Telecommunications Regulation in India

This research will examine the regulation of "Next Generation Telecommunications Technologies" in India, covering wireless broadband, with a focus on quality of service and universal access. The research will be undertaken during the period 2010 to 2015 in collaboration with the Indian telecommunications regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, with whom a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed.

Stanford University Representatives:

1. Rafiq Dossani - Director of the Project
2. Paulraj Arogyaswami - Member
3. Gregory Rosston - Member
4. Ramesh Johari - Member

Initial Consortium Members:

1. Google
2. Qualcomm
3. Wirefreecom.Inc
4. Intel

The project will be implemented through a number of specific research projects, as follows:

• Broadband emergence
  • Projected user profile of broadband users in India: rural vs urban, and by economic status,
  • Tariff structure that will best promote broadband
  • Broadband services that can be offered to Indian public
  • Revenue model - carrier based versus content based
  • Willingness to pay for broadband by user class (rural, urban, income-classes, experienced users, etc.)
• What is the relationship between mobile technologies, affordability, use and population density? For example, is it the case that low-density, low-income populations can be efficiently served by older generation technologies? What are the regulatory implications?