Broadband subscriber gap likely to be 10 million by 2010

New Delhi, July 17: The gap between target and achievement to accomplish broadband penetration in India will be over 10 million by 2010, until PC availability at Rs 10,000 with adequate infrastructure is made available to rural folk to connect them with urban and semi-urban population.

In a report brought out jointly by the industry chamber Assocham and Frost&Sullivan on Broadband in India', to be released tomorrow, it has been highlighted that there is a need to increase household PC penetration in the absence of which broadband household penetration is less than one per cent.

The report points out that in the last seven years, India could provide broadband connectivity to less than 2.5 million subscribers as against its target of 3 million, 9 million and 20 million for 2005, 2007 and 2010 respectively.

In order to overcome many hurdles, the best strategy for spreading broadband would be to make use of India's available infrastructure, said Assocham President Venugopal N Dhoot in a statement.

Mr Dhoot addedthat it needs to be done not only through telephone lines but also through power lines. The electric line will become the most obvious choice for spreading broadband since it is far more widespread and touches many homes.

Until this happens, the target and achievement of broadband penetration will have a gap of 10 million against the targeted figure of 20 million by 2010. However, the paper projects that the broadband subscriber market is expected to increase to 30.1 million by 2013 with its growth expected to touch 8.9 per cent.

The paper says the challenge for any service provider is to optimise its network and enhance user experience. For instance, one of the major issues facing broadband networks is the congestion created by peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic on those networks.

P2P traffic on a broadband network can be anywhere from 50 to 85 per cent. The networks are not designed for that kind of traffic on which the service providers have no control. This creates an entirely new paradigm for how traffic is generated and controlled on the network, the paper added.

For broadband to have a reach all across the country (both in urban as well as rural areas), the service providers will have to look into various emerging technologies mainly wireless.

All the available broadband technologies should be promoted by the government.

Another challenge Assocham feels for the rural broadband would be substantial and relevant content for the diversified Indian population, without which the success possibility of broadband in rural areas is very low.

The government should play a leading role in developing and deploying applications (e-governance, e-education, agricultural services, healthcare services, etc) that could be used masses especially in rural areas.

Apart from this, service providers should also be encouraged to develop rich local content the same way they are encouraged for rural telecom expansion (fixed line, mobile and broadband) through the USO fund.

Assocham states that the advanced wireless technologies, such as WiMax and 3G, are expected to drive the broadband growth in the country. These technologies have been successful in different parts of the world and India could also leverage them to achieve the next level of telecom revolution.

The government should release the required spectrum to roll out the WiMax and 3G services as these services would help in reducing the digital divide and help in achieving the economic growth through out the country.

The paper points out that in 2006, around 83 per cent of broadband subscribers were on DSL technology, and the remaining 17 per cent were accessing broadband using Cable modem, Ethernet LAN, Fiber and Radio.

Wired technology such as DSL can reach only up to five kilometers from the central office and since India does not have a comprehensive wired infrastructure in place, it makes wired broadband expensive and unrealistic option for rural areas.

UNI