Broadband subscriber base in India stands at a dismal figure of around 6.5 million subscribers and the segment till now has failed to catch pace with the growth rate of mobile services. The government has doled out subsidiaries to push the uptake of these services. But still the figures stand far away from initial target. UTStarcom India however feels that delivering broadband services over the television medium may provide the much needed breakthrough in witnessing surge in broadband subscriber base.

 At a recently held event, UTStarcom MD for South Asia, Mr. Vijay Yadav said that with the use of television as an end user device, the broadband subscriber base can be reached to 100 million subscribers by 2012. He also called for opening of the last mile to private players. According to him in next few years communication over video will take precedence to communication over voice and hence television offered the ideal mode for delivery of broadband services.

Telecom Secretary, Mr P.J.Thomas echoed Mr. Yadav’s view points as he said that innovative strategies are the need for hour of the day. BSNL Director for Consumer Mobility R. K. Aggarwal drew attention to the fact broadband speed and content offered over the medium also need to be considered.

However, Bharti Airtel, Group CTO confronted the idea of pursuing for 100 million subscribers and instead felt that a more practical target would be 25-30 million subscribers.  

The industry players sounded unanimous when they said that affordability, content and network costs are to be addressed jointly by the industry.

“The issue is no longer one of relevance of broadband but how to make it part of an achievable programme” said Reliance Communications vice president for broadband, Jalaj Choudhri.

Kunal Bajaj of BDA Connect said that for the rural segment, the broadband services should enhance the livelihood. According to him, broadband over 700 MHz was most suitable for rural areas as the cost of delivering the services on this band is very economical.