In the next three years, the minister said, India will start exporting Telecom technologies to other countries.
There is no plan for Privatisation of Railway – Ashwini Vaishnaw
According to Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, India has demonstrated its mettle with its homegrown 4G/5G telecom technologies stack, which is “already ready,” and the nation is positioned to become a significant telecom technology exporter to the world in the next three years.
Vaishnaw, who is also the Minister for Railways, declared definitely that there is no plan for the privatisation of the national transporter during a speech at the Economic Times Global Business Conference 2023. The 5G services were introduced on October 1, 2022, and were made available in more than 200 cities within a 100-day period. Industry leaders around the world have praised the rollout’s extreme speed, which has been dubbed the “fastest deployment happening anyplace in the world” in numerous international venues.
“There are already two Indian businesses exporting telecom equipment to other countries. India will become a significant global supplier of telecom technology during the next three years, “said Vaishnaw.
The minister discussed India’s quick progress in creating its own 4G and 5G technology stack, an accomplishment that attracted international notice.
“Stack is now prepared. It was first tested for one million simultaneous calls, then for five million, and now for ten million simultaneous calls,” he said, calling it a “phenomenal success.” “. He claimed that at least 9–10 nations want to test it out.
Within his three ministries of telecom, IT, and railroads, the minister presented a presentation summarising significant projects.
For Railways, the focus is on transforming passenger experience, he said as he presented slides on how railways is redeveloping stations and terminals (New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Jaipur among others) with modern and futuristic design blueprint, and in the process creating new urban spaces while also preserving rich heritage.
A summary of the Vande Bharat train, the Kavach indigenous train protection system, and the status of the bullet train project were also provided by the minister.
“We decided that it is sensible to learn from others’ expertise, and keep it within the Government set-up, in a country where we have 1.35 billion people, with 8 billion people moving every year on Railways.
To a related question regarding a special freight route for food grains, the minister responded that it is crucial in terms of transportation economics to avoid dividing resources among various uses.
“Our network is expanding by about 4500 km year, or 12 km of new tracks every day, thanks to our highly developed thought process. Hence, we must significantly enhance the capacity so that there is adequate room for coal, small packages, and all types of goods, as well as enough space for foodgrains ” he said. During the past 50–60 years, Railroads has been steadily losing market share, but recently, it has begun to regain it.
Depending on the distance to be travelled, people will pick between ground, rail, or air transportation, and “there will be enough for everybody.”
“My point is that there will be enough for everyone in the nation. Road travel up to 250 kilometres is excellent, but rail travel between 250 and 1000 kilometres is best. Air will be the best means of transportation after 1000 kilometres. There will therefore be plenty for everyone “added the minister.
The lowest point was 27%. I am happy to share that from the 27%-level, last year Railways increased to 28%, this year we are doing close to 29-29.5%, and in the coming 2-3 years Railways will go towards 35% market share, he said.
Depending on the distance to be travelled, people will pick between ground, rail, or air transportation, and “there will be enough for everybody.”
“My point is that there will be enough for everyone in the nation. Road travel up to 250 kilometres is excellent, but rail travel between 250 and 1,000 kilometres is best. Air will be the best form of transportation after 1,000 kilometres. There will therefore be plenty for everyone ” added the Minister.