PM Exhorts Telecom Industry to Scale Up Production to Meet Challenges Post 2020
NEW DELHI, December 5, 2013. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has asked domestic telecom industry to gear up to build huge manufacturing base in India by 2020 that will require investments of $300 billion to supplying electronic equipment and relevant inputs to telecom manufacturers and restrict and contain its future imports and balance of payment (BOP) situation.
The Department of Telecom (DOT) is working on an eco-system for electronics manufacturing activities to ensure its inclusive development, said the Prime Minister. “The Telecom Commission (TC) is engaged with expansion of telecom services in rural areas to achieve 70 per cent and 100 per cent teledensity by 2017 and 2020 respectively,” he added.
Inaugurating INDIA TELECOM 2013 under aegis of the Department of Telecommunications and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here today, Dr Singh also informed that efforts are on to install 2200 mobile towers with estimated investments of Rs 5300 crore, funds for which would be generated out of USO fund.
Dr Singh emphasised that the government was committed to provide reliable and affordable telecom and broadband services to rural India and called upon private telecom players to come forward to network it with state owned players with telecom and broadband services as India’s vast part is yet to be connected with such services as to equip it with internet services.
Rural India which has so far been restricted with mere 40 per cent teledensity, needs urgent attention of telecom service providers in a spirit of partnership as close to 56,000 villages still await to be connected with internet facilities though a vast part of India access net services through mobile phone, pointed out Dr Singh.
Elaborating on suggested manufacturing base for electronics industry in next six to seven years, the Prime Minister held that it was absolutely essential to restrict countries electronics imports which can be contained provided domestic industry widens its manufacturing to provide equipment and inputs to the industry and minimise its dependence on imports in future.
Electronics imports may constitute volumes next to petro imports in future and be a drain on country’s BOP situation, indicated Dr Singh adding that the emerging trend needs to be arrested with the help of government but the private sector ought to come forward.
Minister for Communications & IT and Law &Justice, Mr Kapil Sibal in his address expressed hope saying that DOT would be able to generate the targeted amount of Rs. 40,000 crore through sale of spectrum for which policy decisions and measures including guidelines are already on public domain. Industry friendly measures would be initiated further to finalise guidelines for merger and acquisition in telecom sector to ensure that it grows and contributes to national GDP as desired, he pointed out.
According to the minister, ceilings for foreign direct investments in different segments of telecommunications have further been liberalised by the government to make them friendly with all stake holders to ensure that it realises its optimum and full potential and leads to intended direction to serve the country and its needs transcending its boundaries.
Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Mr Milind Deora in his opening remarks called for telecom revolution at a scale that should bridge the present urban and rural divide and equip the entire countryside with broadband services to take its fullest advantages of technological advances in telecom sector.
The inaugural session of INDIA TELECOM 2013 was concluded with the Minister of State For Communications and Information Technology Dr Kruparani Killi proposing a vote of thanks to the Prime Minister for his presence on the occasion and President, FICCI Ms Naina Lal Kidwai who was also present in the session with the Secretary General FICCI Dr Didar Singh presented a memento to Dr Singh.
Presiding over a session on ‘Realising the Benefits of M2M, Smart Cities and The Internet of Things’, Secretary DOT M F Faooqui said that his department has constituted groups and sub groups to draft M2M policy which would be shared with all stake holders including industry in next three to four months.
With policy measures of M2M in public domain, India would move up to next level of telecom revolution to benefit the country and its people at scale being visualized by the government, its industry and masses in particular, felt Dr Farooqui.
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