India's dynamic IT and telecommunication sectors

Special report from Mumbai, India on telecommunications & IT

I write this from Mumbai, India where I've participated in the "COMMUNICATIONS CONVERGENCE, BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE" conference. This morning I saw myself on the front page of the Hindu Business Line Newspaper with Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (out of Geneva, Switzerland) Mr. Yoshio Utsumi holding my book FLOWERS FACING THE SUN before the audience of telecommunications industry leaders in Asia.

My presentation: "COMMUNICATIONS AND IT, THE IMPORTANCE TO EMERGING MARKETS AND PEACE" was received warmly by the audience, with many industry leaders expressing interest in our consulting work in Asia.

India is experiencing an economic boom. Cellular phone subscriptions are outpacing the world with one million new subscribers per month. It is estimated that with an economy showing a 7% annual growth in GDP, as well as a healthy agricultural sector, a dynamic industrial manufacturing sector with a huge pool of cheap labor, plus some of the most sophisticated computer technologists in the world, that India is destined to become one of the world's top 3 economic giants within the next 15 to 25 years.

Telecommunication industry leaders such as Nanik Rupani believe that India's GDP growth could increase to 10-11% per year. Mr. P.N. Mongre, and the Senior Secretary, Jitendra Sanghvi of the Indian Merchant's Chamber have hosted and gathered experts from throughout the world who will shape the future of communications technology in Asia. Piyush Goyal, Chair of the IMC Telecommunications committee are witnessing a revolution both in technology, but in economic opportunity in India.

India is ahead of the United States and much of the world in IT and telecommunications technology. At this conference, products, concepts, and implementation of technology was evident that shows the creative genius of this sector.

The refreshing thing about the technology industry leaders here is that they have a profound social consciousness and are not motivated my mere greed. A large part of this conference was focused on how to make technology available to the huge mass of people who have never used a telephone and who have never seen an e-mail. Goals were defined at this conference to assure that within a specific time framework, that every school child, every hospital, every library, every farm village, will have full access to modern telecommunications and computer technology.

The theme was: "Let us not create an environment where only giant companies can prevail, but make computer technology and internet information systems available to the small businesses, farmers and other small concerns, so that they can survive and prosper in the future economy." If they achieve this, the rest of the world will benefit and be advised to copy their ideals.