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    Trai to come out with consultation paper on digital inclusion: PD Vaghela

    Synopsis

    Trai chairman PD Vaghela told reporters Monday that all the sections and areas of the country need to be provided with the benefits of the latest technologies like 5G and that can only happen with digital inclusion.

    Trai to come out with consultation paper on digital inclusion: PD Vaghela
    The regulator as well as the government want that fruits of digital should reach everybody, Vaghela said.
    In a bid to further strengthen the digital inclusion, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will come out with a consultation paper in coming months, that will look at three key aspects — connectivity, handsets and literacy.

    Trai chairman PD Vaghela told reporters Monday that all the sections and areas of the country need to be provided with the benefits of the latest technologies like 5G and that can only happen with digital inclusion.

    “We are planning to come out with a consultation paper to comprehensively address and further strengthen the issue of digital inclusion in the country,” Vaghela said during the India Digital Summit, organized by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

    He said that the prices of mobile handsets supporting 2G and 3G, and even 4G, had come down sharply. “For 5G, the prices of mobile are very high and I don’t know by what time, it will come down. So, availability of devices is also becoming a very big issue, so we want to handle this issue in our consultation paper in addition to connectivity and literacy,” he said.

    Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are currently rolling out 5G networks across the country, with over 200 cities already covered with the latest telecom technology. However, high prices of 5G handsets is an issue as not many people can afford to buy a new device. This can also impact the uptake of 5G in rural and small cities as people don’t have high purchasing power.

    The regulator as well as the government want that fruits of digital should reach everybody. “We need to construct our own distinguished digital models, focused on solving socio-economic issues in contrast to the models that are popular in other developed nations that are largely emphasized on monetary benefits,” Vaghela said.

    The Trai chairman has listed out eight challenges in areas including revamp of digital governance infrastructure, challenges arising out of convergence and reduced investment cycles due to technological disruptions and keeping technology at the core of policy formulations.

    “The biggest challenge is going for digital infrastructure development in the country. Second challenge I would consider is further improvement of digital inclusion. India has done excellently well in the 7-8 years but there are certain gaps in certain areas like in hilly areas and for certain sections of the society. They will need further help, especially when 5G is coming,” Vaghela said.


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