Additionally, the time required and the cost of laying a wire line network is higher than that incurred while setting up a wireless network. We can set up a wireless network for a given area in six months, but setting up a wire line network for the same area will take more than a year and this is also the answer for providing connectivity to difficult topologies.

Brajesh C Jain, CEO, Spectra Net raised the issue of pricing. He said one needs to seriously look at the price points because today's customers want to know what they would be getting for the price they are paying. He further said fiber should be used for backhaul purpose as handling them can be a tough task. He said our ex-president APJ Abdul Kalam had said that people in rural India needed video, as a result there us a huge potential that awaits for broadband in rural India.

Jain further added that the majority of semi-urban and rural areas do not have appropriate wire line network for data connectivity. Setting up a wired communication network across the country would not be feasible, as it would require huge Capex and a considerable amount of time. The most feasible way to provide broadband access would be through wireless technologies. Affordable connectivity to empower rural consumers is critical for the country's economic growth.

Kasturi Bhattacharjee, senior principal consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India, while adding a SAARC angle to the discussion, asked the panelists to throw some light on the broadband scenario in the SAARC countries.

Ahmed Maumoon, marketing manager, Broadband and Fixed, Dhiraagu, said Maldives was the ideal topology for rolling out broadband services on wireless network. He said affordability of laptops and computers had to increase if some headway was to be made in broadband penetration. He said Wi-Fi is already being provided in Maldives but its usage has still a long way to go before it reaches its optimum capacity. The primary reason for the sorry state is the pricing of laptops and desktops.

Sharing his views, AK Srivastava said we have to look at the penetration of broadband in totality. One has to look at it from the points of view of customers, operators, regulators, and technology. According to him, hybrid networks are best suited to provide high speed, however, political will is the basic requisite, and literacy will be the driving factor for broadband penetration.

He further added that low penetration of PCs in India is one of the major constraints for broadband penetration. While the PC penetration in urban areas is increasing considerably with every passing year, the penetration in rural areas has been very low. The cost of PCs and the language of operating system play a major role in the spreading of the Internet to rural areas.