Wireless connectivity in India has experienced stupendous growth of almost 90 percent in recent times, claimed Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman Ram Sevak Sharma while stressing on the importance of enhancing the quality of broadband services in the country.
Sharma said that broadband Infrastructure growth is as low as 1.5 percent, with no further growth in wired connectivity since last 15-20 years. However, wireless connectivity has experienced stupendous growth of almost 90 percent in recent times.
Sharma opined that the Indian telecom industry has one billion consumers. However, the transaction value of products and services is low. If a consumer suffers call drop or poor data connectivity, the consumer may not take the route of consumer courts as the model and processes are too complex and unfeasible to justify the low transaction value. Hence, with consumers having less choices and complex grievance redressal mechanisms, the idea of having a broadband label is significant, path-breaking and will help consumers in making an informed choice.
He further added that internet service providers must disclose a minimum average speed for consumers. With other parts of the world already implementing such labels, the time is right for India to also consider such a mechanism. The deliberations and recommendations today will help TRAI to prepare an appropriate consultation paper for future stakeholder discussions.
By Baishakhi Dutta
