New Delhi, India, December 18, 2014: Investments in Broadband will be fundamental to achieving the Government’s Vision of Digital India was the key message at the ‘India: Broadband for All’ seminar organized by Ericsson and COAI in New Delhi on December 18. Investments in broadband need to be encouraged and facilitated in India so that the benefits of broadband to business and society can be ensured.

Digitalization is transforming industries and changing consumer habits. Mobile broadband has become a platform for innovation which is creating new revenue streams. To achieve high level of broadband penetration and deliver the benefits of digitalization, additional spectrum would need to be made available in India. It is the basic resource required for building efficient networks able to serve large numbers of subscribers generating large amounts of traffic. India must think long term in terms of laying out its national broadband policy so that supply side constraints are managed in such a manner that 600 million broadband subscribers can be serviced by 2020.

Even as network convergence is happening, fixed and mobile are becoming one full service broadband network and the Networked Society is becoming a reality. Widespread internet connectivity is driving change for individuals and enabling innovation and business transformation. A holistic approach and long term approach is needed for the regulatory framework.