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Studies across the world have proved that higher broadband penetration has helped the global economy to move from recession to recovery

Broadband will change the way we lead our lives by creating new segments of Industry and jobs. Wireless has improved the teledensity in India and would similarly drive the broadband growth.

Studies across the world have proved that higher broadband penetration has helped the global economy to move from recession to recovery. A recent McKinsey study projected that a country's GDP improves by 0.6 percent for every 10 percent increase in penetration of broadband and also improves the competitiveness of a nation.

India needs a state-of-the-art communications infrastructure built on digital technologies such as IP, 4G and smart antennae. A 4G network such as WiMAX on Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum would enable India to have a digital national broadband information infrastructure right now.

Thus we can prepare India to be a global creative centre of innovation with applications, content and service generation capabilities and skills. BWA spectrum for WiMAX would enable the delivery of quality knowledge content for e-travel, e-commerce, and telemedicine services at affordable levels for different economic segments of India.

National industry segments of IT (Computing, apps and content), media, silicon, Internet, and telecom expects a fair view of the BWA spectrum auction policy, schedule and wants time bound action programme.

A Broadband India seeks to position it as a longtime leader in Internet savvy society creating a new framework exploiting Indian software talent. India’s digital dividend through broadband growth will have a transformative effect on young India and would position the country as a global hub for telecom, media and Internet services.

National resource of 60MHz BWA spectrum in global bands of 2.5 and 2.3GHz needs to be immediately exploited for utilization rather to to remain unutilized for over three years now by possible spectrum hoarders.

India has already lost an opportunity to serve 20 million broadband users over the past three years and improve our economy by about $5 billion due to the delay in BWA auctions and now the Indian Govt should not allow the spectrum to be hoarded for another three years.

Objectives for broadband growth in India

Indian Governemnt has to enable the telecom sector to achieve the following by immediate use of BWA spectrum for all the two slots of 20MHz each and build a national BB infrastructure starting from 2010.

  1. Establishment of a commercially viable scalable wireless broadband network infrastructure for NextGen Internet, media and broadband access services on 4G WiMAX.

    WiMAX technology would help create 50 million broadband subsciber capacity and ubiquitous coverage of 1000 cities and towns by 2012 and also helping 10 percent of rural SDCAs to be covered on BB service capability exploiting the already available tower, fiber and real estate infrastructure.

  2. Evolution of innovative content and programming in all regional languages for all online communities.

  3. Offers new business framework for digital content and services amongst producers, distributors and users.

  4. Provision of a high quality e-Gov services delivery for public services in PPP mode.

  5. Development of a new set of competency, skills and talent at all levels for online, always connected world.

  6. Aim at universal broadband wireless access for all with affordable access for atleast 100 million users by 2015.

  7. Attain digital inclusion of the hinterland India through improved media and Internet access and awareness.

  8. Lay the foundation for digital radio and digital TV services delivery by 2014.

  9. Creation of online commerce, banking, insurance centric national digital Information infrastructure.

Global outlook for broadband

Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Germany, Finland, France, Estonia, Spain, and Japan have launched national broadband evolution plans even though they all had mobile networks on 2G and 3G.

The US administration announced a stimulus programme for high speed broadband and smart grid technology, exploiting 4G wireless like WiMAX broadband Internet access is declared as a civil right in these societies.

User demand for mobile Internet is booming. That requires Indian telcos to prepare for the launch of 4G WiMAX networks to deliver mobile internet, mobile video, mobile commerce and support mobile computing. Smartphones now ship with social networking applications pre-loaded, due to sheer popularity.

YouTube says that mobile video is as an exponentially growing part of its site usage and reported in 2009 that uploads from mobiles to YouTube increased by about 1700 percent due to the penetration of video enabled devices.

Panasonic, Samsung and Sony already offer models of Internet ready TVs and expects about 30 percent of TVs to be launched during 2011-13 to have built-in Internet connectivity. This offers opportunity for broadband industry growth.

Government should believe in efficient means of ensuring the vast majority of India to have access to NextGen broadband on our wireless infrastructure. The mandate to have universal 2Mbps broadband as a minimum service standard should be the goal for Government on BWA services by 2013.

Only then will India would move towards a digital networked economy in the 21st century. Digital broadband is an essential facility for citizens in a modern society.

Benefits of broadband and BWA auction to different sections of the society.

  1. Younger generation are viewing broadband as the norm for school and project work, shopping, listening to music, view of television, e-commerce and for social networking through wireless.

  2. Education in universities is set to be transformed through remote virtual learning, webinars, online portals etc.

  3. Old family members are adapting to the younger generation Internet culture and thus their productivity also increases

  4. Healthcare delivery is set to change with better info on diet practices, fitness, and remote online diagnostic services.

  5. Online banking, shopping, video based job interviews would save corporates a lot in time, effort, money.

  6. User generated content, new content creation systems have enabled millions of people to generate and distribute their online documents, audio, video etc., to the world audience.

  7. Citizen - Govt interactions become more transparent, responsive and a truly inclusive e-Governance evolves.

Appeal to Government and Industry

Delay in broadband penetration in India through unproven technologies, will do nothing but leave everything to lobbies of different departments of the government, industry groups and thus leave India behind.

We in India require regulatory certainity, smarter, independent view of the timely spectrum utilisation policy, keeping in mind of the societal need. Today we require an essential step of intervention from the highest executive authority of the country to show transparency in decision making for national BB interests.

Immediate BWA spectrum utilization for BB growth would enable all the sections of the society to exploit the universal broadband Internet access and participate in the true digital society leading to digital delivery of public services.

We at India are at an inflection point in wireless broadband adoption, in scalability of usage and in demand for services. India needs Internet focus on connected world and an online world.

Indian telco leaders need to raise to the occasion and put pressure on the government not to let auctioned BWA spectrum to be hoarded and traded . They need to embrace 4G technology of WiMAX and offer wireless broadband and mobile Internet services at once in 2010.

Only then broadband India would become a reality. Let BWA auctions serve Indian needs immediately in 2010 to 2012 time frame by utilizing this BWA spectrum in 2.3 Ghz Bands.

Govt should take decisions now for BWA auctioned spectrum to be put to immediate use for roll out in 1000 cities /towns and 10 percent of SDCA in rural India by 2012 and thus set India to be at the forefront of a digital society.

Also Read: WiMAX: The wireless Broadband

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Autor(en)/Author(s): C S Rao

Quelle/Source: CIOL, 12.04.2010

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