NEW DELHI: In a bid to promote broadband growth in the country, the government is planning to link all the gram panchayats and rural areas through optical fibre cable network.
Addressing the 11th National Summit e-governance and Digital India inclusive growth through digital empowerment by ASSOCHAM, Bharat Net chairman & MD Aruna Sundarajan said that the country was entering into a new era of digital empowerment. “Our digital project is a giant leap to bridge the digital divide between urban and the rural India by linking all the gram panchayats in the country through the common platform of optical fibre cable. Our vision is to transform our country into a knowledge economy.”
She said optical fibre is the most economical means of communication as it can carry higher bandwidth applications. “We will ensure high-speed broadband connectivity to all the gram panchayats. This is to be achieved by utilising the existing optical fibre network of public sector companies and extending it to village panchayats,” she added.
The vision of Digital India aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The programme is implemented in phases from the current year till 2018. Digital India is transformational in nature and would ensure that Government services are available to citizens electronically. It would also bring in public accountability through mandated delivery of government’s services electronically, a Unique ID and e-Pramaan based on authentic and standard based interoperable and integrated government applications and data basis.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman RS Sharma a second warning will be issued to telecom operators about call drops next month. He added opposition to setting up telecom towers in residential areas was based on apprehensions that were baseless. He said the TRAI, telecom operators and government together should promote an awareness campaign on this if service quality has to improve.
Pointing out that quality was a two-way street, Bharti Enterprises vice chairman Akhil Gupta said that Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had written to state chief ministers to provide sites for setting up telecom infrastructure. However, he wanted the State Electricity Boards to take up the electricity supply to telecom towers on a priority basis.
Deloitte India senior director Santosh Anoo said, “Focused execution using innovative partnership models will expedite the realisation of the Digital India vision. The best of breed localised solutions with focus on total cost of ownership will build on the great start and deliver viable business models.”
