Content, carrier key to broadband boom

NEW DELHI: For broadband to have an all-pervasive effect on the Indian economy, adequate solutions to the vexed issues of carrier and content will have to be addressed. Planning Commission of India secretary, Rajeeva Ratna Shah stated this at the valedictory session of the two-day national seminar on Broadband India, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Shah commented that it was important to unleash the spectrum and wireless for broadband. He also called for taking bold steps like de-licensing the spectrum regime. Furthermore, Shah said that the approach must be different for urban and rural areas. For urban areas, he suggested the use of existing cable connections, DSL and Wi-Fi for broadband delivery.

However, he said, "This will require decisions like unbundling in the last mile and open access," and added that he saw no reason why the incumbents resisted the change. "They have to see there is lot of traffic, which is not getting generated. Eventually, they will have to let it go," Shah remarked and added that it will also benefit the incumbent.

For the rural market, he said that the broadband infrastructure required high degree of innovative thinking and added that the "whole thinking process of DOT has to change from voice based delivery mechanism to broadband delivery mechanism". He called for USO Funds to be deployed systematically and not necessarily through BSNL. He mooted the idea of "worthwhile public-private partnership."

Shah also suggested bringing rural service providers, who will then create appropriate structures, which will in turn allow traffic to flow from kiosks etc. On the question of content, he said that the existing business models like e-choupal, though extremely good, were dependent on narrow band technology. "The rural service providers will have to work on Wi-Fi or Wi-Max to create a successful business model," he added.

Government officials, senior officials from the DOT and industry representatives attended the two-day seminar.