Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the government was open to bringing more reforms in the sector, and invited recommendations from the industry on various issues, including improving quality of service, bridging digital gap and ensuring security of the telecom networks.
Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2021, the Minister said while the spread of telecom service had truly increased, the quality of service remained an issue. “I request [industry]... to come up with solutions for improving the quality of service.”
He added that the industry should also “guide the nation” on how to cope up with rapid changes in telecom technology.
Pointing out that security of the telecom networks is of paramount concern for all nations, the Minister said everyone wanted telecom devices, telecom equipment and telecom network operating systems to be from trusted sources. “New geopolitical realities are facing all of us. Under such circumstances, what is a good framework which will enable people to have trusted sources, have good equipment and also increase the overall level of trust in the telecom services,” he said, asking for suggestions.
Further, he also sought recommendations related to virtualisation of the networks as well bridging the digital gap. “We have seen how COVID accelerated the pace of digitisation…Practically everything is shifted to digital platforms. This is bringing new opportunities; this is also disrupting society in a big way. If the social disruptions have to be managed properly, I request the captains of industry to come up with solutions so that the new technology gets adopted into the society without disrupting the large sections of people who were used to the old ways of working,” Mr. Vaishnaw said.
In September this year, the government carried out a series of reforms for the sectors. “Our government is open to new ideas. We want to benchmark our regulatory framework with the best in the world. We want the industry to keep adding value to the people. So I request all of you, please come up with suggestions on the regulatory framework. We are open to more reforms,” the Minister said.
