The telecom network (21.59 million-lines) of India is extensive and acclaimed as the largest in Asia as well as in the entire world. There are 27,753 telephone exchanges in India, with a capacity of 272.17 lakh lines and 226.3 lakh working telephones, many of which provides facilities like International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) to various countries. The overall number of places linked to National Subscriber Dialing (NSD) is over 18,000. The ‘International Communications of India’ is growing at a rapid pace, with facilities like Satellite Communications and Submarine Links, which have provided a new face to global communication.
Ministry of Communications directs the telecommunications initiative of India through the Department of Telecommunication & Department of Telecom Services. About 1,70,000 route km of long distance transmission network of India is done through microwave radio relay and co-axial cables, and about 171,000 route km is through optical fiber cables. The telecommunication network of India comprises of both voice and non-voice telecom services and includes data transmission, mobile radio, radio paging, facsimile, V-SAT and chartered line services. Services like I-NET (Packet Switched Public Data Network) and ISDN have also contributed to the steep ascendance of telecom sector in the country.
As far as international communications is concerned, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) has contributed a lion’s share to telecommunication development by exploiting technologies like satellite earth stations, high-tech digital gateways, optical fiber, multi media submarine cables and multi media data switches. VSNL is also striving to add futuristic touches to Indian telecom, in the form of bandwidth on demand, ISDN, B-ISDN, VSATs, Mini-M and Global Virtual Private Networks. Other services that are in the pipeline include Intelligent Network (IN), Frame Relay (FR) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) for wide band multimedia applications.
India has also witnessed communication revolution in the form of Internet. Earlier internet connectivity in India was mostly in the form of government monopoly, with VSNL and DOT (Department of Telecommunications) catering to all the connectivity needs. However, after economic liberalization in the year 1992, many private ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have entered the competitive and lucrative market of internet sector, thus facilitating its dominance in India. At present times, Internet communication is a boon to many companies.
It has also led to the emergence of various web-related business activities, in the form of website creation, software development and many service-oriented businesses. Thus, if we look back at the history of telecom in India, starting with the introduction of telegraph in 1850, we can construe that the country has emerged as a major player. Moreover, with the introduction of various promising services and products in the near future, the telecom and internet sector of India will surely scale more heights.
