Telecom sector brutally challenging, yet offers ample opportunities: Sundararajan

The “brutally challenging” Indian telecom market has only seen the beginning of many disruptions, yet it offers ample growth potential to not only draw massive investments but ensure profitability, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said Thursday. Sundararajan said that USD 100 billion dollar sectoral investment enshrined in the national digital communications policy is not an over-estimate and may well turn out to be less-than-adequate in the wake of new age technologies and advent of 5G.

Sundararajan said that while the Indian telecom market is “vibrant and exciting”, it is also “brutally challenging”.

“I think we have only seen the beginning of disruption and I am sure there will be many more disruptions to come but this is a market which is big enough, has enough growth potential for us to attract those kinds of investments and yet make investments profitable” she said.

Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Digital Infrastructure for Transforming India’ organised by Broadband India Forum, she pointed out how China and the world at large are committing huge investments in the digital communications space, given that nearly everything – from education and healthcare, and livelihoods to entertainment — will be delivered on the digital highways.

“The global spend on telecom is expected to touch USD 4 trillion dollars, and China is spending around USD 188 billion every year on digital communications infrastructure…For 5G alone, China’s budget is expected to be of the order of USD 500 billion. Estimates suggest that impact of 5G on global GDP can be potential doubling of GDP and so countries are infusing investments in telecom infrastructure,” she said.

Sundararajan asserted that digital infrastructre has to be the crux of India’s growth strategy as no other sector has the ability to match its positive spin-off on productivity and individual well being.

“It is time for decision-makers to engage in serious conversation on how to enable USD 100 billion investments in digital communications infrastructure,” she said.

Sundararajan added that a workshop will be organised soon to sentitise the States on their roles in India’s digital narrative.

“The workshop will be held to sensitise the States on what is expected of them, how to benchmark States on and the key parameters thereof,” she pointed out.

Addressing the event, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said digital transformation would hold the key for India to aspire for 9-10 per cent economic growth sustained over three decade period or more.

“…if we want India to grow at the rate of 9-10 per cent, the way forward is digital transformation, and providing digital backbone….We are growing at 7.5 per cent and the challenge is to grow at 9-10 per cent year after year for three decades or more. The answer lies in digital infrastructure for sustained growth and transforming India,” Kant said.

He said that key objective before India is growing to one trillion dollar digital economy by 2022, overcoming challenges of connecting the unconnected, and increasing fiberisation of mobile towers (currently at abysmally low levels compared to markets like the US and China).

While India has a massive base of mobile phone users, the internet and broadband penetration still remains low.

“If you look at internet penetration rate you would find that barely 48 per cent of Indians have access to it, while true broadband has reached only about 33 per cent. So a significant part of the country remains unconnected either through the benefit of mobile or internet,” he said calling for a three-fold increase in digital infrastructure in five years.