Latest news with #ArunaSundararajan
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Wi-Fi to remain ‘indisputable' foundation of India's digital future, says Aruna Sundararajan
NEW DELHI: Wi-Fi technologies are the 'silent powerhouse' of the digital ecosystem and will remain the 'indisputable' foundation of the country's digital future despite the disruption brought by the fifth-generation (5G) networks, according to the Broadband India Forum (BIF). 'Wi-Fi networks are crucial because they constitute the silent yet incredibly powerful workhouse of the digital ecosystem. Nearly 80% of all data today is consumed indoors, while higher frequencies involved in 5G networks can offer high speeds, they often struggle to penetrate materials,' Aruna Sundararajan , chairperson of BIF, and former secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), said at the World Wi-Fi Day event organised by BIF Tuesday. 'No matter what the user profile is, we know that without Wi-Fi, it is not possible to grow the digital ecosystem,' she added. Sundararajan said there are tremendous opportunities in public Wi-Fi hotspots , noting that the Bharat 6G Vision document envisages the deployment of 50 million Wi-Fi hotspots by 2030. The Central government, in December 2020, had launched its ambitious PM-WANI initiative to boost the penetration of public Wi-Fi hotspots in the country, and drive affordable access to the internet in rural and urban regions. However, the progress of deployment of PM-WANI-compliant hotspots has been mired by challenges, including high backhaul costs and a lack of monetisation opportunities. There are currently 333,294 PM-WANI hotspots available in India, according to the latest data from the central registry. She said that recent government decisions to proliferate Wi-Fi hotspots, including capping of broadband connectivity costs of public Wi-Fi service providers at double the rates of home broadband services, will advance innovation-led affordable and inclusive connectivity nationwide. READ MORE | Delicensing lower 6GHz for Wi-Fi a 'necessity', industry should produce affordable devices: Jyotiraditya Scindia 'These key policy interventions together represent a major inflection point in India's Wi-Fi journey, and they signal that the government of India is ambitious of providing inclusive and affordable broadband access to every Indian,' the former telecom secretary said, urging the ecosystem to work with the government in realising its ambitious Wi-Fi penetration targets. She said the delicensing of the lower 6GHz band will enable the launch of a host of new Wi-Fi technologies, including Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. 'Wi-Fi 7 in particular holds great promise to become a core provider of affordable Internet access across our nation…we believe that this step of the ministry would enable businesses, educational institutions and users in residential and office spaces to access high-speed wireless internet and ultra-reliable networks, which remain the indisputable foundation of a country's digital future,' Sundararajan said.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Truecaller elects former telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan as board member
NEW DELHI: Swedish caller ID and spam detection firm Truecaller 's nomination committee has proposed to elect former Indian telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan as a new board member, effective May 23, 2025. Truecaller will hold its annual general meeting (AGM) on May 23. 'Ahead of the AGM, the nomination committee proposes re-election of all current Board members – Nami Zarringhalam, Alan Mamedi, Annika Poutiainen, Helena Svancar, Shailesh Lakhani – and the election of Aruna Sundararajan as a new member of the board,' Truecaller said in a statement Friday. Sundararajan has extensive experience within the technology field from other board positions, and has expertise in the policy and regulatory matters within India. She served as a secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ( MeitY ), Ministry of Steel, and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), where she played a key role in policy-making for the telecom and IT sectors. The former top government official was Kerala's first IT secretary, where she led major digital infrastructure and e-learning projects. She presently serves as the chairperson of the Broadband India Forum , and is on the advisory board of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). Furthermore, she is a director on the boards of Delhivery Limited, Info Edge (India) Limited, L&T Technology Services Limited as well as India's National Bank of Infra Financing and Development (NaBFID). Sundararajan is independent of the company and all large shareholders, Truecaller said. Kamjar Hajabdolahi, chairman of Truecaller's Nomination Committee, said, 'We are very pleased with the nomination of Aruna Sundararajan as a new board member of Truecaller. Her appointment as a new board member is expected to significantly enhance the board's collective expertise and competence in these areas.'
