TRAI is all set to use cable TV network in a bigger way to provide connectivity to people. Addressing a keynote at 10th India Digital Summit, R.S. Sharma, Chairman, TRAI mentioned about the necessity of augmenting telecom and digital infrastructure to meet growing demand of a truly digital India.
“With more spectrums to be released, connectivity will improve. Seamless connectivity is the essence of true digitization. With Digital Locker; e-Sign and Aadhar, India is the only country in the world to have such advanced technology. India is also the only country to have the technicality of checking identity of a person digitally through Aadhar,” said Sharma.
On Differential Pricing, Sharma informed that with the digital landscape changing constantly, TRAI will be reviewing it every 2 years. Drive tests are regularly done by TRAI. He also mentioned that all tests have been done very objectively. It was done in a transparent manner and if there are any more suggestions for transparency TRAI is certainly ready to look at it. The next test drive is likely to be in April 2016.
He further added that telecom companies have started raising objections pertaining to consulting on the roads TRAI is using. He wrapped up the point saying, “We have started that process also. So this time when we did the test, we have also taken their suggestions into account.”
According to Sharma, in India there are 100 million homes with cable televisions. If all these 100 million connections can be converted into cable TV pipes, they can deliver 10 megabit per second.
“Can we use cable TV network to provide connectivity to people? We have made recommendations to the government on that. We are working with the department of telecommunications,” he said, adding: Providing connectivity access to our people is extremely important,” concluded Sharma.
