In the past, as railroads helped transform countries into urban, industrialized nations, the knowledge-driven economies of today will rely on telecommunication networks. No one can question the transformational effect telecommunications can have on societies and in economic development. India’s National Telecom Policy 2012, has been conceived with a vision to transform the country into an empowered and inclusive knowledge-based society, using telecommunications as a platform. It is largely evident that the adoption and usage of broadband or the mobile phones can significantly improve quality of life and access to citizen services.
Across the world, governments, organizations and educational institutions are leveraging the power of the web to do things that weren’t possible earlier. The government of India is a prime example. With its ambitious project to extend broadband connectivity to 250,000 villages, it could potentially create a social revolution and fuel its growth in the knowledge-based economy. The government’s initiative could give the much required fillip to the burgeoning internet users in rural India, which according to a recent report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is expected to reach 45 million by December 2012. As the hinterland gets well connected via the broadband, availability and quality of the human resources can be expected to improve substantially, luring businesses and paving way for rapid development beyond what is being witnessed in the metros in India.
Complementing the use of broadband connectivity is the increasing penetration of mobile phones amongst the rural population. With service providers doling out customized services to this segment, mobile phone’s utility will undoubtedly rise. Take for example, leading telecom player Airtel’s new value added service (VAS) specifically targeted at the rural population. Powered by VAS provider, Handygo Technologies, the service called "Behtar Zindagi" (meaning “better life"), will help rural population reap the benefits of mobile telephony for most basic information related to agriculture, commodity prices, and weather forecast, information on inland fisheries, livestock, health, rural finance and education. The penetration of mobile phones and the ensuing investments in this area by private players is certainly an encouraging sign and will in fact help the government in its financial inclusion programme.
As the telecommunication network triggers socio-economic development in India by gathering more and more citizens into the digital landscape, it also presents enormous opportunities for the government and businesses to not only enhance relationship with citizens but also engage with them to continuously improve processes related to citizen services. However, in order to realize such a promising future, the next step for the policymakers would be to ensure end-user adoption and usage – a difference that will decide whether the investments will be a pathway to the future or a reverse salient.
