Govt needs Rs 300,000 cr for telecom

The Centre today said it would require an investment of about Rs 300,000 crore for the equipment to roll out broadband services and 150 million new telephone lines over the next three years.

The total investment will be divided equally for broadband services and setting up new telephone lines, the Minister Of State For Communications And Information Technology Shakeel Ahmad said.

In the broadband policy the government has envisaged to achieve a target of 40 million Internet and 20 million broadband subscribers by 2010.

Speaking at the inaugral session of Convergence India 2005 Ahmad invited companies to set up more manufacturing facilities in the country in wake of huge growth in telecom subscriber base in the country.

Few companies like Nokia, LG, Alcatel and Elcoteq have shown interest to set up manufacturing bases here. But there is scope for more participation of the other leading industries as the demand is huge," Ahmad said.