Now this is really a scintillating news ! 2 years back TRAI had mentioned that only speeds of above 256 kbps can be defined as a broadband connection, but now TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) today indicated that :
Government has to redefine broadband services making it mandatory for operators to offer at least 2Mbps speed.
While the Western, especially European countries are introducing speeds of 20 mbps and above, India is lagging far far behind, specifically due to their speeds.
If this new definition comes to passé, it may actually change the face of Indian Internet scene.
This is offcourse a great news for consumers, but it will also push the operators to offer that kind of speeds to its consumers, failing so they will not be given subsidies for offering broadband connections. So operators will have no choice but to offer it.
From consumers point of view, it will really help the Internet penetration in India. One of the main reasons why Internet does not grow in India is because of pathetic speeds.
Except for checking mails and browsing non-heavy sites is what one can do satisfactorily (sometimes not even that). but with speeds of 2mbps, one can stream multimedia content with ease, Download heavy files etc etc, due to which there will be added incentive to users to come online.
There are lot of innovative ideas (specifically for India) that could be implemented on Internet with increased broadband speeds e.g: Online Interactive Learning.
Now there is a flip side as well – Even if the definition of broadband is changed, the Operator may not be in the position to offer it to Indian consumers, they may have to incur heavy amounts of money to upgrade their networks. Secondly, if the speed goes up, so will the costs – Will Indian consumer afford paying that kind of money.
yes, there are questions to be answered and solutions to be found. But I can say with confidence that TRAI is heading the right direction, and it needs bold decisions like these to improve the much needed Internet penetration in India