New Delhi, Feb 3
Vodafone Group Chief
Executive Officer Vittorio Colao Tuesday met Communications and IT
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and conveyed the telecom major's intent to
take part in Digital India and National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
programmes of the Indian government, according to sources here.
The
British telecom major also said that it was considering getting listed
on Indian bourses but was waiting for "the opportune moment".
Colao
said the company wants to partner the Indian government in the NOFN
project to help in the last-mile connectivity of broadband, the sources
said.
NOFN is set to link 600 million rural citizens of India
across 2.5 lakh gram panchayats spread over 6,600 blocks and 631
districts through broadband optical fibre network.
In the first
phase, it will cover 50,000 gram panchayats, with the remaining 200,000
panchayats expected to be covered in a phased manner by 2016. The
project is being implemented by three central PSUs - BSNL, PGCIL and
Railtel in the first phase.
It is learnt that Colao also raised
the issue of availability of additional 2100 megahertz or 3G spectrum,
which is at present lying with the defence ministry.
The government will auction 5 MHz of 15 MHz of 3G spectrum. The rest is lying with the defence ministry.
"Listing
decisions have to be taken in the right time and the right moment.
Right now we are concentrating on improving our network and building our
broadband penetration and surely one day we would consider an IPO ... I
am not against it," Colao added.
After the meeting, the minister
tweeted: "Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao met me. I assured him for holding
a fair and transparent spectrum auctions. Told CEO Vodafone -
#DigitalIndia has thrown open great possibilities for telecos in
internet & ICT services."
Earlier in the day, the minister,
speaking at a Digital India summit here, said the government is open to
using satellite technology, drones or special balloons for providing
broadband connectivity to all the gram panchayats under its NOFN
project.
"We have to reach every gram panchayat and, therefore, I
am quite open to tweaking the technology of the programme if you can
come with concrete suggestions and our technical team can supplement
that," Prasad said.
"...Wherever it is possible, digging will be
done, cable would be laid, where its possible if we can supplement by
satellite or balloon or drones, we can consider that, if it's possible
to use the cable in urban areas to give broadband, therefore, I am quite
open about it," he added.
"My benchmark 4 success of
#DigitalIndia will b- Dalit women running common service centres &
providing digital services," the minister tweeted.
