Tele-density Needs To Go Up To 20%: Pitroda

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/772500.cms

NEW DELHI: Telecom wizard, pioneer of PCO revolution in India and member of the newly constituted National Advisory Council Sam Pitroda on Friday said the teledensity in India must go up to 20 from the current eight.

"The teledensity has to increase. It is now 80 million telephones for a billion people. So the tele-density is eight. The goal is to make it 20. I would like to see 200 million phones. But the challenge is how to arrive there", Pitroda said, at a seminar by M S Swaminathan Research Centre and knowledge portal oneworld.net.

Telecom regulator TRAI and Telecom Commission had a greater role to play in the process, he said. Along with tele-density, broadband and internet penetration are also at very low levels.

"Because the costs are very high. Till costs come down, affordability will continue to be an issue. Costs have to come down and it is the main consideration for the low penetration of internet and broadband", Pitroda said.

The council can only give recommendations and guidance to the relevant agencies like TRAI. The real work has to be done by Government departments.

"The advisory Council meeting is on July 17. After that we will be in a position to ascertain the exact focus on IT and telecom from council. But we just need to bring some focus to the current good work being done", he said.

AICC Secretary and economist Jairam Ramesh, eminent agricultural economist C H Hanumantha Rao and Dr V Krishnamurthy, who was the first Chairman of Maruti Udyog, are among the 12 experts nominated today as members of the National Advisory Council on the National Common Minimum Programme headed by Sonia Gandhi.