Connect Policy: rural Bharat and urban India
Speedy implementation of National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 will help bridge the existing digital divide between rural Bharat and urban India as it seeks US$100 billion investments for development by 2022.
“We can transform lives of all 1.3 billion citizens of India by delivering a Digital Future to All,” Minister of State for Communications, Manoj Sinha said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on 16 Nov 2018.
Sinha said the Telecom sector is the pivotal force driving India’s digital transformation.
Surge in data consumption and the rapid adoption of new technologies continue to re-define connectivity and digital engagement dynamics in India.
As the largest data consumer and the second largest smartphone market, India is carving a new digital identity globally, said Sinha while inaugurating an ‘ASSOCHAM 11th Telecom India.
Government led initiatives are catering to the needs of all the sections of the society. It is now critical to maintain the developmental momentum by strengthening the telecom sector, a core enabler for the socio-economic progress of the country, said Sinha.
“The newly announced National Digital Communications Policy 2018 (the Policy) seeks to propel India to digital leadership and support India’s transition to a digitally empowered economy and society by fulfilling the information and communication needs of citizens and enterprises by establishing a ubiquitous, resilient and affordable digital communications infrastructure that will help India become a trillion-dollar economy,” explained Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Chairperson, Telecom Commission.
The Policy seeks to attract US$100 billion in investments over the next four years and to create four million additional jobs, enhancing the contribution of the digital communications sector to 8% of India’s GDP and propel India to the Top 50 Nations in the ITU ICT Development Index.
“Given the critical role of the policy and its execution, we are happy to engage with industry stakeholders to drive the policy objectives and its speedy execution,” added Sundararajan.
R S Sharma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, pointed out that Telecommunications is the backbone for achieving the desired digital transformation.
Future technologies like 5G, big data analytics, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and machine to machine (M2M) will play a key role in implementing the digital India vision.
Investments in 4G and beyond and quick adoption of and adaption to technology changes, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, virtual reality (VR) will yield quantum benefits.
“Leveraging these technologies will also dovetail into key government initiatives such as smart cities and Make in India. The stimulating discussions today with all stakeholders will provide impetus to policy implementation,” said Sharma.
P. Balaji, Chairman of ASSOCHAM National Council on Telecommunications & Convergence, commeted, “The NDCP 2018 is focused on making the sector financially strong and sustainable with requisite reforms of costs and levies, sets forth aspirational goals and provides much needed impetus for light-touch, technology friendly framework to usher in new technologies.”
Prashant Singhal, EY’s Emerging Markets TMT Leader, noted the NDCP 2018 as a progressive policy that aims to attract US$100 billion investment in the digital communications sector by 2022.
The digital economy in India is well poised to reach a trillion-dollar in the next three to five years, riding on the pro-growth initiatives of the government, he pointed out.
The ASSOCHAM-EY joint study outlines immediate interventions and medium to long term considerations required to implement the vision and strategy of NDCP 2018.
This study assesses the need for future ready infrastructure and collaborative efforts required to expedite digitally secure universal connectivity to the citizens.
Some of the key recommendations in the study for Connect India include fast-tracking approvals and rationalising costs for Right-of-Way (RoW) to promote ease of installing telecom infrastructure, availability of adequate backhaul spectrum (E and V bands) and provide incentives for rollout and sharing of telecom infrastructure.
Fiber will be critical for strengthening networks and backhaul. There is a need to create a common duct policy for deploying telecom infrastructure and enhance the scope of IP-I providers.fiinews.com
