MUMBAI: India today launched four world class broadband products by Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). With this, the country has come at par with all other developed countries in the world in respect of quality telecommunication services and effective penetration of advanced broadband based services.
Union Minister for communication and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad while launching the new products indigenously developed by C-DOT stated that the NDA Government is committed to bring all 2.5 lakh villages under broadband services and enhance internet penetration from 300 million to 500 million within two and half years.
Prasad launched the products in the presence of his Kenyan counterpart, cabinet secretary, ICT in a function organised at C-DOT campus, New Delhi. Prasad further stated that the new products have been launched with an aim to provide an advanced digital infrastructure for ‘Digital India’ Initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He further stated that ‘Digital India’ initiative is bound to bring governance available in the palm of every Indian. It is more for the poor, underprivileged and the marginal people like masons and carpenters etc.
Prasad stressed on the fact that, ‘Digital India’ is a transformational programme and a dream to bring a positive change. The initiative would also go a long way in digital empowerment of the people of India. The initiative launched by Modi would make India developed, globally credible, affluent and would further sync with Make in India and Skill India programme.
Prasad elaborated the importance of skill development and said that there are ample opportunities of earning in mobile maintenance profession as the number of mobile sets are surging day by day.
He also appreciated the role of C-DOT in transforming the telecommunication scenario in the country, especially in the rural India. C-DOT has rendered significant contribution in providing broadband coverage across the nation. He also appreciated the products developed by C-DOT and stated that the long distance Wi-Fi is going to solve the problem of distance, whereas Solar powered Wi-Fi would do away the dependence on the power availability.
He stated that the Next Generation Network technology is quite important for the service providers for converging landline/ mobile/ data network. MTNL and BSNL users are going to be benefitted as they would be able to transform their landline network into the most advanced network. He called upon C-DOT to come out with more advanced innovative products in order to ensure foolproof telecom services, apart from lending a hand in ensuring digital literacy across the country in respective local languages.
The Union Minister further stated that digital connectivity leads to good governance and the C-DOT products are great, innovative and dependable, but he would be happier if the products are savvy and are used by more people.
He exhorted the private sector to go for C-DOT products on large scale as these have been developed after a sustained research and analysis for which the Government invested a substantial amount keeping in view the need to match with the fast changing world.
The next generation land line network would not only revolutionise the basic telephony but would upgrade the entire landline services. He added that presently all gram panchayats are connected with broadband, the government is committed to connect all gram panchayats in the country with broadband.
C-DOT executive director Vipin Tyagi said that its efforts are in the way of taking dream of Digital India further as he delivered his welcome address.
He also stated that the C-DOT has been innovating with an aim to empower the weaker strata of the society and developing indigenous products to facilitate continuous telecom up-gradation. He said that technology is big enabler and broadband is big leveler. Roti, Kapda, Makan and Broadband are the basic needs of the human being.
