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Conduct of seminars, discussions, round-tables and workshops devoted to the boardaspects of telecommunications policy, organisation, performance, technology re-search, consumer protection, telecom laws, etc., Involving providers and consumersof service, economists, intellectuals and policy makers; ICTs AND SOCIETY
Involving consumer associations and providers of service in discussions; Editor : Dr. T.H. Chowdary
Bringing out Monographs / and a Monthly Journal.
The demonopolisation of Indian telecoms in distorted - unequal competition between May/June 2011
government and BSNL/MTNL against P-Telcos; unjustly impossed interconnection;revenue shares, access deficit charges, different charges for termination of calls onBSNL/MTML network for India & foreign-originated calls, etc., The CMS would Studyand agitate these issues.
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Software Racing Towards Mindware
Can Development Ensure Re-election
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The New Telecom Policy (NTP) – 2011
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Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 World Telecommunication and
less educated, and more deprived cousins of the world’s urban Information Society Day, 17 May 2011
citizens. Among them are as many as 1.4 billion of the world’sextremely poor people, who are also among the least connected to Message from Dr Hamadoun I. Touré,
the benefits of ICTs. We cannot allow this situation to continue. It is ITU Secretary-General
time for global action to connect rural communities to the opportu- Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs
ITU is committed to connecting the world and to ensuring that thebenefits of ICTs reach the remotest corners as well as the most ICTs are constantly reshaping the way the world communicates while vulnerable communities. I am proud to say that our work at ITU in creating opportunities for a better life through long-term, developing the standards for ICTs, managing vital spectrum and sustainable development, not least among the most disadvantaged orbital resources, mobilizing the necessary technical, human and financial resources, and strengthening emergency response in theaftermath of devastating natural disasters has met with unprecedented This year, as we celebrate ITU’s 146th anniversary, we focus our success as we enter the second decade of this millennium.
attention on the world’s rural communities in our quest to connectthe remotest corners to the benefits of ICTs.
Although mobile penetration has spread rapidly with over 5.3billion subscribers worldwide, the thrust now is to drive content Today, ICTs are the powerhouses of the global economy and offer through enhanced broadband access aimed at establishing the real solutions towards generating sustainable economic growth and information and communication highways — networks that will feed prosperity. ICTs also act as catalysts in accelerating progress both rural communities and urban centres with the means to meet towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
their development goals and aspirations. ITU’s leadership role inthe Broadband Commission for Digital Development is aimed at In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced opportunities to increasing the roll out of this state-of-the-art technology to firmly generate income and combat poverty, hunger, ill health and establish a universally accessible knowledge-based information illiteracy. ICTs and related e-applications are key instruments in improving governance and rural services, such as providingcommunity health care, safe drinking water and sanitation, I urge you to celebrate World Telecommunication and Information education, food and shelter; improving maternal health and Society Day this year by focusing on connecting people around the reducing child mortality; empowering women and the more world and harnessing the full potential of ICTs so that we can all vulnerable members of society; and ensuring environmental enjoy a more productive, peaceful and - in every way - a better life, Half the world’s population — nearly 3.5 billion people — resides Hamadoun I. Touré
in rural districts and far flung communities, representing the poorer, Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Towards a New Telecom Policy
person is dead. This dream of his envisaged a telephone in thehand or on the body of every person. When it is so, he must answer It is nothing short of amazing that we have over 800 mln telephones when there is a call. No answer must signify that he is dead.
now, 80 times more than we had in 1994, when for the first time aNational Telecom Policy ( NTP-‘94) was announced. These 800mln compared with the 80,000 telephones we had at that time of The National Telecom Policy (NTP- ’94) which was our beginning Independence in 1947 (10,000 times increase). No other sector has for demonopolisation, had a number of imperfections which seen such a startling expansion as the telecoms, in India or any- militated against rapid expansion of mobile telephony. We put in where else in the world. Because of demonopolisation, privatization place this statutory Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
and competition and statutory regulation actions which though That went on improving its understanding and therefore facilitation riddled with imperfections and distortions in implementation, have and regulation of pluralism and competition on a level playing field.
by now put a telephone in the hands of 75% of the population.
It was achieved by the enunciation of the NTP in 1999 (NTP-‘99).
The telephone has become affordable to ordinary mass of people as This removed almost all distortions and disabilities in the free within Rs. 125 the daily wage for a worker under the NREG, one play of market forces in telecoms. The most significant corrective could talk for about 200 minutes; the average annual spend by a was that the telephone companies were migrated from upfront cellphone user is Rs. 2,500; one-sixteenth the per capita income, disabling heavy payment of licence fees to revenues sharing.
while in 1994 it was costing as much as the annual per capital This was a daring policy by the NDA government. The businesses income. In our metro cities, there are between 120 to 150 matched this daring by introducing pre-paid class of service.
Instead of a person being billed after a month or so of service and
telephones for 100 persons; our urban teledensity is over 80 and then the companies trying to collect them, over some further the rural teledensity is more than 30. That means that almost every period; users can buy some minutes of service for a specified family has got a telephone. This is borne out by the fact that even sum. This is called prepaid. This is a great innovation. Because of daily rated mazdoors and beggars are sporting a cellphone. Now this mazdoors and house maids and even beggars are able to have that we have number portability, people may not have names but phone service for a certain amount. They are purchasing the everyone can surely have a number. While the names like Nitin, prepared service. 95% of the subscribers are now prepaid. The Chitin, Piyush etc., may not be expressive of a person, the tele- companies are getting money even before service is rendered. That phone number does express. For eg: a telephone (40) 2374-4567 is helping their cash flow and working capital requirement. There means Hyderabad, Srinagar Colony and in that some person. A are no unpaid bills. The prepaid tariff is thus a boon to companies number like (11) 2611-2345 is expressive of a person living in the Jorbagh area of New Delhi. Systematic allocation of cell phonenumbers is also possible. Then the vision of I.H Ronnes the We are now having upto 12 competing companies in most of the Chairman of the famed American Telegraph and Telephone states. No country in the world, not even America or China is Corporation, AT&T in the 1960s that soon enough persons need not having so many competitors in a given area. More and more have names but everyone born will be having a telephone number licenses are being given by the UPA government. A Communica- and that if, that number is rung and there is no answer, it means the tions Minister has found in the issuance of licenses an excellent Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 device for illegal moneymaking. All sorts of people have been 2010 –‘11 the losses would be over Rs. 5000 cr and they would bro ught int o the sector by the ill-intentio ned politician.
further increases year after year. Former state -owned monopolies Spectrum has been dis-linked from licenses to provide service which could flourish only because of monopoly. Monopoly militated is very very unusual. Without spectrum, the license has no meaning against infusion of new technologies introduction of new services at all. The licensing and spectrum allotment bear the characteristic and improvement in the productivity of the employees. Transition of the permit-licence- quota Nehruvian socialism which has been from state- owned monopoly into perfect market competition, on profitably utilized by ill-intentioned Ministers. The result is that, a level playing field is not easy. It requires noble men with great we have one of the worst scams which has no parallel anywhere in vision to effect it. Employees and officers of the former Videsh the world. The Minister and his associates are all in jail ( albeit Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) co-operated for its privatization.
temporarily as under trials) and are facing inquiries. The nexus In its new form, Tata Communications has emerged as a global between the political master and the scheming companies is what player acquiring even national carriers like the Teleglobe of Canada.
is known as crony capitalism. Crony capitalism brought ruin to the If BSNL were led by peoples and vigorous and determination, it economies of Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and some other South East could be ten times more powerful and extensive than the VSNL Asian countries. Civil society and some opposition parties are / Tata Communications. Unfortunately, the top bosses belonging to demonstrating the virtues and power of an open society and the Indian Telecom Service (all engineers) have chosen very wrong democratic governance by exposing the corruption that crony path of not getting absorbed in the company. They are continuing to be on deputation. Deputationists have no stake in the fortunes ofthe company. Their promotions and salaries and even bonuses are Just as NTP-‘ 99 was the corrective to NPT-’94, we have to have a absolutely guaranteed by government. About 1800 of these offic- corrective to the NTP-‘99. It is good that policy is periodically ers are, for more than 10 years on deputation, a phenomenon not reviewed and distortions are removed. The first corrective that is extent in any company in the country. They and the militant unions necessary is to reduce the number of competing companies from are unwittingly helping the decline and demise of BSNL. It would 12 to 4 or 5. That means facilitat ion of mergers and be a national loss. We always need a state- owned company to be a acquisitions(M&A). It requires honest thinking and intelligent corrective and service provider of last resort, especially in implementation to achieve proper M&As to reduce the number of national emergencies. And since such a one is wanted, we can competing companies. The cutthroat competition has brought prices countenance certain financial help until the company becomes as below sustainable levels . Some companies are already on the agile as any private company. This requires a dedicated visionary down -ward slide in regard to their surpluses. With mergers and acquisitions the situation can be corrected before that a disasterstrikes and scramblers prevail upon government to bail them out, by One evil consequence of liberalisation has been the decline and demise of indigenous R&D & production of equipments requiredfor the mobile and IT- based valued added service networks. We The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) the once great have been importing equipments (even from China) to the extent monopoly with service all over the country, is now becoming sick.
of Rs.40,000 cr per year. This is utterly shameful for a country which In the year 2009 –‘10 it made a loss of over Rs. 1800 cr.; in the year had an R&D and manufacturing capability in 1948 itself when the Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Indian Telephone Industries Ltd. ITI was founded (IT). The new movements; in seeing that the various welfare schemes are imple- National Telecom Policy (NTP-‘11) that would now be fashioned mented with the least transaction cost and distortions. Although must have the utmost priority for creation of intellectual property the cell phone is being used in an ugly fashion quite often (eg. speak- within the country for future networks. In order to wipe out the ing on the cellphone throughout the night during train journeys or shame of repeated imports of successive generations of switching while moving in lifts and waiting in queues) ordinary people will equipments, the young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi facilitated the soon learn to use it in a civilized and cultured manner. Cell phones setting up of the C-DOT with a mission. Within three years it will like electricity become inseparable from our daily life. All accomplished a marvelous outcome – design, development, services that urban people enjoy by access to the Internet, will be productionisation and deployment of digital switches that enabled used by rural people too. If ( besides English) content could be in us to extend STD and ISD services to rural areas even. We need a our national languages ( as in China and Russia, Korea and Poland) C-DOT -like appropriately tasked mission to research, design, and as broad-band wireless facility gets more widely deployed, the develop and productonise the 4G equipment & value added distinction between rural and urban areas will rapidly diminish.
services which would be mostly based on Internet. It is not that wedon’t’ have money. Rs. 36,000 cr have accumulated in theUniversal Service Fund (USF). These are contributions (5%) of the The Web and the Internet –
revenues from all the telecom cos. Even if a fraction of this amountis utilised for the development of 4G equipment, we would be Evolution into Global Brain and Mind
In 1887 a Russian, Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof advocated a Univer-sal language which can be understood and spoken by people of all As we have been pleading, there is need for a national ICT nations so that understanding can be promoted between different University funded by the USF. Such a university and the second nations. He called that language, Esperanto. He signed his memo-
C-DOT type mission, should be able to correct the blunder we randum as Doktoro Esperanto which meant Doctor Hopeful.
have committed in allowing indigenous R&D to die. In regard to He wanted to convey that a common language is the hope of the telecom regulator, what is most need that the TRAI sets up mankind to promote understanding, preserve peace and promote regional offices in all state capitals and builds up users’ societies as fraternity. In 1911 the great leader and President of the Republic of a countervailing force to correct the companies’ in their folly of China, Dr. Sun Yat Sen wanted to adopt Esperanto as language of gaining numbers at the cost of Quality of Service (QOS).
the Chinese but that did not come about. The idea remained in theair. While a common language for all men could not come, a As the Secretary General of the ITU has envisaged, rural life can be language between all machines has come up. This is, TCP/IP – better by extensive use of ICTs. That it is already being evidenced Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. This TCP/IP as can be seen from the fact that migrant workers with cell phones are a language of machines all over the world connected on the Internet able to be in constant communications with their families in the has been pioneered and promoted by Vint Cerf and Robert E.Kahn.
rural areas. Like electricity, the mobile phones which are They mooted this idea in 1973 and by now all the five billion improving functionally continuously are putting power into the hands computers in the world talk to one another over the Internet in the of ordinary citizens. They are able to participate in social machine language (called protocols) TCP/IP.
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 One Harvard Professor, JCR Lickleader later, a scientist in the is electronified, digitized, stored in solid state memory chips and Advanced Research Projects Administration (ARPA) of the put into these websites. These are connected to the global telecom Department of Defense (DOD) of the USA envisioned in April 1963 network of networks, the Internet. Any person who is equipped with an inter -galactic network of computers. ARPA was tasked to
an appropriate device can gain access to these hundreds of mil- develop and construct an indestructible telecom network which lions of websites and can look at and down load the information.
would not be disrupted by a nuclear exchange between the formerUSSR and USA. ARPA became DARPA – Defense Advanced There is another great invention, the Search Engine. There are
Research Projects Administration funded by the DOD. Informa- quite a few like Yahoo and Altavista but the greatest of all is the tion would be electronified, digitized, put in packets and these will Google. Every month Google is answering eight billion inquires be transmitted on alternate routes. If one route is destroyed, there and each one within seconds. Two thirds of the total inquires in the are still other routes to be used. Scores of research establishment entire world are answered by this Google search engine, whose and universities in the USA were also allowed to use the DARPA algorithm, Page Rank takes into account five hundred million network. Over time, it morphed into the Inter-network we now know.
variables and two billion terms and therefore gives the most This is now globe -guddling and is becoming universal because credible answer to the search. Google was founded by two Russian cell phones in the hands of over five billion people ( of the 7 bln Jews Sergie Brin and Larry Page who emigrated from anti-Semitic, population of the world) are coming to have access to the Internet.
communist tyranny of that country to the freedom of the USA.
Stanford University gave them the facility to develop and test the The Internet has become a store -house of humanity’s information
algorithm and launch the company, Google Inc.
& knowledge, accumulated over centuries. This is being addedupon now because of another revolutionary invention the World Yet another revolutionary invention that would enable any human Wide Web – WWW. Tim Berners Lee a mathematician, son of being to gain access to the Internet to all its websites is by Steve mathematics teachers of Scotland was working at CERN in Berne.
Jobs who together with Wozniock founded the Apple Comput-
CERN stands for – European Center for Nuclear Research. Lee is ers. Steve Jobs was kicked out of the company but later on, he
an idealist. Alexander Graham Bell was given the patent for the rejoined it. His inventions the iPod, iPad and iPhone devices are invention of the telephone. He commercialized it through the computers, besides being telephones. The iPhone incorporates a famous American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (AT&T) search engine also. There are two competitive parallel and later, the Western Electric and the Bell Laboratories. Lee developments, one spearheaded by Google and the other by Apple.
however, being an idealist did not want to patent his great Google search in fact, has become a Google Church because, Brin
invention. He opined that all mankind should benefit by the
is advocating that memory should be outsourced, men need not
invention of every scientist – the same idea that the Indian
unnecessarily strain their brain with memorizing but that all memory Sages and Savants cherished through the millennia. The WWW
and search should be outsourced and the Google engine will present
now is a great system. There are a few hundred million websites to every seeker any information that they want, if it does exists.
some of countries, some of companies, some of individuals, someof universities, some of research labs; indeed by every kind of While the preceding 250 years until the mid 1950s added and ex- person and institution. All information (voice, text and pictures) tended the physical strength of man, since the last sixty years, it is Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 the brain power of man that is being extended through computers Election Watch and Voter Education Society
and Internet and the search engines. What Lickleader envisaged asthe Galactic Network is already the planetary network. Since all The Chief Election Commissioner of India deserves to be congratu- the information leading to knowledge is stored in millions of lated for his concern about corruption and money power that are websites interconnected by Internet, we can say this is the Global bringing disrepute to Indian democracy. In fact, the main cause for brain storing humanity’s information accumulated through the corruption in India is the need for political parties and politicians centuries and is being added on. A global brain, a global memory, to acquire black money for spending in the elections. It is common a global network – could this lead to superman that the sage, knowledge that in the coastal parliamentary constituencies in Aurobindo envisioned. A super- man is possible, if he has got a Andhra Pradesh the two principal contestants are having to spend super brain progressing towards the divine. When man becomes a
an amount of Rs. 50 cr each to get elected to the Lok Sabha.
super man can life be divine life again, as envisaged by sage
Enormous amounts are being spent by the candidate for election to Aurobindo.
the Legislative Assembly, Zilla Parishad, Mandals and evenPanchayats. Once elected, they are using their positions including A spectacular development is in the making. That is, the Internet
that as Ministers missions to collect money in various means. The of Things. While there are only seven billion people, things like Air
country is sick with the stories of the recent scandals - the 2G Conditioners, microwave, refrigerator, the TV set, the door opener, spectrum, Common Wealth Games, IPL, the s-band and so on.
the security surveillance and such devices are more than 50 billionalready. Each one of them would be fitted with a sensor of the size There is a need for a Statutory Regulator for political parties in of one cubic millimeter and that accommodates the equipment to India, just as we have statutory regulators for telecom, for wirelessly communicate with Internet, whatever the sensor has insurance, for stock exchange, for banks and so on. A paper that I sensed. The Internet of Things and of human beings will evolve had written about a Regulatory Authority for Political Parties is into a neural network imitating our own brain. Physiologists are exploring the brain, mind, memory and when matter would haveconsciousness. All these underlie the mystery of life, birth, death, Ending creation of such a Regulatory body, the Election soul, space, time and cosmos. It would not be an exaggeration to Commission as may encouraged and assist the formation to start say that scientists and engineers are trying to mimic the human with in every state capital Election Watch and Voter Education brain in the global computer network of hundreds of millions of Societies (EWVES). The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India websites. We shall gratefully remember the great inventors - Tim (TRAI) is recognizing consumer bodies and is having regular Bereners Lee, Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof, Vint Cerf and Robert consultations with them. They are only at an elementary stage.
E.Kahn, JCR Lickleader, Sergie Brin and Larry Page, Wozniock EWVESs will have to be funded by the Election Commission. To regulate these bodies a constitution and rules and regulations maybe drawn up. These bodies may be registered with the Electioncommission. It may give recognition after due scrutiny about thebonafidies and integrity of those who initially form them.
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Some of the important functions of EWVES are: Software Racing Towards Mindware
To monitor the political rallies and activities and demon- (Abstract of talk delivered at Guru Ghasidas University,
strations and bandhs of political parties ; estimate the Bilaspur)
expense for organizing that ; call upon the organsing politi-cal parties to comment upon these estimated expenditures Inventions in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th centuries and require them to disclose the sources of funds .
extended man’s physical power enormously taking man to other Pressurize political parties to disclose their collections/in- planets and launching exploratory laboratories into space.
comes and their sources and the expenditure and requirethem to be published every quarter just like public limited The second half of the 20th century and the first decade following companies are required to publish their accounts every quar- it have been seeing inventions that are extending the brain and mind power of man which may lead to the evolution of a super - Political parties are promising various types of welfare mind and superman as envisioned by the sage, Aurobindo Ghosh .
measures. They should be called upon to estimate the an-nual cost of implementing these measures and explain Computers & software as parts of Information Technology and how the funds for them will be raised – new taxes, enhanced Optical Fiber transmission and Communications Satellites are linking the world’s hundreds of millions of websites which are Political parties may be asked to appear or to address these store houses of all the information and knowledge that mankind has EWVES to put the societies wise as to how they are raising their funds and whether they are conducting elections
to choose the office bearer and in what manner. If there
The Internet is a super -brain network and storage and software are is no democracy in the political parties, how can we expect helping even the outsourcing of memory and logic and discovery.
them to safeguard true democracy in the country. We are Search engines are bringing the most relevant and research noting that every political party is now owned by one information in seconds from the global store-houses, the web-sites.
proprietor may be of a dynasty and officer bearers are nomi- This will profoundly affect the evolution of brain and capability of nated by the proprietor of the party under the bogus name high-command which is in fact I-Command .
There are about, 1.5 bln TV sets, 3 billion computers, 5 bln mobile The suggestions made in this note require to be considered by phones and nearly a billion websites. All these numbers will be responsible intellectuals for which purpose the CEC may kindly over -shadowed by the things that will have sensors and would be take the initiative of calling selected people for a discussion. It communicating from one another and with man. We will be seeing may begin the process by issuing a consultation paper.
the Internet of Things ( microwaves, air-conditioners, burglar
alarms, parking space indicators, and the quarter millions items that
a super market stores and sells). The Internet of Things
connecting to a few hundred billion sensors is what we will be
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 witnessing soon. New devices like the iPhone will abolish the crore women etc. Chandra Babu could not educate distinction between phones and PCs . Cloud computing will help us the public enough about what is lasting good for save on the costs of infrastructure and of software. Together with them. His defeats should be a lesson to S/S Narendra virtualization, cloud computing will save 20% - 30% of the energy
consumed by computing devices, especially data centers. The 4thgeneration network and devices will deliver giga- bits of informa- During his two terms as Chief Minister Sri Chandrababu Naidu tion in seconds wheehr moving or stationary. Commoditization of
tremendously succeeded in making the Telugu people conscious of applications and consumerisation of software will bring down
economic development and good governance. Within a short the expenses dramatically just like mobile telephones and the pre- period he had been able to change the mindset and outlook of the paid business model have brought global telephony into the palms young and the parents. Hundreds of engineering colleges were started in the peoples (private) sector Information Technology & Telecom-munications were evangelized as engines of development. A Letter writing, personal contacts and speculative intellect are giv- document, Vision 2020 was prepared in 1998 and imaginative and ing way to new forms of communications interaction and evolu- inspiring presentations of the contents were made to intellectuals tion. There is fear that technological advances will bring in Fran- professionals, government officers universities and colleges. They kensteins which will overwhelm and subdue our mind. We are wit- were also the theme of his speeches everywhere. As never before, ness a convergence of software and mindware and have to face
entrepreneurs were invited from all a quarters of the world. They the threat of software created by globally interacting intelligent encouraged to invest and every facility that they wanted to set up persons subduing man’s mind. What a fearful and prospective fu- their business or industry was quickly provided. He abolished the inspector –raj – the visitations of various inspectors to vultureupon the companies for graft. A number of officers enthusiasti- Can Development Ensure Re-election of a
cally cooperated with him to use their connections in India and Governing Party
abroad to invite companies and investors to come to the state. Ahigh-rise building- Hitec city was constructed in record time toprovide ready –to- use space (plug and play) for any company to set (Sri Chandra Babu Naidu has accomplished up its business and launch its operations. World class broad-band unprecedented development of Andhra Pradesh telecoms using satellite and optical fibers connected the city to all during his Chief Ministership, 1996-2004. But his continents. He got international air-lines to Hyderabad and built part lost the Assembly elections in Y 2004 and again excellent roads in the city. He used his 28 MP strong contingent in in Y 2009 because his rival, the late Y.S.Rajasekhara the Lok Sabha to wrest whatever concessions and allocations are Reddy excited farmers and the poor by the wildest needed for businesses to take on in the shortest of time, with least promises of free rations, electricity, health, housing, red tape. All these endeavors and exertions and exhortations of his education, marriage, pilgrimage subsidies to bore fruit – Hyderabad became a shining star on the IT map of Christians, financial aid for marriage, old age India. From nowhere, the I.T companies in Hyderabad came up to pensions, 3% interest loan of Rs. One lakh to one make the city the fourth largest exporter of software and ITES Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 services. Andhra Pradesh and Chandra Babu Naidu became agriculture. The great migration of the educated, young to mascots for India’s IT provess. Sri Naidu succeeded in getting the Hyderabad and their dazzling incomes were in contrast to “no legendary Bill Gates of Microsoft and Bill Clinton, the President change” agriculture on the other side. Many years of his rule also of USA to the city. These two personalities further brightened the saw drought which badly told on farmers’ incomes.
image of Andhra Pradesh as the most desirable destination for loca-tion of the world’s companies in Hyderabad. Realizing that the Sri Naidu had improved the transportation system tremendously.
high paid IT professionals cannot work in a vacuum, Naidu’s gov- The pot holed roads in Hyderabad appeared like the moon scape ernment promoted house- building and housing estates; corporate with numerous creators. The so called state highways and district hospitals, international schools, tourism, catering and transporta- roads were in utterly ruined condition. Within a few years the tion services for the hundreds of thousands of IT professionals work- quality of all the roads changed and many visitors to the city, especially the Telugu speaking NRIs from the US really wonderedhow anybody could call India’s roads as abominable . They saw He won the 1999 elections. His party, TDP returned 28 MPs and the very good roads in Hyderabad and elsewhere.
BJP with which he was in alliance returned 10 MPs. paving theway for the strong BJP-led NDA government at the center. This Then came the fatal Lok Sabha elections in 2004. These were success convinced him to say and propagate that “development is
advanced by six months, entirely on the persuasion of the NDA by good politics”. He believed that the creation of employment for
Naidu. There was an attempt on Naidu’s life by Maoists in 2003.
the educated, young and so many new services coming up would He wanted to cash on the sympathy wave. He went in for the promote entrepreneurship also instead of the young seeking em- dissolution of the Assembly prematurely in the hope that if ployment in government. One view of his which though correct Assembly elections were held immediately, he could win a third but no music was that farmers was that there is not much prosper- term. Unfortunately, the Election Commission did not oblige him.
ous future in agriculture and so farmers have to change to other Naidu persuaded the BJP and its allies in the NDA to go in for professions. Though farming is essential to the country and it has premature elections to the Lok Sabha also. These were held six got to be subsidised as everywhere in the world, prosperity cannot months in advance of the 5-year life of Lok Sabha and six months be built by so many farmers with small holdings and inability to put after the attempt on Naidu’s life. The TDP lost; it drowned the in required capital to become prosperous like businessmen and industrialist. The fact, that agriculture is contributing about only18% to the GDP but nearly 70% of the people are dependent upon Why did not development which was for everybody to see save agriculture was repeatedly mentioned by him. The fact that agricul- Naidu & his TDP in Andhra Pradesh and the NDA in Delhi? Devel- ture- dependency by so many would prevent many to quit poverty opment alone is not ensuring political dividends. The Congress and low incomes was stressed. As much effort was put in correctly party in Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of the late evangelizing and implementing the development of ICT & other Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy made promises of unlimited welfare.
services, was not put in to explain the transformation that is Free houses, free food, free schooling, write off of all debts.
required in the attitude of farmers to agriculture. Farmers came to Government money would be given for the celebration of think (wrongly) that Naidu was neglecting, if not hostile to marriages, pensions would be given to all above age 60 years, women Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 would be made lakapathis by giving them loans at pavala vaddi (3% welfare without any work for them. They are taught that they
interest) which maybe written off eventually, free transport for many, have a right for everything and no duty at all. The competitive free electricity for the rural households and farms and the poor, politics is promising reservations, fee reimbursement and waiver of health care would be free for all and so on. He also destructively all loans, taken not only from government and from banks but even criticised the importance given to the ICTs. He asked would com- from private money lenders. These wreckless parties and their puters give water, food, housing, they give work to the hundreds of governments are inciting people to take loans and also not pay them.
thousands of unemployed people (who he know were all either In the background of this absolutely irresponsible, mendations illiterate or hardly literate and unqualified for any services sector fraudulent, populism of more or less all political parties, economic jobs excepting physical labour for agriculture etc). He charged development alone will not make good electoral politics.
that even though 70% of the people are deepening upon a agricul-ture, the Naidu government in imitation of some western countries Sri Narendra Modi and Sri Nitish Kumar, the Chief Ministers of is neglecting agriculture; Naidu is an enemy of 70% of the people.
Gujarat and Bihar respectively are doing very well as regards All these promises and accusations were sweet music to the unem- economic development and good governance. They must take ployed and to the agriculture - dependent farmers. Farmer were led lesson from the failure of Sri Chandra Babu Naidu to win a third to believe that if Naidu’s TDP won again, that would be the end of successive term. It is necessary that they become educators from all farmers ; they would become paupers.
the grassroots level of people. They must give utmost importancefor education for all upto SSLC, ensure good quality of education, Chandra Babu drove government servants to work; to be punctual, inculcate work ethic and not talk of right for this and that of
to be responsive to public, to be transparent in decision-making; he everything. Traditional values of hard work, saving and truthful-
introduced e-procurement to eliminate cartels; he launched villager- ness and love of the country should be inculcated. Most importantly, involving, villager-contributing, government-supplementing and during the period of, development, for rapid rise out of poverty local official –supervised development works in rural areas under every family, must be incentive to limit the number of children to
the inspiring name Janmabhoomi works programs. The require- one or two. It is not possible for a poor country like India to be
ment of hard and sincere, graft-less work by officials did not endear able to provide all sorts of welfare to all families with large num- Sri Naidu to the farmer. Some of them secretly loved the defeat of ber of children. Every type of welfare like fee re-imbursement, sub- sidized rice/wheat, sugar, kerosene; housing, health, pension, reser-vations should be admissible to families with only two children and This high level denunciation of Chandra Babu Naidu as an enemy all these must be withdrawn as soon as a third child comes. There of agriculturists and government servants finished Chandrababu’s should be no incentive for unbridled child production; those who chances for a third successive win. It is therefore clear that empha- believe that God gives children must be told to appeal to god for the sis only on economic development and creation of wealth and r sustenance and welfare and not expect or appeal to government.
growth rates and minimization of corruption will not automatically Work must be guaranteed to those who are prepared to move to lead to electoral victories. In the background of widespread where work is, at project, construction sites; their transport and tented unemployability and agriculture dependency, these categories of living and care of children at work sites could be provided from people are being promised by competing parties all sorts of
project costs. None should be paid for no work. China has been Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 imposing the one- child norm for the last 30 years and inculcating and it is equal to capital plus reserve and surplus ) as on 31-3-2010 was the work ethic . Though it is a communist country they are saying Rs 86476 crores where as the loss was only Rs 1823 crores. Therefore, “he who not work neither should he eat”. They are not distribut-
there is every chance to prevent BSNL from becoming sick and make itviable in case the trend of posting losses is stopped.
ing money like us through schemes like NREG. They are extractingwork from people where work is and compensating them with wages.
This meeting further notes the fact that several PSUs that became sick In contrast to what is happening in China, it appears that we are after facing losses continuously were revived due to the struggles of the promoting among the poor, the belief, “it is our right to breed; it is
workers for bringing change in Government and management policies your duty to feed”. Limiting family size to one or two children;
and by improving the work culture and productivity . The Visakhapatnam compulsory education for all children upto age 14 years and day Steel Plant ie RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited) posted losses -in and day- out inculcating the spirit of duty and no talk of rights continuously after its commissioning and by 1998 its accumulated losseswere Rs 3600 crores which was more than 50% of its net worth ie Rs must be indulged in by true and honest leaders who want to do 6500 crores and became sick. The then NDA Government decided to privatise it. It was opposed by CITU and other trade unions and the Gov-ernment was compelled to drop the privatization proposal and to an-nounce a package for the revival of the company. Besides this, the trade Resolution on the Financial Viability of BSNL
unions brought improvement in the work culture and productivity. Theproductivity of the employees rose from 161 tonnes/man year in ( Courtesy: Tele-Crusader, April 2011)
1998-99 to 240 tonnes/man year in 2000-01. It started to get profits since2000-01 onwards and became a debt free company in October 2003 and a) This meeting of the CEC of BSNLEU held at Chennai from 22nd to 24th
wiped out all accumulated losses in January 2006. Thereafter, it even March 2011 notes with serious concern the facts that BSNL posted a loss achieved Navaratna status. Out of the 42 PSUs under Kerala State of Rs 1823 Crores in 2009-10, its cash reserves which were Rs 30343 Government, only 12 were making profit in 2005-06 when UDF crore on 31-3-2010 were almost over, its expenditure is Rs 600 crores Government was in power. The UDF regime decided to privatise or close more than its income every month, its income on services has been down 25 of these loss making PSUs. After LDF Government came into decreasing at the average rate of Rs 2000 crores per year, its interest on power in 2006, the, privatisation policy was dropped and it was decided cash reserves which was Rs 2472 crores in 2009-10 will not be available to revive these PSUs. Due to the political will of the LDF Government now due to depletion of the cash reserves, and the compensation of and co-operation from the trade unions, the number of profit making Rs 2000 Crores per year to it from USO fund for meeting the losses on companies increased to 24 in 2006-07 and to 32 by 2009-10. This was account of rural landlines will not be available from 2011-12 onwards.
done without any retrenchment or VRS. On the other hand in one year, As per a newspaper report, the loss for BSNL will be about Rs 4000 719 additional jobs were created in these PSUs. These experiences crore in 2010-11 and Rs 10000 Cr in 2011-12.
establish the fact that it is possible to revive BSNL as a profitable andvibrant PSU.
b) However this meeting notes the fact that BSNL is a healthy PSU when
considered from the definition of sick company. As per DPE guidelines The rural landlines are socially necessary but commercially unviable a PSU will be declared sick in case its accumulated loss in any financial and loss making business. BSNL is facing a loss of around Rs 10000 year is equal to or exceeds 50% of its average net worth during the 4 crore on account of rural land lines. At the time of corporatization, years immediately proceeding such financial year. As per the accounts of the Government assured to compensate fully for such losses incurred BSNL for the year 2009-10 its net worth (shareholder’s funds i.e by BSNL on account of meeting the social obligations. Accordingly, Government’s funds since government is the 100% share holder in BSNL it reimbursed licence fee paid by BSNL, and asked the private Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 operators to pay ADC to BSNL and a major portion of this loss was ment should be completed and equipment purchased without delay.
compensated. But coming under the pressure of the private telecom Procurement of other equipments and materials should be done operators led by the Indian and foreign big capitalists, the Govern- without delay and there should be proper plan for acquiring the ment stopped the reimbursement of license fee from 1-4-2006 and equipment with a view to increase the market share of BSNL in all ADC was stopped from 1-4-2008. Thereafter Rs 2000 crores was paid every year as compensation for the years 2008-09, 2009-10 and2010-11. This will not be available from 2011-12 onwards. This V) To prevent the unhealthy and illegal competition in telecom services
meeting appreciates the role of the JAC in organizing struggles which sector, the licenses of all the private operators who illegally obtained helped in making the Government to think about extending this such licenses in the 2G spectrum scam should be cancelled and the compensation further. This meeting demands the Government to fully amount swindled by the private operators in the 2G scam must be compensate BSNL for the losses on account of rural landlines.
II) The BSNL as a PSU is having the social obligation of serving the
VI) Experts from Government/Public Sector genuinely interested in
cause of national security and hence it cannot and must not adopt reviving BSNL as a profitable and vibrant PSU be appointed as Board managed capacity procedure for procuring equipment quickly since of Directors of BSNL and the vacant posts of CMD and Directors be the foreign equipment vendors have to install, maintain and operate filled up immediately. The ITS absorption issue be settled without the network in such a system. As a PSU it has to give orders to ITI to the extent of 30% of its requirement and has to follow PSU tenderprocedure in procuring equipment. Since in the interest of national VII) Management must adopt proper marketing and sales strategies.
security the BSNL is necessarily facing delays in procuring the equip-ment, this aspect also must be taken into consideration while com- VIII) BSNL should be given the task of completely laying the optic
pensating BSNL for the losses incurred due to social obligation.
fiber cable under National Broadband Plan without creating anyseparate agency for this purpose.
III) While the private operators were allowed to bid for 3G license in the
chosen Circles based on commercial considerations, the BSNL was X) There should be no disinvestment, unbundling and the VRS
compelled to pay a heavy fee of Rs 18500 crores for all circles for the 3G and BWA spectrum. This operation of 3G and BWA servicesin all circles by BSNL irrespective of commercial considerations d) This CEC meeting calls upon all BSNL non-executives and executives
has to be recognized as an activity of social obligation being carried to organize united campaign and struggles for achieving the above out by it. Moreover as per the New Telecom Policy 1999, BSNL demands for making BSNL a profitable organization. Since the policies need not pay any spectrum fee and hence, 3G and BWA spectrum of the Government against BSNL and in favour of the Indian and foreign fee. Therefore, the licensee fee of Rs 18500 crores collected from big capitalists in telecom sector can be changed only with the support of BSNL on account of 3G and BWA spectrum should be reimbursed.
the people, it is necessary to get such support by going to the people andserving them better. This meeting calls upon all the BSNL non-execu- IV) The Government must stop political intervention for delaying the
tives and executives to reorient themselves to meet the present require- procurement of equipment for BSNL and the management must stop ment and participate in the great task of marketing and selling the BSNL all corrupt and intentional practices aimed at delaying the procure- products efficiently and to provide better service to the customers in order ment of equipment. The 5.5 million lines GSM equipment procure- to win in the competition. . This meeting appeals to all the members of ment should be done immediately without any further delay. The e- parliament irrespective of their political affiliations to put pressure on tendering process for procurement of 15 million lines GSM equip- the Government to accept the above demands for making BSNL viable.
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Resolution on 2G Spectrum Scam
This meeting of BSNLEU demands that all culprits should be given exem- plary punishment and the loss to the nation should be made good by ordering (Courtesy: Tele-Crusader, April 2011)
recoveries from the companies who were favoured by the Minister. Thismeeting further demands that all the illegal licences granted in this 2Gspectrum scam be cancelled and request the union to continue to fight against The 2G Spectrum scam is the biggest scam in Indian history. According to all sorts of corruption in the telecom sector.
the CAG, the loss to the nation is estimated to be to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakhcrore. The entire nation was shocked at the revelation of CAG.
The New Telecom Policy (NTP) – 2011
While issuing the licences, A.Raja ignored the advice of the Prime (Text of the letter written to Sri Kapil Sibal, Minister for IT &
Minister, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry, the guidelines of TRAI and DOT.
Communications )
Many companies who were allotted 2G spectrums did not fulfill DOTconditions of eligibility. Many companies had no infrastructure to providetelecom services. Some companies were in real estate business. The Special items to be taken care of:
companies holding 85 out of 122 linceses did not fulfill eligibility criterion.
1. A new “C-DOT” for 4G :
For example, Swan Telecom, Unitech and S Tel sold a big chunk of their With the demise of the C-DOT and the disappearance of the shares to other companies thus getting huge profits within few months ofpurchasing 2G spectrum.
Telecom Research Center of the DOT, there is no design, develop-ment and productionisation indigenously for the equipment required A.Raja acted in an arbitrary manner. He changed the cutoff date to benefit for the 2G, 3G, and 4G ICT equipments. We are importing the certain companies. He followed the “first come first served” method instead equipments from all over the world, mainly from China, Finland, The previous session of parliament could not conduct any business on the demand of JPC Committee to probe the scam by the opposition. The Govern- 1.2 It will be a shame for India to continue to do so. The C-DOT ment had to accept the JPC demand before beginning of the present budget was tasked with a mission and it delivered excellent results, with of course the then Prime Minister’s personal patronage. The newTelecom Policy 2011 should provide for a C-DOT type missioned The Prime Minister though knew everything but he remained a mute spec- tator. The CBI also dilly dallied on the issue. It was only after Supreme Court organisation to design, develop and productionise the 4G reprimanded the CBI that A.Raja was arrested and put behind bars. But ironi- equipments. We have about Rs. 30,000 cr in the Universal Service cally, the new incumbent, Shri Kapil Sibal, stated that there is no loss to the Fund (USF), part of it should be utilized for the development of the exchequer. The minister was pulled up by the Supreme Court. Along with the Minister A.Raja some officers were also arrested. The CBI investigation isgoing on and a charge sheet is expected to be filed by the end of this month.
2. National ICT University:
Earlier there used to be corruption to the tune of hundreds or thousands of In order to faster excellence and inventiveness among the Indian rupees because it related to grant of permits/tenders/licences. But in this era young especially the executives of the telephone companies and of of liberalization and globalization the corruption is to change the them the state-owned BSNL & MTNL it would be appropriate that Government policies in favour of MNCs/ big business houses and hence the we have a National ICT University. This could be funded/patron-
volume of corruption is in thousands of crores.
ized by the DOT by utilizing some part of the USF.
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 2.2 This university should be engaged in applied research & the companies do care for customers and if they don’t, they will be development for advancement of ICTs. Countries like Malaysia and punished, the TRAI must open regional offices in every state Head
Bulgaria have national telecom universities, funded by the State.
Quarter to begin with and other important towns by and by. The
China has the Beiging University of Posts & Telecoms (BUPT) which TRAI must organise and assist user bodies and fund them so that has been spearheading R&D development effort in the country for they are effective under the leadership and patronage of the re- the benefit of companies like ZTE and Huawei. It may be good that our ALTTC at Ghaziabad itself should be reshaped into theNational ICT university. We may add faculties in economics, 6.2 Telephone Adalats:
banking, finance, sociology informatisation of society and telecom It should be a mandatory, condition of the licence that every Telco holds a Telephone Adalat for its customers just as BSNL has beendoing. This provision must be incorporated in the new National 3. Broadband Internet connection in every college and class
room of university level:
We are having about 2500 colleges in the country and over 500
7. Indian Information Society:
universities including the private ones. The Universal Service In order to study the Impact of the cell phone and the Internet and Fund should be utilised to put broadband Internet connection in all broadband on the WWW, electronic funds transfer, e-commerce, these institutions besides all our R&D centers in the government e-procurement and so on and formulate appropriate government sector and selected ones in the private sector.
policies for the informatising society, the NTP should bring intobeing a National Institute for Information Society. One such has 4. Electronic Class Rooms:
been in existence in Korea. It was under its impact that the In all the 3,200 engineering colleges and the several hundred Poly- government involved itself in extending broadband to every technics we should have electronic classrooms, one at least for
habitation throughout Korea. That is why Korea has the highest each branch of engineering/ polytechnic. These should be linked
broadband penetration in the world. The parallels of Korea’s KETRI either via the satellite or broadband Optical Fibre so that a lecture (Koreas Electronic & Telecom Research Institute) and Korea that is delivered in any college is simulcast in all the thousands Information Society Development Institute of the about 125 colleges in an interactive way. This will add to the excellence in employees have more than 100 are non-engineers – economists, teaching from selected masters of teaching.
sociologists, anthropologists, historians, lawyers, literary fellowsto assist them in envisioning an Information Society by extensive 5. A National Telecom Museum:
use of ICTs , about a score ICT professionals are also in this insti- We should have one such in Delhi and in every state capital. We should collect all the old telephones from the magneto to thecentral battery, the dial and the push button instruments plus the 8. National ICT Consultative Council:
strowger, cross bar and analogue electronic exchange equipments This may consist of academicians and industrialists and business- that are being retied. These should be put up in the National Telecom men from all sectors of the society. There should be eminent persons who have been deliberating and advocating policies for the 6. Regional Offices of the TRAI:
entire nation. This maybe meet twice or thrice a year to review the 6.1 While there is perfect market competition and companies are ICT use the broadband penetration, the effects of the ICT use and putting enormous effort to gain customers, there is an woeful society, development of intellectual property and manufacturing inattention to customer complaints, grievances and their redressal, capacity within the country and the social impact of telephone, especially in Quality of Service (QOS). Unless the countervailing internet penetration on the way that people work, learn and power of the customer is brought to bear upon the companies, the socialize. It may also advocate legislation like banning cell phone numbers may grow but the QOS may not. In order to ensure that talk while walking, driving, in the lifts, in queues, public places Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 and planes and so on. It should review the cases of crime on the R&D and Production within India
Internet and the mobile network and advocate policies andlegislation to minimise the crimes.
(Talk at College of Defense & ISB, Hyd)
Notes & News :
Prosperity & Power
Telecom Licenses
Prosperity cannot be achieved without industrialisation Prosperity can’t be maintained and defended without power.
Ever since he has taken over the Ministry of Communications Sri Power alone deters aggression, subversion and subjugation Kapil Sibal has been speaking far too often and pontifically about telecom policies and licenses. Now he says that the licenses wouldrequire to be renewed every 10 years. Can thousands of crores of Intellectual Property
rupees be invested in a network if the tenor of the licences is only10 years ? Then there is the uncertainty of its renewal. If he truly Industrialisation, prosperity and maintenance of power need enforces the 10 year rule, then it means that the government is indigenous creation of Intellectual Property ( IP) by us,
resurrecting the permit-licence –quota system by which politi- for us, owned by us and made available to stimulated
cians in power can make huge monetory gains.
entrepreneurs in India.
This means R&D on a massive scale on several fronts for Sri Sibal’s view that acquisitions and mergers should be facilitated several products and systems as a National Mission under so that in any state there are no more than 5 or 6 competing Telcos leadership of government and partnership with private is a very sound idea. We have far too much competition which is Indian companies and universities, drawing upon the global already leading to ever falling prices, threatening the financial health Indian intellectual professionals.
and therefore survival of the Telcos.
Ethical India
BSNL’s Price Reductions
India, as every good and great nation must be ethical inregard to use of prosperity, power and Intellectual Property The BSNL Hyderabad announced that it will give the 3G services (discoveries, inventions, processes, applications, sharing) to free! (Ind. Express 14/4/11) This is on top of a 75% reduction in realise our eternal aspiration Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
the broad band tariff. It has already declined from the 1st to the 5thposition among. Telcos; it incurred a loss of Rs 1500 cr in the year Civilian R&D spend as % of GDP
2009-‘10 and the losses in the fiscal 2011 are expected to be Rs.
5000 cr. Why then BSNL reducing the prices? Is it imitating the continuously loss making Indian Airlines which has reduced its fares by 20% recently? Reduction in fares and charges and freeservices are good for consumers but this could only be for a little while as the company would die soon. In the quest for arresting the fall in market share, the PSUs seem to be committing suicide.
This is not good for the country. Sri Kapil Sibal will do well to stop the financially meaningless rate reductions by BSNL.
Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Patents applied and granted in the period 2004 to 2008
Example of National Missions
The Manhattan project for production of the first nuclear USSR’s space programs and nuclear weapon China: Development of intellectual property for obligation in several sectors including rocketry, satellites , telecoms, IT and construction and manufacturing.
What should we do
Set national goals for creation of intellectual property sec- Multi disciplinary Task Force for project formulation and Dismal past
build up of the organisation like the Oakridge Project ( and In telecom, foreign technologies were successively imported from 1948 and the practice continues.
Indian companies shut out from R&D and production while This was characteristic of the socialistic pattern adopted by Over Rs 35,000 cr paid by Telcos as Universal Service the Great Leader under which the state and state sector Fund (USF) is lying unutilised. Telcos are contributing 5% companies were to occupy the commanding heights of of their revenues for this USF. It is not less than Rs.10,000 For Defense too most equipments and systems are imported Utilise USF to seed the R&D efforts including in the ICT just like in telecom. The difference was that in telecom there was production using imported technology, while in De- Contract out R&D (like the DOD of USA)to private com- fense probably the equipments were imported lock, stock, panies, so that the emoluments for the Researchers can be and barrel, notwithstanding our having a string of excellent substantial like in the private sector ( and not a fraction in Examples of indigenous capability
Most important
Our space Technology and Satellites and Rocketry Nuclear Reactor, design and commissioning.
The short lived C-DOT ‘s achievements in telecoms switch- Consensus and not conflict (political) in regard to national Design and construction and commissioning of Airports byprivate companies Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 Information & Communication Technologis (ICT’s) and Society, May/June 2011 CENTRE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Books By Dr. T.H. Chowdary
MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES (CTMS)
The Center for Telecommunications Management and Studies (CTMS) is a (Telephone Cheppin kothalu in Telugu-First person narrations of Telecom personswhile on duty) (1981).
nonprofit institution registered as a Trust. It was founded in 1989 with the primary (Plays with telegraph & telephone services as themes) (Telugu) (1982).
Telecommunications as a facilitating infrastructure for the economic development of (delineaion of the duties, functions andwork of Dots employees) (1982) RIGHT NUMBER : CHEAP SERVICE, TELEPHNE UNLIMITED Information as critical resource for enabling people to advance and achieve.
(Play on how telephone services are administered by techno-bureaucrats and ministers) (1983) Technological changes affecting generation, sorage, processing and distribution ofinformation on the one hand and abundance, affordability and variety of telecommu- TELEPHONING RURAL ARE AS OF ANDHRA PRADESH (1987) The convergence of computers and communications leading to transformation of (The story of his struggles in the DoT to deviver service and not merely administer ruls) (1990)Rs.60/- telecoms into electronic/photonic highways for transportation of information tele- ISSUES IN TELECOM DE-MONOPOLISATION IN INDIA (1999) Rs. 100/- INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIS INTO THE NEW How rural telecoms as well as world class telecom and information service could be THE DYNASTRY AND CORRUPTION (1999) Rs. 5/- What type of telecom organisations are appropriate for development, for productionof equipment and or provision of services.
How could the consumer’s need be met and his choice be protected.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNLOGIES FOR How the citizen’s right to know, his freedom for choice can be protected.
How the prices for facilities and services are to be related to costs and how costs must be ascertainable by regulators and consumers.
What should be the structure and scope of regulation and what talents are neces- ALOCHINCHANDI (Telugu) (2007) Second Print, 2008 How the universalisation of information and democatisation (people orientation or YEDHECHHASI TATHAKURU (Telugu) (2008) Rs. 100/- people satisfaction) of telecoms can be achieved.
TAMSOMA JYOTIRGAMAYA (Telugu) (2008) Rs. 100/- How information technology can change our lives and economy and how it can bedeveloped to serve masses and classes alike.
ADIGI TELUSUKONDI (Telugu) (2008) Rs. 60/- How Telecommunications and IT can be engines of education, employment and how jobs can be taken to small towns and villages.
TELECOMS, IT AND SOCIETY (2009) Rs. 100/- E-governance, services delivery and information of society are to be brought about VASTAVALANU GAMANICHANDI (2009) Rs. 100/- How society and family life will be affected by extensive use of ICTs.
Bharatiya Pragna (Since 1996)“Secularism” Combat (since 2003) How work from all quarters of the world (BPO, KPO, ITES, Software services) canbe taken to India’s villages to urbanise villages instead of “slumnifying” towns andcities by moving job-seekers to urban areas.
These objectives are sought to be achieved by DR. T.H. CHOWDARY
and owned by him for the CTMS
Organising training courses for telecommunication managers, for large users of tele communication to enable them to plan, construct, operate and maintain intracom- pany, multi-site telecommunications systems, organisations, price fixation and re- (Secunderabad) Hyderabad - 500 009. A.P. India.
: +91 (40) 6667 - 1191 (O), 2784-3121 (R) 1) [email protected]) www.drthchowdary.net All Copy rights renounced to facilitate propagation of facts and truth. Articles in the Journal may be freely reproduced. Just give credit to the Journal (s) Printed at Goutham Printers, Domalguda - 9949930670
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