Indian broadband connections hit 13 million
India now has over 13 million broadband connections, according to a report in the Times of India. The Indian minister of communication and IT, Sachin Pilot said that the country now has 13.35 million connections, with the largest number of these in the state of Maharashtra.
In its draft of the National Telecom Policy the government has set itself a target of achieving 175 million broadband connections by 2017, and 600 million by 2020, each with a minimum download speed of 2Mbps.
India’s telcos have faced their fair share of controversy recently after the Supreme Court of India cancelled 122 spectrum licenses that were awarded in a sale in 2008 after declaring that they were illegally issued by the government.
At the recent Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, Sunil Mittal, chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel said in a keynote panel discussion that India and Africa would need a $50 tablet to be introduced in order to spur adoption of mobile technologies.
The Broadband Asia conference is taking place on the 15th-16th May 2012, KL Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Go to the website now to register your interest.
