DoT India rolls out the National Digital Communications Policy 2018 framework to achieve digital empowerment

At the current pace of digitisation and digitalisation, it is estimated that India’s digital economy has the potential to reach one trillion USD by 2025.

The Department of telecommunications has drafted the National Digital Communications Policy 2018 that seeks to unlock the transformative power of digital communications networks - to achieve the goal of digital empowerment and well being of the people of India; and towards this end, attempts to outline a set of goals, initiatives, strategies and intended policy outcomes.

At the current pace of digitisation and digitalisation, it is estimated that India's digital economy has the potential to reach one trillion USD by 2025. With significantly advanced capabilities in both telecommunications and software, India, more than most countries, stands poised to benefit from harnessing the new digital technologies and platforms; as a means to unlock productivity, as well as to reach unserved and underserved markets; thus catalysing economic growth and development, generating new- age jobs and livelihoods, and ensuring access to next-generation services for its citizens.

The policy aims to accomplish the following Strategic Objectives by 2022:

• Provisioning of Broadband for All
• Creating 4 Million additional jobs in the Digital Communications sector
• Enhancing the contribution of the Digital Communications sector to 8 percent of India's GDP from 6 percent in 2017
• Propelling India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017
• Enhancing India's contribution to Global Value Chains
• Ensuring Digital Sovereignty

The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 has envisaged the following initiatives for achieving the 2022 Goals:

• Provide Universal broadband coverage at 50 Mbps to every citizen
• Enable deployment of public Wi-Fi Hotspots; to reach 5 million by 2020 and 10 million by 2022
• Establishing a 'National Broadband Mission – Rashtriya Broadband Abhiyan' to secure universal broadband access
• Attract investments of USD 100 Billion in the Digital Communications Sector
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in a synchronized and effective manner to enhance the overall quality of service, spectrum management, network
  security and reliability
• Recognising mid-band spectrum, particularly the 3 GHz to 24 GHz range, as central to India's strategy for Next-Generation Networks
• Promoting the effective utilisation of high capacity backhaul E-band (71-76/81-86 GHz) and V-band (57-64 MHz) spectrum in line with international best practices
• Accelerate transition to Industry 4.0- Create a roadmap for transition to Industry 4.0 by 2020 by closely working with
  sector-specific Industry Councils
• Creating a roadmap for emerging technologies and its use in the communications sector, such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Cloud
  Computing and M2M
• Implementing an action plan for rollout of 5G applications and services
• Creating a Fund for R&D in new technologies for start-ups and entrepreneurs to enable innovation in cutting-edge communications, 5G, software, content, security and related technologies and applications; and commercialization of products and services through grants, scholarships, venture capital, etc.

The Policy further aims to pursue regulatory reforms to ensure that the regulatory structures and processes remain relevant, transparent, accountable and forward-looking. Additionally, the Policy aims to remove regulatory barriers and reduce the regulatory burden that hampers investments, innovation and consumer interest.