The recent GSMA conference in India experienced the joining together of the industry and the government to support the growth of mobile broadband in India. At the conference, the communications and information ministry of India, the GSMA, the Cellular Operators of India (COAI) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced their plan to work together to facilitate growth of mobile broadband services in India.

I am convinced that India will soon be at the forefront of next-generation Mobile Broadband technology. COAI is committed to working with the GSMA, TRAI and the government to meet the demands of Mobile Broadband and to provide universal Internet connectivity that will empower and enrich the lives of millions of Indians,” said Sanjay Kapoor, chairman, COAI and CEO, Bharti Airtel India & South Asia.

TRAI is committed to developing an ecosystem to meet the need to connect our citizens in line with the National Broadband Plan. Mobile Broadband will play a significant role in meeting our target of 160 million broadband connections by 2014, according to J.S. Sarma, chairman, TRAI.

The seminar organized by GSMA and COAI focused on how mobile broadband, delivered using next-generation LTE technology, can help connect all citizens across urban and rural areas, to the Internet. This will further stimulate the Indian economy and provide people, especially those in rural communities, with access to online information, improving health, education and employment prospects, as well as providing access to financial and government services.

India has always been a global leader in information technology, providing the world with much needed leadership and direction in IT and research and development,” said Kapil Sibal, the minister for Communications and Information Technology.

However, it is time to bring the Internet revolution to our rural communities and I believe Mobile Broadband will play a significant role in achieving this. The Indian government understands the need for wireless broadband connectivity and is working towards making adequate spectrum available to support these services,” Sibal added.

Mobile Broadband has transformed the reach of the Internet, with more than 450 million connections across the globe. Through sufficient spectrum allocation, India can become a leader in the provision of mobile broadband and take advantage of the huge economic benefits, which could generate more than Rs 3,146 billion to India’s GDP by 2020.

We fully support the Indian government in its efforts to connect all its citizens to the Internet and look forward to the early release of spectrum in both the 700MHz and 2.6GHz bands in line with international efforts,” said Rob Conway, CEO, GSMA.