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9 million broadband connections by year-end
NEW DELHI: The government has set a target of providing nine million broadband connections by this year end and 20 million connections by the end of 2010.
Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, Communications and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran stated that more than a million broadband connections would be added per month before the end of 2007 thanks to the availability of new disruptive wireless broadband technologies such as Wi-MAX.
He stressed the need for wire line and wireless broadband to co-exist and expand together and said new applications such as tele-aid medicines, IPTV, video conferencing, e-governance, e-commerce etc. will be available to citizens with broadband availability. Members complained about the poor mobile connectivity in the rural/remote areas and stressed the need for improving the complaint redressal mechanism in the backward and rural areas.
There will be special emphasis for the North-Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir, Maran added. He informed the members that the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had declared Year 2007 as “Year of North East and Jammu Kashmir” with the objective of improving teleconnectivity in these states. Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology was also present.
Through a presentation on the initiatives on Broadband, members were shown the targets to be achieved under the broadband initiatives, broad strategy and action plans prepared by the BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
It is envisaged under the action plan that broadband coverage of all secondary and higher secondary schools, public health care centers and Village Panchayats would be provided by the year 2008. Broadband connectivity would be provided to 100,000 Community Service Centers (CSC) covering 20000 CSCs by ADSL by September 2007; 1000 blocks by wireless broadband by December 2007 and the remaining 5000 blocks by wireless broadband with USO support by June 2008. BSNL, as part of their action plan, have envisaged adding an average of 500,000 broadband connections per month from January 2008.
Eighty per cent of the exchanges would be broadband by the end of 2007 and roll out of IPTV will begin in major cities. In addition to this, BSNL will aggressively roll out high speed broadband (like Wi-MAX) services and allow integration of multiple access technology like ADSL 2 +, VDSL 2, fibre-home, Wi-Fi, Wi-MAX, 3G, CorDECT etc. The focus will be to provide multi-play instead of triple play.
As a part of the strategy, MTNL has envisaged a target of providing one million broadband connections by the end of this year and addition of an average 100,000 connections per month from January 2008. It has also decided to strengthen its IPTV services which have been recently rolled out fully in Mumbai and in limited areas of Delhi.
Maran informed the members about the recent amendment to the Indian Telegraph Act to provide support from USO fund for mobile and broadband services in remote/rural areas. He said restrictions of providing mobile services within 10 km. of international borders had been relaxed to 500 metres except along the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control in the areas of Akhnoor and Pathankot of J and K. Maran hoped that mobile connectivity to the rural area and border areas will improve significantly with these decisions.
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Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
