'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam': an Internet reality

This Indian saying has been realized in the

way the Internet has managed to make the world a global village. And,

India Internet World 99 is a step to bring India prominently on the map.

Being ranked the largest Internet show in South East Asia and the third

largest globally is definitely promising considering it is just its second

year in the country.

At the inauguration of IIW 99, Department of Electronics Secretary

Ravindra Gupta called this an explosion. "Or rather, an

earthquake." The Internet explosion is an opportunity area for India

since even small and medium businesses can have their marketing set-up

with little investment on the Net. It is an investment of employment,

wealth and technology, he added.

The Indian Government too, has not been sleeping. While taking the

full-packed auditorium--a mixture of business delegates from India and

abroad--Mr Gupta added that the ISP policy has given much encouragement to

Internet usage in the country, with 23 A category, 58 B category and 80 C

category licenses having been granted so far. Some of the operators are

already operational. Another welcome move is the permission to private

operators to open international gateways, 5 of which are expected to come

up by November and 5 in March. Cyber Laws, another of his initiatives, is

expected to see the light of the day once the new Parliament convenes

after elections. This is expected to take care of EDI, electronic

transaction of documents, digital signature and cyber crimes and

punishment.

In addition to this, the Department of Telecommunications has agreed to

lay fiber optic cables in every development block for Internet backbone.

Currently, 125,000 km of cables is already available. An education and

research network has already been established with World Bank assistance.

This will be upgraded to 8 mbps and 2 mbps, respectively, using optic

fiber, with special focus on the NorthEast part of the country. The

Department of Defense has also been involved and it will also lend its

spare capacity for the same. Mr. Gupta also assured the audience that he

is pushing for a decision on last mile for ISPs and the use of satellites

for the same.