Convergence India expo to focus on broadband tech

“Without broadband, there are so many more factors that inhibit the economy. Our final recommendations on broadband and internet will be ready in 15 days,” said Baijal.

A host of multinational participants will attend the three-day function beginning on Thursday, including Qualcomm Inc group president Paul Jacobs, who said on the broadband industry in India had immense potential which remains untapped.

Hansuk Kim, senior vice president, global business centre, Korea Telecom, said that cost considerations were keeping customers away from converged devices. “There is a demand for converged devices, but it is expensive to broadcast video to mobile phone users,” he said.

Several of the firms participating in the exhibition said they were eying the broadband opportunity in India, including Korea Telecom, which will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) in the near future, wherein both will partner on building the second phase of India’s National Internet Backbone. BSNL CMD VP Sinha said the project will cost Rs 2,000 crore to provide high-speed data, voice and video links to 50,000 subscribers in three months. He said the investments would help them take broadband to 2 lakh people in six months.

Korea Telecom will also conduct market surveys on possible customers for the service, while BSNL will build local language software and partner with content providers.

Baijal said new technologies were blurring the distinctions between data, voice and video, a fact the government was “well aware of.”