Bharat to e-India, a journey in the eyes of telecom secretary

From Bhārata (a Sanskrit word that means: to be maintained) to India, and now embarking on unwavering e-India journey- the country with rich culture and diverse customs, is still a long way to go. Internet will be a key enabler of new India. The national broadband network which is being rolled out envisages a new era of service delivery.

This is in fact a transformational journey for generations to come. The substantial amount of this colossal national optic fiber network (NOFN) work would be done by the end of this year. By March 2014, majority of project would be executed. All the mandatory agreements between state governments require completion though they may take time to execute.

This project is, however, a constituent of a part that addresses connectivity and aggregation to facilitate last mile access. It's not viable for private operators to invest, and is being undertaken by the government. While other components such as innovation and technologies can be created by private sector. This, however, requires many things such as Angel investors and entrepreneurs.

Entire conceptual work is being geared up, while ecosystem might take time to develop. Connectivity of wireline and wireless would be viable after aggregation. The applications layer will ride on this infrastructure. Once infrastructure is implemented and last mile access is given, the ecosystem would evolve without government intervention.

One of the weaknesses that has been identified is the lack of awareness about such a massive project. People, perhaps don't know that there would be pan-India broadband network in one year that would have a potential to transform the country.

Going forward, access to relevant and regional-language content, is an area that requires instantaneous attention whilst regulatory concerns ought to be tackled. Unfortunately, most of the information is still not in digital domain today.

Availability of low-cost equipment (other than mobile devices and smartphones) is also crucial in order to offer healthcare services remotely. With technological breakthroughs, a vast number of cases that require medical attention can be resolved locally. In addition, it could facilitate financial inclusion, and farmers can take informed decisions.

Industry should ensure that individuals who develop applications or create value-added services or relevant technologies should be compensated appropriately. Not just the recipients of service, but the entire value chain should be remunerated. Eventually, in the making, all the fissures need to be fixed.

Bharat Broadband could trigger entire ecosystem of services. In next decade, India will reap its benefits. The country, by 2020 and beyond, would usher into e-India. The metamorphosis behind this new meteoric India would be led by none other than its national fiber backbone.

(The author, Rentala Chandrashekhar, is India's telecom secretary and chairman of the Telecom Commission)