On 08.08.2022, Gujarat LSA Department of Telecommunications (DoT) organized an interactive conference with the Internet Service Providers (ISP) of Gujarat, at Hotel Pragati The Grand, Thaltej Ahmedabad, with an aim to sensitize all the stakeholders on the key initiatives taken by the DoT on the new business opportunities for the service providers to expand their role in “Digital India” & “Broadband for All” missions of Govt. of India. Issues related security aspects and customer satisfaction were also deliberated.

The conference was attended by the representatives of more than forty service providers, senior officials of DoT Gujarat LSA, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL).

 

The keynote address was delivered by Smt. Gunjan Dave Sr. DDG and the head of DoT Gujarat LSA, emphasizing that the ISPs are one of major enablers to achieve the most important target of the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) – 2018 i.e. “Broadband for All”. The ISPs are also envisaged to play a vital role in providing the broadband connectivity in the villages to minimize the urban-rural digital divide. DOT has implemented pan-India Bharatnet project to connect all the Gram Panchayats (GP) on optical fibre (OFC) and in Gujarat the work is almost complete, with 14191 out of 14301 GPs are service ready. This Bharatnet network is ready for use by the ISPs for the proliferation of the broadband in rural Gujarat, where there is massive untapped demand for the broadband service.

 

 

Subsequently presentations and discussions were held on the following major issues :-

1. Business opportunities in Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) framework and as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service providers.
2. Utilization of Bharatnet OFC network and scope of ISPs to provide broadband connections in the villages.
3. Timely resolution of public grievances (PG) and complaints to improved overall customer satisfaction.
4. Critical “DO”s and “DONT”s by the ISPs, in accordance to the license conditions and related instructions.
5. Security related aspects that need to be adhered to by the ISPs, including implementation Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) procedure.
6. Exhaustive question and answer session to facilitate resolving queries and doubts of the ISPs.

SD/GP/JD

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