New Delhi: The Ministry of Communication and information technology will garner a $ 2 billion investment to set up 112,000 community service centres in rural India to provide it with broadband connectivity in 2008-09 itself.

This was stated by minister of state for communications and IT Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, at the second day of the ASSOCHAM-organised global telecom summit at New Delhi.

Scindia further said that a $1.5 billion investment for providing broadband access to rural India would be generated through private sector, and the balance $0.5 billion would be come from government sources.

Scindia clarified that 112,000 community service centres would be set up in 2008-09 at various places in all part of the rural India, under the extension of Knowledge Mission, initiatives for which were taken by former prime minister, late Rajiv Gandhi.

The government plans to declare its broadband policy shortly, as also a policy for Wi-Max so that connectivity for broadband, particularly for rural India, becomes easier and convenient with the facility coming largely under public-private partnership.

The ministry of communication and IT will also reveal its 3G service guidelines by June and their execution would be effected by end of current calendar, said Scindia. The aim of the new policies would also be to provide wireless telephone and mobile telephone to almost every households of rural India by 2010.

This minister called upon telecommunication players to adopt a collaborative approach, the benefits of which should become available to end-users as tariff have fallen and there is much more scope that tariffs for short and long distance calls to further come down. He said this would be possible only if there is unanimity in the collaborative approaches of telecom manufacturers and policy makers.