Addressing an interactive meeting on National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2011 organised by FICCI, R. Chandrashekhar, secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has said that the National Telecom Policy 2011 will be ready in a few weeks.
Thereafter, it will be forwarded to the Telecom Commission for a review and then to the Cabinet for a final decision.
Chandrashekhar added said that the government will unveil a national broadband plan that will lay a strong foundation for broadband infrastructure, both for wireless and fixed line. He said that this would require funds on a massive scale as the plan would be rolled out on considerations that would not purely be commercial.
He added that the primary effort of NTP 2011 would be to maximise teledensity and public good. It will lay down policy on all important issues such as licensing, R&D, manufacturing and spectrum availability.
Dr. J S Sarma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his address, pointed out that TRAI had already given its recommendations to the government on telecom infrastructure. By next week, it is expected to give its suggestions on equipment manufacturing and thereafter on green telecom.
On value added services, TRAI, he said, would come out with a consultation paper in April and by June this year its recommendations will be made public.
Dr Sarma also said that huge amount of funds would have to be committed in advance for the telecom sector to enable the people to reap the benefits of technology through this century.
