The data revolution would create over three lakh jobs in the interior. The Minister recalled that the broadband connectivity at present was only two per cent of the population and PC penetration just three per cent. Post offices would be used to reach broadband services to rural areas.

The Government plans to raise Internet subscriber base to 100mn and provide Internet connectivity to all villages by 2014 and also reiterated that the 3G spectrum auctions would take place within this year, Minister of State for Communication &IT Gurudas Kamat affirmed here today.

Addressing the second day of the ASSOCHAM Telecom Summit, Kamat characterised the government programme in extending broadband connectivity across the country as a “revolution in data connectivity 2009-14” that would follow the revolution in the voice connectivity that brought  over 400mn people into the telecom network as subscribers.  Common Service Centre with broadband connectivity are planned in one laky panchayats in three years of which 70,000 are already set up, he said.

The data revolution would create over three lakh jobs in the interior. The Minister recalled that the broadband connectivity at present was only two per cent of the population and PC penetration just three per cent.  Post offices would be used to reach broadband services to rural areas.


The data revolution would also seek to narrow the urban-rural connectivity divide, Mr. Kamat told the assembly of telecom industry people and professionals.  Already 74 per cent of the new mobile phone connections were happening in Tier II and III towns and cities and in rural areas. The Minister expected the Telco service providers would be forced to further improve their services as the number portability was being implemented, in order to retain their existing clients.  Every 10 million increase in mobile connectivity was adding one billion dollars to the GDP growth and India was adding more than 10million telephones per month to its subscriber base.

As “the three-e revolution” encompassing education, entertainment and entrepreneurship.  This was a laudable goal, exhorted Mr. C. S. Rao, chairman of the ASSOCHAM committee on telecom.  Government was making the ICT policy Investor-friendly the Minister had announced; Mr. Rao welcomed this initiatives.

With the Government’s Wireless Adviser Dr. Ashok Chandra and DoT additional Secretary Subodh Kumar participating, the meeting heard Lt. Col. H. S. Bedi, director of Tulip Telecom explain the industry view for considering a number of frequencies in the lower range like 500 MHz, 300 MHz for broadband use besides the 2.3 GHz chosen for it as mandated by the ITU international standard.  The700 MHz band also could be used for this except in coastal areas, Col. Bedi suggested.  By setting a new national standard in wire lee spectrum allocation India could make global standards follow it rather then India sticking only to international standards, he pointed out.

Calling for a shared active and passive infrastructure to reduce costs and make rural broadband service both affordable and viable, Mr. Umang Das, president of SREI.

Quipp Telecom asserted that there was an industry consensus towards focus on the rural market now. Increased availability of the USO Funds with a treasure of Rs 35,000 crores and increased affordability of the rural market had changed the industry perception of the rural market, he said.  However, the USO Fund should reconsider the present definition of infrastructure for its support and include in shared infrastructure both active and passive one.


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