NEW DELHI, INDIA: Although the global economy is passing through a phase of recession, its impact has been comparatively less on telecom sector, said A. Raja, the Minister of Communications and IT, Government of India.

While speaking at the curtain raiser ceremony for the forthcoming India Telecom 2008 event in New Delhi today, Raja reiterated that the process of allotment of spectrum for 3G will be completed by January 2009.

He also said India is well poised to surpass the target of 500 million connections well before the timeline of 2010.

The Minister, however, regretted that the telecom growth in rural areas has not kept pace with that in urban areas. Raja said the government is working hard to correct this imbalance by shifting focus to small towns and rural areas, but it has still to go a long way in bridging the rural urban divide.

He said, the government’s decision to allot licenses to more operators was directed at raising competition, lowering tariffs and enhancing rural tele-density.

The government has set a target to provide broadband connectivity in all Gram Panchayats, Government Higher Secondary Schools and Public Health Centers by the end of year 2012.

India Telecom 2008, scheduled from 11-13 December, will mark India’s leading international conference and exhibition for the entire telecom system, said a press release. The theme of India Telecom 2008 is ‘Connecting Rural India’.

The event is being organized by the Department of Telecommunication in partnership with FICCI.

In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Communications and IT, Jyotiraditya Scindia remarked that connecting rural India is the next biggest opportunity before the Telecom sector. He called upon the industry to play a catalytic role in taking the telecom revolution to rural and remote areas.