Latest news with #NationalTelecomPolicy
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Business Standard
12 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Draft telecom policy needs to be substantive, not just a mission statement
The draft talks about doubling annual investment in the telecom sector to ₹1 trillion, creating 1 million jobs in this industry, along with reskilling another 1 million, achieving 90% 5G population Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article The new draft telecom policy, coming seven years after the 2018 National Digital Communications Policy, is ambitious in its goals and mission. The challenge will be in its execution, like it was in the case of the 2018 policy (with a different name) or the ones before that. The draft National Telecom Policy (NTP), 2025, has rightly highlighted job creation as a priority area, besides listing 4G, 5G, and broadband coverage targets, including in rural areas. However, it falls short on near-term delivery objectives. The target year for the policy goals is 2030, which is five years away. As technology,
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
₹1 trn annual investment, 1 mn new jobs: Govt sets telecom goal for 2030
The government aims to double annual investment in the telecommunications sector to ₹1 trillion, increase exports of telecom products, services, and startups by twofold, and create 1 million new jobs by 2030, according to the draft National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2025. The draft policy, released on Thursday, has invited stakeholder comments within the next 21 days. The policy proposes that the telecom sector's contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) should double within the next five years. Alongside creating 1 million new jobs, an equal number of people would be re-skilled or up-skilled to meet future industry demand. For network infrastructure, the draft sets a 2030 goal of increasing tower fiberisation from the current 46 per cent to 80 per cent, and achieving 90 per cent 5G population coverage. Under its mission of universal and meaningful connectivity, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed connecting all government institutions at the village level and enabling the rollout of fixed-line broadband to 100 million households nationwide. To expand rural telecom networks, the draft NTP proposes schemes under the Digital Bharat Nidhi, incentives for companies to promote fixed-line broadband in rural areas, and support for smaller internet service providers offering last-mile connectivity. The policy also suggests a light-touch regulatory framework for authorising submarine cable infrastructure, to streamline connectivity expansion. To promote domestic telecom equipment manufacturing, the NTP proposes the creation of telecom manufacturing zones with integrated infrastructure for telecom and network equipment design and production. It seeks to build an end-to-end supply chain for telecom and network products. For research and talent development, the draft recommends establishing a network of 30 advanced research laboratories across top academic institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), to develop industry-ready workforce and drive cutting-edge innovation. To enhance security measures and protect India's telecom networks against emerging threats, the NTP has proposed that telecom infrastructure be developed that is secure against both quantum and classical computers, and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and telecom networks. India's telecom networks should promote endpoint security for telecom network devices by deploying an indigenous endpoint detection and response solution, the NTP has proposed.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Govt proposes to double investment in telecom sector to ₹1 trn by 2030
The government aims to double annual investment in the telecommunications sector to Rs 1 trillion, increase the export of telecom products and services, as well as startups in the sector, and create a million new jobs, according to a draft of the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2025. The draft policy, released on Thursday, has sought stakeholder comments within the next 21 days. Furthermore, the draft NTP proposes that the contribution of the telecommunications sector to the country's gross domestic product should double within the next five years. Apart from creating one million new jobs in the telecommunications sector, the draft NTP has proposed re-skilling or up-skilling an equal number of people to meet the future demand for the industry. The fiberisation of towers, currently at around 46 per cent, should also be increased to 80 per cent, while at least 90 per cent of the country's population should be covered by 5G, according to the draft's goals for 2030. Under its mission of providing universal and meaningful connectivity to all, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has also proposed connecting all government institutions at the village level, while enabling the proliferation of fixed-line broadband to 10 crore households across the country. To expand the telecommunications network in rural areas, the NTP proposes initiating schemes under the Digital Bharat Nidhi, as well as offering incentives to companies to promote the proliferation of fixed-line broadband in rural areas. Smaller internet service providers, which provide last-mile connectivity, should also be incentivised, the NTP has proposed. The NTP has also proposed establishing a light-touch regulatory framework for the authorisation of submarine cable infrastructure. To promote the domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment in the country, the NTP has proposed setting up Telecom Manufacturing Zones with 'integrated infrastructure for enabling telecom and network equipment design and manufacturing ecosystems,' as well as facilitating the 'establishment of end-to-end supply chains for manufacturing telecom and network products.' A network of 30 advanced research laboratories across top academic institutions and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) is also proposed to be established to develop an industry-ready talent pool and drive cutting-edge research, according to the draft of the NTP. To enhance security measures and protect India's telecom networks against emerging threats, the NTP has proposed that telecom infrastructure be developed to be secure against both quantum and classical computers and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and telecom networks. India's telecom networks should promote endpoint security for telecom network devices by deploying an indigenous endpoint detection and response solution, the NTP has proposed. Furthermore, to enforce cybersecurity, frameworks based on the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, such as AI Incident Reporting, are proposed for use in telecom services and networks.
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Draft telecom policy proposes incentives for using made-in-India gear
New Delhi: The government is looking to incentivise telecom operators for using indigenously designed and manufactured equipment, according to the draft National Telecom Policy (NTP), 2025. The move could boost local gear makers such as Tejas Networks, HFCL, STL, and startups in the domain and level the playing field with global manufacturers, including Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung and Cisco. Currently, private telecom operators largely rely on global companies to provide network equipment for rolling out their 5G services and expanding their 4 G network. The proposal echoes a similar provision in the 2018 policy that saw little implementation, raising concerns about execution this time. 'Incentives for telecom operators to buy domestic telecom products was also part of the last National Digital Communications Policy – 2018. However, we did not see any implementation of the same,' said Rakesh Bhatnagar, director general of Voice of Indian Commtech Enterprises (VoICE), which represents local gear makers. Bhatnagar said several Indian startups and companies are capable of supplying quality telecom equipment, but operators need support, including lower levies, so they can start using locally made gear. The draft NTP 2025 does not detail the kind of incentives to be given to telecom operators for using locally designed and manufactured equipment. 'Incentivising the use of locally designed and manufactured telecom gear is a welcome move, but we've seen similar efforts before. The telecom PLI scheme, despite good intent, saw limited uptake: by FY25, only around half of the approved companies reportedly received payouts," said Sumeysh Srivastava, associate director at the public policy firm The Quantum Hub (TQH). According to Srivastava, without clear demand signals, streamlined procurement, and better alignment across policy levers, manufacturers will continue to face scale and cost challenges. The policy needs to go beyond incentives. Starting from building trust in Indian R&D, ensuring timely disbursements, and fostering an ecosystem designed to compete globally, not just comply locally, he said. On 23 May, Mint reported that out of the 42 companies that were shortlisted for the telecom PLI scheme, only half claimed incentives. Citing a Right To Information (RTI) request, Mint reported that the scheme disbursed ₹1,162.04 crore by the end of FY25, against the ₹12,195 crore approved for five years. The scheme was introduced in February 2021 to incentivize the local manufacture of equipment such as network switches, transmission gear and set-top boxes. Also Read | How Samsung and 20 others missed out on an ambitious incentives scheme Policy goals The draft policy focuses on six strategic missions for the telecom sector with certain goals for the next five years. This includes universal, meaningful and affordable connectivity, promoting innovation and research and development, domestic manufacturing, secure and trusted telecom network, ease of doing business and sustainable telecom. The draft NTP 2025 is open for public consultation for the next 21 days. Among its local manufacturing goals, the government aims to increase domestic telecom manufacturing output by 150%. It aims to achieve 50% import substitution through telecom products designed, developed, and manufactured in the country, according to the draft policy. According to a 2024 report by NITI Aayog, more than 40% of telecom equipment such as 4G/5G signal processing units and antenna, are imported from China. The draft outlines 10 objectives for the next five years. This includes universal and meaningful connectivity for all, doubling the contribution of the sector to India's GDP, and achieving an annual investment of ₹1 trillion in the sector. It also plans to double the export of telecom products and services, and double the number of telecommunications startups. Besides, the government is also looking to double the sectoral research and development spending on emerging telecom technologies, create 1 million new jobs, upskill/reskill 1 million workers to meet the future demand, and strengthen security using quantum communications. The government also aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the sector by 30%. On 27 May, Mint reported that the five-year National Telecom Policy 2025-2030 will have a key focus on R&D on new telecom technologies, specifying details on the draft policy. Also Read | Trai wants more enforcement teeth to rein in telcos, may ask govt to amend rules Trai wants more enforcement teeth to rein in telcos, may ask govt to amend rules Universal connectivity As part of the universal connectivity goal, the government is looking to cover 100% of the population by 4G and 90% by 5G, with accessibility of devices for all. The goal is to also increase fiberization of towers from 46% to 80% and achieve fiberization of all gram panchayats (GPs) under BharatNet with an uptime of over 98%, according to the draft policy. To be sure, the government had set a target to achieve 70% tower fiberization by FY25. Tower fiberization refers to the process of connecting mobile towers to high-speed fiber-optic networks. This ensures quality of services for consumers. In fact, the 2018 policy had set targets to provide universal broadband connectivity, increase the digital communications sector's contribution to GDP to 8% from 6% in 2017, create 4 million jobs, and fiberization of at least 60% of towers, among other areas, by 2022. According to industry executives, in some of the areas such as public Wi-Fi hotspots, tower fiberization, targets for BharatNet connectivity, and home broadband penetration, the progress has been slow. Over the next five years, the government plans to enable the provision of fixed-line broadband networks to 45 million to 100 million households in the country, deploy 1 million public Wi-Fi hotspots, and use community Wi-Fi networks as an alternative for last-mile connectivity. According to Srivastava of The Quantum Hub, the policy consciously avoids thornier questions around regulating OTT communication platforms, a long-standing ask from the industry. In the emerging technology area, the government is looking to handhold 500 tech startups and MSMEs specializing in emerging technologies. The goal is to attain 10% global share in 6G-related intellectual property rights (IPRs). '(The government will) introduce innovative financing models like funds of funds, blended finance etc, to expand funding opportunities for the pool of telecom startups in India,' the draft policy said. For safety and security of telecom networks, the government has also talked about conducting analysis of telecom and networking equipment deployed in telecom network to demarcate and segregate equipment from non-trusted sources.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Seven years on, govt puts out new telecom policy draft
The government will soon publish a new National Telecom Policy, seven years after the last one was put out. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday published the draft text for comment, with a vision statement emphasizing a 'telecom product nation that is driven by innovation and that universally connects its citizens meaningfully, securely and sustainably.' The terminology is back to 'telecom' from 2018's National Digital Communications Policy, with a sector-specific focus on increasing connectivity, modernising the domestic telecom supply chain, and adding 10 lakh jobs in the industry (a fourth of the NDCP's 4 million target in the broader digital communications sector), while 'upskilling' a similar number of existing workers. The policy also emphasises on reducing the sector's carbon footprint (by 30%) and improving the cybersecurity of telecom firms. On 'universal and meaningful' connectivity, the government has set a target of covering 90% of the population with 5G by 2030, and 100% with 4G. Towers that are connected by fiber to telecom networks (as opposed to wireless links to other towers with physical links, which reduces speeds and reliability), are sought to be increased from 46% to 80%. 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots are targeted to be set up (a tenth of the 2018 policy's target), and encouraging satellite internet where needed. The document also proposes a boost to local research and development (R&D) efforts in telecom, and increased Indian participation in global standardisation discussions, particularly of 6G, including by possibly recognising such activities as a Corporate Social Responsibility activity. Domestic manufacturing should increase 150% by 2030, the document says, with 'a Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) with integrated infrastructure for enabling telecom and network equipment design and manufacturing ecosystem'. The draft encourages the use and development of AI specifically for cyberspace, such as in cybersecurity, where AI is touted as both a challenge in offensive terms (such as through generative AI-fueled bots attacking telecom networks), and in defensive strategies, like systems that use AI to detect large attacks and thwart them at an early stage. It also suggests using AI in complaint resolution 'through unified portal and use of … chatbots'. The focus on security is carried on from the 2018 policy, with specific strategies to 'monitor Indian and foreign satellites and improve mitigation of satellite carrier interference,' and 'increasing monitoring … along the border areas to reduce cross-border spillage'. Some of the objectives are activities where work has already begun, such as the mobile number validation service, to allow institutions to verify an individual mobile user's identity; the service's draft regulations were released for comment earlier this month. The 'lawful interception' language from the 2018 policy no longer finds a place in Thursday's draft, which focuses instead on building quantum-secure communications. On sustainability, the new policy also adds the 'circular economy' imperative of recycling materials from telecom equipment in use.
