New broadband policy soon; cable network to be set up
31 Mar 2011
A national broadband policy is on its way to increase internet penetration and promote economic inclusion through e-governance, according to the department of telecommunications.
''The telecom department will send the national broadband policy to the cabinet in the next few weeks, before which it will be cleared by the Telecom Commission,'' telecom secretary R Chandrasekhar said at an industry event in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The commission is the apex decision-making body of the communications ministry.
The national broadband policy is aimed at setting up networks estimated to cost Rs60,000 crore to facilitate high-speed data transfer. The government is targeting a 10-fold increase in broadband subscribers from the current 10.29 million to 100 million by 2014.
Earlier in the day, telecom minister Kapil Sibal met various operators to discuss the national broadband policy. Sibal had earlier said that the policy would be finalised by the end of this fiscal.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given its suggestions to the DoT in December, among which is the proposal for a Rs60,000-crore broadband network.
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
