Contents - Connect-World

Contents
4 & 5 - Connections 51 - Last Words 52 - Reply Card
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Social Development
Socio-economic growth of India in
a networked world
by Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance
Infocomm Limited
Information and communications technology will be
central to the networked society. It will not be only a
question of hardware. Ubiquitous communications
and social networking software will facilitate the
organisation of social interactions and forge new communities.
Networks will reform the structure of societies
and redefine the business landscape. Technology
can propel India to leadership in a networked world.
National Development
Vision and opportunities in the
Indian telecom sector
by Prithipal Singh, Convenor, National Advisory Council,
India-Tech Foundation’s TELECOMM India 2004
Telecommunications in India began in 1853. Only in
the last decade, though, did market-based reforms
begin to make telecommunications service possible
for most of the population. Since then, tele-density
has increased five-fold and service tariffs have gone
down substantially. Nevertheless, although urban
tele-density is close to the global average, rural teledensity
is considerably lower and sharp regional variations
exist.
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Networking India’s interior
by Venkat Kedlaya, Managing Director, Convergent
Communications, India
The interior of India is far behind the countrys urban
areas in the use of ICTs. Many programmes are working
to bridge this gap. Information kiosks that let rural
populations access the Internet for a series of services
have been successful, but providing connectivity,
developing local language content and applications
and making it affordable have been a challenge.
Industrial Development
Managed telecommunication services
and a vibrant economy
by Thomas White, Senior Vice-President & General
Manager, Communications Solutions Group, Agilent
Technologies
Indias growth as a global economic power depends
upon its telecommunication infrastructure and high
quality services. Telecom operators need effective network
and service management for their highly profitable
corporate accounts. To deliver world-class services,
operational support systems that collect, consolidate
and prioritise information, to present an aggregated,
real-time view of service quality for targeted
customer accounts is essential.
ICT and new India
by Sudhir Rao, Managing Director, Bartronics India
Limited
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India’s intellectual capital – its
neural network
by Dr Jon Earith, Chief Technology Officer, MBT
India is transforming itself through the exploitation of
its intellectual capital, building upon education to
drive the country from service provider to innovator
and technological leader. Indian companies have
long offered IT services internationally, providing
coders for western software. Today, companies in
search of overall value look to Indian offshore partnerships
for the distinctive skills and high performance
they offer.
From tortoise to hare: the transformation
of Indian telecom
by Dr Arun Mehta, Chief Technical Officer, Net Radiophony
India
DOT was Indias primary supplier of phone services and
its telecom regulator. When India opened its market,
private companies and new entrants, unlike DOT, paid
high licence fees and suffered technology restrictions.
To level the field a regulatory agencyTRAIwas
established, but DOTs resistance defeated it. A special
court now handles telecom disputes and the sector is
growing.
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Today, every Indian can talk to anyone throughout
the world. With mobile telephony, India is now part
of the always connected world. Indian software
engineers are now working in large corporations
around the globe. Every new technology is available
in India within days, and newer, better, more productive
business processes are used in every sphere of
business.
India, ICT and the service sector
by Deepak Jain, General Manager IT Solutions, Telecom
Industry, Wipro Infotech
India is a world leader in IT & BPO services. The government
issued licences allowing a number of new
competitors to offer telecom services. The improvement
in Indias telecommunications has helped many
industries, including important international consumer
goods companies that have shifted their data centres
to India to telcos offering data centres and reliable
global connectivity.
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