'The telecom companies are our lifeline now, despite having nearly collapsed under debt because of ill-advised policies.' 'Perhaps our obvious dependence on telecom services will spark well-conceived policies for this sector,' says Shyam Ponappa.
For stressed loans, the need is to prevent disruption in cash flows from a systemic perspective, conserving employment and assets in untainted enterprises with the potential for recovery, says Shyam Ponappa.
Cashless transactions need ubiquitous connectivity, which we don't have. And connectivity needs political and administrative convergence, says Shyam Ponappa.
It's time the government accepts that Digital India is too distant.
The marketplace was simply not conducive to the extension and evolution of broadband networks, particularly for less dense rural markets, so connectivity and services suffered.
The govt must fix regulatory hurdles to ensure growth.
Examples of coordinated initiatives.
Railway Budget is the first indicator of possibly better days
India must change approach and have better access to networks to fulfil its digitisation dream.
What we want from spectrum allocation is access to broadband networks at prices that will result in productivity gains.
Realistically, coal will be the major fuel for electricity generation in India, as in America, for a long time.
We need transformative policies and incentives with purpose, especially in solar power and digital infrastructure.
Only the Supreme Court can rectify spectrum management in line with other resources, but all stakeholders can contribute, writes Shyam Ponappa.
Inflation will persist until supply increases. So supply has to be addressed through structural reforms such as in telecom and power.
The government can invest some of the Rs 100,000 crore from the spectrum auctions to help India catch up on broadband
Emulate China's coordinated policies for strategic sectors, and we'll rely less on commodity exports.
The telecom majors should focus on improving service quality with a strong partner, and not on one-shot stake sales.
Telephony and broadband need innovative spectrum management.
As the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India deliberates on spectrum and licensing after the hearings ending December 2, some important points are worth highlighting.
There are opportunities to repeat the success of NTP '99 with 3G and Broadband Wireless Access, says Shyam Ponappa.
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