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The Prime Minister's Office has asked the telecom department to explain within four weeks the reason for slow broadband speed in the country, as the new government laid out visions, goals and challenges for sector.
The PMO has also asked the telecom department ( DoT) to work with the department of information and technology to digitally connect all the universities across the country.
The moves come in the backdrop of the PMO's sharp focus on developing India as an information superpower and to digitally connect the length and the breadth of country through high-speed optic fibre network.
The PMO's directive comes after the telecom ministry's presentation to it on June 26. According to minutes of the meeting, reviewed by ET, the ministry has been asked to not only fast track the national optic fibre network (NOFN) but also devise various business models to build other broadband highways across the country and sensitise the states on the potential of being digitally connected.
This would also include restructuring of the cash-rich Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF), which has close to Rs 33,000 crore lying unused in it. The fund, which is collected through an annual levy of 5% on the adjusted gross revenue of the private telecom operators, is currently being used to finance the NOFN.
Only a week ago, sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had changed the definition of broadband, raising the required speed to 512 kbps from 215 kbps Accordingly, the new definition of broadband is "a data connection that is able to support interactive services including internet access and has the capability of minimum download speed of 512 kbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (PoP) of the service provider intending to provide broadband service".
Experts, however, feel that even the new definition falls short of the global definition of good download speed.
"Trai's notification is a step in the right direction, though I think at least a speed of 1 Mbps would be the minimum for it to be called broadband. Having said that, I think, the government has taken a calibrated approach on the matter and 512 kbps is better than 256 kbps," said Hemant Joshi of Deloitte Haskins and Sells.
Prime Minister’s Office asks Department of Telecom to explain slow broadband speed - The Economic Times
The PMO has also asked the telecom department ( DoT) to work with the department of information and technology to digitally connect all the universities across the country.
The moves come in the backdrop of the PMO's sharp focus on developing India as an information superpower and to digitally connect the length and the breadth of country through high-speed optic fibre network.
The PMO's directive comes after the telecom ministry's presentation to it on June 26. According to minutes of the meeting, reviewed by ET, the ministry has been asked to not only fast track the national optic fibre network (NOFN) but also devise various business models to build other broadband highways across the country and sensitise the states on the potential of being digitally connected.
This would also include restructuring of the cash-rich Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF), which has close to Rs 33,000 crore lying unused in it. The fund, which is collected through an annual levy of 5% on the adjusted gross revenue of the private telecom operators, is currently being used to finance the NOFN.
Only a week ago, sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had changed the definition of broadband, raising the required speed to 512 kbps from 215 kbps Accordingly, the new definition of broadband is "a data connection that is able to support interactive services including internet access and has the capability of minimum download speed of 512 kbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (PoP) of the service provider intending to provide broadband service".
Experts, however, feel that even the new definition falls short of the global definition of good download speed.
"Trai's notification is a step in the right direction, though I think at least a speed of 1 Mbps would be the minimum for it to be called broadband. Having said that, I think, the government has taken a calibrated approach on the matter and 512 kbps is better than 256 kbps," said Hemant Joshi of Deloitte Haskins and Sells.
Prime Minister’s Office asks Department of Telecom to explain slow broadband speed - The Economic Times
