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‘Treat Broadband at Par with Electricity Services’
(The Economic Times, 23rd March 2006)
It’s not just the mobile users segment that has logged record growth: the dial-up internet subscriber base too crossed the six-million mark ahead of the target date set by the government as part of its broadband policy. Year 2006 has already seen telecom regulator Trai make some positive strides to bring about convergence. In this backdrop of growth, internet service providers (ISPs) have a significant role to play.
Globally, the first ISP to be certified with ISO 27001 by the British Standards Institution (BSI) for world-class data centres, Net4 has also been appointed as the registrar for the .IN domain names. Net4 CEO, Jasjit Sawhney spoke to Preiti Sharma Shahane about the internet revolution in India.
How do you look at the broadband scenario in India ? What is the expected rate of growth ?
The broadband scenario in India is limited to metropolitan areas. To add depth to the internet revolution, it should be treated at par with electricity, water and telephone services. The popularity of broadband will be linked to its perceived utility. Both its need and availability require a simultaneous push from the infrastructure as well as the content providers. There were 10 lakh broadband connections as on December 31, 2005. This number is projected to grow to 20 , million broadband users by 2010.
The key drivers of broadband will be in the areas of telephony, education, entertainment and healthcare. Widespread 'always-on’ connectivity will surely drive the usage of VOIP and vice versa. First-time broadband subscribers are now switching over from dial-up/narrow band services in order to take advantage of low-cost and efficient VoIP services.
What are the biggest challenges that a higher broadband penetration in India faces ?
Today, the internet is utilized by a vast majority for e-mails and internet research — for which 256 kbps is sufficient. Bandwidth-rich applications are yet to make way. This brings us back to the need: until consumers across the country (and not just in the metros) see compelling utility in having a broadband connection, the take-off is unlikely to happen in a hurry, even if it is available.
What issues and policies of the government, if reworked, would help the industry grow faster ?
The levy of 6% revenue share for internet service providers is certainly something the industry could have done without. It will negate any economies of scale, cost advantages garnered over the last couple of years that, in turn, may have been passed on to the consumers. This will specially impact the smaller regional service providers, which doesn't bode well for long-term growth.
What services does Net4 offer ?
Our activities include offering bandwidth for internet access, collocation of servers, hosting of websites. IP-based voice and telephony solutions and domain name registration. Currently, Net4 originates 7 lakh international telephone calls from India every month. Our customer base is 1 lakh strong, of which 700 are well-known Indian corporates. We have also empowered 750 public telephone booths with IP-enabled international dialing. Our systems proactively identify, manage and minimise the wide range of threats to which information is regularly subjected to. |
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