DoT to draw up strategic plan for telecom sector growth

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has started work on a strategic plan to drive the telecom sector's growth into the next phase.

"The government has decided to prepare a strategic plan for the DoT for the next five years. The plan will include key areas like various licensing issues, effective and user-friendly security systems, strategies for increasing broadband penetration, including rural areas, vacation of spectrum for commercial and wireless services and its efficient management," according to a DoT note.

The plan will address the growth needs of both services and manufacturing over the next five years. The plan also includes issues such as the USO Fund for rural telephony promotion, telecom equipment manufacturing and convergence of telecom, IT and broadcasting.

According to a DoT official, the sector has seen many changes since the Telecom Policy was introduced in 1999, which ushered in the second phase of telecom reforms in India.

Many new operators have entered the market and new security issues have come to the fore among other developments in the sector.

India, with a total telecom subscriber base of 612.28 million (as per TRAI's March figures), has a wireless subscriber base of 584.32 million.

The broadband user level is now at a much lower 8.75 million against DoT's target of 20 million by the end of the year.