It was imperative for us to develop the right policy, enabling regulation and appropriate infrastructure in order to attract foreign direct investment. We had to make a concerted effort to establish connectivity in our rural areas. Through a considered policy and regulatory intervention we will within a five-year period ending 2002, have every village of a hundred to five hundred households connect ed to basic dial tone and Internet access. This will bring 1,6 million new telephone connections to areas that previously had no telephone access. However, the rapid changes in technology has now fundamentally altered our understanding of universal access.
Universal access is a moving target, it changes form and content with time.
Clearly, access could no longer be measured by the provision of b asic dial tone. Provision of public access points such as multi-purpose community centres, telecentres, public pay phones and Public Information Terminals offers us practical and cost effective solutions to meet basic access. This also provides an opportun ity for the creation of new entrepreneurs and promotes local economic activity. These could be upgraded as and when technology and economic development permit. Piloting public access has spawned new ways to extend access, and bring people into the communications fold.