New telecom policy aims to provide broadband access to all citizens by 2022

New telecom policy aims to provide broadband access to all citizens by 2022

News

1. The Union Cabinet approved the draft new telecom policy, known as National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018.

 Need of the new policy

2.Emerging technologies like 5G and Internet of Things warrant the need for consumer-centric and application-centric policy.

3.To restore financial health of the telecom sector as the sector is reeling under a debt of around Rs 7.8 lakh crore.

4.Aims of the new policy

• Universal broadband connectivity at 50 Mbps to every citizen
• 1 Gbps connectivity to all gram panchayats
• Attract $100billion investments into the communication sector
• Create 40 lakh new jobs in the next four years
• Expanding the (Internet of Things) IoT ecosystem to 5 billion connected devices
• Create globally recognized (Intellectual Property Rights) IPRs in India
• Create a fund for R&D in new technologies
• Leverage Artificial intelligence and Big Data to enhance quality of services
• Spectrum management and network security
• Establish India as a global hub for cloud computing

5. The policy has called for a

• review of levies and fees — including licence fee,
• universal service obligation fund levy and
• spectrum usage charges on the sector

6.The policy proposes to establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications

7. Outcome of the Policy

• Help the debt-laden telecom sector to attract low-cost financing
• Ensuring sustainable and affordable access to digital communication
• To increase contribution of the telecom sector to 8% of the GDP from the current 6%.

Telecom sector will be accorded the status of “critical and essential infrastructure and optic fibre cables as a “public utility”.