Towards a broadband revolution

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Atul Bindal: Jul 31 2007, 00:00 IST

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The sooner the government makes unbundling mandatory for access by telecom operators on non-discriminatory basis, the better it would be for boosting broadband growth in India The stage has been set to usher in the broadband revolution in the country. Three years after the Department of Telecommunication unveiled India's first broadband policy, it has heralded 2007 as the Year of Broadband which would aim at increasing PC penetration in the country, at making broadband more affordable and at making available higher speed broadband-offering the Indian broadband consumer connections beyond 256 kbps-and introducing them to the information super highway.

The opportunities are immense. Globally, broadband use is picking up speed. From just over 17 million users in 2001, the number of global broadband users has grown rapidly in recent years and is now fast approaching the quarter of a billion mark. As of now, the base of Indian broadband users stood at a meager 2.43 million by the end of April 2007, giving immense scope for growth. Digital adoption is evolving rapidly. There is also a need to make it easier for consumers and businesses to adopt broadband solutions.

However, there are two key challenges that broadband growth faces in India, namely, local loop unbundling (LLU) and low PC penetration. While the above represent challenges from the technology angle, overcoming these will be merely necessary, not sufficient. The primary impediment to broadband adoption will remain content that is both compelling and relevant content LLU is one of the main obstacles

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