I came across this link via ZD Net. Surprisingly, Financial Express (from where this article is sourced from), hit the nail on the head. I don’t find much favour with it’s journalistic standards. That’s my opinion though.

It’s become very obvious to me as to why India is being compromised. I shall touch on the details in a later post but have a look for yourself. I quote selectively from the article.

For South Korea, 72.8% of its population use computers and 70% use the internet today.

While emphasising these facts at a recent talk in a World Bank seminar, Cheung Moon Cho of the Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion (KADO) pointed out that in the early 1980s, its telecom infrastructure was very poor, with a 100% dependency on imported equipments and less than 7% tele-density. In a sense, South Korea’s position then was similar to India’s position in the early 1990s

In the early 1990s, it took up the indigenous development of ADSL, digital TV and TFT-LCD technology. A few years later, it decided to back the development of CDMA mobile technology in Korea in order to become a leader in the field.

The problem here is that since the Research and Development lacks here in India in anyone of the exisiting technologies(CDMA or GSM) we have to rely on the hand me down stuff of the Europeans. This is indeed disgusting for a nation that aspires to be a super power.

When it found that its early partnership with Qualcomm was resulting in a significant royalty outflow from the country, it developed its own standard Wi-Bro, which would enable domestic companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai to become wireless leaders in the world.

This is the same problem that is there with Reliance and Tata’s. Can we know how much are we paying for the outflow in royalties and feeding fat the higher ups in US?

South Korea wants to emerge as a global leader in the 21st century and knows that leadership in technology is the key to this. It does not talk about “technology-neutrality” and did not hesitate in preventing the deployment of competing comparable technology (in this case, GSM) within the country. In fact, it continues to do so.

It is the same situation in India too but we are overtly dependent on the foreigners and now Chinese to source our needs to have telecom infrastructure. For all those juvenile idiots who claim that privatisation has resulted in better “economy”, let me retort. The likes of private players that refused to develop indigenous technology are no more worse than traitors.

South Korea is smaller than a couple of states of India Yet, it has set it’s sights high enough to emerge as a telecom leader in the world.

Further it stesses that South Korea has a strong belief in it’s technologies and it knows how to leverage those technologies for it’s own benefit. Rather than pander to the likes of World Bank or IMF Economists.

India must have faith in it’s own capabilities. Kick out the MNC’s and develop our own standards and then export them. On the world stage, we are no where near the standards of a develped country. It does pain me to think that even after 50+ years of Independence, we are still a “developing country”.

The convergence is on us- in mobile phones, broadband and finally would be launched Direct To Home Television. The future is clearly rosy though studded with numerous thorns.

Over a period of time, as I have been tracking the whole issue, the convergence is upon us. DTH providers may be able to provide Internet access; while the ISP’s maybe able to get in the broadcasting business. Reliance has already firmed up it’s plans and has taken steps towards the same. Airtel is jittery about the sub 256k speeds it calls as “broadband based Internet”.

BSNL maybe the dark horse in the race. It has already been able to ramp up numbers and introducing new services would be a matter of choice. Though like all plans, I expect them to screw the oppurtunity royally. With measly 1GB download limits and excessive obessesion towards monitoring usage, they might shoot themselves in the foot.

It would be more rational to introduce a differential in the services. One could be the plain vanilla Internet access- the no holds barred net access. The other may be time shift access TV or pay per view concept of television or content. In this regard, there is no news that BSNL is contemplating any moves. Last heard, they were opposing the Government’s move to unbundle the PSU.

Instead, they could focus on providing services, inherently superior to private players and then make a case against. They can easily take the lead in convergence too by providing cable television through the wires; since they own the last mile, the initial costs would be significantly less that for the incumbent. Sorry Mr Sinha, (the CMD of BSNL)- the dice is heavily loaded against you. Everyone wants you to kick the chair off and write your memoirs,”How I screwed up people’s rights for affordable telecommuniations”.

Convergence maybe happening elsewhere but would need time to take roots here.

This was an interesting special report on NDTV. For all the admiration for the it’s sheet anchors (Arnab Goswami and to some extent Rajeed Sardesai), I believe that it’s overtly marxist in it’s approach. These anchors have left NDTV leaving it floundering. For it’s babble rouser of Barkha Dutt who loves to hog the limelight and make Kashmir cause her motto, it leaves me sick in the stomach.Otherwise, as of now there is nothing about NDTV that it could commend itself.

Yet, coming to the crux of the matter. It was interesting to see the way it started off- with a village in some obscure place. How Internet access is spawning rural enterpreneurship and introducing the joys of information access literally at the finger tips. They highlighted the fact that housewives are increasingly trading on E Bay or mothers searching for prospective matches for their kids. The video conferencing which allows face to face interactions and saves on time, cost and money. And some obscure place where a person trades online and makes money in the bargain.

One of the most compulsive reasons that people get online is because of pornography. Indeed, it is one of the most lucrative professions online. Coupled with anonymity, they can easily satisify their perversions.

Well, the point is that instead of foucussing on the corporates perse, they could have highlighted the modes of access which remain crippled by Government apathy. I am sure that it must have been edited. With the entry of more news channels, the advertising revenue is important. Of course, that means if the Government has to look for options, it would favour those who remain least critical or don’t make much hue and cry. It’s a sweet deal faciliated. Freedom of press? My foot.

More than that I believe that Internet access can only be revolutionised by content created locally. However, it’s the hobson’s choice. Do we create content first and then provide connectivity? Or vice versa?I believe in the latter. Primarily because of natural law of demand and supply. As the internet would extend it’s reach, it would create a demand for the services as well as the content. That would give a range of employment benefits to a huge number of people.

This isn’t related to telecom but nonetheless important. The benfits of the so called IT revolution haven’t percolated down to the masses. Infosys or Wipro or even Tata Consultancy services are big names worldwide. What have they done for the nation’s disadvantaged? Opening up schools or speaking on corporate governance isn’t all that’s needed. It should have been a natural corollary that they lobby with the Government to speed up the reforms for E governance and then implement solutions for the same. After all, the state governments could well learn in efficiency by integrating it’s functions in one uniform whole.

Further, the computing platform needs to be open source. Not only the high cost of the closed source like Microsoft would cripple the fledgling computing initiatives but also be a body blow to Open Source from taking roots in this country. As an Open Source proponent I don’t have resources like Microsoft to advertise but whatever Windows can do, it can be done better in Linux. With every release it’s getting more and more refined. Windows needs to be stomped out lock stock and barrel because it increases the total cost of ownership. Coupled with the fact that as more and more computers get online on the DSL’s, computer security would be a big hassle. Not surprising that secuirty firms are making a beeline for India now sensing the oppurtunity. It isnt that Linux is 100% secure but infinitely better than Windows anyday.

This wasn’t highlighted in the NDTV’s Special Report. After all, why would they?