Late Extra: Indian telecom industry should strengthen infrastructure

Telecommunication holds the key to development. India realised that just about a decade and a half ago and today the country is reaping the benefit of the steps it took in that direction.

From the introduction of liberal licensing policy for public call offices (PCO's) to the facsimile machines, computers and mobile phones, today India can boast of having the full range of communication tools at its command.

The progress between 1988 and 2003 has been at such a fast pace that it is difficult to believe that such major changes have been brought about in a span of just 15 years.

Provision of a facility is just one side of the coin. It is the adaptability and acceptance of new technology by the Indian masses, which is really amazing. It is not just the "keeping up with the Jones" factor but the real necessity and ready capitalisation of opportunities, which the communication industry has provided that has taken all by surprise.

Employment provider

The industry has bloomed into a major employment provider away from the traditional job market sectors. Of course once again one has to acknowledge that the success story could have been incomplete had the Indians not adapted and grasped the opportunities which the communication sector provided.

The worrying factor about India is that - will it be able to keep pace with the growing demand on the infrastructure the industry needs. Call centres are being set up in smaller towns and cities of India apart from the major acknowledged IT hubs.

The numbers of mobile phone users will soon runs into several million. Add to that computer based networking, using dial up services has already reached astronomical numbers. Then there are the basic landline users running into hundreds of millions.

Impressive to say the least, but the catch is the infrastructure. Mobile users complain about not being utilise the facility they have paid for because the networks are overloaded and very often they have to contend with the most irritating phrase, 'network busy, please dial after some time'. At times even SMS messages bounce back.

Erratic supply

As for dial up users in many parts of the country they are hampered by erratic supply of both electricity and telephone exchange capacities. If the phone lines are working and there is no power supply then trying to communicate using computers for emails or browsing, etc becomes impossible.

All computer systems in use in India have to use the back up of uninterrupted power supply units. The latter however have limits notwithstanding the rated capacity of just about 15 to 20 minutes. The solution then is to link the computer system to an auxiliary power supply source like a generator or a larger power storage system called the inverter.

The question is how many individuals can really afford or are willing to install alternative supply sources.

The success of the Indian telecom industry will depend on the ability to upgrade infrastructral facilities urgently or they might just overextend their supply lines in their cutthroat competition for a larger market share.

The writer is an India-based journalist.