Telecom and Broadband - Life in Slow Motion
Truth hurts. The success of IT industry has freed India from a sluggish rate of growth, but the country could be saddled by yet another unsavoury sobriquet. In Calcutta (I’m using it for the sheer liking of this name), it usually takes an IT worker at least around one hour to commute between office and home. Some yell, some honk, some curse. But no one really cares about what CII just reported – India loses around USD 90 billion, due to the sluggish broadband network (and Internet Service Providers) that could allow many to work from home.
Slow speeds of internet have made working from homes impossible in India. Nearly a third of KPMG’s 5000 odd UK based employees work from home. Some of these western countries have cut down on costs thanks to telecommuting. A recent study by tech research firm IDC says that, by 2010, around 300,000 Americans would be working from home. Now that is some cost saving on account of space rentals and employee commuting costs.
CII’s figure is surprising. It’s true that our competitiveness as a country is slowing down. The Economists Intelligence Unit gave a rank of 54 on 69 in its e-readiness rating. Even among all the BRIC countries, we were last.
