TRAI Defines Broadband At 512 Kbps, Appeal Made To Revise It To 2 Mbps Minimum

The Broadband India Forum (BIF), in a recent interaction with TRAI has suggested the apex telecom body to reconsider the broadband definition and the associated speeds in India.

As per BIF, such a revision is long overdue and that the current 512 kbps of speed defining a broadband is dismally low.

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BIF has hence proposed that the broadband definition speed should be upgraded to 2 Mbps. For making its point, BIF highlighted the radical transformation in communications technology over the past years. It said that the modern internet operations require a much higher speed than what is set by the existing definition.

"It is our view that since the current definition of broadband captures neither the development of the technology nor the Indian consumers' appetite for high speed broadband services, it must be reviewed and redefined," the BIF said in its submission to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The suggestions come in response to TRAI¡¯s discussion paper on the broadband connectivity in India, circulated among the stakeholders recently. The consultation paper was titled 'road map to promote broadband connectivity and enhanced broadband speed'.

The paper highlighted important aspects associated with broadband connectivity, including threshold download and upload speeds, possibility of categorising broadband based on speeds, need for speed measurement programmes as well as the need to redefine the existing definition of broadband.

A report by PTI mentions BIF President T V Ramachandran commenting on the current definition of broadband in India at 512 kbps as dismally low. If not for the global benchmarks, the upgrade to 2 Mbps speed is long overdue even as per the national policy mandates, as the threshold has now become the "mainstream requirement" in the market for internet access.

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BIF compared the broadband speeds in India to the rest of the globe and said that it is half of what is being available in other countries, even post the introduction of 4G. It thus urged TRAI to set a mandate to 2 Mbps download and upload speed for considering a connection as broadband.

It further mentioned that different categories can be created to ensure distinctive use-case. This can range from Basic to Fast and Ultre-fast connectivity based on definitive speed thresholds.

"We also recommend the creation of additional tiers that represent increasing levels of quality and enhance transparency in the provision of services, but are entirely optional for service providers to guarantee," the BIF said.