Teletimes April 2011.pdf

19th Convergence India 2011 Expo
highlights growing significance of Broadband
The 19th Convergence India
2011 Expo organized by
Exhibitions India Group held at
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi was
the emerging role of Broadband
Wireless Access (BWA) was
topical and definitive at the
opening ceremony of the 19th
Convergence India 2011 Expo
that is Envisaging a future for
the communications industry to
be data heavy, Hon’ble Minister
Shri Sachin Pilot emphatically
pointed during the inauguration
that, “ less than 1% Broadband
connectivity is unacceptable”.
Admitting that the technology
agnostic government needs
to adapt itself to the latest
developments, he said
“Convergence has happened
much faster than anyone
expected”. However, Indian
ICT industry has all the
ingredients to lead from the
front. Hailed as South Asia’s
largest event on information
and communications
technology, the 19th edition
of Convergence India expos
continues to make difference
in the lives of ordinary men,
by showcasing and promoting
innovative technologies and
new applications.
Looking ahead at the huge
potential of BWA in India,
the Minister further said,
“different parts of the country
have different definition (for
Broadband).However, it should
make tangible difference in
people’s lives we are targeting.”
India offers a large market
place for all the stakeholders
in the communication value
chain. It is time for ICT players
and regulators of Government
of India to take collaborative
efforts to provide high speed
broadband services in rural
areas and best services at the
most affordable price.
Reiterating the significance
of growing importance of
Broadband in India Mr Robin
Mersh, CEO Broadband Forum
speaking in India for the first
time said, “India’s growth in
broadband in 2010- second
only to China and the United
States-is leading towards the
country soon becoming one of
the top ten users of broadband
in the world.” India added more
than 2.5 million new lines of
broadband last year and now
stands at No 13 in the worldhaving
been barely in the top
50 of broadband countries just
six years ago.
“There has been tremendous
and consistent growth in the
broadband across India in
recent years, yet this is just the
tip of the iceberg” he added. Mr
Mersh was speaking in India
for the first time at the 19th
Convergence India Expo.
Over 430 participants
representing the Telecom,
IT, Broadcast, Media &
Entertainment, Green IT,
Security & Surveillance, Cable,
Satellite, IP Surveillance and
Information Security sectors
of 25 countries have gathered
on this international platform
to showcase cutting edge
technologies, products &
services.
The power-packed inaugural
panel conference on “ NextGen
applications…Empowering a
Billion Lives” was attended by
industry stalwats such as J S
Sarma, Chairman (TRAI); Akhil
Gupta, Deputy Group CEO&
MD(Bharti Enterprises); Rajiv
Bawa, EVP & Head Corporate
Affairs (Uninor); Declan
Byrne, Director Marketing
(Wimax Forum); Gunter
Kleindl, Chairman ( ETSI
Technical Committee DECT);
Rajan S Mathew, Director
General (COAI); Robin Mersh,
CEO (Broadband Forum)
and Weimin Ying, President
LTE Solution ( Huawei
Telecommunications).
Fulfilling its long-standing
mandate as a premier
knowledge sharing forum, the
Hena Ahmad
inaugural conference of the 19th
Convergence India 2011 was
also a launching pad for the
release of the industry white
paper prepared by Shiv Putcha,
Principal Analysts, Ovum and
titled “3G Gets Underway in
India”.
The event attracted a huge
number of trade visitors
. Hon’ble Minister Shri
Kapil Sibal, Minister of
Communications & Information
Technology, Government of
India
The 19th Convergence India
2011 Expo organized by the
Exhibitions India Group,
was buzzing with businessto-business
interactions.
In addition to Telecom and
Broadcasting, the exhibition
floor had strong presence
from the Broadband and LTE
companies. The focus of the
industry towards the two
technologies clearly indicates
the emerging trends and the
growth path for the ICT sector.
At the concurrently held
conference, a special session
was conducted by Huawei
Telecommunications to highlight
strategies for successful
implementation of LTE
technology. The conference
also covered discussions on
digitalization,3G ,wireless
broadband, network health,
VAS, rural infrastructure and
green ICT.
India has over 300,000
telecom towers for which
implementation of green
solutions is a daunting task.
With over 15 million telecom
subscribers being added
every month there would be
a corresponding need to add
over 13,000 BTS’ per month.
38 www.teletimesinternational.com
15Apr - 14May 2011