Background

• Post NTP99, the growth in Telecom has been stupendous. From an abysmal teledensity of below 1% in 1985, we have now approached teledensity in excess of 30%.
• Indian telcos are adding 8-10 million wireless subscribers a month. The availability and affordability of telecom services have gone hand in hand.
• The development in technology has also proved to be an ally in this growth as wireless telecom services can be deployed faster and with much less cost per line as compared to the wireline.
• Though much needs to be done, particularly in the area of rural telecommunications, which languishes at a teledensity of 14%, much behind the urban teledensity of around 76%, the Government has, on the whole, created a decent eco-system for growth.
• Indian Telecom has immense future potential. India has already become the second largest country in the world (next to China) in terms of number of subscribers.

Need for Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOEs)

India has achieved a commendable growth rate in telecom. The real challenge before the country now is to sustain or further accelerate the growth so that the benefits reach the masses. The explosive growth coupled with the daily innovations in Telecom is throwing not merely technical but a whole lot of management, regulatory and socio-economic challenges.To combat these concerns we need extensive in-house research and talent development.

Also,if the growth rate is to be sustained, the problems of the rural hinterland are required to be tackled at a faster pace, because the urban sector will soon get saturated. The TCOE initiative intends to harness the potential of our people and the industry to match global standards and competitiveness.