The pandemic opened up vast areas of space for tech entrepreneurs to showcase their skills. Remote work and collaboration tools created new business models. Science became more human because larger populations of people understood it better. Tech is now pervasive in all sectors. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing and data analytics are making our lives easier every day. The remarkable changes in the way we transact, work and play would have at one time been part of science fiction. It is now table stake to drive greater investment in next generation technologies. Technology consultant Gartner predicts that IT spending globally will reach $4.5 trillion this year, a 5.1% increase from 2021.
Affordable data plans and affordable phones have led to rapid growth in internet penetration, creating an unparalleled level of comfort for end users. A study by analyst firm Nielsen has found that out of 646 million internet users in India, 352 million are in rural areas. Although 60% of rural India does not have internet access, there are 20% more rural than urban internet users. In 2020, smartphone penetration rate in India reached 54% and was projected to reach 96% in 2040, more than double from 2016, when only about 23% of the total population was using a smartphone.
Technological changes are not isolated events; Rather, it’s like an octopus whose arms are moving along the way, complementing/feeding each other in different areas. Today, dazzling possibilities are emerging with the next generation of cellular technology, 5G. Location science is transforming key development sectors such as health, logistics, mobility, water, farming, etc. Government is redesigning development programs based on digital technologies with flagship programs like Digital India, Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, Smart Cities, Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), PM e-VIDYA, Rural Asset Survey Is. plan, and many others. Online education, telemedicine, robotic surgery, growing Metaverse applications, doorstep delivery and many more such facilities are making a huge transformative impact on our lives. AI-based diagnostics, disease surveillance and virtual health are now well understood. Given that the online world is leaping forward, broadband connectivity should be made a fundamental right. The Internet is a basic human right in Finland, Estonia, France, Spain, Greece and Costa Rica. Like roads and highways, in a digital-first world, digital highways bring the kind of connectivity, remarkable speed and safety that only the digital world is capable of. In terms of possibilities, we are now going to be limited only by imagination (or lack thereof)!
India Stack with its twin components—Aadhaar, the unique identifier for each citizen, and UPI, the digital payments infrastructure created by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)—have closed the gap in financial inclusion, and effectively is providing services to. , According to a study by PwC, UPI transactions grew at a compound annual growth rate of 785% between 2017 and 2020.
The decade-old Bharat Net project aims to provide minimum 100 Mbit/s broadband connectivity to all 250,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) covering approximately 625,000 villages, in a phased manner. Unfortunately, it suffers from delays, and this causes a mismatch in India access. An Ericsson research paper suggests that a 10% increase in mobile broadband adoption led to an initial 0.8% increase in GDP. It is an important consideration for policy makers to usher in a new era of growth spurts, where the entire population of 1.3 billion is equally included.
Connectivity allows entrepreneurship and great ideas to flourish. Government cannot be present everywhere, to solve every subtle problem. Such efforts are best done at the local level. And for that we need connectivity. For innovation to pollinate in rural areas, it is important to reach out to all children first, among marginalized communities, for women to realize their potential, to acquire maximum skills. Well-known strategist CK Prahlad used to say- “Poor are poor because they do not have information. And hence, broadband as a fundamental right will be able to reduce the poor in the country. One level to be allowed- plan of development” Making is fundamental to equity.By the same logic, quality broadband should be a fundamental right as it is vital to economic growth.
Dr. Ajay Choudhary is the Founder, HCL, President, EPIC Foundation. He is known as the father of hardware in India. Views expressed are personal.