An update on the lunch meeting with Shri Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology- Thursday, 18 August 2011 in New Delhi:

India world’s second largest telecom market

Speaking candidly at an  interactive forum organised by The European Business Group  on 18th Aug  2011 at Hotel Imperial Delhi, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Mr Sachin Pilot began  his address by giving  an overview of the Indian telecom industry. He stated that the priority of the Indian government is to connect every Indian to the world, adding that "we want our citizens to be able to remotely access basic facilities like health, education, banking, commerce, entertainment, utility and e-governance services to enhance their quality of life." While giving an overview of the Indian telecom industry he underlined its contribution in the India's growth story; and highlighted that only in the last two years it has attracted investment of USD 20 billion; call rentals have come down 10 times in the last 10 years; broadband connections have crossed 10 million mark; Government of India successfully auctioned 3G spectrum last year. He further underlined the important role being played by the industry; telecom reforms being contemplated by the government of India, including on the spectrum allocation and licensing, in consultation with all stake holders; India's proposed Broadband Plan & National E-governance Programme and government's commitment to improve rural connectivity including with broadband; internet access through mobile phones.

India is a country that has grown in the last decade at 9% GDP
There are over 600 million mobile subscribers around the country, only 40% of the population still holds bank accounts. So, financial inclusion remains a study in contrast to the advancements that have taken place in many business sectors Talking about his own ministry’s initiatives, Mr Pilot said that 2.5 lakh common service centres are being set up across the country through which people would be able to access various financial services. He spoke about his   government’s plan for the postal department. Post offices have a physical presence in every nook and corner of the country. We are trying to synergize between the financial services sector and the trust and the faith and the sanctity the department carries... So the department of post, with its presence and skilled employees, can become the agent of change to bring about financial inclusion. With 800 million Indians using mobile phones, Internet services and new forms of technologies, the traditional volume and revenue streams of the department are on a steady decline. We need to re-innovate, explore new avenues for our earnings.
 Mr Pilot said “what we have been able to do is to provide the cheapest call rate on the planet. What we have been able to do is to add 18 million subscribers every month. What we have been able to do is create the world’s second largest telecom market. What we want to do and we will do is to have a new telecom policy... The new telecom policy will come out in a few months”
The growth of the IT sector in India symbolizes the potential of Indian industry to perform at world-class standards. Led by some visionaries and supported by thousands of employees and entrepreneurs, the IT sector embodies much of what can go right when the spirit of human enterprise is given free rein. IT can change how the society communicates, collaborates, lives, works, and plays.

He  reiterated that Government of India is committed to improve the quality of life of every individual in the remotest area and there is a continuous effort to bring the prices down, so that e-access becomes affordable. Expressing his firm belief that "India would continue on the same trajectory of growth in years to come and important role being played by the telecom industry", he invited all the stake holders of European companies  to become a part of this magnificent story”.