buying phones at the rate of 5,00,000 per month! To put that number in perspective: it is equivalent to the entire population of Oregon & Idaho buying new cell phones… each and every month over and over again! My state Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront of this race with 650,000 new cell phone connections a month.

• Ubiquitous Sania Mirza: She currently endorses sodas, airlines, bicycles, sportswear, mobile handsets and pretty much everything else. A week days after I reached Hyderabad, an international magazine touted her beauty and declared that she belongs to the “Top 10 beautiful tennis stars of all-time” list along with the likes of Gabriela Sabatini, Anna Kournikova, and Maria Sharapova. She is everywhere in the media and almost 20-30% of billboards in the country are happily leveraging her fame and beauty.

• Wal-Mart entering India: Ten days after I landed in Hyderabad, on an auspicious Monday, Bharati Enterprises announced that they were opening several retail stores all over India by franchising Wal-Mart’s now world-famous/controversial and extremely successful supply chain model.

• Dhoom 2: Clothes, jewelry, accessories… nothing is ineligible for Dhoom-2 branding. Pepe Jeans is allotting exclusive shelf space for Dhoom-2 branded apparel and accessories. (the movie itself on the other hand was of questionable quality, especially the second half)

• FM Radio: Radio Mirchi, S FM, Big FM are the latest craze with teenagers and adults alike and Hyderabad is going wild listening to the highly anticipated and high-quality audio programs (mostly latest Telugu and Hindi filmi songs) on the move, at home, school and work.

• WorldSpace Satellite Radio: Teenage girls everywhere are excitedly demoing away the latest digital radios in town. WorldSpace started selling satellite radio sets with subscriptions starting around Rs.250 per month with up to 40-commercial free radio stations. These radios are not available for cars yet but the business model looks quite promising.

• Everybody works in IT companies and Call Centers…. the remaining people are real-estate tycoons: Every second person in Hyderabad is an “IT professional” and works in or near Hi-tech city. Many others who used to wander on the streets without any purpose or work are now into “real-estate” business and are supposedly making millions of rupees buying, selling, brokering, building, and flipping plots, apartments and houses.

• Inflation: Inflation rate is simply unbelievable. When I went to school, my parents paid 50Rs. (approx 1$) a month for fees in a prestigious high school. My sister pays 1200Rs. (approx 27$) a month for her son’s somewhat mediocre school. I heard rumors that there were international / concept schools in Hyderabad and Bangalore that charge up-wards of 20,000Rs. (approx 450$) a month in fees! All this increase in just over 15 years since I passed out of high school. And am sure most of that inflation happened in the last 3-4 years. Prices of all basic necessities including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation increased several folds and most people seem to be able to miraculously afford them!

• High-end Restaurants: Classy (read expensive) restaurants are everywhere and they employ dozens of staff to treat the customers with utmost care and concern. The food was mediocre at best at these places but we loved the royal treatment. We pretty much had a dedicated set of 5-6 waiters attending to our fancies as long as we were in these restaurants. The prices were comparable to average American restaurants but the treatment was top-notch (just imagine the exact opposite treatment you get at your local Macaroni Grill

• Major Hotels associated to international brand names: Many big hotels that maintained their independent identity over the years are starting to associate (not sure by being acquired or by partnering) themselves with international brand names. Some examples: Grand Kakatiya Sheraton, Best Western Amrutha Castle, and Hyderabad Marriott Hotel (formerly Viceroy Hotel).

• New cars, bikes everywhere (resulting in horrible traffic conditions throughout the city): I did not see any old cars and motorbikes driving on the road. Each car was newer, bigger and nicer looking than the next one. The situation reminded me of the San Francisco bay area where everybody drives Mercedes, BMWs and Lexuses. The roads were never meant for everybody in the metro (approx 7.5 million people) driving four-wheelers. Traffic jams and accidents were commonplace throughout the city any time of the day, accompanied by suffocating pollution levels.

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While planning my current visit to India, I wanted to stay in touch with my US-based friends, colleagues and clients. So, I researched various options and narrowed down to Vonage V-Phone (mostly based on their ubiquitous ads). I picked one up at the local Best Buy and subscribed for the unlimited calling plan at Vonage.com. The enrollment process was straight forward and mostly uneventful. I got my new phone number almost instantly.

I made a few calls with the V-phone powered by Comcast broadband and the sound quality was impressive. I attributed this quality to the strong underlying broadband connection and was still skeptical about the quality in India (where reliable Internet connections are still a premium). I got my first chance to verify my skepticism during my layover in Frankfurt. I paid a nominal fee to get Internet connectivity from a T-mobile Hotspot in the airport terminal and made some calls to the US and India. The sound level was a little low but the quality was first-class.

Since landing in Hyderabad, I have been using the V-Phone on a 256kpbs DSL connection and am extremely pleased with the consistent sound and connection quality. I love the device itself and the seamless process of making free calls to the US and beyond.

Here is some obvious (and subtle) goodness in the device / service:

1. Completely divorced from any single computer system: Works like a charm on any computer as long as the computer is on a decent Internet connection (128kbps or better speeds recommended)

2. No footprint software: I just connect the USB dongle to any internet-enabled computer and the computer instantly recognizes the phone and is ready to make calls within 5-15 seconds. When I am done, I simply remove the device and there is no trace left on the system.

3. Great form factor: I like the orange color for the dongle and the blue LED light (that represents a successful connection). The included headset provides superior sound quality and the cable is long enough to allow me to move around comfortably without ripping out the dongle from the USB port.

4. Additional 256MB space on the USB drive: I do not carry the V-phone everywhere I go but can see how the additional space on the USB could come in pretty handy when you are on the go. The included key ring is cute and convenient.

5. Auto Load and Unload: This is my favorite feature. The soft phone keypad launches automatically when I insert the USB drive and disappears after I remove it. No worries about corrupting the drive or annoying pop-up warnings.

The only shortcoming I can think of is that there is no facility to import or leverage existing Outlook contact details. This is my biggest annoyance. I have enough devices already that force me to reenter my contact numbers and the V-phone is the worst offender of all. There is no interface to import contacts from anywhere. I really hope Vonage adds the import facility in their next version. Another minor annoyance is that the cap is really hard to remove from the device. I can understand their concern the cap might be lost, but there are other ways to secure it rather than making it impossible to pop it open.

If you travel international (or even domestic but worried about running over your free minutes on the cell phone), do try out the Vonage V-phone. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

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