The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Thursday said that the Government was working on a number of policy initiatives for taking the telecom sector to the next level of growth.
This includes introduction of mobile number portability which will allow subscribers to change their operator without having to give up their telephone number.
Addressing the inaugural session of India Telecom Summit 2008, Dr Singh said, “I believe that the key to the growth of the telecom sector has been competition. There has been continuity in competition and investment friendly policies. The Government is working on many more initiatives to further improve the telecom sector. Mobile Number Portability is around the corner, which will enable subscribers to change their operators while retaining their number. This will not only give more choice to customers but also lead operators to further improve their services to retain their customers. The possibility of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) is also being considered.”
The Prime Minister also launched India’s first third generation (3G) mobile services by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. “I believe that 3G and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) will give a fillip to mobile broadband penetration. So far, India’s success in extending broadband has not been very satisfactory. These services were launched in January 2005 and till now we have managed a very modest penetration. I expect that hereafter 3G will become the predominant platform on which we will be able to build and deliver upon India’s broadband objectives,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that at the current rate of growth, the total telecom subscriber base is expected to reach 700 million by 2012, with about 650 million mobile users and 50 million landlines.
Read the full story in The Hindu Businee Line here.
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