Two-thirds of India's population yet to come online: Telecom Minister
According to Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha, over two-thirds of India's population is yet to come online, despite the fact that the country is the second largest consumer of the internet in the world. Sinha said this at the inauguration of the Convergence India 2018 expo which is being held in New Delhi from March 7-9.
The expo saw a hit session on 'IoT Revolutionizing India'
The expo will see several sessions on different technologies and how they can be used to improve the country. One such session was on 'IoT Revolutionizing India' which highlighted the impact of technology on social change and empowerment. "Technology enables us to overcome difficulties like lack of physical infrastructures such as roads and water," said RS Sharma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Technology as a medium for social transformation
"Technology should be inculcated as an active medium for social transformation. Therefore, it needs to be ubiquitous and available. Regulatory and policy space has to change and has to embrace data-driven algorithms," Sharma added.
The scope of 5G technology in India
Another major session at the expo was on the scope of 5G technology in India. N Sivasailam from the Department of Telecommunication said, "We are working on conducting 5G trials with the support of large institutions which manufacture devices like Nokia and Samsung. 5G is going to be a system of very simplified devices with a whole round of applications built on them."
