The national telecom policy 2012 (NTP 2012) approved by the union cabinet on Thursday identifies cloud computing, next generation networks, IPV6 and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) as the new thrust areas.

The policy identifies that cloud computing will significantly speed up ability to design and roll out services, enable social networking and participative governance and m-commerce at scale which were not possible through traditional technology solutions.

It identifies cloud computing as a historic opportunity to catapult India’s vaunted service delivery capabilities to a new level domestically as well globally.

The policy focuses on addressing the concerns of the cloud users and other stakeholders by taking specific steps that need to be taken for lowering the cost of service delivery.

The policy promises to take further steps for propelling India to emerge as a global leader in the development and provision of cloud services to benefit enterprises, consumers and central and state governments.