Convergence is inevitable, say industry representatives

Our eFE Bureaux

New Delhi/Mumbai/Chennai, Aug 31: IT’S a significant bill -- this is how representatives of telecom, information technology and broadcasting sectors reacted to the Communications Convergence Bill 2001, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday. They were, however, divided on whether the legislation would be truly effective.

PricewaterhouseCoopers partner and head of Global Capital Markets Kaushik Dutta said: ‘‘Convergence is inevitable. It would be meaningless to have separate regulators. Technology would determine the way communications would happen.’’

However, such a move is loaded against the telecommunications industry, where significant investments have already been made and committed, he added. ‘‘The changes lately, in the telecommunications sector, have been far too many and too quick,’’ he opined.

Saying that the move was long overdue, Global Telesystems president (Enterprise Network Services) Kishore Kale said: ‘‘The world over legislation for convergence has been changing, and it’s about time we did it too.’’

However, it remains to be seen as to how soon the legislation will come into being, he added.

Among the other IT players, Zensar Technologies CEO Ganesh Natarajan said: ‘‘What they are doing is sensible. Otherwise, ministries will continue to move in different directions.’’