Driving digital India’s growth

The country requires an open and future-oriented environment that can adequately address issues of security and privacy for healthy economic growth.

By David Li

In 2020, as India completes 25 years of mobile telephony, it is time to mark the revolutionary journey of ensuring a mobile density of over 85%, equipping the people with not just basic communication, but also empowering them with mobile broadband, and a digital ecosystem. This achievement is also significant in the scope and scale of networks covered, spanning from the urban centres to remote rural areas.

It all started with the economic liberalization in 1991 that was followed by the opening of the Indian telecom sector for private players. Since then, this revolutionary journey has been a collective effort of the government, telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, and other eco-system players whose joint efforts have enabled multiple kinds of mobility – social, economic, and informational for Indian consumers and industries.

The last decade in this journey saw the proliferation of 4G, which has been a game-changer driving India from voice to the data era. Huawei, in India for the last 20-years, has been one of the major contributors to the country’s ICT infrastructure, introducing several 3G, 4G as well as recent pre-5G innovations like massive MIMO and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (CloudAIR) among others.

The last decade in this journey has seen the proliferation of 4G that has been a game-changer driving India from voice to the data era.

Some of the key factors driving this digital revolution are the enablement of a globally interconnected economy based on the open market, free competition, and inter-sectoral collaborations and global supply chain. It is also complemented by the growth of a robust local ICT eco-system, characterized by strong local players having definitive areas of specialization who in turn have contributed to the global eco-system. This whole interconnected process has resulted in the emergence of several disruptive technological developments such as innovative mobile apps, connected devices, IoT, and ICT infrastructure.

The implementation of unified global standards and protocols developed by organizations like 3GPP, ETSI and IETF has further boosted these new technological advancements across countries. Standards are a crucial component for the continual development, commercialization, and trade of technological innovations. Developed by technical experts, standards foster unified eco-systems and economies of scale, making it possible for companies to develop products and solutions that are compatible and interoperable across markets.

We are currently at the beginning of the 5G journey. Several 5G use cases are being developed that enhance experiences, empower businesses, and transform verticals. Looking forward, as 5G deployment intensifies the future of emerging technologies will be about intelligent computing and AI. We will see large-scale adoption of AI, which will give rise to new use cases in telemedicine, robotics, manufacturing, and other areas enabling Industry 4.0. This in turn calls for policy updates in line with these industry evolutions.

Large-scale adoption of AI will give rise to new use cases in telemedicine, robotics, manufacturing, and other areas enabling Industry 4.0. This in turn calls for policy updates in line with these industry evolutions.

There is also a need for “adaptive regulation” that keeps pace with changing technology and the sectoral landscape. For 5G and other new-age technologies to realize their potential, the need of the hour is the continued development of neutral, universally accepted standards for security and technology, backed by uniform and progressive policies that can provide a level-playing field for all players. There has to be a consensus on cybersecurity, technical standards, verification systems, and legislative support. Countries that succeed in doing this will reap numerous benefits, including the ability to offer innovative new services and integrate more firmly into the global value chain.

As a leading ICT player, Huawei is an active participant and contributor in a wide range of important global standards-setting organizations. The company has placed security and user privacy protection on the very top of its agenda. It is committed to working closely with all stakeholders, including regulators, carriers, and standards organizations, to build a system of trust based on facts and verification.

5G and other new technologies will prove to be a catalyst in India’s digital revolution, one that will generate new growth avenues, boost industrial productivity, and potentially transform the socio-economic fabric of the country.

A prosperous Digital India, therefore, requires an open and future-oriented environment that can adequately address issues of security and privacy for the healthy growth of the country’s ICT industry.

The author David Li is the CEO of Huawei India

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