Telecom Blog
Reversing India's Downward Trajectory
The country can regain growth momentum with rate cuts and telecom reforms, writes Shyam Ponappa in this column published in the Business Standard on 5 January 2012.
Inputs for NTP 2011
The Centre for Internet and Society wishes to commend the DoT on the draft of the New Telecom Policy and offers its suggestions to improve the draft with specific changes.
Accessibility in the New Telecom Policy 2011
Responding to the call for comments on NTP 2011, 27 organisations sent a joint letter requesting that accessibility for persons with disabilities be included specifically within the goals and objectives of the policy. The submission is available here. It deals exclusively with the issue of accessibility in telecommunications for persons with disabilities, which has been left out of NTP 2011. We outline below in some detail the rationale for including accessibility in the NTP.
Healing self-inflicted wounds
A spate of dysfunctional actions and retrograde developments has led to an unimaginable mess for India. Can the damage to growth prospects be undone? Does it need to be? If so, how? Three areas are discussed below.
Telecom Path-Breaker?
Does the draft National Telecom Policy-2011 reflect true brilliance or smoke-and-mirrors? It will be a game-changer if a shared network is implemented effectively, writes Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on November 3, 2011.
Facing up to Moral Hazard
Systems upholding the law and standards help navigate the grey areas of moral hazard and adverse selection writes Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on October 6, 2011.
Reviving Growth
The government needs to reduce interest rates and undertake specific reforms to revive growth. The focus needs to be on communications, specifically broadband, it would yield results. Mobile communications have grown phenomenally but the meteoric rise got stalled. However, if the government initiates reforms in spectrum policies with incentives for broadband delivery, prospects could revive and communications could go through another meteoric rise, becoming the growth engine for the economy.
The Challenges of Direct Democracy
India must weigh the pros and cons of various approaches to direct democracy and develop one of its own.
NTP 2011 Objective: Broadband
The Indian government has to choose between accessible, affordable services and short-term revenue, writes Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on June 2, 2011.
Spectrum reforms - Good & Bad news
A good initiative is under way, but needs changes to work out complex issues, writes Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on May 5, 2011.
Learning from Fukushima
Take remedial steps and demystify the unreasoning dread of nuclear power, says Shyam Ponappa in his latest column published by the Business Standard on April 7, 2011.
India's untapped potential: Are a billion people losing out because of spectrum?
As one of the world’s fastest growing economies and with over 65% of its billion-plus population under 35, India has huge potential. But according to Shyam Ponappa of the Centre for Internet & Society, its spectrum management – the electromagnetic waves that are used from home appliances like microwaves and remote controls, to radios, cell phones, and of course, the internet – could be a huge barrier to the country’s economic and social development.
Big-Bang Budgets?
Clarity of planning and conceptualisation needs to be the hallmark of policy planning for the Budget, says Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on March 3, 2011.
Spectrum auctions - 'Jhatka' or 'Halal'?
The choice is between sudden death and a slow one. The article by Shyam Ponappa appeared in the Business Standard on 3 February 2011.
The policy langurs
The comforts of civilised living for all Indians require dedicated collective effort. The article by Shyam Ponappa was published in the Business Standard on 6 January 2011.
Take 'Model T' for Telecom
We need an initiative coordinated by the PMO that optimises both services and government revenues, says Shyam Ponappa in his article published in the Business Standard on 2 December 2010.
Ideology and ICT Policies
For better policies, decision-makers need to know their own and others’ biases, and consider what others are doing, writes Shyam Ponappa in an article published in the Business Standard on 4 November 2010.
Broad-basing Broadband
Education and training through the Internet need Commonwealth Games-like crisis management, says Shyam Ponappa in an article on broadband for education and training published in the Business Standard on 7 October 2010.
What a highway can do
Despite signs of transformational change, we need more - SOPs and quality
'Containing Inflation' - A myth
We need problem-solving, not confused rhetoric or misguided action, says Shyam Ponappa. The article was published in Business Standard on 7 August, 2008.