Columnists

Rajat Kathuria

The writer is director & chief executive, ICRIER. Views are personal.

Big Tech’s privacy promise to consumers could be good news — and also bad news

Wed, Apr 13, 2022

Rajat Kathuria, Isha Suri write: Its use as a tool for market development must balance consumer protection, innovation, and competition.

No, policy is not too important to leave to the experts

Thu, Feb 17, 2022

Rajat Kathuria, Mansi Kedia write: Economic policymaking needs to be insulated from politics and vested interests of business, as underlined by breaches in NSE.

There must be fair competition in telecom sector

Thu, Jan 13, 2022

🔴 Rajat Kathuria, Isha Suri write: The enduring lesson from the two decades or more of previous experience shows that even if companies have equal access to skills and technology, access to government is unequal

The growth and inclusion potential of India’s telecom space

Fri, Nov 26, 2021

Rajat Kathuria, Mansi Kedia write: The benefits of digitalisation could have been much larger and more widespread had telecom policy been more predictable and less erratic

Antitrust case in tech space needs to be built on intellectual evidence, rather than on ideology

Mon, Nov 16, 2020

Anti-trust proceedings against Google could mark a shift from the times when it, along with Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, dictated terms in the tech world.

Isher Judge Ahluwalia was inspired by issues of urbanisation and governance

Tue, Sep 29, 2020

For a scholar of her stature and with all the exceptional achievements to boot, she could well have rested on her laurels. There was nothing left to prove. But that was not Isher.

Strengthening competition in telecom is key to realising India’s digital ambitions

Wed, Sep 16, 2020

With reports of network quality deteriorating by almost 20 per cent, the need of the hour is to augment network capacity immediately and be future ready when 5G comes along.

Telecom operators have regrettably sullied their reputations in the interest of short-term gains

Thu, Feb 13, 2020

When the Supreme Court adjudicated on the definition of adjusted gross revenue, it was in no mood to give the benefit of doubt to telecom operators, even for legitimate reasons.

Dominance in the telecom sector can sometimes mean accommodating opponents, cushioning their fall

Sat, Jan 18, 2020

If the SC judgment sticks, competition will remain debilitated. Moreover, the demands that governments make of the telecom sector could be an enormous burden for Jio alone. Sometimes, to win the war one has to lose the battle. This is a battle well worth losing for Jio.

The revival plan for BSNL and MTNL does not inspire confidence

Sat, Nov 16, 2019

Worried about the future of the public sector entities, the government has crafted a revival plan, including a merger of BSNL and MTNL. In management jargon, the merger could potentially unlock synergies, but unfortunately there appear none on the telecom horizon.

For all its current troubles, WTO may still emerge as the lynchpin of global trade governance

Tue, Aug 20, 2019

A question uppermost on trade economists’ minds is whether the WTO is worth saving. One way to evaluate the question is to investigate its achievements, with the obvious caveat that the past is an imperfect guide to the future.

Government needs to assist the telecom sector to facilitate a smooth transition to 5G

Thu, Jul 04, 2019

Unfortunately, the revenue enthusiasm of the private entrants was belied, not least because tariffs for the new services were set at impossibly high levels. The Rs 156 per month rental and Rs 16.80 per peak minute tariffs encouraged subscription but not usage. Revenues did not materialise and besides, the incumbent public sector monopoly made life hard for the private sector entrants.

Death by Breath

Take a deep breath

Fri, Apr 10, 2015

India is at a crossroads: It can pursue a carbon-intensive development agenda with huge health implications.

Trai and try again

Fri, May 14, 2010

Trais recommendations attempt to correct past errors.