New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), late on Tuesday, came up with the draft of the National Communications Policy for public discussion.
The draft has laid out plans of providing broadband for all, creating 4 million additional jobs in the digital communications sector and enhancing the contribution of the digital communications sector to 8% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) from less than 6% in 2017.
DoT has decided on three missions with a deadline of 2022. These are Connect India, under which it aims to create robust digital communications, Propel India, under which the government aims to harness the power of emerging digital technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet Of Things (IoT) among others, and Secure India, which aims to safeguard the digital sovereignty of India with a focus on ensuring individual autonomy and choice, data ownership, privacy and security.
In light of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the ministry of information technology aims to set in place a data protection regime for digital communications, that safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals and facilitates India’s participation in the global digital economy.
The government also aims to enable infrastructure convergence of IT, telecom and broadcasting sectors by amending the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and other relevant acts for the purpose of convergence.
The draft has also put in place goals such as the deployment of 5 million public Wi-Fi Hotspots by 2020 and 10 million by 2022 through a National Broadband Mission apart from implementing a ‘Fibre First Initiative’ to take fibre internet to every home.
The policy also aims to identify and make available new spectrum bands for access and backhaul segments for timely deployment and growth of 5G networks apart from further liberalising the spectrum sharing, leasing and trading regime.
A new fund for research and development in new technologies for start-ups and entrepreneurs will also be created.
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