Lok Sabha Question No. 1778 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-09
Subject: Telecom Ranking
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1778 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 th  DECEMBER, 2015

## TELECOM RANKING

†1778. SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT: SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE: DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

Will  the  Minister  of  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  India  has  been  ranked  129 th in  the  telecom  ranking  by  International Telecommunication  Union  (ITU),  notwithstanding  it  being  the  second  largest  global network;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  make  the  parameters  in  sync  with  the requirement of international standards and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has also fixed certain guidelines in this regard; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the other measures being taken by the Government for reforms in the Indian Telecom Sector?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) to (d) As per 2013 global ranking,  published in 2014, India ranked 129 th in ICT Development Index. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) measures ICTs penetration globally through a composite index called 'ICT Development Index (IDI)'. The index takes three aspects into consideration namely, ICT Penetration, ICT Use and ICT skillset using eleven (11) parametersas below.

|   Sl. No. | Item                                                             | Sub category   |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|
|         1 | Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants                        | Access         |
|         2 | Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants      | Access         |
|         3 | International Internet bandwidth (bit/s) per Internet user       | Access         |
|         4 | Percentage of households with a computer                         | Access         |
|         5 | Percentage of households with Internet access at home            | Access         |
|         6 | Percentage of Internet users per 100 inhabitants                 | Use            |
|         7 | Fixed broadband (BB) Internet 100subscribers per 100 inhabitants | Use            |
|         8 | Mobile broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants                 | Use            |
|         9 | Adult literacy rate                                              | Skills         |
|        10 | Secondary gross enrolment ratio                                  | Skills         |
|        11 | Tertiary gross enrolment ratio                                   | Skills         |

This  index  is  developed  through  consultative  process  by  the  'Partnership  on Measuring ICT for Development', an international, multi-stakeholder initiative, in which India as a member of ITU also participates.

- (e) Several measures are being taken for holistic development of telecommunication & ICTs in penetration and use for the benefit of people. The Digital India is an umbrella program  driving  several  initiatives  such  as,  among  others,  BharatNet  (Broadband highways to 250,000 panchayats), Public Internet Access Program, ICT skill development, eKranti (Electronic delivery of services). Apart from successful spectrum auctions  in  2015  by  making  more  spectrum  available  for  development  of  mobile services,  the  Government  has  also  issued  guidelines  for  spectrum  sharing  and spectrum trading recently.

As part of 'Make in India' initiative in Telecom Sector, the Government has taken the following measures:

-  Imposition  of  basic  customs  duty  of  10%  on  certain  imported  telecom products to provide a level playing field for domestic manufacturers, and to give a fillip to domestic telecom electronic manufacturing.
-  Correction of inverted duty structures.

Telecommunication Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI), an industry led  body  is  set  up  with  an  objective  to  develop,  promote  and  maintain  standardized solutions for India-specific requirements.

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