There is also a move to cut costs for value-added services, such as text messages, as the government and the regulator prepare an "appropriate regulatory framework for delivery of VAS at affordable prices". Over the years, call charges have dropped from over Rs 30 a minute to around 60 paise now but mobile users have not benefited from competition when it comes to SMS.
While improving the overall quality of service is a key feature of the draft National Telecom Policy 2011, another focus is to shift towards greater convergence between telecom, IT, broadcast and electronics to upgrade the quality of life and make it an instrument of empowerment.
"The primary objective of the National Telecom Policy-2011 is maximizing public good by making available affordable, reliable and secure telecommunication and broadband services across the country," communications minister Kapil Sibal said while releasing the document.
Also, the mobile will become a device of empowerment and can double up as an identity proof, the draft says. The policy is moving from egovernance to m-governance as mobile telephony is now cheaper resulting in more people having access to phones.
POWER TO MOBILITY
Free domestic roaming - in other words, STD charges abolished Full number portability. Even if you move to another city, your number needn't change Broadband speed to go up significantly; broadband on demand by 2014 Rural consumers to get universal access by 2020 New technology to be available at lower costs Better consumer protection VOIP (voice over internet protocol) introduced India-made telecom products to get preferential market access Telecom policy for banking via mobiles New Delhi: The draft National Telecom Policy 2011 envisages that basic banking services could be accessed via the mobile phone. "Individual intimation of all kinds of public and private services like school/college admission/ assignments, pension payment, utility bill payments, first level health services, cash withdrawals/deposits will become the norm. A single number could be called for all government services across all three tiers, 24/7," paper said while recognizing electronics as the weak link.
The idea is to treat IT and telecom as a basic necessity - just like health or education - and "work towards 'Right to Broadband'".
As part of the strategy, internet users can look forward to kissing good bye to painfully slow broadband connections with the policy aiming to double the download speed to 512 kilobytes per second (Kbps) and then boost it to 2 mega bps by 2015. But when it comes to other aspects, the draft reads like a statement of intent with timelines missing. For instance, it talks about a review of roaming charges "with the ultimate objective of removing the roaming charge across the nation".
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NEW DELHI: If the government has its way, it will soon be 'One Nation' as far as telecom is concerned - with roaming charges becoming a thing of the past and nationwide number portability being the order of the day. Besides, broadband speed will go up more than nine times in four years and consumers may get a voice on quality of services in case of disputes with operators.
