PC penetration 'pathetic' in India: Maran

Friday, 30 July 2004, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: The current penetration of personal computers in India is pathetic and there is an urgent need to accelerate it, Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran said here Thursday. On his first visit to this hi-tech city after assuming office, Maran told reporters that compared to the penetration of cable TV, the PC penetration across the country was far lower. "Even tele-density has gone up substantially. In the absence of PC penetration, Internet usage is quite low. So much so we are far behind other developing countries," Maran said. "We have to boost Internet penetration too. We have asked all the players, including BSNL and MTNL, to come out with broadband networks using asynchronous digital signal lines and digital signal lines." Referring to the rates currently levied on the usage of Internet, Maran said compared to the rest of the world, the charges in India were very high. "We need to drive down Internet costs to make it affordable to all. Broadband is one of the solutions towards it," he noted. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has submitted its recommendations on them. My ministry is studying them for implementation and we will do it."
Source: IANS