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Reliance Industries Chairman & Managing Director Mukesh Ambani today said data was the new oil and the oxygen of the digital economy and it was time the citizens of the country were given affordable access to smartphones and connectivity. He was speaking in the national capital on the first of the three-day industry event India Mobile Congress.
“Mobile connectivity and cloud computing are the foundational technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. Data is the new oil. India doesn’t need to import it. We have it in super abundance. It will be a new source of value and will create opportunities and prosperity for India and billions of Indians,” he said while addressing the jam-packed hall at Pragati Maidan here.
He also said the 4G coverage in India would exceed that of 2G in a year’s time. Reliance Industries subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm is currently the only company in India whose entire network is 4G, IP-based. Reliance Jio rivals have committed to shifting their network to only 4G in a year’s time.
“Data is the oxygen of a digital economy. We cannot deprive Indians. We have to provide ubiquitous access to high-speed data at affordable prices and to sustain that we have to ensure that every Indian has access to an affordable smartphone that connects him to the limitless knowledge and the power of the internet,” he said.
Ambani said the nation had the opportunity to lead the connectivity-led fourth industrial revolution. He said this revolution -- fueled by connectivity, data and artificial intelligence -- had begun.
“Mobile connectivity and cloud computing are the foundational technologies of the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
Sharing the dais were Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) Manoj Sinha, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan and Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal, Google India head Rajan Anandan.
Ambani laid out three must-do tasks for the government and the industry to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ and ‘New India’ visions.
“First we must explore and implement innovative ideas to generate employment, self employment and income generation opportunities for millions of Indian youth. We must foster confidence in the society that new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data analytics, 3D printing, blockchain, nano technology are all enablers of new employment and wealth for all. I believe that we must especially tap the potential of these new technologies to transform and create jobs in the rural and the agricultural sectors,” he said.
Ambani said digital technologies could create room for achieving national priorities, energy security, water security and resource security. He said India must embark on connecting “everything and everyone” with the help of Internet of Things.
He said digitization of education, skill training and human resource development must be regarded as a pre-condition for the success of Digital India.
Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
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