What is it that we can ask them to do so we can start creating a thriving ecosystem around broadband? According to me, there are two things – and only two things – that the government should do:
- Open up the 40+ million wireline local loops owned by BSNL and MTNL lines so that private telecom operators have last mile access to those customers
- Ensure the 3G and Broadband Wireless spectrum auctions get done in Jan 2010 (we are already many years late with this), and do it in a way that those who lose the auction don’t more the whole allocation in legal tangles. And of course ensure that the winners start using the spectrum won as quickly as possible
Beyond this, it is for the industry to make things happen. There are many ideas and solutions that can come into play for the devices, pipes, services and business models.
The first hasn’t happened, the second has.
