India needs robust broadband connectivity infrastructure: TRAI chief -Governance Now

India needs robust broadband connectivity infrastructure: TRAI chief

To achieve the goal of connecting India digitally, there are three pre-requisites: digital infrastructure, software and digital services, and digitally empowered citizens.

GN Bureau | November 2, 2016

#digital India #egov #TRAI #RS Sharma

RS Sharma

For an orderly growth of the telecom sector, it is necessary to have a clear regulatory framework with no scope of ambiguities, said RS Sharma, chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). He underlined the need for a reliable and robust broadband connectivity infrastructure for a transformational growth of the telecom sector in India.

Delivering his keynote address on the theme ‘Assessing Future Trends and Regulatory Reforms of Telecom Sector’ at the India Telecom 2016, Sharma on Tuesday said that TRAI as a regulatory body will continue to play the role of a facilitator to the industry. He added that for an orderly growth of the sector it is necessary to have a clear regulatory framework with no scope of ambiguities.

Elaborating on Digital India, Sharma said that to achieve the goal of the initiative which is to connect India digitally there are three pre-requisites: digital infrastructure, software and digital services, and digitally empowered citizens. He added that digital infrastructure consisted of hard infrastructure, which included broadband and networks, and soft infrastructure, comprising e-payment gateways.

He said that Digital India initiative was focused on empowering people by providing services such as DigiLocker which is linked to the Unique Identification Authority of India (Aadhaar number) of the user. The space can be utilised for storing personal documents and there is also an associated facility for e-signing documents. The service is intended to minimise the use of physical documents and to provide authenticity of the e-documents. Such programmes are helping in the creation of an India which has paperless, transparent, traceable, cost effective and cashless governance.
Sharma said that India is now moving towards data from voice calls. The country is ready for this change with adequate spectrum; however, there are several challenges in this domain in terms of privacy and ownership of data, which have to be addressed. Hence, a regulatory framework was needed to resolve these issues.

READ: Call drops: TRAI suggests solutions for improving in-building network

With its low internet and broadband penetration India is at the 131st position in the UN ranking, way behind countries like Sri Lanka.

READ: Smoke signals from TRAI for harried mobile users

Comments

Other News

“I wrote ‘Survival at Stake’ to provide food for thought about solutions”

Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence By Poorva Joshipura HarperCollins, 328 pages, Rs 499 With science now recognising animal consciousness, intelligence, emotion, and even morality, there must rise an awareness of

‘Bon Voyage’ through the Arctic: Exploring new horizons for India

India`s tryst with trade through the Arctic regions, including the Northern Sea Routes (NSR), has become an impact-making endeavor recently. The Arctic of yore is now a pivot – point of geopolitics, of climate change discussions, and for economic opportunities; 40% of oil and gas reserves said to be

Demystifying Contemporary Finance Theory and other lessons in investment

Investing Decoded: Simple Path To Building A Portfolio In Millions By Anirudh Rathore Penguin India, 320 pages, Rs 499

Deepfake: India to prepare four-point action plan

Deepfake has emerged as a serious threat to democracy and social institutions across the world. Propagation of deepfake content via social media platforms has aggravated this challenge. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has, from time to time, advised social media in

Mumbai traffic: Let’s use some simple math

Two level of roads not enough, BMC to have triple traffic jams through underground junctions There is no shortage of short-sighted traffic experts who believe that creating more vertical space (either above or below the level) in already overcrowded and congested cities will be cou

Seizures worth Rs. 1,760 crore reported in five poll-bound states

The Election Commission of India’s persistent efforts have led to a significant and exponential increase in seizures in the five poll-going states of Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana. Seizures over Rs 1,760 crore have been reported in these five states since the announce