Name: Ranjeet Rane

Organisation: The Dialogue

Country: India

Stakeholder Group: Civil Society Organisation

Thematic Area: Access

Session Title: Connecting India’s Billion

Session Format: PANEL (60/90 MINS)

Co-organizers Name (if any):

Speakers Name: Dr. Vignesh Ilavarasan, Nalini Srinivasan, Ashwini Rana, Raman jit Singh Chima

Speaker Status: Waiting for confirmation

Relevance of the issue with specified session theme: Access to the internet is a pressing issue with respect to India. The benefits of this access are multi fold; however the growth propelled by mobile internet is not reaching the lives of the poorest of poor in the same manner as it reached urban centers. For a multitude of reasons, service providers shy out from taking internet connectivity to the last mile. The panel discussion will focus on understanding what ails the last mile penetration of internet access in India. It will also look into innovative solutions that may be implemented , including but not limited to white spectrum and public Wi-Fi.

Content of the session (Objective of the session): -Introduction of panel members

Discussing the report on demand side research for ‘Bharat Net’ project conducted by IIT Delhi  Discussing the existing bottlenecks experienced by service providers to implement last mile connectivity

What is USP of the session: Presence of faculty at IIT Delhi who lead the research on demand side issues with bharatnet project.

Discussions around new access technology by experts involved in promotion and development of such technology.

Presence of former WTO consultant on ICT applications in development sector.

Please describe how you will use your speakers and how their views/ perspectives /expertise will be included in the session: The panel will open with discussion of the demand side issues with bharat net project where the lead researcher will highlight some data that shows the primary reasons for uptake of internet connectivity in rural areas. This will be followed by discussion on how demand for internet access can be augmented in such reasons. Panel members will then discuss the technological alternatives for meeting these demands.

How are you bringing diversity in your proposed session whether it is relevant to the specified theme? Panel will be represented by  Academia,  Experienced development sector consultant , Industry representatives, Moderated by CPR South 2017 Young Scholar

Relevant Tags (Minimum 3 tags) #NextBillion #OpenAccess #InternetForAll