#dnaEdit: Age of connectivity

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not floating trial balloons with his demand for making connectivity a fundamental right at the first global summit of his pet project, Internet.org. Riding on the back of rapid technological and public policy initiatives, it appears that Internet connectivity could become an achievable fundamental right even before India meets several other development goals. As a fundamental right, Internet connectivity would appear as a frivolous need to many, but its transformative potential in facilitating access to knowledge, services, jobs, banking, and even existing fundamental rights has been understated for long. The revolutionary change that the ubiquitous mobile phone has ushered into every aspect of Indian life is now a decade old. India has an estimated 900 million mobile phones and the world’s third largest smartphone base with 117 million users. At present rates of growth, mobile broadband users would number only 600 million by 2020. This is where Zuckerberg’s prescription of providing basic Internet services free of cost to the residual one billion population is interesting. In his speech, Zuckerberg referenced Internet.org’s mobile app, launched in partnership with Airtel in Zambia, that is providing a set of basic useful services like Wikipedia, health and maternity information, local news, weather updates, a job portal, government schemes, Google Search and Facebook, all without a data plan.

While there are those sceptical of Zuckerberg’s aims in logging more people onto the Internet, the advantages such free services confer on those connected cannot be dismissed lightly. The Narendra Modi government is launching a Digital India initiative next month with a different model but aims similar to Internet.org. The project envisions information access to everyone, broadband highways, universal access to phones, a public Internet access programme, electronic delivery of services, improving governance through e-governance, and generating IT-enabled jobs. The previous UPA government launched the Rs20,000 crore National Optical Fibre Network(NOFN) to connect 200,000 gram panchayats by 2016-17. Optic-fibre cables are being laid at a slow place of 500 kms per month, while 30,000 kms per month is needed to meet the deadline. Currently, three public sector companies are involved in NOFN, and they clearly need more help. It is imperative that the private sector is roped in to expedite this task. 

Though smartphones prices are falling steadily, mobile Internet speeds have steeply declined highlighting the urgent need to release more spectrum to telecom operators. Monthly mobile data plans cost a mere fraction of broadband data. But without adequate bandwidth, the transition to smartphones will slow down. There is a lesson in all of this for the Indian government. The information technology revolution has happened despite, rather than because of, the State. The expertise in quickly laying networks, developing and offering software and mobile applications and telecom services at a low cost vests with the private sector today. The Digital India initiative’s ambitious programme is entirely strategised by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, while the capabilities that can quickly transform it into reality will require a partnership involving governments, NGOs, hardware, software and content producers. In a country like India where communication and dissemination of information and knowledge have to continually surmount caste, gender, linguistic and cultural barriers besides the usual economic hurdles, free Internet connectivity could become a window towards a more equitable and free society. Together, the triad of network, smartphone, and data, offers possibilities of social and economic change.