IET Panel Submited its Suggestions For Upcoming National Digital Communication Policy

The Internet of Things Panel of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (The IET) shared their opinion on the draft National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) 2018. The Position Statement shared lays out the recommendations of the panel members to the Department of Telecom. The document was presented to Mr N Sivasailam, Special Secretary, DoT in New Delhi earlier this month.

NDCP draft aims at a complete transition of India from physical to digital infrastructure and covers various aspects of the telecom environment including innovation, infrastructure, standards and regulations. The key strength of the NDCP is its three-fold mission which is ‘Connect, Propel and Secure India’. The Government’s plans to enable 100Mbps broadband on demand by setting up over 5 million WiFi hotspots.

As an interdisciplinary, neutral panel leading the discussions around IoT, the IET IoT panel members reviewed the draft NDCP from six different aspects – Infrastructure, Innovation, Safety and Security, Standards, Support Requirements, and Regulation.

Over and above that the Panel provided overall recommendations to the policy which include:

• Inclusion of modalities for attaining 5 Million WIFI hotspots by 2020
• More focus towards non-industrial, rural, agriculture and logistics implementations
• Simultaneous planning of public health and safety, mobile base station sites and passive infrastructure requirements
• Collaborative approach to be taken across state, local bodies and private sector for seamless implementation of 5G network
• Spectrum management, keeping in mind that average spectrum holding for Telecom companies in India is much below global standards
• Inclusion of one more strategic objective to be achieved by 2022: Universal 5G roll out in all districts.

Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar, Chairman- IET IoT Panel & President, Aeris Communications said, “Telecommunication is at the core of the IoT sector in India and I believe the NDCP has a tremendous role in shaping the evolution of IoT in the country. The NDCP remains a holistic and forward-looking policy which has taken into consideration several aspects essential for the growth and development of the telecom sector. The IET IoT panel evaluated the NDCP in an integrated manner based on various parameters including infrastructure, innovation, safety and security, regulation and so forth and shared our suggestions to enhance the policy further. We look forward to the final policy which is being unveiled in July.”

Sharing her thoughts Monika Gupta, Telecom Consultant (Former CIO B2B, Bharti Airtel) and Chairperson of the Telecom Working Group, The IET IoT Panel said, “The NDCP is a well thought out and forward-looking move on the part of the Government to unlock the true potential of the Telecom sector in digitally transforming the nation. The goals of ubiquitous broadband connectivity for all, fiberisation of base stations, homes, enterprises (Fiber First Initiative) and focus on IoT & 5G are welcome moves. In order to further strengthen the policy, our panel members have put together their recommendations which were shared with the Department of Telecom. We really hope to see our recommendations included in the final policy which is being rolled out in July”