At the Broadband Tech India 2005 conference yesterday:
TRAI chairman Pradip Baijal: BSNL should share its network with other operators to promote broadband connectivity. Not doing so will only promote other private players.
BSNL director (finance) SD Saxena: BSNL can not share its network just because it has one. It will not be able to bear the loss incurred by sharing its network with others.
Baijal: But look at BT which has shared its network. The more it shared, the more its infrastructure increased in value. After initial resistance to sharing, BT is now retailing its network to any operator wanting to use it.
Meanwhile, UTStarcom's Vijay Yadav, Bharti's Jagbir Singh and ISPAI's Sanjay Dwivedi: We are very concerned at the slow uptake of broadband in the country. We weren't even able to meet a target of 1 million, leave alone 3 million. All this is because BSNL refuses to unbundle the local loop.
Yadav: We should adopt a target of providing 2 Mbps connectivity at two dollars (Rs. 100) per month.
Saxena: The slow uptake of broadband is because we don't have enough subscribers, and also don't have popular content available. Bandwidth rates continue to be high because of the lack of a sufficient number of National Internet Exchanges, and under utilisation of the existing NIXIs.
RailTel's K K Bajpeyee: Use our network and reach upto 40% of the population in one hit.
Baijal: Get cheaper and we will use it.
Full Story: CIOL.
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