Your telecom series....

Hi Gowri

While I have scored around 8 postings on all my three series, I am finding that you are limping in your first ever series....Think you are not much of a visionery like Rajiv and Sam.....

This particular posting, I find something interesting about P&T which you have wrote.... In general, in most of the developed countries these two departments are suffering out of out-dation. I remember even at Sweden where I was speaking to a colleague of mine was telling some thing about how post offices are closed down in the whole of the country....as no one literally writes these days - Since every home got a computer and they have a much bigger bandwidth of their lines, writing letters is quite obselete as sending telegrams....

I do remember the searches I used to make to buy stamps to post letter to my amma....and they had completely decentralised the sale of stamps and collection of letters to specific departmental stores. The post man / women visit these shops once a day to collect the letters....Think, we have to go to Post Office at the HQ to collect our letters...If we request them, they will send the same to the specific department stores...but for this we need to be very clear when the Post Office contacts us over phone....

So Gowri, If I forward your posting to Margereth, my friend at Sweden, she will inturn make a posting back to us "Telecommunications in sweden"......

suchoo


Dec 11, 2007

** Telecommunication in India - Part III **
As said, in my view, Rajiv Gandhi and Sam Pitorda were the chief architects of the communication boom in India. Major initiatives include formation of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL). International gateway packet switch system was commissioned in Bombay. Also, the P&T Department was divided to form two separate entities - Department of Posts and the Department of Telecommunications. Constitution of Telecom Commission, and the reorganisation of telecommunication circles were done. All these measures helped faster growth of Telecommunication in India. Above all, the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) was formed, which is doing a wonderful service now, in settling various disputes between service providers and also setting path for various initiatives.
Later, based on the above initiatives, the national long-distance service was opened up for private participation and BSNL was set up. All these helped everyone realise the huge customer base and potential that India had. The strength of "internal" market in India cannot be under estimated. It is this internal market that helped India take communication to the next level - Mobile communication.Just look at the ocean of difference between the service that was provided by P&T during those days and the service and facilities that we have today on the communication front. Even during those days we had a huge customer base, potential and everything - but yet, there was no vision and foresight at the top level. The communication boom that we have today is due to Rajiv Gandhi and Sam Pitorda - who had laid a very strong foundation for the huge stylish structure that we have today.
Posted by Gowri at 12:00 AM