New Delhi: 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.
He further added. “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.
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