Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Ram Sewak Sharma on Tuesday suggested that the government tap alternatives such as cable TV networks to provide digital connectivity, instead of banking on optic fibre cable networks and mobile phones.
The proposal is important as the rollout of the ambitious National Optic Fibre Network, rebranded as BharatNet by the NDA government, is mired in delays. The lack of adequate connectivity could undermine the potential advantages from transformational programmes like Aadhaar that gave people a digital identity proof authenticated online in real time, Mr. Sharma told the India Digital summit here. “It would be a pity if connectivity doesn’t support the applications of tomorrow’s system,” he said.
While India had a billion mobile phones, Mr. Sharma said that digital transactions were not possible unless connectivity improved.
“Pipelines need to be made thicker and we should explore alternative models for connectivity besides mobiles,” Mr. Sharma said.
The ambitious National Optic Fibre Network, rebranded as BharatNet by the NDA government, aims to provide broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh village panchayats at a cost of Rs. 1,09,000 crore.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Ram Sewak Sharma’s suggestion to the government to consider alternatives for providing digital connectivity was first made to the government a couple of months ago.
The lack of adequate connectivity could undermine the potential advantages of transformational programmes such as Aadhaar that gave people a digital identity proof that could be authenticated online in real-time, Mr. Sharma told the India Digital Summit here on Tuesday. “It would be a pity if connectivity doesn’t support the applications of tomorrow’s system.”
“Pipelines need to be made thicker and we should explore alternative models for connectivity besides mobiles. We have been brainstorming over this,” Mr. Sharma said.
“Can we use cable TV networks to connect? Technologically, it is possible though they may need an upgrade. There are 100 million homes with cable TV and those pipes can deliver up to 10 Mb per second speeds with assured connectivity,” he pointed out.
Assuming 5 persons per household, the telecom regulator said that would connect 50 crore people to the Internet and reduce the load on wireless spectrum.
“We have recommended this to the government a couple of months ago and reiterated it again,” he said, adding the regulator was working with the telecom department on the issue.
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