India should bolster telecom infrastructure: Netravali

NEW DELHI: Outlining an action plan, Bell Laboratories president Dr Arun

Netravali said, "India has a powerful opportunity to leapfrog other nations

by swiftly creating a world-class telecommunications infrastructure, leveraging

existing assets and new technology."

Dr Netravali was presenting his perspective on 'Enabling India's bold

telecommunications initiatives' at a meeting organized by the Confederation of

Indian Industry (CII) here today.

Here is what the action plan had to say:

1. Create a shared high capacity, multi-protocol, backbone network that can

grow in stages, as traffic needs and coverage expand. Optical switching,

wavelength division multiplexed transport and a mesh architecture will 'future

proof' this backbone network at low cost.

2. Create low-cost, high speed, optical, metro access networks for

multi-service communications in metropolitan industrial clusters.

3. Provide lowest cost, high-speed Internet access, telephony, and digital

video by exploiting the existing entertainment infrastructure and upgrading to

two-way

cable technology.

4. Utilize existing infrastructure (re-using existing fiber for metro and

backbone networks etc.)

5. Establish domestic Web-hosting infrastructure for local, regional and

international markets.

6. Create a soft switch-based, open communications platform for fixed and

mobile applications, with new services developed indigenously, and marketed

worldwide.

7. Provide basic and high speed access via 'communications cafes' or other

shared facilities to serve large numbers of users cost effectively -

particularly in rural areas.

Citing that increasing tele-density to 15 per cent in the next 10 years was

one of the bold objectives of India, Dr Netravali said the country would have to

put up five times the number of lines established in the last 60 years. Among

other important objectives of the government were, providing basic telephone

services to all villages in India and establishing a modern, broadband,

IP-based, communications infrastructure, seamlessly connected to the rest of the

world.

Saying that India's rapid deregulation will help achieve these communication

objectives, Dr Netravali enumerated the initiatives undertaken under the New

Telecom Policy such as deregulation of national long distance telephony and

allowing private basic operators to provide WILL, or limited mobility, using

CDMA etc.

A fundamental approach to meet India's bold initiative and leapfrog to the

forefront with a future-proof communications infrastructure, according to him,

was to develop new shared architecture, to leverage existing infrastructure and

skill base and to spur exports of communications software.