Lok Sabha Question No. 3529 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-08
Subject: New Era of Digital Communication
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: R. PARTHIPAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3529 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 TH   AUGUST, 2018

## NEW ERA OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

## 3529. SHRI R. PARTHIPAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any concrete action plan/scheme to usher India into a new era of digital communications; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a) & (b) The  Government  has  released  the  draft  National  Digital  Communications Policy  -  2018  (NDCP-2018)  on  1 st May,  2018  for  public  consultations.  The  process  of finalizing  the  NDCP  -  2018  is  currently  in  progress  within  the  Department.  The  Policy aims  to  fulfil  the  information  and  communication  needs  of  citizens  and  enterprises  by establishment  of  a  ubiquitous,  resilient,  secure  and  affordable  Digital  Communications Infrastructure  and  Services;  and  in  the  process,  support  India's  transition  to  a  digitally empowered  economy  and  society.  The  draft  policy  also  recognizes  the  importance  of emerging  technologies  and  has  laid  down  several  strategies  to  achieve  its  overall objectives. The missions, goals and key strategies of the draft policy are at Annexure.

Further, BharatNet project, which aims to connect 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) is targeted to be completed by March 2019 providing high speed broadband connectivity to these  GPs.  Also  as  last  mile  connectivity,  on  an  average  five  Access  Points  in  each  GP shall be provided, wherein, three Access Points shall be setup in Government Institutions at GP level and two for public use. This project is targeted to be completed by June, 2019.

## Missions & Goals of Draft National Digital Communications Policy-2018

## 1. Connect India: Creating a Robust Digital Communication Infrastructure 2022 Goals:

- a. Provide Universal broadband coverage at 50Mbps to every citizen
- b. Provide 1 Gbps connectivity to all Gram Panchayats of India by 2020 and 10 Gbps by 2022
- c. Enable100  Mbps  broadband  on  demand  to  all  key  development  institutions;  including  all educational institutions
- d. Enable fixed line broadband access to 50% of households
- e. Achieve 'unique mobile subscriber density' of 55 by 2020 and 65 by 2022
- f. Enable deployment of public Wi-Fi Hotspots; to reach 5 million by 2020 and 10 million by 2022
- g. Ensure connectivity to all uncovered areas

## 2. Propel India: Enabling Next Generation Technologies and Services through Investments, Innovation, Indigenous Manufacturing and IPR Generation 2022 Goals:

- a. Attract investments of USD 100 Billion in the Digital Communications Sector
- b. Increase India's contribution to Global Value Chains
- c. Creation of innovation led Start-ups in Digital Communications sector
- d. Creation of Globally recognized Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in India
- e. Development  of  Standard  Essential Patents (SEPs)  in the field of digital  communication technologies
- f. Train/ Re-skill 1 Million manpower for building New Age Skills
- g. Expand Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem to 5 Billion connected devices
- h. Accelerate transition to Industry 4.0

## 3. Secure India: Ensuring Digital Sovereignty, Safety and Security of Digital Communications 2022 Goals:

- a. Establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications that safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals and facilitates India's  effective participation in the global digital economy
- b. Ensure that net neutrality principles are upheld and aligned with service requirements, bandwidth availability and network capabilities including next generation access technologies
- c. Develop and deploy robust digital communication network security frameworks
- d. Build capacity for security testing and establish appropriate security standards
- e. Address security issues relating to encryption and security clearances
- f. Enforce accountability through appropriate institutional mechanisms to assure citizens of safe and secure digital communications infrastructure and services

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